TENSES IN ENGLISH

Present / Past / Future•Simple•Perfect Simple•Continuous (progressive)•Perfect Continuous (perfect progressive)

Present Past Future

Simple I walk I walked I’ll walk(I’m going to walk)

Perfect Simple I’ve walked I had walked I’ll have walked

Continuous I’m walking I was walking I’ll be walking

Perfect Continuous I’ve been walking I had been walking I will have been walking

present•Present Simple

I study English every day.

I don’t study French every day.

He studies Italian every week.

Do you study Spanish every month?

Does your brother study Arabic every evening?

•Present Perfect

I have studied English in several different countries.

I haven’t studied French.

Winnie has studied sciences.

Have you studied Greek?

Has Ben studied economics?

•Present Continuous (progressive)I am studying English now.I am not studying Russian now.You are studying Spanish this year.Are you studying Greek too?He is studying mathematics this year.Is Ann studying hard at the moment?

•Present Perfect Continuous

I have been studying English for five years.

She has been studying all day.

Have you been studying all night?

Has Ann been studying for six hours without interruption?

past•Past Simple

I studied English every day when I was younger.

I didn’t study French every day.

He studied Italian every week.

Did you study Spanish in 2011?

Did your brother study Arabic last year?

•Past PerfectI had studied English in several different countries before I started working.I hadn’t studied French.Winnie had studied sciences.Had you studied Greek before you went

to university?Had Ben studied economics?

•Past Continuous (progressive)

I was studying English when he came in.

I wasn’t studying Russian.

You weren’t studying Spanish when he arrived home.

Were you studying Greek too?

He was studying mathematics when he became ill.

Was Ann studying when the house took fire?

•Past Perfect Continuous

I had been studying English for five years before I moved to the U.S.

John had been studying for eight hours before he went to the pub with his friends.

Future•Future Simple

If you are having problems, I will help you study English.

I am going to study English next year.

•Future Perfect

I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.

I am going to have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.

•Future Continuous

I will be studying English when you arrive tonight.

I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight.

•Future Perfect Continuous

I will have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive.

I am going to have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive.