English Tenses - English Grammar

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="no-js" lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <title>English Tenses - English Grammar</title> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="description" content="Table of English tenses"> <meta name="keywords" content="english,learn,grammar,online"> <meta name="author" content="Lingo4you GbR"> <meta name="robots" content="index,follow"> <meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=424214010, affiliate-data=pt=276439&at=1000lHse"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico"> <link rel="meta" href="/labels.rdf" type="application/rdf+xml" title="ICRA labels"><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/tenses"> <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.ego4u.de/de/cram-up/grammar/tenses" hreflang="de"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/style.min.css" media="all"> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.opencmp.net/tcf-v2/cmp-stub-latest.js" id="open-cmp-stub" data-domain="ego4u.com"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="trfAdSetup" async data-traffectiveConf='{ "targeting": [{"key":"zone","values":null,"value":"education"}, {"key":"pagetype","values":null,"value":"article"}, {"key":"programmatic_ads","values":null,"value":"true"}, {"key":"ads","values":null,"value":"true"}] ,"dfpAdUrl" : "/307308315,1005672/ego4u.com" ,"clientAlias" : "ego4u-com" }' src="//cdntrf.com/preloader/6872.js" > </script></head><body lang="en" id="www-ego4u-com"><div id="container" class="g-container"> <header class="g-header"> <div class="inside"> <div class="logo"> <a href="/"><img src="/images/logo/ego4u_logo.svg" alt="ego4u Logo"></a> </div> <div class="slogan"> <span class="title">English Grammar Online</span> <span class="subtitle">… the fun way to learn English!</span> </div> <nav class="header-navigation"> <ul> <li> <a href="/de/dictionary"> <i class="fa fa-book" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span>Dictionary</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.ego4u.de/de/cram-up/grammar/tenses" hreflang="de" lang="de" title="auf Deutsch"> <i class="fa fa-2x fa-language"></i> <span lang="de">auf Deutsch</span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </header><div class="g-top"> <div class="inside"> <nav class="breadcrumb-navigation"> <span id="mobile-menu" class="menu"> <i class="fa fa-bars fa-fw open" aria-hidden="true"></i> <i class="fa fa-times fa-fw close" aria-hidden="true"></i> </span> <a href="/"><i class="fa fa-home"></i></a> › Cram Up › <a href="/en/cram-up/grammar">Grammar</a> › <strong>Tenses</strong></p> </nav> <h1>Table of English Tenses</h1> </div> </div><main class="g-main"> <div id="content" class="inside">  <div class="table-box"> <table class="info-table" summary="Explanation on English tenses" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <th>tense</th> <th style="width:20%;">Affirmative/Negative/Question</th> <th style="width:30%;">Use</th> <th style="width:20%;">Signal Words</th> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-present">Simple Present</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He speaks.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He does not speak.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Does he speak? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action in the present taking place <span class="bold">regularly, never or several times</span></li> <li>facts</li> <li>actions taking place one after another</li> <li>action set by a timetable or schedule</li> </ul> </td> <td> always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually<br>if sentences type I (<span class="italic">If I <span class="bold">talk</span>, …</span>) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/present-progressive">Present Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He is speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He is not speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Is he speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li><span class="bold">action taking place in the moment of speaking</span></li> <li>action taking place only for a limited period of time</li> <li>action arranged for the future</li> </ul> </td> <td> at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past">Simple Past</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He spoke.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He did not speak.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Did he speak? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action in the past taking place <span class="bold">once, never or several times</span></li> <li>actions taking place one after another</li> <li>action taking place in the middle of another action</li> </ul> </td> <td> yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday<br> if sentence type II (<span class="italic">If I <span class="bold">talked</span>, …</span>) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/past-progressive">Past Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He was speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He was not speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Was he speaking?</td> <td> <ul> <li>action <span class="bold">going on</span> at a certain time in the past</li> <li>actions taking place at the same time</li> <li>action in the past that is interrupted by another action</li> </ul> </td> <td> while, as long as </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/present-perfect-simple">Present Perfect Simple</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He has spoken.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He has not spoken.