the tenses

1

PRESENT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

TENSE ASPECT FORM AUX. ASPECT FORM AUX.

PRESENT SIMPLE

expresses a

repeated

action in

the present

+

sb. + vb.

(short inf.)

sb. + vb.-s

(IIIrd pers.)

I / you / we / they

write them an e-

mail every day.

He / She / It

writes them an

e-mail every day.

TO DO

(present

simple)

! only at

the - and ?

form

CONTINUOUS

expresses an

action that

happens in the

moment of

speaking

+

sb. + to be

+ + vb. -ing

I am writing

them an e-mail

now.

You / we / they

are writing

them an e-mail

now.

He / She / It

is writing them

an e-mail now.

TO BE

(present

simple)

-

sb. + to do

+ not + vb.

(short inf.)

I / you / we / they

don’t write

them an e-mail

every day.

He / She / It

doesn’t write

them an e-mail

every day.

-

sb. + to be

+ + not + vb.

-ing

I am not

writing them an

e-mail now.

You / we / they

aren’t writing

them an e-mail

now.

He / She / It

isn’t writing

them an e-mail

now.

2

?

to do + sb.

+ vb.

(short inf.)

Do I / you / we /

they write them

an e-mail every

day?

Does he / she / it

write them an e-

mail every day?

?

to be + sb.

+ vb. -ing

Am I writing

them an e-mail

now?

Are you / we /

they writing

them an e-mail

now?

Is he / she / it

writing them an

e-mail now?

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + adv.

+ vb.

placed

anywhere

sb. + vb.

+ adv. /

adv. + sb.

+ vb.

always

usually

often

rarely =

seldom

never / ever

sometimes

every / each

day / week /

month / year

once / twice

a day / week

/ month /

year

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb. +

adv. / adv.

+ sb. + vb.

now

(in) this

moment

PRESENT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

3

PAST TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

TENSE ASPECT FORM AUX.

ASPECT FORM AUX.

PAST SIMPLE

expresses

a repeated

action in

the past

+

sb. + vb. -

-ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

II nd

form / past

tense)

(short inf.)

I / you / he / she /

it / we / they

played football

yesterday.


it / we / they

wrote them an e-

mail yesterday.

TO DO

(past

simple)

! only at

the - and ?

form

CONTINUOUS

expresses an

action that

happened in the

moment of

speaking

OR an action

that was

interrupted by

another action

in the past

+

sb. + to be

+ vb. -ing

I / he / she / it

was writing

them an e-mail

when he entered

the room.

You / we / they

were writing

them an e-mail

when he entered

the room.

TO BE

(past

simple)

-

sb. + to do

+ not + vb.

(short inf.)


it / we / they

didn’t write

them an e-mail

yesterday.

-

sb. + to be

+ + not + vb.

-ing

I / he / she / it

wasn’t writing

them an e-mail

when he entered

the room.

You / we / they

weren’t

writing them an

e-mail when he

entered the

room.

4

?

to do + sb.

+ vb.

(short inf.)

Did I / you / he /

she / it / we /

they write them

an e-mail

yesterday?

?

to be + sb.

+ vb. -ing

Was I / he / she

/ it writing

them an e-mail

when he entered

the room?

Were you / we /

they writing

them an e-mail

when he entered

the room?

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb.

+ adv. /

adv. + sb. +

vb.

yesterday

last week /

month / year

a / two

week(s) /

month(s) /

year(s) ago

the day

before

yesterday

on + day /

month

in + year

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb. +

adv. / adv.

+ sb. + vb.

then

(in) that

moment

PAST TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

5

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)


PRESENT PERFECT

expresses an action that

started in the past and is

continued in the present

OR a past action that

has consequences in the

present

PAST TENSE

PRESENT PERFECT

SIMPLE +

sb. + to

have + vb.

-ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

III rd form /

past

participle)

I / you / we / they

have already

written them an

e-mail.

He / she / it has

already written

them an e-mail.

TO HAVE

(present

simple)

CONTINUOUS

expresses an

action that

started in the

past, continues

in the present

and may

continue in the

future

+

sb. + to be

+ + vb. -ing

I / you / we /

they have been

writing them an

e-mail for five

minutes.

He / she / it has

been writing

them an e-mail

for five

minutes.

TO BE

(present

perfect)

He rang me up this

morning (you say it

after 12 o c’clock)

afternoon (you say it

after 18 o c’clock)

evening (you say it after

20 o c’clock)

-

sb. + to

have + not

+ vb. -ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

III rd form /

past

participle)

I / you / we / they

haven’t written

them an e-mail

yet.

He / she / it

hasn’t written

them an e-mail

yet.

-

sb. + to be

+ + not + vb.

-ing

I / you / we /

they haven’t

been writing

them an e-mail

for five

minutes.

He / she / it

hasn’t been

writing them an

e-mail for five

6

minutes.

He has rung me up this

morning (you say it

before 12 o c’clock)

afternoon (you say it


evening (you say it


?

to have +

sb. + vb.

-ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

III rd form /

past

participle)

Have I / you / we

/ they already

written them an

e-mail?

Has he / she / it

already written

them an e-mail?

?

to be + sb.

