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.

→ Legend

Legend . action that takes place once, never or several times . actions that happen one after another moment in time . actions that suddenly take place

. action that started before a certain moment and lasts beyond that moment period of time . actions taking place at the same time

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

. action taking place before a certain moment in time Course / . puts emphasis on the course or duration of the action Duration Table of English Tenses

tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words

always, action in the Simple Present A: He speaks. every …, N: He does not speak. present taking place never, Q: Does he speak? once, never or normally, several times often, seldom, sometimes, facts usually actions taking if sentences type I (If I place one after another talk, …) action set by a timetable or schedule Present Progressive A: He is speaking. at the action taking N: He is not speaking. moment, just, Q: Is he speaking? place in the moment just now, of speaking Listen!, Look!, now, right now action taking place only for a limited period of time action arranged for the future Simple Past A: He spoke. yesterday, 2 action in the N: He did not speak. minutes ago, Q: Did he speak? past taking place once, in 1990, the never or several other day, last times Friday if sentence actions taking type II (If I place one after another talked, …) action taking place in the middle of another action Past Progressive A: He was speaking. when, while, action going N: He was not speaking. as long as Q: Was he speaking? on at a certain time in the past actions taking place at the same time action in the past that is interrupted by another action Present Perfect A: He has spoken. already, ever, putting Simple N: He has not spoken. just, never, not Q: Has he spoken? emphasis on the result yet, so far, till action that is now, up to now 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 Present Perfect A: He has been speaking. all day, for 4 putting Progressive N: He has not been speaking. years, since Q: Has he been speaking? emphasis on the 1993, how course or duration long?, the (not the result) whole week action that recently stopped or is still going on finished action that influenced the present Past Perfect Simple A: He had spoken. already, just, action taking N: He had not spoken. never, not yet, Q: Had he spoken? place before a certain once, until that time in the past day if sentence sometimes type III (If I interchangeable with had past perfect talked, …) progressive putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration) Past Perfect A: He had been speaking. for, since, the action taking Progressive N: He had not been speaking. whole day, all Q: Had he been speaking? place before a certain day time in the past sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action Future I Simple A: He will speak. in a year, action in the N: He will not speak. next …, Q: Will he speak? future that cannot be tomorrow influenced If-Satz Typ I (If you ask spontaneous her, she will decision help you.) assumption assumption: I think, with regard to the probably, future perhaps Future I Simple A: He is going to speak. in one year, decision made N: He is not going to speak. next week, (going to) Q: Is he going to speak? for the future tomorrow conclusion with regard to the future Future I Progressive A: He will be speaking. in one year, action that is N: He will not be speaking. next week, Q: Will he be speaking? going on at a certain tomorrow time in the future action that is sure to happen in the near future Future II Simple A: He will have spoken. by Monday, in action that will N: He will not have spoken. a week Q: Will he have spoken? be finished at a certain time in the future Future II Progressive A: He will have been speaking. for …, the last action taking N: He will not have been couple of speaking. place before a certain hours, all day Q: Will he have been time in the future long speaking? putting emphasis on the course of an action Conditional I Simple A: He would speak. if sentences action that N: He would not speak. type II Q: Would he speak? might take place (If I were you, I would go home.) Conditional I A: He would be speaking. action that Progressive N: He would not be speaking. Q: Would he be speaking? might take place putting emphasis on the course / duration of the action Conditional II Simple A: He would have spoken. if sentences action that N: He would not have spoken. type III Q: Would he have spoken? might have taken (If I had seen place in the past that, I would have helped.) Conditional II A: He would have been action that Progressive speaking. N: He would not have been might have taken place speaking. in the past Q: Would he have been speaking? 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 He played football He plays football He will / is going to place once, never every Tuesday. every Tuesday. play football every or several times Tuesday. actions that He played football He plays football He will play happen one after and then he went and then he goes football and then another home. home. he will go home. state He loved football. He loves football. He will love football.

Past Present Future I Progressive Progressive Progressive

action going on at He was playing He is playing He will be playing that moment football. football. football. actions taking He was playing He is playing He will be playing place at the football and she football and she is football and she same time was watching. watching. will be watching.

Past Perfect Present Perfect Future II Simple Simple Simple

action taking place He had won five He has won five He will have won before a certain matches until that matches so far. five matches by moment in time; day. then. emphasises the result

Past Perfect Present Perfect Future II Progressive Progressive Progressive

action taking place He had been He has been He will have been before a certain playing football for playing football for playing football for moment in time ten years. ten years. ten years. (and beyond), emphasises the duration

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)

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

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.