TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES

TENSE

FORM

USE

PRESENT
SIMPLE

A: I / You /
We / They
eat

He / She /
It eats

N: I / You /
We / They
don't eat
He / She /
It doesn't
eat

Q: Do
I / You / We
/ They eat?

Does He /
She / It
eat?

PRESENT

A: I am
eating

CONTINUOUS
He / She /
It is eating

We / You /
They are
eating
N: I am
not eating

He / She /
It isn't
eating
We / You /
They aren't
eating
Q: Am I
eating?
Is He / She
/ It eating?
Are We /
You / They

Con
acciones
rutinarias: I see my
grandparents twice
a week.
Con hechos o verdades
generales:
Water
boils at 100 C
Con
situaciones
permanentes: I work
as a Walter in a
restaurant
Acciones futuras con
horarios
de
trenes,
aviones, etc. My train
leaves at 5.30
Oraciones
condicionales de 1er
tipo y en oraciones
temporales
Con verbos que no
suelen ir en presente
continuo: know, like,
hate,
want,
love,
need, belong, mean,
understand,
remember, prefer
Con
acciones
que
ocurren en el momento
de
hablar:
We're
studying the verbs
now.
Con acciones que estn
ocurriendo
temporalmente:
My
brother is working
hard this year.
Con
acciones
habituales que causan
irritacin al hablante:
They
are
always
complaining
about
the same thing
.
Con acciones futuras
planeadas
y
confirmadas
(fecha):
She's visiting the
doctor
tomorrow
morning.

SIGNAL WORDS

Adverbios de
frecuencia: always,
often, usually,
generally, seldom,
never
Every day/ week/
month

Once / Twice /
Three times a
week/ day /
month/ year

Now, right now

At present, at the
moment, in this
moment, .
These days, this
year/ month/
week, nowadays

Tonight,
tomorrow, next
week / month,
in a minute, in a
couple of days

eating?

A: He
watched
/ He ate
PAST
SIMPLE

N: He
didn't
watch / He
didn't eat

Q: Did he
watch? /
Did he eat?

PAST
CONTINUOUS

A: I / He /
She / It
was eating
We / You /
They were
eating

N: I / He /
She / It
wasn't
eating
We / You /
They
weren't
eating
Q:
Was I /
He / She /
It eating?
Were We /
You / They
eating?

* El presente continuo
no se suele utilizar con
los siguientes verbos:
know, like, want, hate,
love,
need,
belong
mean,
understand,
believe,
remember,
prefer; aunque algunos
de
estos
verbos
pueden aparecer en
forma continua con un
sentido diferente
Con acciones pasadas
que tuvieron lugar en
un
momento
determinado:
We
didn't watch TV last
night
Narrar hechos pasados
secuenciados
Normalmente, despus
de
las
siguientes
expresiones: I wish,
If only, as if, as
though,
would
rather,
would
sooner, it's time.
Para
expresar
una
accin incompleta que
estaba ocurriendo en el
pasado. (accin larga):
Last week, we were
working in a science
project.
Para sealar que una
accin larga estaba
teniendo lugar en el
pasado
cuando
fue
interrumpida por otra
breve:
We
were
watching TV, when
suddenly the TV set
broke down.
Para indicar que 2 o +
acciones
largas
estaban
ocurriendo
simultneamente en el
pasado: While I was
cooking dinner, he
was laying the table.
Para indicar acciones
repetidas y montonas
en el pasado indicando
cierta
queja:
The

Yesterday
Last month /
week..
Ago

Fechas pasadas

While

children
were
always screaming.

Para descripciones y
especificaciones:
People
were
walking, the sun was
shining, the birds.

Para hablar de acciones

que ocurrieron en el
pasado pero llegan o
tienen importancia en
el presente: I have
found a wallet in the
street.
Con
el
superlativo:
She's
the
most
intelligent person I
have ever met.

A: I / You /
We / They
have
eaten
He / She /
It has
eaten

PRESENT
PERFECT
SIMPLE

N: I / You /
We / They
haven't
eaten
He / She /
It hasn't
eaten
Q: have I /
You / We /
They
eaten?

PRESENT
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS

has He /
She / It
eaten?
A: I / You /
We / They
have been
eating
He / She /
It has
been
eating
N: I / You /
We / They
haven't
been
eating
He / She /
It hasn't
been
eating
Q: have I /

En
las
expresiones
It's the first/ second
time: It's the first
time I've eaten raw
fish

Tiene el mismo uso

que el present perfect
simple pero resaltando
la
duracin
de
la
actividad: I've been
working
in
this
factory since 1999.

