Overview of English Verb Tenses Present Simple

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:

Present Perfect Continuous

Usage: Example:

Past Perfect Continuous

Usage: Example:

Future Perfect Continuous

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.

The work is being done.

I worked. I was working.

The work was done.

The work was being 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.

Present Present Past Perfect Future Perfect

The work will have been done.

Present Perfect Continuous

I have been working.

Past Perfect Continuous

I had been working.

Future Perfect Continuous

I will have been working.

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 Simple Present Continuous Past Simple Past Continuous Future

I work. I am working. I worked. I was working. I will work.

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.

already,by the time,till then,till that time

Future Perfect

by the time for the past four years for the last two days I had been working. I will have been working.

The work will have been done.

Present Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous

before, all the day,all the month/since,all the year/for three hours / days / weeks

by the time,for six months / years