Present Simple

"I go to work every day."

We use the Present Simple for present facts and repeated actions.

Some key words are every (day, week, month, year, etc.), always, usually, often, sometimes, etc.

The first form of the verb is used to make the Present Simple. E.g. I go. For questions and negatives the helping verb (do / does) is used with the first form of the verb. E.g. Do I go? I don't go. Short answers are: "Yes, I do." & "No, I don't."

An important rule with the Present Simple is: Don’t forget the "s" with he, she & it! E.g. He works. Does it work? She doesn't work.

Past Simple

"I went to work yesterday."

We use the Past Simple for completed actions in the past.

Some key words are yesterday, last (week, month, year, etc.), when I was a child, this morning (if it is no longer morning), etc.

The second form of the verb is used for the Past Simple. E.g. I went. However, when making questions and negatives in the Past Simple, we use the helping verb "did" and leave the main verb in its infinitive form (1st form). E.g. Did you go? We didn't go. Short answers are: "Yes, I did." & "No, I didn't."

Future Simple

"I will go to work tomorrow."

We use the Future Simple for future actions, even if they are only a few seconds in the future.

Some key words are tomorrow, next (week, month, year, etc.), in the future, when I retire, when I get home, etc.

The Future Simple is formed with the helping verb will and the first form of the verb. E.g. I will go. To make a question, put will in front of the subject. E.g. Will they go? TO make a negative, add the word not. E.g. He will not go. Short answers are: "Yes, I will." & "No, I won't."

Present Progressive

"I am working now."

We use the Present Progressive for temporary actions going on now. This tense gives the verb a certain sense or feeling of being temporary. Therefore there is a difference between "I live in Seattle." and "I am living in Seattle." The first one is a fact - that is where the person lives. The second sentence sounds temporary, so it shows that this person is thinking about moving or is perhaps only in Seattle for a certain period of time.

The Present Progressive can also be used as a future tense. Click here for more information.

Some key words are now, at the moment, today, this week, presently, etc.

The Present Progressive is formed with the helping verb to be (am, are, is) and the "-ing" form of the verb. Statement: "I am working." Question: "Are you working?" Negative: "He is not working." Short answers: "Yes, I am." & "No, I'm not."

Past Progressive

"I was working on that project all last week."

We use the Past Progressive to say that someone was in the middle of doing something at a certain time in the past. The action or situation had already started before this time, but hadn't finished. E.g. "At 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon I was preparing for a meeting." The Past Progressive does not say whether the action was ever finished or not. In this example the person may still need more time to prepare for the meeting. We also use the Past Progressive to show that an action in the past went on for a longer period of time or was repeated. We use it for an action that was interrupted by another action in the past. E.g. "When John arrived we were having a meeting." (If both of these sentences are in the Past Simple it shows the order of events - "When John arrived we had a meeting." - 1. John arrived 2. We had a meeting.) We also use the Past Progressive to show that two actions were going on at the same time in the past. E.g. "While we were having a meeting Jane was finishing the report."

Some key words are while, at that time, this time last ...

The Past Progressive is formed with the helping verb was (or: were) and the -ing form of the verb. Statement: "She was working." Question: "Were you working?" Negative: "They were not working."

Future Progressive

"Next month I will be working in Paris."

We use the Future Progressive for actions that will be going on at a definite time in the future. We also use it to say we will be in the middle of doing something at a certain time in the future. E.g. "This time next week we will be working on a new project." We use it to talk about things that are already planned or decided, so it is often used to ask about people's plans, especially if we want something from them. "Will you be going home early tonight? Can I have a ride?"

The Future Progressive is formed with the Future Simple of the verb to be and the -ing form of the main verb. Statement: "We will be working." Question: "Will you be working?" Negative: "They will not be working."

Present Perfect

"I have worked here since 1998."

