Auxiliary Verbs Cheat Sheet (With Simple Explanations & Examples)

Auxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs) help the main verb express tense, mood, voice, ability, permission, obligation, etc.

1. Primary Auxiliary Verbs

The three primary auxiliaries are:

A. BE (am, is, are, was, were, being, been)

1. Continuous Tenses

Used with verb + ing

Structure:

Subject + Be + Verb-ing

Examples:

• I am studying English.
• She is cooking dinner.
• They are playing football.
• We were watching TV.

2. Passive Voice

Used when the action is more important than the doer.

Structure:

Subject + Be + Past Participle

Examples:

• The work was completed yesterday.
• The letter is written by John.
• The cake was baked by my mother.

B. HAVE (have, has, had)

Used in Perfect Tenses

Present Perfect

Structure:

Subject + Have/Has + V3

 Examples:

• I have finished my homework.
• She has gone to school.
• They have eaten lunch.

Past Perfect

Structure:

Subject + Had + V3

 Examples:

• He had left before I arrived.
• We had completed the project.

C. DO (do, does, did)

1. Questions

Examples:

• Do you speak German?
• Does she work here?
• Did they arrive on time?

2. Negative Sentences

Examples:

• I do not (don't) like tea.
• She does not (doesn't) smoke.
• We did not (didn't) go.

3. Emphasis

Used to stress a statement.

Examples:

• I do like coffee.
• She does work hard.
• He did call you yesterday.

2. Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Modal verbs express:

• Ability
• Permission
• Possibility
• Advice
• Obligation
• Necessity

CAN

Ability

• She can swim.
• I can speak German.

Permission

• You can leave now.
• Can I use your phone?

COULD

Past Ability

• When I was young, I could run very fast.
• He could swim at age five.

Polite Request

• Could you help me, please?
• Could you open the window?

MAY

Permission

• You may enter the room.
• May I come in?

Possibility

• It may rain today.
• She may visit us tomorrow.

MIGHT

Small Possibility

• He might come later.
• We might win the match.

(Might = less certain than May)

SHALL

Future (Formal)

• We shall overcome.
• I shall return soon.

Mostly used in formal English.

SHOULD

Advice

• You should exercise daily.
• You should study regularly.

Duty

• We should obey traffic rules.

WILL

Future Action

• I will call you tomorrow.
• They will arrive soon.

Strong Intention

• I will help you.
• We will succeed.

WOULD

Polite Request

• Would you like some coffee?
• Would you help me?

Hypothetical Situation

• I would buy a car if I had money.
• She would travel more if she had time.

MUST

Necessity

• You must wear a seat belt.
• Students must submit assignments on time.

Strong Obligation

• You must follow the rules.

OUGHT TO

Moral Duty

• We ought to respect our parents.
• People ought to help the poor.

"Ought to" is similar to should, but sounds more formal.

Quick Comparison

Easy Memory Tip

• Be → Action in progress / Passive voice
• Have → Completed action
• Do → Questions & negatives
• Can/Could → Ability
• May/Might → Possibility
• Should/Ought to → Advice
• Must → Strong necessity
• Will/Would → Future or politeness
• Shall → Formal future