Table of English Tenses
Affirmative/Negative/
Tense
Simple Present
Present Continuous
Simple Past
Past Continuous
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect Continuous A: He has been speaking.
N: He has not been speaking.
Q: Has he been speaking?
Past Perfect Simple
Question
A: He speaks.
N: He does not speak.
Q: Does he speak?
A: He is speaking.
N: He is not speaking.
Q: Is he speaking?
A: He spoke.
N: He did not speak.
Q: Did he speak?
A: He was speaking.
N: He was not speaking.
Q: Was he speaking?
A: He has spoken.
puputting emphasis on the result
N: He has not spoken.
Q: Has he spoken?
course or duration (not the result)
or is still going on
A: He had spoken.
N: He had not spoken.
Use Signal Words
Frequency adverbs (always,
Habitual actions
every …, never, normally, often,
facts, general truths seldom, sometimes, usually)
if sentences type I (If I talk, …)
future meaning: a timetable
once a day, twice a month...
or schedule on Tuesdays
at the moment, just, just now,
action taking place in the
Listen!, Look!, now, right now,
moment of speaking at present
action taking place only for today, tonight, tomorrow, next
week
a limited period of time
action arranged for the
future
yesterday,
action in the past taking
2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other
place once, never or several times day,
actions taking place one last Friday
if sentence type II (If I
after another
talked, …)
action taking place in the
middle of another action
when, while, as long as
action going on at a certain
time in the past
actions taking place at the
same time
action in the past that is
interrupted by another action
For + periods of time
Since + points in time
action that is still going on already, ever, just, never, yet, so
far, till now, up to now
action that stopped recently
once, before
finished action that has an recently, lately
influence on the present How long?
Today, this week, this year,this
action that has taken place morning, this afternoon
once, never or several times before
the moment of speaking
all day, for 4 years, since 1993,
putting emphasis on the
how long?, the whole week
action that recently stopped
finished action that
influenced the present
already, just, never, not yet,
action taking place before a
once, until that day
1
 Q: Had he spoken?
Past Perfect Progressive A: He had been speaking.
N: He had not been
speaking.
Q: Had he been speaking?
Future Simple A: He will speak.
N: He will not speak.
Q: Will he speak?
Shall I/we in questions
A: He is going to speak.
Be going to N: He is not going to speak.
Q: Is he going to speak?
Future Continuous A: He will be speaking.
N: He will not be speaking.
Q: Will he be speaking? certain time in the future
in the near future
Future Perfect A: He will have spoken.
N: He will not have spoken.
Q: Will he have spoken? at a certain time in the future
Conditional Simple A: He would speak.
N: He would not speak.
Q: Would he speak?
Condicional Perfect A: He would have spoken.
N: He would not have
spoken.
Q: Would he have spoken?
if sentence type III (If I had
certain time in the past
talked, …)
sometimes interchangeable
with past perfect progressive
putting emphasis only on the
fact (not the duration)
for, since, the whole day, all day
action taking place before a
certain time in the past
sometimes interchangeable
with past perfect simple
putting emphasis on the
duration or course of an action
in a year, next …, tomorrow
action in the future that
If-Sent. Type I (If you ask her,
cannot be influenced (predictions) she will help you.)
spontaneous decision Time clauses (when, as soon as,
before, after, until..)
assumption with regard to I think, I don’t think, I’m sure
the future promise, hope, expect, believe
suggestions, requests, offers probably, perhaps, maybe
in one year, next week,
decision made for the future
tomorrow
evidence with regard to the
future
in one year, next week,
action that is going on at a
tomorrow
action that is sure to happen
by Monday, in a week
action that will be finished
if sentences type II
action that might take place
(If I were you, I would go home.)
if sentences type III
action that might have taken
(If I had seen that, I would have
place in the past helped.)