English Grammer Tenses

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English Grammar

The Tenses

Present Simple
Present Present Continuous
Past Simple Past
Past Continuous Present
Perfect Simple Present
Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect
Simple Past
Perfect ContinuousFuture
Using the Simple Present
Using the Present
Continuous Using the
Present Perfect Simple
Using the Present Perfect Continuous
Using going to Using shall/will

Simple Tenses
The simple tenses are used to show permanent characteristics of people and events or what happens regularly, habitually or in a single completed action

Perfect Tenses
Sometimes you need to give just a little bit more information about an action or state...and that is where the perfect tenses come in.
The perfect tenses are used when an action or situation in the present is linked to a moment in the past. It is often used to show things that have happened up to now but aren't finished yet or to emphasize that something happened but is not true anymore. When they end determines which of them you use.
Perfect tenses are never used when we say when something happened i.e. yesterday, last year etc. but can be used when discussing the duration of something i.e. often, for, always, since etc..

The Future Tenses
Discussing the future in English can seem complicated.The present simple, present continuous, present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous can all be used and often it is possible to use more than one structure, but have the same meaning.

To have
Short form
Other Verbs (to work)

I have
I've
I work

he has
he's
He works

she has
she's
She works

it has
it's
It works


you have
you've
you work


we have
we've
we work


they have
they've
they work

Simple Tenses

I work.
I don't work.
Do I work?
Yes, I do.
No, I don't.
He works.
He doesn't work.
Does he work?
Yes, he does.
No, he doesn't.
She works.
She doesn't work.
Does she work?
Yes, she does.
No, she doesn't.
It works.
It doesn't work.
Does it work?
Yes, it does.
No, it doesn't.
You work.
You don't work.
Do you work?
Yes you do.
No, you don't.
We work.
We don't work.
Do we work?
Yes we do.
No, we don't.
They work.
They don't work.
Do they work?
Yes they do.
No, they don't.

Present Continuous Tense
I'm working.
I'm not working.
Am I working?
Yes, I am.
No, I'm not.
He's working.
He isn't working.
Is he working?
Yes, he is.
No, he isn't.
She's working.
She isn't working.
Is she working?
Yes, she is.
No, she isn't.
It's working.
It isn't working.
Is it working?
Yes, it is.
No, it isn't.
You're working.
You aren'tt working.
Are you working?
Yes you are.
No, you aren't.
We're working.
We aren't working.
Are we working?
Yes we are.
No, we aren't.
They're working.
They aren't working.
Are they working?
Yes they are.
No, they aren't.