# A visualization of what we mean in English by the various tenses ``` [ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIMELINE----------------- ] [ ] [ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ] [ | | | ] [ ] [ I had eaten ] [ ----------------------------- | | | ] [ I will have eaten* ] [ | | ------------- ] [ I will be eating ] [ | | ------------------------------------------------------- ] [ I will have been eating ] [ | | | ----------------------------------- ] [ I have been eating ] [ | -------------- | | ] [ I had been eating ] [ ----------------------------- | | | ] [ I have eaten ] [ ---------------------------------------------- | | ] [ I am eating** ] [ | ---|--- | ] [ I am eating*** ] [ | -|-------------------- | ] [ I was eating ] [ ---------------------------------------------- | | ] [ I will eat ] [ | | ---|--- ] [ I ate ] [ ---|--- | | ] [ I eat ] [ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ] [ | | | ] [ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ] [ ] [ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIMELINE----------------- ] * - I will have eaten :: 2 events in the future A, B -> after finishing event A, I will eat, before event B ** - I am eating [ right now ] *** - Tomorrow I am eating alone [ not RIGHT now but you can use -ing for the future too ] ``` --- ``` [ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIMELINE----------------- ] [ ] [ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ] [ | | | ] [ ------------------------------|-------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------ ] [ ] [ Past Perfect | I had played ] [ ----------------------------- | | | ] [ Future Perfect | I will played ] [ | | ------------- ] [ Future Continuous | I will be playing ] [ | | ------------------------------------------------------- ] [ Future Perfect Continuous | I will have been playing ] [ | | | ----------------------------------- ] [ Present Perfect Continuous | I have been playing ] [ | -------------- | | ] [ Past Perfect Continuous | I had been playing ] [ ----------------------------- | | | ] [ Present Perfect | I have played ] [ ---------------------------------------------- | | ] [ Present Continuous | I am playing (Right now) ] [ | ---|--- | ] [ Present Continuous | I am playing (Planned action in the future) ] [ | -|-------------------- | ] [ Past Continuous | I was playing ] [ ---------------------------------------------- | | ] [ Future Simple | I will play ] [ | | ---|--- ] [ Past Simple | I played ] [ ---|--- | | ] [ Present Simple | I play ] [ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ] [ ] [ ------------------------------|-------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------ ] [ | | | ] [ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ] [ ] ```