Tenses

Present Past Future

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future

Present Past Continuous Future

Continuous Continuous
Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

Continuous Continuous Continuous
 Simple Present
1. repeated actions (every day, always, often, sometimes, never)
• My friend often draws nice posters.
• I never drink orange juice.
• We usually go to the Baltic Sea in summer.
2. things in general
• The sun rises in the east.
• Cats drink milk.
3. fixed arrangements, scheduled events (e.g. timetable)
• The plane flies to London every Monday.
• We have English on Tuesdays and Fridays.
4. sequence of actions in the present (first – then, after that)
• After school I switch on my computer, then I check my emails
and after that I play my favourite game.
 Present continuous
1. actions happening at the moment of speaking (now, at
the moment)
• Peter is reading a book now
• She's listening to the radio.
2. fixed plans in the near future
• She is going to Basel on Saturday.
3. temporary actions or situation
• His father is working in Rome this month.
• I am staying in Bali this week.
4. Unusual actions or situation
• Jack is calm, but he is being noisy today.
 Present continuous
4. actions happening around the moment of speaking
(longer actions)
• My friend is preparing for his exams.
5. trends
• More and more people are using their computers to
listen to music.
6. repeated actions which are irritating to the speaker
(with always, constantly, forever)
• Andrew is always coming late. (I don't like this.)
• Simple Present → Andrew always comes late. (Here I
don't give a comment.)
 Present Perfect
1. Result of an action in the past is important in the present (It
is not important when this action happened)
• I have cleaned my room.
(It is clean now.)
• Has Peggy ever been to Tokyo?
(Has Peggy been there or not?)
2. Recently completed actions
• He has just played handball.
(It is over now.)
3. State beginning in the past and still continuing – mostly
with since (point of time) or for (period of time)
• We have lived in Canada since 1986.
(We still live there.)
• She has studied English for 2 hours
 Present Perfect Continuous
1. actions beginning in the past and still continuing
(Focus in the duration)
• I have been waiting for you since 5 o'clock.
• I have been waiting for you for three hours.

2.recently completed actions (focus on the action)

• She has been watching too many videos.
• I have been painting the wall
 Simple Past
1. action finished in the past (single or repeated)
• I visited Berlin last week.
• Andrew watched TV yesterday.
• My friends went to Paris a week ago.
• My parents ate a lot of junk food when they were young.
2. series of completed actions in the past
• First I got up, then I had breakfast.
On Sunday my brother and me went to a nice lake. There
we met our friends. We swam in the warm water
and played volleyball in the afternoon. Too bad that
we had to go home in the evening. We didn't want to go to
school on Monday.
 Simple Past
3. together with the Past Progressive/Continuous –
the Simple Past interrupted an action which was in
progress in the past.
• They were playing cards when the telephone rang.
• 1st action → Past Progressive → were playing
2nd action → Simple Past → rang
• While Dennis was reading outside, it started to
rain.
• 1st action → Past Progressive → was reading
2nd action → Simple Past → started
 Past Continuous
1. actions were in progress at special time in the past
• Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.
2. two actions were happening at the same time (the actions
do not influence each other)
• Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New
York Times.
3. together with the Simple Past
• While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the
telephone rang.
• Note:
• Past Progressive → were sitting at the table
• Simple Past → the telephone rang.
• The action in Simple Past interrupted the action in Past
Progressive.
 Past Continuous
4. repeated actions irritating the speaker
(with always, constantly, forever)
• Andrew was always coming late. (I don't like that.)
• Simple Past → Andrew always came late. (Here I don't
give a comment.)
 Past Perfect
1. together with the Simple Past
When two past actions are combined – the first action,
which was completed before the second one began, is put
into Past Perfect.
• Mary had read the book before she watched a film.
After Amy had gone home it started to rain.
 Past Perfect Continuous
To show how long something had been
happening before something else happened

I had been waiting for Susan for 2 hours when she arrived.
 Simple Future
Will
1. future actions happen without the speaker's
intention (birthday, weather, etc.)
The sun will shine tomorrow.
Peter will be 15 next Tuesday.
2. predictions, assumptions (I think, I hope, I'm
sure, I'm afraid)
• I think Sue will arrive in Paris at 6 pm.
3. spontaneous actions (not planned)
• Hang on! I'll have a word with you.
 Simple Future
Be going to
1. planned actions in the future
• We are going to sing at the party.
They are going to fly to South Africa.
2. You are certain that something is going to
happen in the future (logical consequence).
• Look at that car! It is going to crash into the
yellow one.
 Future Continuous
1. An action will be in progress at a certain
time in the future. This action has begun
before the certain time.
• When I come to school, the other kids will
be waiting for me.
2. Something happens because it normally
happens.
• We'll be going to the market on Saturday to
buy our monthly needs.
 Future Perfect
To show that something will already have
happened before a certain time in the future

• I will have written the letter by tomorrow.

• Please come after 8. She will have come home
at that time.
 Future Perfect Continuous
To show that something will have already begun
and will be continuing in the future

• I will have been swimming for an hour by

6.30.
• My mom will have been cooking for 30
minutes by 7.00
Change the verb into the correct form
of tenses
(read)
1. I _______ 3 books everyday
2. I _______ 3 books so far
3. I ________ 3 books for 3 hours now
4. I ________ the book when the telephone
rang.
5. I _________ the book at 3. You cannot
borrow it at that time.
6. I ________ the book, so I lent it to him
Fill in the blank using the right form of
tenses
My cat ______ (be) so cute. He______ (have) really
soft fur. His eyes _____ (be) are so bright and his
tail _____ (be/not) long. He _____ (like) eating fish,
but he _______ (not/like) drinking milk.
He ______ (live) with my family since last year. I
_____ (find) him on the street. He _____ (be) so
thin at that time. His legs ______ (be) badly injured.
I ________ (decide) to take him home. While
______ (go) home, I ______ (stop) in a clinic. I
_____ (want) to treat him first. When the doctor
_____ (finish) treat him, I ______(take) him home
 Put the verbs into the correct form (will, going to,
simple present or present progressive).

• I love London. I (probably / go) _______ there

next year.
• Our train (leave) __________ at 4:47.
• What (wear / you) _______ at the party tonight?
• I haven't made up my mind yet. But I think
I (find) _______ something nice in my mum's
wardrobe.
• This is my last day here. I (go) _______ back to
England tomorrow.