Para hablar de acciones

pasadas que acaban de
concluir y su resultado
es evidente: Have you
been frying fish?

Already (AF)ya
Yet (NG/INT)
.ya, an, todava
Fordurante
Sincedesde
Justacabo de
This week/
month
Recently

Adverbios de
frecuencia: ever

Already (AF)ya
Yet (NG/INT)
.ya, an, todava
Fordurante
Sincedesde
Justacabo de
This week/
month
Recently

Adverbios de
frecuencia: ever

You / We /
They been
eating?

has He /
She / It
been
eating?

PAST
PERFECT

A: He had
eaten
N: He
hadn't
eaten

SIMPLE
Q: Had he
eaten?

A: He had
been
eating
PAST
PERFECT
CONTINUOUS

FUTURE I

En la expresin It was
the
first
/
the
second time: It
was the second time
I had flown.

Para hablar de una

accin
pasada
que
ocurri antes que otra
pero poniendo nfasis
e la duracin de la
misma: She was so ill
because
she
had
been eating so many
chocolates.

N: He
hadn't
been
eating
Q: Had he
been
eating?
A: He
will eat

SIMPLE
N: He

Para hablar de una

accin
pasada
que
ocurri antes que otra:
The
school
had
already closed when
I arrived.
En
oraciones
condicionales de 3er
tipo
En
oraciones
temporales
para
enfatizar
que
una
accin pasada estaba
totalmente
acabada
antes
de
comenzar
otra: He didn't go to
bed until the last TV
programme
had
finished.
Con I wish / If only
para lamentarnos de
algo que ha ocurrido
en el pasado: If only
they had stayed with
us (ojal)

Expresar certeza en el
futuro:
We
will
definitely phone her
tonight.

Already (AF)ya
Just
Until / Till
Before
As soon as

After

For
Since

The whole day /

all day

Tomorrow
Next day/ week.

Fechas futuras

won't eat
(WILL)

Q: Will
he
eat?

FUTURE I
SIMPLE
(GOING TO)

A: I am
going to
eat
He / She /
It is going
to eat

We / You /
They are
going to
eat
N: I am
not going
to eat
He / She /
It isn't
going to
eat
We / You /
They aren't
going to
eat
Q: Am I
going to
eat?

Is He / She
/ It going

Predicciones: It'll be
windy tomorrow.
Promesas: I'll buy
you a present for
your birthday.
Tomar una decisin en
el momento de hablar:
It's hot in here. I'll
open the windows.
Hacer un ofrecimiento:
I'll
carry
the
suitcase if you like.
Pedir
algo
educadamente:
Will
you do it for me?
En condicionales de 1er
tipo: If it rains, we'll
stay at home.
Cuando sugerimos algo
utilizamos
SHALL:
Shall we go to the
cinema tonight?
Expresar intenciones:
I'm going to eat
less.
Para hablar de planes
futuros:
They're
going to build a new
bridge in autumn.
Para hacer predicciones
de futuro a travs de
hechos evidentes en el
presente: It's very
hot today. We are
going to sweat .
Para hablar de hechos
que van a ocurrir con
seguridad en el futuro:
I'm going to finish
Bachillerato
next
year.

Tomorrow
Next day/ week.

Fechas futuras

to eat?

Are We /
You / They
going to
eat?

A: He
will be
eating
FUTURE I
CONTINUOUS

N: He
won't be
eating

Para preguntar por los

planes de los dems
sobre todo, cuando
queremos
pedir
un
favor: Will you be
driving
to
the
supermarket
tomorrow.

Acciones que estarn

finalizadas
en
un
momento determinado
del futuro: We'll have
flown to New York
by next week.

Q: Will
he be
eating?

FUTURE II
PERFECT
SIMPLE

A: He will
have
eaten.
N: He
won't
have
eaten.
Q:
Will he
have
eaten?

A: He
would
eat.
CONDITIONAL
N: He
I
wouldn't
eat.
SIMPLE
Q:
Would he
eat?
CONDITIONAL
II SIMPLE

A: He
would
have
eaten.
N: He
wouldn't
have
eaten.
Q:
Would he
have

Para hablar de acciones

que estarn en marcha
en
un
momento
determinado
del
futuro: At this time
next web we'll be
flying to New York.

Accin
ocurrir:

que

Tomorrow
Next day/ week.

Fechas futuras

By Monday

In a week

Conditional
sentences (if)
type II

Conditional
sentences (if)
type III

podra

Condicionales de tipo II
: If I were you I
would study more.

Accin
que
podra
haber tenido lugar en
el pasado

Condicionales de tipo
III: If I had studied
for
the
exam, I
would have passed
it.

eaten?