Verb Tenses

Present Tenses Present Simple and Continuous Present Perfect Simple and Continuous

Present Simple
Simple present tense with 'be' : Positive I am you are he is she is it is we are they are Positive Short Form I'm you're he's she's it's we're they're

Next, here's the negative. It's very easy. You only add 'not' : Example : She is not a good swimmer. ( OR : She isnt a good swimmer) And finally let's talk about the question form of the present simple with 'be'. Example: Am I ? Are you? Is he/she/it? Are we/they? USE: 1: First, we use the Present Simple when something is generally true:
The sun rises in the east. - People need food.

2: Secondly, we need to use this tense for a situation that we think is more or less permanent:
Where do you live? She works in a bank.

3: The next use is for habits or things that we do regularly. We often use adverbs of frequency in this case:
She gets up at seven o'clock every day. At the weekend, we usually go to the market.

4: Four, we use the Simple Present to talk about what happens in books, plays, or films:

 The hero dies at the end of the film. A young woman travels through Europe, where she meets different people, and finally falls in love.

5: We use it in the first and the zero conditional. 6: Strangely, we can use this tense to talk about the future. When you are discussing a timetable or a fixed plan, you can use this tense. Usually, the timetable is fixed by an organisation, not by us:
School begins at nine tomorrow. Our train leaves at eleven.

7: We also use it to talk about the future after words like ' 'when', 'until', 'after', 'before' and 'as soon as' in a future sentence:
I will call you when I have time. (Not: 'will have') I won't go out until it stops raining.

8: We need to use this simple tense with some special verbs which we don't use in continuous tenses (stative verbs).
This soup tastes great. You look fabulous.

Present Continuous The present continuous (sometimes called the present progressive) tense in English is really easy to make and is the same for all verbs. We make it using the present simple of 'be' + verb-ing: Positive I am sleeping you are sleeping he is sleeping she is sleeping it is sleeping we are sleeping they are sleeping Positive Short Form I'm sleeping you're sleeping he's sleeping she's sleeping it's sleeping we're sleeping they're sleeping

We can make the negative by adding 'not': Example: We arent cooking/ She isnt sleeping etc. A yes/no question is made : Example : Are they cooking? Am I enjoying this? Is he doing his homework? USE: 1: First, we use it for things that are happening at the moment of speaking.
I'm working at the moment. Please call back as we are eating dinner now.

2: We can also use this tense for temporary situations, when we feel something won't continue for a long time.

She's staying with her friend for a week. I'm living in London for a few months.
3: We can use the present continuous for habits but they have to be temporary or new habits (for normal habits that continue for a long time, we use the present simple).
He's eating a lot these days. She's swimming every morning (she didn't use to do this).

4: Another present continuous use is for annoying habits, when we want to show that something happens too often and we don't like it. In this case we usually use an adverb like 'always', 'forever' or 'constantly'.

You're always losing your keys! She's constantly missing the train.
5: The next use is for definite future arrangements (with a future time word). In this case we have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event will happen in the future.
I'm meeting my father tomorrow. We're going to the beach at the weekend.

6: Finally we use this tense to talk about a situation which is slowly changing.

-I'm getting better at playing the piano. - The weather is improving.

We can't use the this tense (or any other continuous tense) with stative verbs. Present Perfect Simple

To make the positive present perfect tense, use:

Positive I have played you have worked he has written she has walked it has rained we have travelled

'have' / 'has' + the past participle Make the past participle by adding 'ed' to regular verbs (for example, 'play' becomes 'played')
We also have some completely irregular verbs
Positive Short Form I've played you've worked he's written she's walked it's rained we've travelled

they have studied

they've studied

Negative: I havent/ You havent/ She hasnt etc. Interrogative: Has he worked/Have I done it? Etc.

USE: Unfinished Actions 1.We use this tense when we want to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present. Usually we use it to say 'how long' an action or state has continued with 'since' and 'for'. Often, we use stative verbs in this situation:

-I've known Karen since 1994. -She's lived in London for three years.
'Since' and 'For' 2.We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004, April 23rd, last year, two hours ago). The fixed time can be another action, indicated with the past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived): I've known Sam since 1992. I've liked chocolate since I was a child.

