English Tenses
English Tenses
English Tenses
Usage: Example: general action, habitual action, general truth I work in a hospital. ongoing or temporary action Sorry, I cant talk right now. I am working. completed action or condition I worked for ten hours yesterday. past ongoing action, past interrupted action I was working on my project when you called. planned or unplanned future action I will work at the main branch next week. action that happened at an indefinite time in the past and continues to the present I have worked at the bank for three years. past action that happened before another past action. I had already worked for several years before I got married. future action that will happen before another future action I will have worked here for five years next July. past action that started in the past and continues to the present I have been working on that project for the last two weeks. past ongoing action that was completed before some other past action I had been sleeping at my desk when my boss fired me. future ongoing action that will occur before another action I will have been working here for ten years tomorrow, so were having a party.
Present Continuous
Usage: Example:
Past Simple
Usage: Example:
Past Continuous
Usage: Example:
Future
Usage: Example:
Present Perfect
Usage: Example:
Past Perfect
Usage: Example:
Future Perfect
Usage: Example:
Usage: Example:
Usage: Example:
Usage: Example:
Examples of English Verb Tenses Verb Tense Present Simple Present Continuous Present Progressive Past Simple Past Continuous Past Progressive ACTIVE
I work. I am working.
PASSIVE
The work is done.
Future
I will work. Im going to work. I have worked. I had worked. I will have worked.
The work will be done. The work is going to be done. The work has been done. The work had been done.
Common Time Expressions for English Verb Tenses Verb Tense ACTIVE Time Clues
every day / morning / night,always,rarely,sometimes,never,usually,fre quently,seldom now,right now,at the present time,this weekend yesterday,last night,last week / month / year,last summer / winter while,when tomorrow,next week / month /year,in the future,soon
Present perfect
I have worked.
since,so far/ already/ just,ever,until now,up till now/ yet,never,for two hours / days / months/many times
Past Perfect
I had worked.
Future Perfect
by the time for the past four years for the last two days I had been working. I will have been working.
before, all the day,all the month/since,all the year/for three hours / days / weeks