Most commonly used tenses in English:
| Present Simple (I go) | Past Simple (I went) | Future Simple (I will go) | Present Perfect (I have gone) | Present Continuous (I am going) | |
| When do I use this tense? | Used for present facts and repeated actions. | Used for completed actions in the past. | Used for future actions, even if they are only a few seconds in the future. | Used for actions which started in the past and are still true now. | Used for temporary actions going on now. |
| Words that signal use of the tense: | every (day, week, month, year, etc.), always, usually, often, sometimes, etc. | Yesterday, last (week, month, year, etc.), when I was a child, this morning (if it is no longer morning), etc. | Tomorrow, next (week, month, year, etc.), in the future, when I retire, when I get home, etc. | Since, for, ever (with questions), up to now, how long (with questions), etc. | Now, at the moment, today, this week, presently, etc. |
| How do I make the tense? | The first form of the verb is used to make the Present Simple. For questions and negatives the helping An important rule with the Present Simple is: Don’t forget the | The second form of the verb is used for the Past Simple. However, when making questions and negatives in | The Future Simple is formed with the helping verb will and the first form of the verb. | The Present Perfect is formed with the helping verb have (or: has) and the third form of the verb. | The Present Continuous is formed with the helping verb to be (am, are, is) and the "-ing" form of the verb. |
| Which helping verb do I use? | do / does | did | will | have / has | to be (am, are, is) |
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