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Has he spoken? </td> <td> <ul> <li>putting emphasis on the <span class="bold">result</span></li> <li>action that is still going on</li> <li>action that stopped recently</li> <li>finished action that has an influence on the present</li> <li>action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking</li> </ul> </td> <td> already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/present-perfect-progressive">Present Perfect Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He has been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He has not been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Has he been speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li>putting emphasis on the <span class="bold">course or duration</span> (not the result)</li> <li>action that recently stopped or is still going on</li> <li>finished action that influenced the present</li> </ul> </td> <td> all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/past-perfect-simple">Past Perfect Simple</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He had spoken.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He had not spoken.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Had he spoken? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action taking place before a certain time in the past</li> <li>sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive</li> <li>putting emphasis only on the <span class="bold">fact</span> (not the duration)</li> </ul> </td> <td> already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day<br> if sentence type III (<span class="italic">If I <span class="bold">had talked</span>, …</span>) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/past-perfect-progressive">Past Perfect Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He had been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He had not been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Had he been speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action taking place before a certain time in the past</li> <li>sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple</li> <li>putting emphasis on the <span class="bold">duration or course</span> of an action</li> </ul> </td> <td> for, since, the whole day, all day </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-will">Future I Simple</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He will speak.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He will not speak. <br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Will he speak? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action in the future that cannot be influenced</li> <li><span class="bold">spontaneous</span> decision</li> <li>assumption with regard to the future</li> </ul> </td> <td> in a year, next …, tomorrow<br> If-Satz Typ I (<span class="italic">If you ask her, she <span class="bold">will help</span> you.</span>)<br> <span class="italic">assumption</span>: I think, probably, perhaps </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-going-to">Future I Simple</a></strong> <p>(going to)</p> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He is going to speak.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He is not going to speak.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Is he going to speak? </td> <td> <ul> <li><span class="bold">decision</span> made for the future</li> <li>conclusion with regard to the future</li> </ul> </td> <td> in one year, next week, tomorrow </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-progressive">Future I Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He will be speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He will not be speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Will he be speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action that is <span class="bold">going on</span> at a certain time in the future</li> <li>action that is sure to happen in the near future</li> </ul> </td> <td> in one year, next week, tomorrow </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/future-2-simple">Future II Simple</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He will have spoken.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He will not have spoken.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Will he have spoken? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action that will be <span class="bold">finished</span> at a certain time in the future</li> </ul> </td> <td> by Monday, in a week </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/future-2-progressive">Future II Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He will have been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He will not have been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Will he have been speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action taking place before a certain time in the future</li> <li>putting emphasis on the <span class="bold">course</span> of an action</li> </ul> </td> <td> for …, the last couple of hours, all day long </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-1-simple">Conditional I Simple</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He would speak.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He would not speak.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Would he speak?</td> <td> <ul> <li>action that <span class="bold">might</span> take place</li> </ul> </td> <td>if sentences type II<br> (<span class="italic">If I were you, I <span class="bold">would go</span> home</span>.) