English Verb Tenses Cheat Sheet: A Comprehensive Guide

TENSE

FORM

USE

SIGNAL WORDS

PRESENT

SIMPLE

A: I / You / We / They eat

He / She / It eats

N: I / You / We / They don’t eat
He / She / It doesn’t eat

Q: Do
I / You / We / They eat?

Does He / She / It eat?

• For routine actions: I see my grandparents twice a week.
• With facts or general truths: Water boils at 100 Cº
• With permanent situations: I work as a waiter in a restaurant
• Future actions with train, plane schedules, etc. My train leaves at 5.30
• First conditional sentences and in temporal sentences
• With verbs that do not usually go in the present continuous: know, like, hate, want, love, need, belong, mean, understand, remember, prefer…

• Adverbs of frequency: always, often, usually, generally, seldom, never…
• Every day/ week/ month…
• Once / Twice / Three times… a week/ day / month/ year…

PRESENT

CONTINUOUS

A: I am eating

He / She / It is eating

We / You / They are eating

N: I am not eating

He / She / It isn’t eating

We / You / They aren’t eating

Q: Am I eating?
Is He / She / It eating?
Are We / You / They eating?

• With actions that occur at the moment of speaking: We’re studying the verbs now.
• With actions that are occurring temporarily: My brother is working hard this year.
• With habitual actions that cause irritation to the speaker: They are always complaining about the same thing.
• With planned and confirmed future actions (date): She’s visiting the doctor tomorrow morning.

• * The present continuous is not usually used with the following verbs: know, like, want, hate, love, need, belong mean, understand, believe, remember, prefer; although some of these verbs may appear in continuous form with a different meaning

• Now, right now
• At present, at the moment, in this moment, ….
• These days, this year/ month/ week…, nowadays
• Tonight, tomorrow, next week / month…, in a minute, in a couple of days…

PAST

SIMPLE

A: He watched
/ He ate

N: He didn’t watch / He didn’t eat

Q: Did he watch? / Did he eat?

• With past actions that took place at a certain time: We didn’t watch TV last night
• Narrate sequenced past events
• Normally, after the following expressions: I wish, If only, as if, as though, would rather, would sooner, it’s time….

• Yesterday
• Last month / week..
• Ago
• Past dates

PAST

CONTINUOUS

A: I / He / She / It was eating

We / You / They were eating

N: I / He / She / It wasn’t eating

We / You / They weren’t eating

Q:
Was I / He / She / It eating?
Were We / You / They eating?

• To express an incomplete action that was happening in the past. (long action): Last week, we were working in a science project.
• To indicate that a long action was taking place in the past when it was interrupted by another short one: We were watching TV, when suddenly the TV set broke down.
• To indicate that 2 or + long actions were happening simultaneously in the past: While I was cooking dinner, he was laying the table.
• To indicate repeated and monotonous actions in the past indicating a certain complaint: The children were always screaming.
• For descriptions and specifications: People were walking, the sun was shining, the birds….

• While

PRESENT

PERFECT

SIMPLE

A: I / You / We / They have eaten

He / She / It has eaten

N: I / You / We / They haven’t eaten

He / She / It hasn’t eaten

Q: have I / You / We / They eaten?

has He / She / It eaten?

• To talk about actions that happened in the past but arrive or have importance in the present: I have found a wallet in the street.
• With the superlative: She’s the most intelligent person I have ever met.
• In the expressions
  It’s the first/ second time: It’s the first time I’ve eaten raw fish

• Already (AF)…already
• Yet (NG/INT)….already, yet, still
• For…during, for
• Since…since
• Just…just
• This week/ month…
• Recently
• Adverbs of frequency: ever…

PRESENT

PERFECT

CONTINUOUS

A: I / You / We / They have been eating

He / She / It has been eating

N: I / You / We / They haven’t been eating

He / She / It hasn’t been eating

Q: have I / You / We / They
eating?

has He / She / It
eating?

• It has the same use as the present perfect simple but highlighting the duration of the activity: I’ve been working in this factory since 1999.
• To talk about past actions that have just concluded and their result is evident: Have you been frying fish?

• Already (AF)…already
• Yet (NG/INT)….already, yet, still
• For…during, for
• Since…since
• Just…just
• This week/ month…
• Recently
• Adverbs of frequency: ever…

PAST

PERFECT

SIMPLE

A: He had eaten

N: He hadn’t eaten

Q: Had he eaten?

• To talk about a past action that happened before another: The school had already closed when I arrived.
• In third conditional sentences
• In temporal sentences to emphasize that a past action was completely finished before another began: He didn’t go to bed until the last TV programme had finished.
• With I wish / If only
  to regret something that has happened in the past: If only they had stayed with us
• In the expression It was the first / the second… time: It was the second time I had flown.

• Already (AF)…already
• Just
• Until / Till
• Before
• As soon as
• After

PAST

PERFECT

CONTINUOUS

A: He had been eating

N: He hadn’t been eating

Q: Had
eating?

• To talk about a past action that happened before another but emphasizing the duration of it: She was so ill because she had been eating so many chocolates.

• For
• Since
• The whole day / all day

FUTURE I

SIMPLE

(WILL)

A: He
will eat

N: He won’t eat

Q: Will
he
eat?

• Express certainty in the future: We will definitely phone her tonight.
• Predictions: It’ll be windy tomorrow.
• Promises: I’ll buy you a present for your birthday.
• Make a decision at the time of speaking: It’s hot in here. I’ll open the windows.
• Make an offer: I’ll carry the suitcase if you like.
• Ask for something politely: Will you do it for me?
• In first conditional: If it rains, we’ll stay at home.
• When we suggest something we use SHALL: Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

• Tomorrow
• Next day/ week….
• Future dates

FUTURE I

SIMPLE

(GOING TO)

A: I am going to eat

He / She / It is going to eat

We / You / They are going to eat

N: I am not going to eat

He / She / It isn’t going to eat

We / You / They aren’t going to eat

Q: Am I going to eat?

Is He / She / It going to eat?

Are We / You / They going to eat?

• Express intentions: I’m going to eat less.
• To talk about future plans: They’re going to build a new bridge in autumn.
• To make future predictions through evident facts in the present: It’s very hot today. We are going to sweat.
• To talk about facts that are going to happen for sure in the future: I’m going to finish Bachillerato next year.

• Tomorrow
• Next day/ week….
• Future dates

FUTURE I

CONTINUOUS

A: He
will be eating

N: He won’t be eating

Q: Will
he be
eating?

• To talk about actions that will be underway at a certain time in the future: At this time next web we’ll be flying to New York.
• To ask about other people’s plans, especially when we want to ask for a favor: Will you be driving to the supermarket tomorrow?

• Tomorrow
• Next day/ week….
• Future dates

FUTURE II

PERFECT SIMPLE

A: He will have eaten.
N: He won’t have eaten.
Q:
Will he have eaten?

• Actions that will be finished at a certain time in the future: We’ll have flown to New York by next week.

• By Monday…
• In a week…

CONDITIONAL I

SIMPLE

A: He would eat.
N: He wouldn’t eat.
Q:
Would he eat?

• Action that could occur:
• Conditional sentences type II : If I were you I would study more.

• Conditional sentences (if) type II

CONDITIONAL II SIMPLE

A: He would have eaten.
N: He wouldn’t have eaten.
Q:
Would he have eaten?

• Action that could have taken place in the past
• Conditional sentences type III: If I had studied for the exam, I would have passed it.

• Conditional sentences (if) type III