+ vb. -ing

Have I / you /

we / they been

writing them an

e-mail for five

minutes?

Has he / she / it

been writing

them an e-mail

for five

minutes?

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + aux. +

adv. + vb.

at the end

of the

sentence

sb. + aux. +

vb. + adv. /

adv. + sb. +

aux. + vb.

already

recently

lately

never / ever

just

yet

for + period

since + year

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + aux. +

vb. + adv. /

adv. + sb. +

aux. + vb.

for + period

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

7

PAST PERFECT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)


PAST PERFECT

expresses an action that

happened before

another action in the

past

SIMPLE +

sb. + to

have + vb.

-ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

III rd form /

past

participle)


it / we / they

had already

written them an

e-mail when he

entered the

room.

TO HAVE (past tense)

CONTINUOUS

expresses an

action that

started before

another action

in the past and

may have

continued after

that action

+

sb. + to be

+ + vb. -ing

When he

entered the

room I / you /

he / she / it / we

/ they had been

writing them an

e-mail for five

minutes.

TO BE (past

perfect)

-

sb. + to

have + not

+ vb. -ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

III rd form /

past

participle)


it / we / they

hadn’t written

them an e-mail

yet when he

entered the

room.

-

sb. + to be

+ + not + vb.

-ing

When he

entered the

room I / you /

he / she / it / we

/ they hadn’t

been writing

them an e-mail

for five

minutes.

?

to have +

sb. + vb.

-ed

(if the vb. is

reg. ; if it is

irreg. the

III rd form /

past

Had I / you / he /

she / it / we /

they already

written them an

e-mail when he

entered the

room?

?

to be + sb.

+ vb. -ing

When he

entered the

room had I /

you / he / she /

it / we / they

been writing

them an e-mail

for five

8

participle) minutes?

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + aux. +

adv. + vb.

at the end

of the

sentence

sb. + aux. +

vb. + adv. /

adv. + sb. +

aux. + vb.

already

recently

lately

never / ever

just

yet

for + period

since + year

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + aux.

+ vb. + adv.

/ adv. + sb.

+ aux. + vb.

for + period

PAST PERFECT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

9

FUTURE TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)


FUTURE

expresses a future

action

SIMPLE +

sb. + will /

shall + vb.

(short inf.)


it / we / they will

write them an e-

mail.

WILL

SHALL

(1st person

sg. and pl.)

-Old Engl.-

CONTINUOUS

expresses an

action that will

happen in the

future in the

moment of

speaking

OR an action

that will be

interrupted by

another action

in the future

+

sb. + to be

+ + vb. -ing

I / you / he / she

/ it / we / they

will be writing

them an e-mail

when he enters

the room.

TO BE

(future

tense)

-

sb. + will /

shall + not

+ vb.

(short inf.)


it / we / they

won’t write

them any e-mail.

-

sb. + to be

+ + not + vb.

-ing

I / you / he / she

/ it / we / they

won’t be

writing them an

e-mail when he

enters the room.

?

will / shall +

sb. + vb.

(short inf.)

Will I / you / he /

she / it / we /

they write them

any e-mail?

?

to be + sb.

+ vb. -ing

Will I / you / he

/ she / it / we /

they be writing

them an e-mail

when he enters

the room?

10

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb. +

adv. / adv. +

sb. + vb.

tomorrow

next week /

month / year

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb. +

adv. / adv.

+ sb. + vb.

tomorrow at

this time

FUTURE TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

11

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)


FUTURE PERFECT

expresses a future

action finished before

another future action

SIMPLE +

sb. + will /

shall + have +

vb.

(past

participle)


it / we / they will

have written

them an e-mail

by five o’clock

this afternoon.

WILL

SHALL

(1st person

sg. and pl.)

-Old Engl.-

+ HAVE

CONTINUOUS

expresses a

future action

that starts in the

future and goes

on uninter-

ruptedly into a

future moment

of reference

+

sb. + to be

+ + vb. -ing

By five o’clock

this afternoon I /

you / he / she / it

/ we / they will

have been

writing them an

e-mail for ten

minutes.

TO BE

(future

perfect)

- sb. + will /

shall + not +

have + vb.

(past

participle)


it / we / they will

not have

written them an

e-mail by five

o’clock this

afternoon.

-

sb. + to be

+ + not + vb.

-ing

By five o’clock

this afternoon I /

you / he / she / it

/ we / they will

not have been

writing them an

e-mail for ten

minutes.

? will / shall +

sb. + have +

vb.

(past

participle)

Will I / you / he

/ she / it / we /

they have

written them an

e-mail by five

o’clock this

afternoon?

?

to be + sb.

+ vb. -ing

Will I / you / he

/ she / it / we /

they have been

writing them an

e-mail for ten

minutes by five

o’clock this

afternoon?

12

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb. +

adv. / adv. +

sb. + vb.

by this

time next

week

by five

o’clock

this

afternoon

ADVERBS

(PLACE)

sb. + vb. +

adv. / adv.

+ sb. + vb.

by this

time next

week for

+ period

by five

o’clock

this

afternoon

for +

period

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE (ACTIVE VOICE)

the tenses

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