English Tenses – Graphic Comparison

Problems with the English tenses? Have a look at the time line, it might help you understand when to use which tense. As there is a similarity between past, present and future tenses, there are just a few rules to keep in mind.

If you know how to use the present progressive correctly to express present actions, you will as well be able to use the past progressive correctly to express past actions.

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moment in time

action that takes place once, never or several times actions that happen one after another actions that suddenly take place

period of time

action that started before a certain moment and lasts beyond that moment

actions taking place at the same time

Result action taking place before a certain moment in time puts emphasis on the result

Course / Duration

action taking place before a certain moment in time puts emphasis on the course or duration of the action

Table of English Tenses

tense

Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal

Words

Simple Present A: He speaks.N: He does not speak.Q: Does he speak?

action in the present taking place once, never or several times

facts

actions taking place one after another

action set by a timetable or schedule

always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usuallyif sentences type I (If I talk, …)

Present Progressive A: He is speaking.N: He is not speaking.Q: Is he speaking?

action taking place in the moment of speaking

action taking place only for a limited period of time

action arranged for the future

at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now

Simple Past A: He spoke.N: He did not speak.Q: Did he speak?

action in the past taking place once, never or several times

actions taking place one after another

action taking place in the middle of another action

yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Fridayif sentence type II (If I talked, …)

Past Progressive A: He was speaking.N: He was not speaking.Q: Was he speaking?

action going on at a certain time in the past

actions taking place at the same time

action in the

when, while, as long as

past that is interrupted by another action

Present Perfect Simple

A: He has spoken.N: He has not spoken.Q: Has he spoken?

putting emphasis on the result

action that is still going on

action that stopped recently

finished action that has an influence on the present

action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking

already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now

Present Perfect Progressive

A: He has been speaking.N: He has not been speaking.Q: Has he been speaking?

putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result)

action that recently stopped or is still going on

finished action that influenced the present

all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week

Past Perfect Simple A: He had spoken.N: He had not spoken.Q: Had he spoken?

action taking place before a certain time in the past

sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive

putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)

already, just, never, not yet, once, until that dayif sentence type III (If I had talked, …)

Past Perfect Progressive

A: He had been speaking.N: He had not been speaking.Q: Had he been speaking?

action taking place before a certain time in the past

sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple

putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action

for, since, the whole day, all day

Future I Simple A: He will speak.N: He will not speak. Q: Will he speak?

action in the future that cannot be influenced

spontaneous decision

assumption with regard to the future

in a year, next …, tomorrowIf-Satz Typ I (If you ask her, she will help you.)assumption: I think, probably, perhaps

Future I Simple

(going to)

A: He is going to speak.N: He is not going to speak.Q: Is he going to speak?

decision made for the future

conclusion with regard to the future

in one year, next week, tomorrow

Future I Progressive A: He will be speaking.N: He will not be speaking.Q: Will he be speaking?

action that is going on at a certain time in the future

action that is sure to happen in the near future

in one year, next week, tomorrow

Future II Simple A: He will have spoken.N: He will not have spoken.Q: Will he have spoken?

action that will be finished at a certain time in the future

by Monday, in a week

Future II Progressive

A: He will have been speaking.N: He will not have been speaking.Q: Will he have been speaking?

action taking place before a certain time in the future

putting emphasis on the course of an action

for …, the last couple of hours, all day long

Conditional I Simple A: He would speak.N: He would not speak.Q: Would he speak?

action that might take place

if sentences type II(If I were you, I would go home.)

Conditional I Progressive

A: He would be speaking.N: He would not be speaking.Q: Would he be speaking?

action that might take place

putting emphasis on the course / duration of the action

 

Conditional II Simple

A: He would have spoken.N: He would not have spoken.Q: Would he have spoken?

action that might have taken place in the past

if sentences type III(If I had seen that, I would have helped.)

