The system of english tenses

Present

Past

Future

Future-in-the-Past

S i m p
l e

(I n d e f i n i t e)

usually, always,
every day, often, sometimes, as a rule, from time to time,
generally

I
(you, we, they) ask.

He
(she) asks.

?
Do I

yesterday, last
night, last week (month, year), the day before yesterday, ago

I
(he, she, we, you, they)
asked.

?
Did I

tomorrow, in two
days, the day after tomorrow, next day (week, month)

I
(we) shall ask.

You
(he, she, they) will ask.

?
Shall I

should / would + V

I
(we) should ask.

You
(he, she, they) would ask.

?
Should I

now, at this time, at
this moment

I
am asking.

He
(she) is asking.

You
(we, they) are asking.

?
Am I

from 5 till 6, all
day, at that moment, at 5 o'clock yesterday

I
(he, she) was asking.

You
(we, they) were asking.

?
Was I

at 5 o'clock
tomorrow

I
(we) shall be asking.

You
(he, she, they) will be
asking.

?
Shall I be

should
/ would + to be + Ving

I
(we) should be asking.

You
(he, she, they) would
be asking.

?
Should I be

already, just,
resently, ever, never, yet, since, lately, this week

I
( we, you, they ) have
asked.

He
(she) has asked.

?
Have I

by,
before,
by the 1 of September last year

I
(he, she, we, you, they)
had asked.

?
Had I

by the 1 of
September next year, before the bell, by that time, by the end of
the year

I
(we) shall have asked.

You
( he, she, they ) will
have asked.

?
Shall I have

should
/ would + have + V in 3 f.

I
(we) should have asked.

You
(he, she, they) would
have asked.

?
Should I have

P e r f
e c t

C o n t i n u o u s

for 2 hours, since
1856

I
( we, you, they ) have been asking.

He
(she) has been asking.

?
Have I been

for 2 hours, all
his life, all day, for a long time, since

I (he,
she, we, you, they) had been asking.

?
Had I been

for 2 hours, all
my life

I (we)
shall have been asking.

You
( he, she, they ) will
have been asking.

?
Shall I have been

should
/ would + have + been + Ving

I
(we) should have been asking.

You
(he, she, they) would
have
been asking.

?
Should I have been

Present

Past

Future

Future-in-the-Past

S i m p l e

(Indefinite)

am,
is, are
+ V in 3 f.

I
am asked.

He
(she) is asked.

We
(you, they) are asked.

?
Am I

was,
were
+ V in 3 f.

I
(he, she) was asked.

We
(you, they) were asked.

?
Was I

will
/ shall + to be + V in 3 f.

I
(we) shall be asked.

He
(she, you, they) will be
asked.

?
Shall I be

should
/ would + to be + V in 3 f.

I
(we) should be asked.

He
(she, you, they) would be
asked.

?
Should
I be

C o n t
i n u o u s

am,
is, are
+
being +
V in 3 f.

I
am being asked.

He
(she) is being asked.

We
(you, they) are being asked.

?
Am I being

was,
were
+ being
+ V
in 3 f.

I
(he, she) was being asked.

We
(you, they) were being
asked.

?
Was I being

have
/ has + been + V in 3 f.

I
( we, you, they ) have been asked.

He
(she) has been asked.

?
Have I been

had
+ been + V in 3 f.

I
(he, she, we, you, they) had been asked.

?
Had I been

shall
/ will + have / has + been + V in 3 f.

I
(we) shall have been asked.

He
( she, you, they ) will
have been asked.

?
Shall I have been

should
/ would + have + V in 3 f.

I
(we) should have been asked.

He
(she, you, they) would
have been asked.

?
Should I have been