Tense When? Formula Signal words Example Translation
Present simple Habits, facts, regularity, I/ You/ We/ They + verb always, usually, sometimes, She plays tennis Zij tennist elk
something that is always true, a He/she/it + verb + s never, every week/ day/ year, every week. weekend.
whole on Mondays, in summer, at
night, rarely, every day, often,
seldom, two years ago,…
Present something that is happening right am/is/are + verb + ing now, right now, at the I am watching Ik ben nu tv aan
continuous now or around this time , a moment, currently, today, this TV right now. het kijken.
temporary action tegenwoordige tijd van to be week, for now, look!, listen!
+ werkwoord + ing
Simple past Something that happened and is verb + -ed or irregular yesterday, last week/year, in They played in Ze speelden in het
over now, completely in the past form 2010, …ago, last… the park park gisteren.
yesterday
Past Something that was going on in was/were + verb + -ing while, when, during I was reading Ik was aan het
continuous the past (mostly during another when the phone lezen toen de
action), something in the past rang. telefoon ging.
that temporary, often followed by verleden tijd van to be + werkwoord +
ing
a past simple
Present perfect Something happened in the past have/has + past participle already, just, yet, ever, never, She has just Ze heeft haar
and is relevant now; experience, since, for, in recent years, finished her huiswerk af.
results, has a connection to the tegenwoordige tijd van to have + recently, up until now, now homework.
voltooid deelwoord
result present that it has healed,…
Present perfect Something that started in the have/ has + been + verb + for, since, all day, the whole I have been Ik ben al twee uur
continuous past and is happening up until -ing morning, lately,… studying for two aan het studeren.
proces now tegenwoordige tijd van to have + hours.
voltooid deelwoord van to be +
werkwoord + -ing
Past perfect Something in the past that had + past participle before, after, already, by the I had eaten Ik had gegeten
happened BEFORE another action time before he voor hij aankwam
in the past, often followed by a verleden tijd van to have + voltooid arrived.
deelwoord
past simple
Past perfect How long something had been had + been + infinitive + - how long, since, for I had been Ik was al een uur
continuous happening before something else ing working for an aan het leren voor
happened verleden tijd van to have+ voltooid hour before he hij aankwam.
deelwoord van to be + werkwoord + -
ing arrived.
Present simple Habits, facts, regularity, I/ You/ We/ They + verb always, usually, sometimes, She plays tennis Zij tennist elk
something that is always true, a He/she/it + verb + s never, every week/ day/ year, every week. weekend.
whole on Mondays, in summer, at
night, rarely, every day, often,
seldom, two years ago,…
Present something that is happening right am/is/are + verb + ing now, right now, at the I am watching Ik ben nu tv aan
continuous now or around this time , a moment, currently, today, this TV right now. het kijken.
temporary action tegenwoordige tijd van to be week, for now, look!, listen!
+ werkwoord + ing
Simple past Something that happened and is verb + -ed or irregular yesterday, last week/year, in They played in Ze speelden in het
over now, completely in the past form 2010, …ago, last… the park park gisteren.
yesterday
Past Something that was going on in was/were + verb + -ing while, when, during I was reading Ik was aan het
continuous the past (mostly during another when the phone lezen toen de
action), something in the past rang. telefoon ging.
that temporary, often followed by verleden tijd van to be + werkwoord +
ing
a past simple
Present perfect Something happened in the past have/has + past participle already, just, yet, ever, never, She has just Ze heeft haar
and is relevant now; experience, since, for, in recent years, finished her huiswerk af.
results, has a connection to the tegenwoordige tijd van to have + recently, up until now, now homework.
voltooid deelwoord
result present that it has healed,…
Present perfect Something that started in the have/ has + been + verb + for, since, all day, the whole I have been Ik ben al twee uur
continuous past and is happening up until -ing morning, lately,… studying for two aan het studeren.
proces now tegenwoordige tijd van to have + hours.
voltooid deelwoord van to be +
werkwoord + -ing
Past perfect Something in the past that had + past participle before, after, already, by the I had eaten Ik had gegeten
happened BEFORE another action time before he voor hij aankwam
in the past, often followed by a verleden tijd van to have + voltooid arrived.
deelwoord
past simple
Past perfect How long something had been had + been + infinitive + - how long, since, for I had been Ik was al een uur
continuous happening before something else ing working for an aan het leren voor
happened verleden tijd van to have+ voltooid hour before he hij aankwam.
deelwoord van to be + werkwoord + -
ing arrived.
