A summary of tense uses is presented below.
| present | past | future | |
| present | (with a time expression) | (with a time expression) | |
| Präteritum | |||
| present perfect | with a time expression | ||
| past perfect | |||
| simple future (Future I) | |||
| future perfect (Future II) | with a time expression | ||
Certain tenses, besides their main function i.e. the expression of temporal aspects, have additional functions.
| supposition | request/demand | intention / promise | universal facts | |
| present | ||||
| simple future (Future I) | reference to the present | |||
| future perfect (Future II) | reference to the past | |||