Tenses Cheat Sheet

Tenses Cheat Sheet

Tense shows the time of an action or state. English has 12 commonly taught tense forms.

Quick Tense Table

1. Present Simple

Structure

Affirmative

I/You/We/They + V1
He/She/It + V1+s/es

Negative

I/You/We/They + do not + V1
He/She/It + does not + V1

Question

Do/Does + subject + V1?

Uses

• Habits and routines
• General truths
• Facts
• Regular actions
• Timetables/schedules

Examples

• I go to school every day.
• She works in Delhi.
• The Sun rises in the east.
• The train leaves at 6 AM.

Signal words

always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day

2. Present Continuous

Structure

Subject + is/am/are + V-ing

Uses

• Action happening now
• Temporary situations
• Changing situations
• Fixed future arrangements

Examples

• I am studying now.
• She is working from home.
• Prices are increasing.
• We are meeting him tomorrow.

Signal words

now, right now, at present, currently, at the moment

3. Present Perfect

Structure

Subject + has/have + V3

Uses

• Completed action with present relevance
• Life experience
• Recently completed actions
• Actions continuing up to the present in certain contexts

Examples

• I have finished my work.
• She has visited Delhi.
• They have just arrived.

Signal words

already, just, yet, ever, never, recently, so far, till now, up to now

Important

Present Perfect generally does not combine with a finished specific past-time expression.

❌ I have seen him yesterday. ✅ I saw him yesterday.

4. Present Perfect Continuous

Structure

Subject + has/have been + V-ing

Uses

• Action that started in the past and continues into the present
• Recently stopped activity where duration is important

Examples

• I have been studying for three hours.
• She has been working here since 2022.

Signal words

since, for, all day, all morning, lately, recently

PAST TENSES

5. Past Simple

Structure

Subject + V2

Uses

• Completed action in the past
• Past habit
• Series of completed past actions

Examples

• I visited Delhi last year.
• She finished the work yesterday.
• He opened the door and walked inside.

Signal words

yesterday, last week, last year, ago, in 2020, formerly

6. Past Continuous

Structure

Subject + was/were + V-ing

Uses

• Action in progress at a particular time in the past
• Interrupted past action
• Two simultaneous past actions

Examples

• I was studying at 8 PM.
• She was sleeping when I called.
• While he was reading, I was writing.

Common pattern

While + Past Continuous
When + Past Simple

Example:

While I was walking, it started raining.

7. Past Perfect

Structure

Subject + had + V3

Use

Used for an action that happened before another past action.

Example

The train had left before we reached the station.

Earlier action → Past Perfect Later action → Past Simple

Common words

before, after, by the time, already, until

8. Past Perfect Continuous

Structure

Subject + had been + V-ing

Use

Shows an action that continued for a period before another point/action in the past.

Example

He had been working for five hours before he took a break.

Common signal words

for, since, before, until, when

FUTURE TENSES

9. Future Simple

Structure

Subject + will + V1

Uses

• Future actions
• Predictions
• Promises
• Offers
• Decisions made at the moment of speaking

Examples

• I will help you.
• She will arrive tomorrow.
• I think it will rain.

Signal words

tomorrow, next week, next year, soon, later

10. Future Continuous

Structure

Subject + will be + V-ing

Use

An action that will be in progress at a particular future time.

Example

At 8 PM tomorrow, I will be studying.

Signal patterns

this time tomorrow, at 5 PM tomorrow, at this time next week

11. Future Perfect

Structure

Subject + will have + V3

Use

An action that will be completed before a specified future time.

Example

She will have finished the work by 6 PM.

Common signal words

by, by then, by tomorrow, by next year, before

12. Future Perfect Continuous

Structure

Subject + will have been + V-ing

Use

Shows the duration of an action continuing up to a particular future time.

Example

By next month, he will have been working here for five years.

Common signal words

for, since, by, by the time

Tense Comparison

Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Past Simple vs Present Perfect

Quick rule

If a finished specific past time is mentioned, Past Simple is generally used.

Past Simple vs Past Perfect

Use Past Perfect when there are two past actions and you need to show which happened first.

The movie had started before we arrived.

First action → Past Perfect Second action → Past Simple

Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect

Focus often on completion/result.

I have written three pages.

Present Perfect Continuous

Focus often on duration/activity.

I have been writing for two hours.

Since vs For

Since → starting point

since Monday
since 2020
since morning
since 5 PM

Example:

She has lived here since 2020.

For → duration

for two hours
for three days
for five years
for a long time

Example:

She has lived here for five years.

Important Tense Rules

Rule 1: After did → V1

❌ He did not went. ✅ He did not go.

❌ Did she came? ✅ Did she come?

Rule 2: After does → V1

❌ He does not likes tea. ✅ He does not like tea.

Rule 3: Modal + V1

❌ She can sings. ✅ She can sing.

❌ He will goes. ✅ He will go.

Rule 4: Has/Have + V3

❌ She has went. ✅ She has gone.

❌ They have ate. ✅ They have eaten.

Rule 5: Had + V3

❌ He had went home. ✅ He had gone home.

Rule 6: Continuous tense → V-ing

❌ She is study. ✅ She is studying.

❌ They were play. ✅ They were playing.

Common Tense Errors

12 Tenses: One-Line Revision

1. Present Simple → I work.
2. Present Continuous → I am working.
3. Present Perfect → I have worked.
4. Present Perfect Continuous → I have been working.

5. Past Simple → I worked.
6. Past Continuous → I was working.
7. Past Perfect → I had worked.
8. Past Perfect Continuous → I had been working.

9. Future Simple → I will work.
10. Future Continuous → I will be working.
11. Future Perfect → I will have worked.
12. Future Perfect Continuous → I will have been working.

Quick Exam Checklist

Before selecting a tense, check:

• [ ] When did the action happen?
• [ ] Is the action completed?
• [ ] Is it happening now?
• [ ] Is the action continuing?
• [ ] Is there another past action?
• [ ] Is duration mentioned?
• [ ] Is a specific past time mentioned?
• [ ] Is since or for used?
• [ ] Is by + future time used?
• [ ] Is the verb form correct?

Quick Tip: In error-detection questions, first identify the time expression, then locate the main verb, and finally check whether the verb form matches the required tense.