How to make the Present Continuous Tense

(also called the Present Progressive Tense)

The present continuous (sometimes called the present progressive) tense in

English is really easy to make and is the same for all verbs. We make it using
the present simple of 'be' + verb-ing:

Here is how we make the positive:

Positive Positive Short Form

I am sleeping I'm sleeping
you are sleeping you're sleeping
he is sleeping he's sleeping
she is sleeping she's sleeping
it is sleeping it's sleeping
we are sleeping we're sleeping
they are sleeping they're sleeping
We can make the negative by adding 'not':

Negative Negative Short Form

I am not sleeping I'm not sleeping
you are not playing you aren't playing
he is not reading he isn't reading
she is not working she isn't working
it is not raining it isn't raining
we are not cooking we aren't cooking
they are not listening they aren't listening

Questions are also really, really easy. Just like we made the question with 'be' in
the present simple, here we also put 'am', 'is', or 'are' before the subject to
make a 'yes / no' question:

Yes / No Questions
am I eating chocolate ?
are you studying now ?
is he working ?
is she doing her homework ?
is it raining ?
are we meeting at six ?
are they coming ?
For 'wh' questions, just put the question word at the front:

Wh Questions
Why am I eating chocolate ?
What are you studying now ?
When is he working ?
What is she doing ?
Why is it raining ?
Who are we meeting ?
How are they travelling ?

The Past Simple Tense

(also called the simple past tense)

It's similar to the present simple because it has different rules for the verb 'be', which
becomes 'was' or 'were':

The Past Simple with 'be'

Here's how to make the positive:

Positive with 'be'

I was cold
you were tired
he was in the garden
she was late
it was sunny
we were on holiday
they were hungry
To make the negative with 'be', just add 'not':

Negative with 'be' Negative Short Form

I was not sleepy I wasn't sleepy
you were not on the bus you weren't on the bus
he was not at school he wasn't at school
she was not beautiful she wasn't beautiful
it was not cold it wasn't cold
we were not at work we weren't at work
they were not tired they weren't tired
To make a question, just like the present simple, we change the position of 'was / were'
and the subject.

Here are the past simple 'yes / no' questions with 'be':

'Yes / No' Questions with 'Be'

was I sleepy?
were you late?
was he at the cinema?
was she kind?
was it hot?
were we hungry?
were they at work?
And the 'wh' questions with 'be' (the question word just goes at the beginning,
everything else is the same):

'Wh' Questions with 'Be'

why was I sleepy?
where were you?
when was he at the cinema?
how was she?
how was it?
why were we hungry?
when were they at work?

The Past Simple (Simple Past) with Other Verbs

We make the past simple just like the present simple except we use 'did' instead
of 'do / does'. It's really easy because 'did' doesn't change, even with 'he / she /
it'.

The positive:

We usually make the positive by adding '-ed' to the infinitive. For example, 'play'
becomes 'played'. However, there are some irregular verbs, for example 'go'
becomes 'went' and 'run' becomes 'ran'.

Positive with Other Verbs

I walked (regular)
you played (regular)
he cooked (regular)
she listened (regular)
it rained (regular)
we ate (irregular)
they drank (irregular)

In the negative there aren't any irregular verbs. All verbs use 'did not (didn't) +
infinitive':

Negative Negative Short Form

I did not walk I didn't walk
you did not play you didn't play
he did not cook he didn't cook
she did not listen she didn't listen
it did not rain it didn't rain
we did not eat we didn't eat
they did not drink they didn't drink

Questions are also very easy. Just put 'did' before the subject, and the infinitive
after it.

Here are the 'yes / no' questions:

'Yes / No' Questions

did I walk?
did you play?
did he cook?
did she listen?
did it rain?
did we eat?
did they drink?

To make a 'wh' question, of course, put the question word at the beginning of
the sentence:

'Wh' Questions
where did I go?
what did you play?
what did he cook?
why did she listen?
when did it rain?
where did we eat?
how did they travel?

The Simple Future Tense

(or future with will)
 The simple future tense is very easy to make and is very useful. Click here to learn
how to USE this verb tense.

Here's the positive form (it's just 'will' + infinitive):

 I will meet him later (I'll ..)

 You will come (you'll..)
 It will rain tomorrow (it'll)
 She will be late (she'll..)
 He will help us later (he'll..)
 We will get married in September (we'll)
 They will cook dinner (they'll..)

The short form: 'll is very, very common, and is almost always used when
speaking. It's really much more natural to say 'I'll' instead of 'I will'. Here's some
help with the pronunciation:

 I'll meet him later

 You'll come

 It'll rain tomorrow

 She'll be late

 He'll help us later

 We'll get married in September

 They'll cook dinner

Next, here's the negative form (just add 'not' - remember will not = won't):

 I will not go (I won't ..)

 You will not be late (you won't ..)
 It will not snow tomorrow (it won't..)
 She will not get the job (she won't..)
 He will not pass the exam (he won't ..)
 We will not come (we won't..)
 They will not stop (they won't ..)

Finally, here's the question:

'yes / no' questions:

 Will I go?
 Will you come early?
 Will it be cold?
 Will she dance?
 Will he arrive soon?
 Will we cook?
 Will they leave?

'wh' questions:

 Where will I go?

 Why will you come early?
 When will it be cold?
 Who will she dance with?
 What time will he arrive?
 What will we cook?
 When will they leave?