Conditional II Progressive

A: He would have been speaking.N: He would not have been speaking.Q: Would he have been speaking?

action that might have taken place in the past

puts emphasis on the course / duration of the action

 

English Tenses – Examples

  Explanation Past Present Future

 Simple Past Simple Present Future I Simple

action that takes place once, never or several times

He played football every Tuesday.

He plays football every Tuesday.

He will / is going to play football every Tuesday.

actions that happen one after another

He played football and then he went home.

He plays football and then he goes home.

He will play football and then he will go home.

state He loved football.

He loves football. He will love football.

  Past Progressive

Present Progressive

Future I Progressive

action going on at that moment

He was playing football.

He is playing football.

He will be playing football.

actions taking He was playing He is playing He will be

place at the same time

football and she was watching.

football and she is watching.

playing football and she will be watching.

  Past Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Simple

Future II Simple

action taking place before a certain moment in time; emphasises the result

He had won five matches until that day.

He has won five matches so far.

He will have won five matches by then.

  Past Perfect Progressive

Present Perfect Progressive

Future II Progressive

action taking place before a certain moment in time (and beyond), emphasises the duration

He had been playing football for ten years.

He has been playing football for ten years.

He will have been playing football for ten years.

A) The London Dungeon

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. The London Dungeon (lie) in the oldest part of London - in an old

subterranean prison (that's what the word Dungeon (stand) for).

2. The museum (take) its visitors on a journey through England's bloody history.

3. It (demonstrate) the brutal killings and tortures of the past.

4. You (experience / can) for example how people (die) on the Gallow or during the Plague of 1665.

5. The Dungeon also (show) scenes of Jack the Ripper or the

beheading of Anne Boleyn, who (be) one of Henry VIII’s six wives.

6. The atmosphere at the Dungeon (be) really scary - nothing for the faint-hearted.

7. While you (walk) around the Dungeon, watch out for creepy

creatures - the Dungeon (employ) actors to give its visitors the fright of their lives.

8. The actors, dressed as monsters, ghosts or executers, (hide) in the

dark corners of the Dungeon and then suddenly (jump) out and (grab)

one of the visitors.

9. And the horror (end / not) at the exit of the exhibition.

10. (you / eat / ever) a pizza with fingers and eyeballs on it?

11. Well, if you (fancy) that kind of food, you (love) the meals at the Dungeon restaurant.

12. The museum (want) to provoke, shock, educate and delight.

13. And this it (do) extremely well.

14. Since its opening in 1975, the Dungeon (attract) many visitors from all over the world.

15. Besides the regular opening hours, the Dungeon sometimes also (open)

at night.

16. If you (have) enough money and nerves of steel, you (book / can)

the Dungeon for parties, conferences or charity events at night.

17. And on 31 October, a frightfully good Halloween Party (take place) at the Dungeon every year.

B) What a language course can do

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. I (learn) English for seven years now.

2. But last year I (not / work) hard enough for English, that's why my

marks (not / be) really that good then.

3. As I (pass / want) my English exam successfully next year, I (study)

harder this term.

4. During my last summer holidays, my parents (send) me on a language course to London.

5. It (be) great and I (think) I (learn) a lot.

6. Before I (go) to London, I (not / enjoy) learning English.

7. But while I (do) the language course, I (meet) lots of young people from all over the world.

8. There I (notice) how important it (be) to speak foreign languages nowadays.

9. Now I (have) much more fun learning English than I (have)

before the course.

10. At the moment I (revise) English grammar.

11. And I (begin / already) to read the texts in my English textbooks again.

12. I (think) I (do) one unit every week.

13. My exam (be) on 15 May, so there (not / be) any time to be lost.

14. If I (pass) my exams successfully, I (start) an apprenticeship in September.

15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I (go) back to London to work there for a while.

16. As you (see / can) , I (become) a real London fan already.

C) James Cook (1728-1779)

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. The British explorer James Cook was born in the village of Marton, Yorkshire, on 27

October, 1728. But his family soon (move) to another village, called Great

Ayton, where Cook (spend) most of his childhood.

