English Tenses

English Tenses

PRESENT TENSE SIMPLE

Affirmative Negative

Interrogative

I work I don’t work You work You don’t work He/She/It works He/She/It doesn’t work We work We don’t work You work You don’t work They work They don’t work

Do I work? Do you work ? Does he/she/it work? Do we work? Do you work? Do they work?

Meaning A – an habitual action B – a characteristic or fact about someone or something C – verbs which cannot normally be used in the continuous, eg . : to belong, to like, to understand

PRESENT TENSE CONTINUOUS

Affirmative I am working not working You are working working He/She/It is working not working We are working working You are working working They are working working Meaning

Interrogative Am I working? Are you working? Is

he/she/it working?

Negative I am You are not He/She/It is

Are we working?

We are not

Are you working?

You are not

Are they working?

They are not

A – an action which is taking place at the moment of speaking B – an arrange future

PAST TENSE SIMPLE

Affirmative

Interrogative

I worked I didn’t work You worked You didn’t work He/She/It worked He/She/It didn’t work We worked We didn’t work You worked You didn’t work They worked They didn’t work

Negative

Did I work? Did you work? Did he/she/it work? Did we work? Did you work? Did they work?

Meaning A – an action completed in the past at a specific time (stated or understood)

PAST TENSE CONTINUOUS

Affirmative I was working wasn’t working You were working working He/She/It was working working We were working working You were working working They were working working Meaning

Interrogative Was I working? Were you working? Was he/she/it working? Were we working?

Negative I You weren’t He/She/It wasn’t We weren’t

Were you working?

You weren’t

Were they working?

They weren’t

A – an action which was in progress when another action occurred ( second action is expressed in the past simple )

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE Affirmative

Interrogative

I have worked I haven’t work You have worked haven’t work He/She/It has worked hasn’t work We have worked haven’t work You have worked haven’t work They have worked haven’t work

Negative

Have I work? Have you work? Has he/she/it work? Have we work?

You He/She/It We

Have you work?

You

Have they work?

They

Meaning A – an action which occurred at an unspecified time in the past B – an action which occurred in the past but the result of which is evident in the present – often a recent past action C – a state or activity starting in the past which still pertains to the present

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Affirmative Negative

Interrogative

I have been working been working You have been working working He/She/It has been working

Have I been working?

working We have been working working You have been working

Have you been working? Has he/she/it been working? Have we been working Have you been working?

I haven’t You haven’t been He/She/It hasn’t been We haven’t been You haven’t been

working They have been working working

Have they been working?

They haven’t been

Meaning A – an activity (usually temporary) which started in the past and continues up to the present

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE Affirmative I had worked I hadn’t work You had worked You hadn’t work He/She/It had worked He/She/It hadn’t work We had worked hadn’t work You had worked hadn’t work They had worked hadn’t work

Interrogative Had I work

Negative ?

Had you work? Had he/she/it work? Had we work?

We

Had you work?

You

Had they work?

They

Meaning A – the earlier of two actions which occurred in the past , the second of which is the simple past Used either: a) when there is ambiguity over which action occurred first or b) when the first action refers to a time period earlier than that of the main narrative