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-1-progressive">Conditional I Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He would be speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He would not be speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Would he be speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action that might take place</li> <li>putting emphasis on the <span class="bold">course</span> / <span class="bold">duration</span> of the action</li> </ul> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-2-simple">Conditional II Simple</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He would have spoken.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He would not have spoken.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Would he have spoken?</td> <td> <ul> <li>action that <span class="bold">might</span> have taken place in the past</li> </ul> </td> <td> if sentences type III<br> (<span class="italic">If I had seen that, I <span class="bold">would have helped</span></span>.) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-2-progressive">Conditional II Progressive</a></strong> </td> <td> <span class="bold">A:</span> He would have been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">N:</span> He would not have been speaking.<br> <span class="bold">Q:</span> Would he have been speaking? </td> <td> <ul> <li>action that might have taken place in the past</li> <li>puts emphasis on the <span class="bold">course</span> / <span class="bold">duration</span> of the action</li> </ul> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <div class="content-banner"></div>  </div> </main><aside class="g-sidebar"> <div class="inside"> <nav class="sidebar-navigation"> <h3><i class="fa fa-university fa-fw"></i> Cram Up</h3> <ul> <li class="active"><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar" title="English Grammar exercises and explanations">Grammar</a></li> <li><a href="/en/cram-up/grammar/exercises" title="English Exercises with 4287 random sentences">Pool of Exercises</a></li> <li><a href="/en/cram-up/writing" title="Punctuation, essays and stylistic devices">Writing</a></li> <li><a href="/en/cram-up/vocabulary" title="Explanations and English vocabulary exercises">Vocabulary</a></li> <li><a href="/en/cram-up/tests" title="English Grammar Tests">English Tests</a></li> <li><a href="/en/cram-up/learning" title="Tips on learning English">Study Tips</a></li> </ul><h3><i class="fa fa-book fa-fw"></i> Read On</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/en/read-on/countries" title="Information on English speaking countries and holidays">Countries</a></li> <li><a href="/en/read-on/animals" title="Interesting facts on animals and sports">Animals/Sports</a></li> <li><a href="/en/read-on/literature" title="Literature and nursery rhymes">Literature</a></li> </ul><h3><i class="fa fa-phone fa-fw"></i> Business</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/en/business-english/communication">Communication</a></li> <li><a href="/en/business-english/grammar">Grammar</a></li> <li><a href="/en/business-english/infos">Business-Info</a></li> </ul><h3><i class="fa fa-futbol-o fa-fw"></i> Chill Out</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/en/chill-out/games" title="Games, quizzes and riddles">Games & Riddles</a></li> <li><a href="/en/chill-out/ecards">E-Cards</a></li> </ul><h3><i class="fa fa-graduation-cap fa-fw"></i> Teach In</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/en/teach-in/cultural-studies" title="Teaching materials for English">Cultural Studies</a></li> <li><a href="/en/teach-in/lessons" title="Work sheets and ideas for lessons">Lessons</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </aside><div class="g-bottom"> <div class="inside"> </div> </div><footer class="g-footer"> <div class="inside"> <nav class="footer-navigation"> <ul> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="/en/team-up/imprint"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i> Contact</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="/en/team-up/privacy"><i class="fa fa-cloud"></i> Privacy Policy</a></li> <li><a href="/en/team-up/about"><i class="fa fa-user"></i> About us…</a></li> <li><a href="javascript:window.__tcfapi('showUi', 2, function() {});"><i class="fa fa-cogs"></i> Cookie Settings</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </footer><div class="g-adv-top"> <div class="inside"> <div class="adv-header"> <div id="traffective-ad-Billboard" style="display:none" class="Billboard"></div> <div id="traffective-ad-Mobile_Pos1" style="display:none" class="Mobile_Pos1"></div> </div> </div> </div><div class="g-adv-side"> <div class="inside"> <div class="adv-sidebar"> <div id="traffective-ad-Skyscraper" style="display:none" class="Skyscraper"></div> </div> </div> </div><div class="g-adv-bottom"> <div class="inside"> </div> </div></div> <script src="/layout/js/main.js"></script><script> const tcfCallback = (tcData, success) => { if (success == false) { console.error("addEventListener throws error"); } else { if (tcData.purpose.consents["1"] == undefined || tcData.purpose.consents["1"] == false) { let advTop = document.querySelector(".g-adv-top .inside"); advTop.style.minHeight = "50px";let advHeader = document.getElementsByClassName("adv-header");if (advHeader.length == 1) { advHeader[0].innerHTML = '<div class="adv-noconsent-header"><a href="https://english.lingolia.com/"><img src="/ads/lingolia/banner_header_english_en.jpg" alt="Lingolia English Grammar" style="width:100%; height:auto;max-width:1600px;"></a></div>'; }let advSidebar = document.querySelector(".adv-sidebar"); advSidebar.innerHTML = '<iframe src="/ads/lingolia/lingolia_sidebar_en.html" width="100%" height="610" title="Lingolia" style="border:0"></iframe>'; }__tcfapi('removeEventListener', 2, (success) => { if (success) { // console.log("removeEventListener: " + tcData.listenerId); } }, tcData.listenerId); } };__tcfapi('addEventListener', 2, tcfCallback); </script></body> </html>

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English Tenses - English Grammar