TENSES
In this review of all important grammatical tenses , you will find brief explanations about the use of the different tenses, how to form them, and short examples for each tense.
For more information about all English tenses or a complete overview, please download the printable PDF documents listed at the bottom of this page.
Overview - Irregular Verbs - Forms of "to be"
Past Perfect Tenses - Past Tenses - Present Perfect Tenses - Present Tenses - Future Tenses
There are many ways to talk about future actions. The most important future tenses are the ‘will’-future and the ‘going to’-future, but the English language also frequently requires other future tenses.
Note! Modal verbs (can, may, must…) always require present simple tense, even though they may refer to a future action!
Please choose the future tense you want to learn more about:
present progressive as future tense
present simple ("timetable future")
form:
will + base form | will not = won’t
use:
simple descriptions of an action in the future or general statements about something in the future;
spontaneous decisions
-Come on, I will help you.
-I have just decided that I will go to the movies tonight.
predictions & weather report
-The test won't be easy.
-They say that the storm will reach Florida on Tuesday morning.
-Tomorrow the weather will be cloudy, and it will rain in most parts of the country later in the afternoon.promises & agreements
-I will take out the garbage tonight, but you will look after the baby!
-I promise I will never do something like that again.
uncertainty concerning the future, probability
-They will probably come at 5 or 6 in the evening.
-We’ll call unless we forget it.
“if”-clauses (conditional I)
-If you don’t go to bed now, you will be tired tomorrow.
-They will kill me if I don’t tell them who stole the car.
time indicators (signal words):I promise, I have just decided that, come on, probably, maybe, possibly, it may be that, it isn’t sure that...
“going to”-future simple
form:
am/are/is + going to + base form
use:
personal plans for the future
-I am going to visit my uncle next week.
-They are going to sing a song at the prom. They have been rehearsing a lot.predictions for which there is evidence; things that are obviously going to happen
-The test is going to be difficult; the teacher has told everyone to study hard.
-Look at those dark clouds! It’s going to rain soon!intentions
-She has been reading a lot about piercings lately, so I suppose she is going to have her belly pierced soon!
-I am going to buy a new car, because my old one doesn’t really work any more.certainty about the future
-They are certainly going to come.
time indicators:
certainly, surely, definitely; look!; we have already decided that...
note:
in colloquial English, especially in American English, „going to” often becomes „gonna“
present progressive as future tense
form:
am/are/is + “ing”-Form
use:
descriptions and actions in the future that have been fixed, planned and arranged
-We are staying at the Hilton. I’ve already called the hotel and they have reserved a room for us.
-They are performing in the big hall. They’ve already arranged everything.Often "going to"- Future can be used instead of Present Progressive as Future Tense; however, this leads to a slight change of meaning in the sentence
- present progressive expresses that something is absolutely sure, and that it has been arranged with others
- "going to" expresses that something is quite certain, but it is basically just a personal intention
present simple –“timetable” future
form:
„1st verb form“ (3rd person "s")
use:
official times = timetables, general statements
-The train leaves at 5:34. (It leaves whether I’m in it or not…)
-They broadcast the news at 10pm.NOTE: Official predictions (which do not simply indicate a time) normally require „will“-Future
-The president will give his speech tomorrow morning.
-The Queen will open the celebrations.
form:
will + be + “ing”-Form
use:
(usually a longer) action that will be happening at a certain point of time in the future
-Next year this time I will be sitting in Brazil and I will be enjoying the warm weather.
-I think that they will be playing cards when we come home.time indicators:
next year this time, in three months time, ...
future perfect :
form:
will have + Base Form
use:
something that will already have happened at a certain point in the future.
(An action before another action in the future)-This time next year we will have had all our final exams already.
-They will have arrived at the station by now.
“going to”-future progressive (hardly used)
form:
am/are/is + going to be + “ing”-Form
use:
The „going to“-future progressive is hardly ever used. It can describe longer actions that are certainly going to happen in the future.
-Next week they are going to be writing a 3-hour test.
-Telling from the clouds in the sky I’m sure it’s gonna be raining all night long.
Overview - Irregular Verbs - Forms of "to be"
Past Perfect Tenses - Past Tenses - Present Perfect Tenses - Present Tenses - Future Tenses
DOWNLOADS:
Intensive Grammar Course - Tenses [in German!]
Intensive Grammar Course - key to exercises [in German!]
In this Intensive Grammar Course you will find extensive explanations for all English Tenses. It discusses the use of different tense forms as well as the grammatical forms of all the tenses. Furthermore you can check if you have understood everything in short exercises after each chapter.
short overview of all tenses (except future tenses) [in German!]
short overview of all future tenses [in German!]
These two grammar charts give you a quick overview on all tenses. They are in PDF format, so you can print them out and pin them onto your wall. They can really help you get familiar with the English tenses, so I strongly recommend you download them and have a look!
Please visit the following sites for more on English tenses:
The English Page offers numerous resources for learners of English as a Second Language (ESL).
On this site (www.englishpage.de.vu or englishpage.iris-solutions.org) learners can find all the Grammar Rules and explanations in English, German and Spanish, as well as a great variety of exercises to train and test their Grammar skills: All English tenses (Present Tense Simple, Present Tense Progressive, Past Tense Simple, Past Tense Progressive, Present Perfect Tenses, Past Perfect Tenses, Future Tenses - will & going to future, Mixed tenses); Active or Passive, Indirect Speech (= Reported Speech), Conditionals (if-sentences), Relative Clauses and Contact Clauses, Adjective or Adverb, some - any and other determiners, Gerund or Infinitive, rules for Questions and Negation, Modal Verbs (can, may, must, shall, might...) and of course Irregular Verbs, as well as linking words and other grammar topics are all included in the Grammar section! Start learning English TODAY! Test your knowledge of ESL on downloadable grammar exercise sheets in PDF format and revise the rules!