English tenses (active)

	Indefinite	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Present	...verb	be + -ing	have + III form	have been + -ing
ask(s)	am is asking are	have asked has	have been asking has
usually/generally always/never often/seldom sometimes   1. Permanent action. 2. General truth. 3. Repeated, customary action. 4. Fact. 5. Future action (to a time- table, schedule).	at present, at the moment now still   1. Action (process) going on at the present moment. 2. Future action planned before. 3. Continuous process (with always, constantly)	just already/yet ever/never lately/recently this week/today by now for since   Completed action connected with the present; result.	for a month/a long time since 5 o'clock how long/since when 1. Action (process) which began in the past and is still going on now. 2. Action which was recently in the progress, but is no longer going on at the present moment.
past	asked	was asking were	had asked	had been asking
yesterday last week 3 days ago   1. Action (succession of actions) in the past. 2. Repeated action in the past.	at 5 yesterday from 5 to 6 yesterday for 3 days last week all day long/the whole day when we came   Action (process) taking place at a given moment in the past.	by 5 о 'clock yesterday before he came by the end of last year   1. Action completed before a certain moment in the past. (not used as a succession of actions) 2.With hadly (scarecely, nearly, barely)…when, no sooner… than. 3. At sequence of tenses.	He had been working for 2 hours, when my brother came.   1. Action (process) which began before a definite moment in the past and was still going at that moment. 2. Action which had been in progress not long before, but was no longer going on at definite moment in the past.
future	will ask	will be asking	will have asked	will have been asking
tomorrow next week in 3 days in 2017   Future action.	at 5 tomorrow from 5 to 6 tomorrow for 3 days next week all day long tomorrow when he comes   Action (process) taking place at a given moment in the future.	by 5 o'clock tomorrow when he comes by next summer   Action completed before a definite moment in the future.	When you come, I'll have been working for 2 hours.   Action (process) which will begin before a definite moment in the future and will be going on at that moment.
Future-in- -the-past	would ask	would be asking	would have asked	would have been asking
At sequence of tenses.	At sequence of tenses.	At sequence of tenses.	At sequence of tenses.

The following is the list of most common stative verbs that are not used in the Сontinuous form:

a) verbs denoting physical perceptions: to hear, to notice, to see;

b) verbs denoting emotions: to adore, to care for, to detest, to
dislike, to hate, to like, to love, to respect;

c) verbs denoting wish: to desire, to want, to wish;

d) verbs denoting mental processes: to admire (= to be of high opinion), to appreciate, to assume, to believe (= to consider), to con­sider (= to regard), to doubt, to expect (= to suppose), to feel (= to consider), to imagine, to know, to mind (= to object), to perceive, to presume, to recall, to recognize, to recollect, to regard, to remember, to suppose, to think = ( to consider), to trust, to understand;

e) relationalverbs: to apply, to be, to belong, to concern, to con­sist, to contain, to depend, to deserve, to differ, to equal, to fit, to have, to hold (= to contain), to include, to involve, to lack, to mat­ter, to need, to owe, to own, to possess, to remain, to require, to re­semble, to result, to signify, to suffice;

f) some other verbs: to agree, to allow, to appear (= to seem), to astonish, to claim, to consent, to displease, to envy, to fait to do, to feel (as: The surface feels rough), to find, to forbid, to forgive, to intend, to inter­est, to keep doing, to manage to do, to mean, to object, to please, to prefer, to prevent, to puzzle, to realize, to refuse, to remind, to satisfy, to seem, to smell (as: The soup smells(tastes) nice), to sound (as: The song sounds nice), to succeed, to suit, to surprise, to taste to tend, to value.

However, some stative verbswhen they change their meaning can be used in the Continuous form.

1.When the verb to be is close to to behave in meaning.

Example: "Are you seeing Clare tonight?" she asked.

He said, "I'm seeingyou home."

"Are you going in the water?" Sybil said. "I'm seriously con­sideringit."

Jane turned away. "The thing to do," she said, "is to pay no attention to him. He isjust being" silly."

2. When to have is part of set phrases, as in: to have, a bath, to have a good holiday, to have a party, to have a smoke, to have a walk, to have coffee, to have dinner, to have something done, to have to do something, to have trouble and the like.

Example: "Where is Mr Franklin?" he asked, "He's having a bath. He'll be right out."

3. When the ac­tions indicated by these verbs express great intensity of feeling.

Example: "You'll find it a great change to live in New York." "At the present time I'm hating it," she said in an expressionless tone.

"Strange," he said, "how, when people are either very young or very old, they are always wanting to do something they should not do."

Dear Amy, I've settled in now and I am liking my new life very much.

4. When some durative verbs, for example, verbs of bodily sensa­tion (to ache, to feel, to hurt, to itch, etc.) and such verbs as to wear, to look (= to seem), to shine and others are used with little difference in meaning.

Example: You're looking well, cousin Joan. (You look quite happy today.)

"I know what you are feeling, Roy," she said. "We all feel ex­actly the same."

In subordinate clauses of time, condition and conces­sion when the action refers to the future
we use the Present Indefinite instead of the Future Indefinite.

1. Clauses of time referring to the future may be introduced by the conjunctions when, while, till, until, before, after, as soon as and once,

Example: She won't go to bed till you come. I shall have a look at his paper when I getit.

2. Clauses of condition are introduced by the conjunctions if, un­less, on condition (that), provided (providing) and in case.

Example:If you send me a line to my club, it'll be forwarded at once. But I must have the pills, in case she feels worse.

3. Clauses of concession are introduced by the conjunctions even if, even though, no matter how, whenever, whatever, however, etc.

Example: Even if he hates me I shall never do him any harm. I'llhave dinner whenever it's ready.

But:In clauses other than those of time and condition, the Future Indefinite is used even if these clauses are introduced by the conjunctions if and when,

Example: I wonder if the tape recorder will eventually replace the record player. The important thing to know is when the book will come out.