tense

tense.... by clicking the link you get to the more detailed explanation	signal words and expressions	function	form	example positive	example negative	example question
Simple Present	always every day sometimes often usually seldom never first ... then	regularly repeated or usual actions statements static verbs like to know, to think, to love etc. with future meaning e.g. time tables, schedules etc.	Infinitive he/she/it + -s	I work.	I don't work.	Do I work?
				He works.	He doesn't work.	Does he work?
				I go.	I don't go.	Do I go?
				He goes.	He doesn't go.	Does he go?
Present Progressive or Present Continuous	now at the moment Look! Listen!	describing an action which is taking place at the moment, now with future meaning e.g. plans etc.	to be (am/are/is) + Infinitive + ing	I'm working.	I'm not working.	Am I working?
				He's working.	He isn't working.	Is he working?
				I'm going.	I'm not going.	Am I going?
				He's going.	He isn't going.	Is he going?
Simple Past	last ... ... ago in 2005 yesterday	describing an action which took place in the past and was finished in the past	regelmäßig: Infinitiv + -ed unregelmäßig: 2. Spalte	I worked.	I didn't work.	Did I work?
				He worked.	He didn't work.	Did he work?
				I went.	I didn't go.	Did I go?
				He went.	He didn't go.	Did he go?
Past Progressive or Past Continuous	while	häufig eine Handlung, die gerade stattfand, als ein neues Ereignis eintrat Ablauf einer Tätigkeit/ Vorgang in einem bestimmten Zeitraum der Vergangenheit oder zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt der Vergangenheit	was/were + Infinitiv + -ing	I was working.	I wasn't working.	Was I working?
				He was working.	He wasn't working.	Was he working?
				I was going.	I wasn't going.	Was I going?
				He was going.	He wasn't going.	Was he going?
Simple Present Perfect	just yet never ever already so far, up to now, since for recently	Resultat einer Handlung, der Zeitpunkt interessiert den Sprecher dabei nicht Handlung, die in der Vergangenheit begonnen hat und bis in die Gegenwart andauert oder deren Auswirkungen bis in die Gegenwart reichen	have/has + past participle (Infinitiv + -ed) oder (3. Spalte der unregelmäßigen Verben)	I have worked.	I haven't worked.	Have I worked?
				He has worked.	He hasn't worked.	Has he worked?
				I have gone.	I haven't gone.	Have I gone?
				He has gone.	He hasn't gone.	Has he gone?
Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous	all day the whole day how long since for	Handlung, die in der Vergangenheit begonnen hat und bis in die Gegenwart andauert ABER: besondere Betonung des Ablaufs, Dauer und Unabgeschlossenheit der Handlung	have/has + been + Infinitiv + -ing	I have been working.	I haven't been working.	Have I been working?
				He has been working.	He hasn't been working.	Has he been working?
				I have been going.	I haven't been going.	Have I been going?
				He has been going.	He hasn't been going.	Has he been going?
Simple Past Perfect	already just never	Handlung, die vor einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt der Vergangenheit angefangen hat, aber bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt oder darüber hinaus andauerte Handlung, die zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt der Vergangenheit bereits abgeschlossen war	had + past participle (Infinitiv + -ed) oder (3. Spalte der unregelmäßigen Verben)	I had worked.	I hadn't worked.	Had I worked?
				He had worked.	He hadn't worked.	Had he worked?
				I had gone.	I hadn't gone.	Had I gone?
				He had gone.	He hadn't gone.	Had he gone?
Past Perfect Progressive or Past Perfect Continuous	how long since for	Handlung begann vor einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt in der Vergangenheit und dauert bis zu diesem (oder darüber hinaus) an - Betonung des Verlauf, der Dauer dieser Handlung	had + been + Infinitive + ing	I had been working.	I hadn't been working.	Had I been working?
				He had been working.	He hadn't been working.	Had he been working?
				I had been going.	I hadn't been going.	Had I been going?
				He had been going.	He hadn't been going.	Had he been going?
will - future or Future I		Vorhersage einer zukünftiger Handlung oder eines zukünftigen Vorganges spontaner Entschluß im Hauptsatz der Bedingungssätze Typ 1	will + Infinitive	I'll work.	I won't work.	Will I work?
				He'll work.	He won't work.	Will he work?
				I'll go.	I won't go.	Will I go?
				He'll go.	He won't go.	Will he go?
going to - future		bestehende Absicht/Plan logische Schlußfolgerung	be (am/are/is) + going to + Infinitive	I'm going to work.	I'm not going to work.	Am I going to work?
				He's going to work.	He's not going to work.	Is he going to work?
				I'm going to go.	I'm not going to go.	Am I going to go?
				He's going to go.	He's not going to go.	Is he going to go?
Future Progressive or Future I Progressive or Future I Continuous		Handlung, die zu einem Zeitpunkt in der Zukunft sein wird und bereits zu diesem Zeitpunkt begonnen hat Etwas passiert, weil es gewöhnlich geschieht.	will + be + Infinitive + ing	I'll be working.	I won't be working.	Will I be working?
				He'll be working.	He won't be working.	Will he be working?
				I'll be going.	I won't be going.	Will I be going?
				He'll be going.	He won't be going.	Will he be going?
Future Perfect Simple or Future II		Handlung, die zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt in der Zukunft abgeschlossen sein wird	will + have + past participle	I'll have worked.	I won't have worked.	Will I have worked?
				He'll have worked.	He won't have worked.	Will he have worked?
				I'll have gone.	I won't have gone.	Will I have gone?
				He'll have gone.	He won't have gone.	Will he have gone?
Future Perfect Progressive or Future Perfect Continuous or Future II Progressive		an action which will be done Handlung, die zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt in der Zukunft abgeschlossen sein wird ABER: besondere Betonung der Dauer dieser Handlung	will + have + been + Infinitive + ing	I'll have been working.	I won't have been working.	Will I have been working?
				He'll have been working.	He won't have been working.	Will he have been working?
				I'll have been going.	I won't have been going.	Will I have been working?
				He'll have been going.	He won't have been going.	Will he have been working?
Conditional Simple		an action which possibly can happen appearing in if-clause No. 2	would + Infinitive	I would work.	I wouldn't work.	Would I work?
				He would work.	He wouldn't work.	Would he work?
				I would go.	I wouldn't go.	Would I go?
				He would go.	He wouldn't go.	Would he go?
Conditional Progressive or Conditional Continuous		an action which possibly can happen plus a focus on the period of time	would + be + Infinitive + ing	I would be working.	I wouldn't be working.	Would I be working?
				He would be working.	He wouldn't be working.	Would he be working?
				I would be going.	I wouldn't be going.	Would I be going?
				He would be going.	He wouldn't be going.	Would he be going?
Conditional Perfect		an action which can not happen because it is too late appearing in if-clause No. 3	would + have + past participle	I would have worked.	I wouldn't have worked.	Would I have worked?
				He would have worked.	He wouldn't have worked.	Would he have worked?
				I would have gone.	I wouldn't have gone.	Would I have gone?
				He would have gone.	He wouldn't have gone.	Would I have gone?
Conditional Perfect Progressive or Conditional Perfect Continuous		an action which can not happen because it is too late plus a focus on the period of time	would + have + been + Infinitive + ing	I would have been working.	I wouldn't have been working.	Would I have been working?
				He would have been going.	He wouldn't have been going.	Would he have been working?
				I would have been going.	I wouldn't have been going.	Would I have been going?
				He would have been going.	He wouldn't have been going.	Would he have been going?