Simple Present |
- every day
- sometimes
- always
- often
- usually
- seldom
- never
- first ... then
|
- something happens repeatedly
- how often something happens
- sequence of actions
- things in general
- after the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc.)
- future meaning: timetables, programmes
|
infinitive (he/she/it) + -s |
- I work
- he works
- I go
- he goes
|
Present Progressive |
- now
- at the moment
- Look!
- Listen!
|
- something is happening at the same time of speaking or around it
- future meaning: when you have already decided and arranged to do it (a fixed plan, date)
|
to be (am/are/is) + infinitive + -ing |
- I'm working
-
he's working
-
I'm going
- he's going
|
Simple Past |
- last ...
- ... ago
- in 1990
- yesterday
|
action took place in the past, mostly connected with an expression of time (no connection to the present) |
- regular: Infinitiv + -ed
- irregular: 2nd column
|
- I worked
- he worked
- I went
- he went
|
Past Progressive |
|
- an action happened in the middle of another action
- someone was doing sth. at a certain time (in the past) – you don't know whether it was finished or not
|
was/were + infinitive + -ing |
- I was working
- he was working
- I was going
- he was going
|
Simple Present Perfect |
- yet
- never
- ever
- already
- so far,
- up to now,
- since, for, recently
|
- you say that sth. has happened or is finished in the past and it has a connection to the present
- action started in the past and continues up to the present
|
have/has + past participle (infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column) |
- I've worked
- he's worked
- I've gone
- he's gone
|
Present Perfect Progressive |
|
- emphasis: length of time of an action
- action began in the past and has just stopped
- how long the action has been happening
|
have/has + been + infinitive + -ing |
- I've been working
- he's been working
- I've been going
- he's been going
|
Simple Past Perfect |
|
- mostly when two actions in a story are related to each other: the action which had already happened is put into Past Perfect, the other action into Simple Past
- the past of the Present Perfect
|
had + past participle (infinitive + -ed) or (3rd column) |
- I had worked
- he had worked
- I had gone
- he had gone
|
will-future |
|
- predictions about the future (you think that sth. will happen)
- you decide to do sth. spontaneously at the time of speaking, you haven't made a decision before
- main clause in if clause type I
|
will + infinitive |
- I'll work
- he'll work
- I'll go
- he'll go
|
going to-future |
|
- when you have already decided to do sth. in the future
- what you think what will happen
|
to be (am/are/is) + going to + infinitive |
- I'm going to work
- he's going to work
- I'm going to go
- he's going to go
|