English grammar tenses

Simple

Continuous

Perfect

Perfect Continuous

Present

constant, regular action

• official timetable

(President makes a speech tomorrow)

Key words: every day, never, usually etc.

to be + V-ing

• at the moment of speech

• temporary

• planned, arranged future (100% sure)

• action in the past without a particular time

• action in the past which is connected with present

• unfinished action

Key words: already, yet, just, since, for etc.

have/has been + V-ing

• past + present + future = connection

• the action started in the past, is continuing now and will continue in the future

• uninterrupted action

Past

finished action in the particular past time

Key words: yesterday, 2 weeks ago etc.

the process in the past (in a particular time)

had + V3

action before another action in the past

had been + V-ing

action in the past that began before another action in the past and continued up until that time

(She had been reading for 3 hours when her mom came home)

Future

• spontaneous decision to do smth

• subjective opinion about the future (never 100% sure)

will be + V-ing

• action-process

• in a particular time in the future

will have + V3

• we have a deadline

by the time…,

will have been + V-ing

action that will have happened for some time and will not be complete yet at a certain point in the future

• we have specific date (anniversary, for ex)

(Next January I will have been living here for 5 years)