We use the Present Perfect for actions which started in the past and are still true now. E.g. "I have worked for this company for seven years." This means that I started working with this company seven years ago and I still work with them now. We also use the Present Perfect for indefinite time Compare: "I have seen the film ‘Titanic’." (but I don’t say "when") & "I saw the film ‘Titanic’ last week." When we want to ask open questions we also use the Present Perfect. We often combine this "indefinite time" use of the Present Perfect with the word "ever" to make open questions, which are great for starting conversations. E.g. "Have you ever been to Seattle?"

Some key words are since, for, ever (with questions), up to now, how long (with questions), yet (with negatives), etc.

The Present Perfect is formed with the helping verb have (or: has) and the third form of the verb. Statement: "She has worked." Question: "Have they worked?" Negative: "I have not worked." Short answers: "Yes, I have." & "Not, I haven't."

Past Perfect

"I had worked there for five years before changing companies."

We use the Past Perfect for past actions which were over before other past actions began. When we talk about something that happened in the past we can use the Past Perfect to say that something had already happened before this time. E.g. "After I had lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years I moved to Seattle." First I lived in Germany for 5 1/2 years and then I moved to Seattle. With the Past Perfect we can show that one action happened earlier than others. E.g. "I finished the report last night because I had promised my boss I would."

The Past Perfect is formed with the helping verb had and the third form of the verb. Statement: "I had worked." Question: "Had she worked." Negative: "They had not worked."

Future Perfect

"Next August we will have worked here for three years."

We use the Future Perfect for actions that will be over before or by a definite time in the future. I.e. When we want to say that something will already have happened before a certain time in the future. The definite time in the future is usually mentioned in the sentence.

The Future Perfect is formed with the Future Simple for of the helping verb have and the third form of the verb. Statement: "She will have worked." Question: "Will they have worked?" Negative: "I will not have worked."

Present Perfect Progressive

"I have been working here for fifteen years."

The Present Perfect Progressive combines aspects of the Present Progressive and the Present Perfect . We use it to emphasize the length of an action (Progressive) and show that it started in the past and has recently (just) stopped or is still true now. (It is often not clear or does not matter if the action has been completed or not.) We use it to ask or say how long something has been happening. In this sense it is often used with how long, since or for. E.g. "How long have you been working for this company?" With the Present Perfect Progressive we can emphasize or show that it is a long period of time although it may not seem to be. E .g. "I have been working for this company for over a year now." We can use it to explain a situation. E.g. "Sarah has black ink all over herself." / "Yes, I think she has been trying to fix the copy machine." In addition we use it for actions repeated over a period of time. E.g. "Does your department have training sessions here often?" / "Oh yes. We have been having them every month for three years now."

The Present Perfect Progressive is formed with the Present Perfect form of the verb to be (has been / have been) and the -ing form of the verb. Statement: "They have been working." Question: "Have you been working?" Negative: "She has not been working."

Past Perfect Progressive

"He had been working for the company for over twenty years when he retired."

The Past Perfect Progressive combines aspects of the Past Progressive and the Past Perfect . We use it to emphasize the length of an action (Progressive) and show that it started in the past and had been going on before a past action (Past Perfect). We also use it to show that we felt a period of time was long, although it may not actually have been. E.g. "I had been waiting for him for over twenty minutes before John showed up."

The Past Perfect Progressive is formed with the Past Perfect form of the helping verb to be (had been) and the -ing form of the main verb. Statement: "I had been working." Question: "Had they been working?" Negative: "We had not been working."

Future Perfect Progressive

"By this time next year I will have been working here for nine years."

The Future Perfect Progressive combines aspects of the Future Progressive and the Future Perfect . We use it to emphasize the length of an action (Progressive) and show that it will have been going on for a long time before a future action (future Perfect) E.g. "He will have been working for the company for over twenty years when he retires." We also use it to emphasize or show that you feel it will be a long period of time although it may not seem so to others. E.g. "By the time I retire I will have been working for this company for over ten years."