3.We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months):
I've known Julie for ten years. I've been hungry for hours.

Finished Actions
1: Life experience (we don't say when the experience happened, just sometime in the past) They have visited Paris three times. We have never seen that film. 2: A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result): I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house). She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today). 3: With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today, in the last year): I haven't seen her this month. She's drunk three cups of coffee today.

Note: We can't use the present perfect with a finished time word:
Example: Ive seen him yesterday.

'Been' and 'Gone' Been We use 'been' (often when we talk about 'life experience') to mean that the person being talked about has visited the place, and come back. Notice the preposition 'to': I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in London, where I live). She has been to school today (but now she's back at home).

Gone We use 'gone' (often when we are talking about an action with a result in the present) to mean that the person is at the place now:
'Where's John?' 'He's gone to the shops' (he's at the shops now). Julie has gone to Mexico (now she's in Mexico).

Present Perfect Continuous Form: it's the present perfect of 'be' + verb ing
Positive I have been walking you have been running he has been cooking she has been swimming it has been raining we have been studying they have been sleeping Positive Short Form I've been walking you've been running he's been cooking she's been swimming it's been raining we've been studying they've been sleeping

Negative: I have not been walking/They havent been swimming etc. Interrogative: Has he been cooking?/Have we been studying? We cant use it with Stative Verbs. USE: 1: To say how long for unfinished actions which started in the past and continue to the present. We often use this with for and since. She's been working here since 2004. We've been waiting for the bus for hours. 2: Actions which have just stopped (though the whole action can be unfinished) and have a result, which we can often see, hear, or feel, in the present (focus on action). I've been running, so I'm really hot. It's been raining, the pavement is wet.

Past Tenses Past Simple/ Past Continuous Past Perfect Simple/Past Perfect Continuous
Past Simple It's similar to the present simple because it has different rules for the verb 'be', which becomes 'was' or 'were': The Past Simple with 'be' :
Positive with 'be' I was cold you were tired he was in the garden she was late it was sunny we were on holiday they were hungry Negative: It wasnt cold/ We werent at work/ You werent hungry etc Interrogative: Was he at the cinema? Was I tired? Were they at work? etc

USE:
We use it whenever we want to talk about the past and we don't have any special situation that means we should use the past perfect, present perfect, past continuous etc. 1.-Finished events in the past with no connection to the present: -Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. -The Vikings invaded Britain. 2-With a finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003): -I went to the cinema yesterday. -We visited Japan in 2007.

3.For stories / lists of events:

-He went to a caf, sat down and lit a cigarette. lunch, and played tennis. -Yesterday I went to the library, met a friend for

4.Details of news:

-I've hurt my leg. I fell off a ladder when I was painting my bedroom. -I've been on holiday. I went to Spain and Portugal.

-5.As part of the second conditional:

-If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in Chelsea. -If she knew his number, she would call him.

Past Perfect Continuous

Form: Subject + was / were). Then just add verb-ing.
Here's the positive form: I was sleeping you were working he was coming she was reading 'War and Peace' it was raining we were shopping they were watching a film

Negative: She wasnt reading/ They werent there/ I wasnt sleeping etc. Interrogative: Were you cooking? Was she reading? Were we studying?

USE:
1. Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or event (tells us 'how long') She had been working at that company for a year when she met James. (This tells us how long something had continued before another event in the past. We usually use 'for' or 'since' in the same way as we do with the present perfect continuous)

2.Cause of something in the past The pavement was wet, it had been raining.

(It was raining before the time I'm describing in the past. We could see the result of the rain compare with the present perfect continuous)

Future Tenses Future Simple/Continuous Future Perfect Simple/Continuous

Future Simple (or Future with will)

Form: 'will' + infinitive
Positive: I will meet him later (I'll ..) You will come (you'll..) It will rain tomorrow (it'll) She will be late (she'll..) He will help us later (he'll..) We will get married in September (we'll) They will cook dinner (they'll..)

