PRESENT TENSE

That's the way to express habits, facts, thoughts and feelings. It is used with general statements and actions that happen sometimes,
always, usually,...

Key words: often (always never (every day, month,... usually sometimes generally normally rarely seldom whenever on Mondays,
Tuesdays,...

NEGATION (VERNEINUNG) NEGATION: TO BE, CAN, MUST

I, YOU + PLURAL DON’T + VERB VERB + NOT

They go to school. They don’t go to school. They are not (aren't) at home.
I like oranges. I don’t like oranges. We are not (isn't) at school.
We hate peppermint. We don’t hate peppermint. I am not (I'm not) hungry.
You have a cold. You don’t have a cold. We can not (cannot) swim.
Monkeys (= They) eatbananas. Monkeys don’t eat snakes. I must not go out.
Bob and I (= We) goshopping. Bob and I don’t go shopping.
Jim and Carol (=They) sing a song. Jim and Carol don’t sing a song.

HE, SHE, IT + S DOESN’T + VERB VERB + NOT

He wants an ice-cream. He doesn’t want an ice cream. She is not (isn't) at school.
She likes hot dogs. She doesn’t like hot dogs. It is not (isn't) hungry.
It drinks milk. It doesn’t drink milk. He can not (can't) sing.
The dog (= It) hates cats. The dog doesn’t hate cats.
Ann (= She) hates chewing gums. Ann doesn’t hate chewing gum.
Bob (= He) speaks English. Bob doesn’t speak German.

NOTE
- es after - s / - ch / - sh
Examples: passes - watches - finishes

- ies after - y
Examples: study - studies / carry - carries

also: do - does / go - goes / have - has

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
 How to form: I am + verb + ing I am playing.
he, she, it is + verb + ing The bird is singing.
you, we, they are + verb + ing We are dancing.

The present progressive is used to indicate actions happening at the time of speaking or future actions.

Key words: look, listen, now, at the moment, still, at present

Note: take taking no e

make making e fällt weg
run running When a short vowel is spoken → doubling of the
consonant
sit sitting Nach kurzem Selbstlaut → Verdopplung des
Konsonanten
lie lying ie → y

Examples: Look, Ann is running down the street.

She is sleeping now.
Listen, I'm talking to you!
 PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

How to I, you, we, have (not) + been + I have been

form: they ing form waiting
has (not) + been + ing she has been
he, she, it
form working

It is used when a long action has started in the past and has just ended or
is still happening. We express how long the action happened. The verbs
have to express an action which can be happen a long time.

Key words: all day (den ganzen Tag), how long (wie
lange), for, since (seit)

Examples:

I have been working all day.

She has been watching TV since 7.30.

Nick has been lying in bed for two days.- He is still in bed or has just got
up.

She has been working since 4 o'clock. She is still working or she has just
stopped working.

How long have they been playing?

 THE PAST TENSE
Regular verbs

How to form: Infinitive (=1st form) + ed = 2nd form

Examples: walk + ed walked

laugh + ed laughed

want + ed wanted

Note: cry cried

carry carried

love loved

hope hoped

stop stopped

drop dropped

Key words: yesterday, last week (month, Monday, October,...), in 1984, ago

Negation: didn't (= did not) + 1st form

He didn't go to her last party.

They didn't like his story.

BUT: was not (wasn't), were not (weren't), could not (couldn't)
 Question: did + 1st form

Did he go to her last party?

Did they like his story?

BUT: Was he angry? Were they late? Could they swim?

Irregular verbs

Examples: 1st form 2nd form 1st form 2nd form

am, is was see saw

are were do did

get got take took

go went have had

PAST PROGRESSIVE
How to use: I, he, she, it was (not) + ing-form was (not) working
you, we, were (not) + ing-form were (not) working
they

1. shows that an action in the past lasted a long time.

 2. If an action happened while another action took place. We use the past simple for the short action and the past
progressive for the long action.
3. Two past actions happen at the same time.

Key words: while (während), when (als)

Examples:

What were they doing yesterday?

While I was repairing my bike she was watering the flowers.

He was watching TV while she was reading a book.
PAST PROGRESSIVE PAST PROGRESSIVE
long action long action

When Tom was cooking he burnt his hand.

PAST PROGRESSIVE PAST SIMPLE
long action short action

PAST PERFECT

If you tell a story it's sometimes necessary to tell about actions that had happened before the past tense. To express the
time when these actions happened you have to use the past perfect.
How to form: had (not) + 3rd form

Key words: after, before

Examples:

She needed help because someone had stolen her car.

He passed the test because he had studied a lot.

After she had done her homework she visited me.

When I came home they had already eaten.

They had sold everything before they moved to Glasgow.

FUTURE TENSE

The will - future is used:

1. to talk about future actions we can't influence or control.

2. to foretell future actions or to express hopes, expectations, fears,
offers, promises, refusals,... .

Key words: I’m sure, I believe, I expect, I hope, I suppose, I think, I'm
afraid, I wonder, I fear, I worry, I promise, I guess or perhaps, possibly,
surely, probably, maybe

3. with I / we for spontaneous reactions or making promises

I shall is sometimes used instead of I will.

The going to - future is used:

1. to talk about future things you intend to do, plan or decided to do

Did you know that Sarah is in hospital?

No, I didn’t. I’ll visit her this afternoon. (spontaneous reaction (spontane
Reaktion) »»» will - future)
Yes, I’m going to visit her next month. (planned action (Absicht, geplante
Aktion) »»» going to - future)

2. to foretell future actions for which we have proofs that they are going
to happen.

The present progressive is used:

to talk about future things that are fixed, planned or definitely decided
The speaker must refer to the future and not to the present.

I am visiting my grandparents tomorrow.

What are you doing next Friday?

The present simple is used:

to talk about times of arrivals and departures of traffic and times of events.

The train leaves at 10.20.

The bus goes at 8.30.
When does the concert begin?

TENSES
PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

1st form / he, she, it + s // they go , he am / is / are + verb + ing // I am going

goes
with habits and general statements to express when something is happening at
the moment

key words: always, often, usually, every, key words: look, listen, now, at the
never, generally, seldom, rarely, hardly moment
ever, sometimes, normally

PAST SIMPLE PAST PROGRESSIVE

2nd form // he went, they played was / were + ing form // he was going

used to tell or talk about a past action used to tell or talk about a long action in the
past

key words: yesterday, last, ago, in 1970 key words: while, when

WILL FUTURE GOING TO FUTURE

will + 1st form ( N.: won't) // he will be, am / is / are + going to + verb
she will go
He is going to play tennis tomorrow.

used to talk about the future used to talk about a future action that is
planned

key words: tomorrow, next key words: tomorrow, next

 PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

have / has + 3rd form // she has gone have / has + been + ing form // he has
been
going

used when a past action started in the past is used like the simle form but only with long
and has just finished or is still happening. actions

key words:already, just, ever, never, yet, key words: how long, all day, for, since
for, since

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

had + 3rd form // she had gone had been + ing form // he had been going

used when a action happened befor another used like the simple form but only with long
action actions

key words: after, before key words: how long, before, after