2. As a teenager James Cook (develop) a fascination for the sea and

(travel) to Whitby where he (find) employment on a coal ship.

3. While he (serve) in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War

(1756-1763), Cook (have) the command of a ship.

4. After the war (end) , Cook (take) command of the

vessel Grenville and (go) to Newfoundland to survey the coasts there.

5. While he (map) the coasts of Newfoundland, he (observe)

a solar eclipse off the North American coast.

6. Cook (send) the details to the Royal Society, England's leading

scientific organisation, and (win) their attention.

7. After Cook (publish) his observations of the solar eclipse, the Royal

Society (ask) him to lead a scientific expedition to Tahiti and (put)

him in command of of the HMS Endeavour.

8. From Tahiti Cook then (go on) to explore the South Pacific.

9. He also (reach) New Zealand, which only the Dutchman Abel

Tasman (visit) before Cook.

10. After Cook (map) New Zealand's complete coastline, he (sail)

to Australia's east coast.

11. Cook (name) the area New South Wales as it (remind)

him of the south coast of Wales in Great Britain.

12. In 1772, one year after Cook (return) from his first voyage to the

Pacific, the Royal Society (hire) him for another expedition to find the mythical Terra Australis.

13. On his journey, Cook (discover) several islands and almost (go)

as far as the continent of Antarctica.

14. He (make) maps of the South Pacific and (prove)

that Terra Australis (exist / not) .

15. His third and last voyage for the Royal Society (take) him to the west

coast of North America where he (try) to find a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific.

16. He (not / can / pass) the Bering Strait, however; the ice (force)

him to return to Hawaii, which he (discover) earlier.

17. While he and his crew (rest) in Hawaii, some Hawaiians (steal)

one of his boats.

18. When cook and his men (try) to get the boat back from the natives, a

violent fight (break out) in which the natives (stab) James Cook to death.

D) Bewley's Oriental Cafés

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. Bewley's (be) an old Irish tea house chain.

2. The history of the famous Bewley's Oriental Cafés (begin) in 1835

when Charles Bewley (import) over 2000 chests of tea directly from the Chinese province of Canton to Dublin.

3. It (not / look) like a great deal today, but back then it (be)

a coup: no man before (dare) to import tea directly into Ireland.

4. Bewley's initiative (put) an end to the East India Trading Company's

tea monopoly which before 1835 (force) the Irish to import their tea from London.

5. Samuel Bewley's son Joshua also (become) a tea merchant.

6. Like his father, he (import) tea into Ireland.

7. The Irish (like) the idea of not having to import old tea from London.

8. A tea expert (notice) that even the poorest Irish people (buy)

only the finest tea.

9. By the end of the 19th century a tea culture (develop) in Ireland.

10. In 1894, Joshua's son Ernest Bewley (want) to stimulate the market

for a product that (be) rather unknown that far: coffee.

11. In the back of his shop in Dublin's George's Street, he (begin) to run coffee making demonstrations.

12. His wife (bake) scones to go with the coffee, and the couple soon

(find out) that their idea (be) extremely popular among customers.

13. That (mark) the beginning of the first Bewley's Oriental Café.

14. In Dublin's Grafton Street, Ernest Bewley (open) another Bewley's

Oriental Café in 1927, on which he (spend) nearly 60,000 Pound.

15. Still now the interior furnishings and wonderful stain glass (provide) a very special oriental flair.

16. During World War II, Bewley's (must restrict) the supply of tea to an

ounce per head, and many customers (switch) to coffee.

17. Today, Bewley's (be) Ireland's leading supplier of quality coffees and teas.

18. It (create) a catering service for larger customers such as Trinity

College and it (open) cafés in book stores and Dublin Airport.

19. Bewley's Clipper Gold Tea and Espresso Prima (win) Gold Awards in the London Great Taste Awards.