Negative: I will not go (I wont go) / She will not come (She wont come)/ They will not speak (They wont) Interrogative: Will I go? Will she come? Will they speak?

USE:
1.A decision at the moment of speaking: A: 'I'm cold'. B: 'I'll close the window'.

2.Prediction based on opinion: A. I think the Conservatives will win the next election. 3. A future fact: A. The sun wil rise at 7 AM. 4.Promises / requests / refusal / willingness: A. I'll help you with your homework B . Will you give me a hand?

5.In the same way as the future continuous, but with state verbs: A. I'll be at the station when you arrive 'Shall' is used mainly in the forms 'shall I ?' and 'shall we?' in British English. These forms are used when you want to get someone's opinion, especially for offers and suggestions.

We use 'be going to' + infinitive for: 1. Future plans made before the moment of speaking: A: 'We've run out of milk.' B: 'I know, I'm going to buy some.' 2. Prediction based on present evidence: A. Look at those boys playing football! They're going to break the window.

Future Continuous
Form: will + be + verb-ing
Positive: I will be sleeping you will be working she will be studying it will be raining he will be cooking we will be eating breakfast they will be travelling

Negative: He wont be coming/ They wont be studying/ I wont be eating etc. Interrogative: Will she be singing? Will we be drinking? Will you be talking? Etc.

USE:
1.A continuous action in the future which is interrupted by a time or by another action. A. I'll be waiting when you arrive. B. At eight oclock, I'll be eating dinner. 2.A complete action in the future that will happen in the normal course of events. A. The Government will be making a statement later. (Because this talks about something that will happen if everything is as we planned, we often use this tense to ask politely about what someone is going to do.) B. Will you be taking your car to the meeting? (=I'm asking very indirectly and politely - perhaps I want to get a lift). 3.To make a guess about the present. A. My mother will be working now (= I think she is working now, but I 'm not completely certain).

Future Perfect Simple

Form: will + have + past participle Positive:
By six pm tonight: I will have finished this book You will have studied the English tenses She will have cooked dinner He will have arrived We will have met Julie It will have stopped raining They will have left Japan

Negative: They wont have left Japan/ He will not have arrived/ I will not have finished this book etc. Interrogative: By next year : Will I have finished writing this book? Will it have got colder? Etc.

USE:
1.With a future time word, (and often with 'by') to talk about an action that will finish before a certain time in the future, but we don't know exactly when. A. By 10 o'clock I will have finished my homework. (=I will finish my homework some time before 10, but we don't know exactly when) B. By the time I'm sixty, I will have retired. (= I will retire sometime before I'm sixty. We don't know exactly when, but definitely before my sixtieth birthday) 2. As the future perfect continuous, but with stative verbs.

Future Perfect Continuous

Form: will + have +been + verb (-ing form) Positive:
I will have been working You will have been sleeping She will have been studying He will have been cooking I'll have been working You'll have been sleeping She'll have been studying He'll have been cooking

It will have been raining We will have been exercising They will have been travelling

It'll have been raining We'll have been exercising They'll have been travelling

Negative: I will not have been working /It will not have been raining /He will not have been cooking Interrogative:Will I have been working?/ Will have we been exercising? Will you have been sleeping?

USE:
1.With a time word, to talk about an action which starts before a time in the future and continues up to that time. A . In April 2009, I will have been teaching here for two years. (=I started in April 2007 and still teach here now, probably I will continue after April 2009 but we are not sure).

We often use this tense (instead of the present perfect continuous) because we like easy
numbers. For example, imagine now it is March 2013. I started working in my job in April 2011. If you ask me: how long have you been working here?', I don't want to say '1 year and 11 months' because it's a bit long and complicated. I prefer to use the future perfect continuous so I can say 2 years, which is an easier number. So, instead of saying: I've been working here for 1 year and 11 months (using the present perfect continuous) I prefer: In April, I will have been working here for 2 years.