Tenses

Present

Present Simple

I work everyday.

Water is wet.

My plane leaves at eight o'clock.

• Something happens repeatedly
• A generalisation
• One action follows another
• A future action which follows a timetable

Stative Verbs

Stative verbs require the present simple tense and can't be used with any continuous tense.

• thoughts and opinions: agree, belive, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean ,recognise, remember, suspect, think, understand
• feelings and emotions: dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish
• senses and perceptions: appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste
• possession and measurement: belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh

There are verbs which can be both stative and dynamic depending on the meaning in the context.

• be: When it's used in the continuous form, it means 'behaving' or 'acting'
• you are stupid = it's part of your personality
• you are being stupid = only now, not usually
• think:
• I think the coffee is great = I'm of the opinion, that coffee is great
• I'm thinking about my next holiday = I'm considering my next holiday
• have
• I have a car = I own a car
• I'm having a party/a good time/a bath = having is part of an expression
• see
• I see a house = I see something with my eyes
• I've been seeing my boyfriend for two years = I've been dating somebody for two years
• I'm seeing Robert tomorrow = I'm going to meet Robert tomorrow

Present Continuous

Peter is phoning his grandparents (meaning: He is doing it right now)

They are dating on Saturday (A plan, scheduled in advance)

Julie is living in Paris for a few months

• Something is happening while speaking
• Something in the future which is already scheduled
• When something is temporary

Present Perfect

I have been working (meaning: I started working earlier and stopped now)

I've cleaned my room. (meainig: I cleaned my room and the result, the clean room, is now relevant)

I just played football.

We have lived in Canada since 2012. (Has an connection to the present, as "we" are still living there)

• An action which started in the past and continues up to the present
• A recently completed action
• Am action in the past which has a connection to the present
• An experience you had in the past but doesn't have to be recent

Signal words: just, already, up to now, until now / till now, ever, (not) yet, so far, lately / recently

Present Perfect Continuous

She has been writing for to hours. (Puts emphasis on the duration or course of action, but not on the result)

I have been living here since 2001. (Action that recently stopped or is still going on)

I have been working all afternoon. (finished action which influenced the present)

Why are you so wet? - I've been washing my car.

• Emphasises the length of time of an recently stopped action or an action which is still going on
• How long an action has been happening
• A unwanted side effect

Link Simple vs Continuous: https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepersim-preperpro

Signal words: how long since, for

Present Perfect

Past

Past Simple

I worked (meaning: I started and stopped working in the past)

When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

• An action which finished in the past and isn't connected to the present
• An action in the past which takes place in the middle of another action
• Signal Words:
• A time expression in the past

Past Continuous

While I was working, I met a child hood friend.

Kim was helping my parents moving today in the morning. (meaning: Kim was helping and might still be helping, but the speaker doesn't know)

While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes.

• An action in the middle of another action (often with while)
• An action which started in the past at a certain time, but the speaker doesn't know if it was finished or not
• Two simultaneously actions in the past

Past Perfect Simple

Mary had read the book before she watched the film.

If I had seen him, I would have talked to him (conditional sentence III)

• When an action (past perfect) which has already happened, is followed by another action
• Conditional Sentences Type III

Signal words: already, just never, not yet, once, until that day

Past Perfect Continuous

He had been talking for two hours straight when the bell finally rang.

• Puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action taking place before a certain time in the past
• But like the past perfect simple, it is used when talking about an action before another action

Future

In the case the an action was scheduled, a sentence can be formed with the present continuous or the going to (I'm having a party. \(\a\) I'm going to have a party.)

Will-Future

It will rain later. (A prediction made by the speaker)

I will bet on red (meaning: I decided while speaking that I will bet on read)

If I study, I will pass the exams

• A prediction about the future
• When saying somthing about the future, which is almost certain
• When a decision was spontaneously made at the time of speaking
• The main clause in the type 1 if-clause

Future Continuous

When I come to school, the other kids will be waiting for me

• An action which will be in progress at a certain time in the future (eg. when I come to school)

Going To-Future

Mary and I are going to see a movie.

• When the speaker already decided to to an action in the future
• What the speaker thinks will happen