Past simple

I work we worked you worked you worked he/she/it worked they worked to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past.

Present perfect continuous

I have been speaking we have been speaking you have been speaking you have been speaking he/she/it has been speaking they have been speaking all day, for 4 years, since 1993, the whole week puts emphasis on the duration or course of an action (not the result) She has been writing for two hours. action that recently stopped or is still going on I have been living here since 2001. finished action that influenced the present I have been working all afternoon.

Past continuous
I was studying we are studying you were studying you were studying he/she/it is studying they were studying to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted: I was watching TV when she called. I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm. you can also use a specific time as an interruption: At midnight, we were still driving through the desert. a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished: Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner. Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. I started eating at 6 PM. The actions can be parallel: I was studying while he was making dinner.

Past perfect continuous

I had been waiting you had been waiting he/she/it had been waiting we had been waiting you had been waiting they had been waiting to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past: She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business. How long had you been waiting to get on the bus? Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. He was tired because he was exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment. He was tired because he had been exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at that moment OR that he had just finished.

Future simple
I will you will he/she/it will we will you will they will I am going to you are going to he/she/it is going to we are going to you are going to they are going to will often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily I will translate the email, so Mr.Smith can read it. will is usually used in promises I will call you when I arrive. going to expresses that something is a plan He is going to spend his holiday in Scotland. Both will and going to can express the idea of a general prediction about the future The year 2013 will be a very interesting year. The year 2013 is going to be a very interesting year. In clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, as soon as, if, unless: When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner Shall can be used with I and we.

Future continuous
I will be waiting we will be waiting you will be waiting you will be waiting he/she/it will be waiting they will be waiting to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time. I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives. He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives.