Present tenses: Quick Review

Present Simple -Routines - Luis speakS English

(S + Verb[-s] + …) well because he lived
(Hago)
- Facts in the USA as a boy

- Actions happening
-Where is Susan? She is
Present Continuous at the moment buying a present for her
- Temporary mum.
(S + to be + Verb-ING +…)
(Estoy haciendo) situations - What is she wearing
today?
*** NEVER Stative Verbs!!

-Mary can’t come

- Actions from the past to school ‘cause she
Present Perfect with an effect in the has broken her leg.
present. - La conozco desde
(S+ have/has+ P.Participle) que éramos niñas
-Present situations that
(He hecho) started in the past. pequeñas: ‘I have
known her since we
were children’
 Present Simple -Routines
(S + Verb[-s] + …)
(Hago) - Facts

- Luis speaks English well because he lived in the USA as

a boy.

***Do you remember his name? Sorry, I have a really bad

memory.
***What do you think of my new haircut?
 - Actions happening
Present Continuous at the moment
(S + to be + Verb-ING +…) - Temporary
(Estoy haciendo) situations
*** NEVER Stative Verbs!!

• Where is Susan? She is buying a present for her

mum.
• What is she wearing?
• Why are you wearing my jumper? Take it off right
now!
• What are you doing? I’m having breakfast.
 - Actions from the past
Present Perfect with an effect in the
present.
(S+ have/has+ P.Participle)
-Present situations that
(He hecho) started in the past.

• Mary can’t come to school because she has broken her leg.
• My brother’s not bad at volleyball but he has not played for a
long time.
• I have known John for very long.
• We have not seen him since last week.
• We have never gone to that café before.
• He has been out for a week now.
From Presents To Past
Present Simple
(S + Verb[-s] + …)
(Hago)

Present Continuous
(S + to be + Verb-ING +…)
(Estoy haciendo)

Present Perfect
(S+ have/has+ P.Participle)
(He hecho)
 • AF: Subject + Verb + Object + Time Expression
-ED - 2nd Column
• IN: Did + Subject + Verb (Inf.) + Object + Time Expression + ?
• NEG: Subject + Didn’t (did not) + Verb (Inf.) + Object + Time E.

Usos:
Una acción completamente acabada en el pasado
- We went to the wax museum yesterday.
- They started school in September.
- **I lived in London for 5 years.

Referencias: Last, yesterday, ago, in/on, for, at the age of five, ¿at 12
o’clock?
 • AF: Subject + WAS/WERE + Verb[-ING]+ O+Time Expression

• IN: Was/were + Subject + Verb [ING] + O + Time Expression + ?

• NEG: Subject + Wasn’t/weren’t+ Verb [ING]+ Object + Time E.
Usos:
Acciones en progreso (NO acabadas) o una acción que está ocurriendo en un
momento específico del pasado.
- He arrived really late. We were waiting for hours.
- I was doing my homework this time yesterday.
Descripciones en el pasado (Background of a story)
- It was raining and I was playing inside my house……..
Referencias: Las del pasado simple+hora concreta (ej. yesterday at 5 o’clock/ this time
last week…), at that moment, while/as, still (refering to past: “I was still doing my
homework when the teacher arrived ”), for hours (≠ for an hour), etc.

• N-E-V-E-R STATIVE VERBS!!!

STATIVE VERBS
 • AF: Subject + Verb + Object + Time Expression
-ED - 2nd Column
• IN: Did + Subject + Verb (Inf.) + Object + Time Expression + ?
• NEG: Subject + Didn’t (did not) + Verb (Inf.) + Object + Time E.
• We arrived at 12 o’clock / Sam and I talked for an hour.
***Acciones simultáneas de distintas duración:
While I was having a shower, the phone rang
***Acciones simultáneas de misma duración:

While I was having a shower, my mum was cooking

• I was cooking a pie at 12 o’clock / I was sleeping at 12 o’clock yesterday.
• AF: Subject + WAS/WERE + Verb[-ING]+ O+Time Expression
• IN: Was/were + Subject + Verb [ING] + O + Time Expression + ?
• NEG: Subject + Wasn’t/weren’t+ Verb [ING]+ Object + Time E.
 Strategy: Past Simple VS Past Continuous:
1) Time expression? Is it a finished action (PS) or is it in progress (PC)?
- E.g.: After the walk (the walk is finished), they felt very tired.
2) Two simultaneous actions? Same or different lenght?

3) Look at the verb: Can I/it be this way for a long time?
– What time ____________ you ______________ (finish) your homework? I started at six so I finished at 7.
– What time ____________ you ______________ (do) your homework? I was doing my last activity at 7.
 Present Perfect

¿ (S+ have/has+
P.Participle)
(He hecho)
OR ?
• Action that started in the past • Action that started and
and has an effect in the finished in the past.
present.
- I have lived in Scotland since 2013. -I lived in Scotland in 2013.
- I have lived in this house for two years -I lived in that house for two years

(Todavía vivo allí, acción que continúa en el presente) (Ya no vivo allí, acción acabada)
• If we are not specifying the • If we are specifying the time
time when something by using a time expression
happened.
(yesterday, last night…).
- He has gone (No importa cuándo) - He went yesterday
 • AF: Subject + HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE+ Object
-ED - 3rd Column
• IN: HAD + Subject + PAST PARTICIPLE + Object + ?
• NEG: Subject + HADN’T (had not) + PAST PARTICIPLE +
Object
Usos:
• Dos acciones NO simulatáneas en pasado: una ocurrió todavía antes que la otra
(Ponemos en Past Perfect la que haya sucedido antes)
- When I got home, the thieves had already stolen my jewels. (la acción que ocurre antes
es que los ladrones roben las joyas, luego ya llegué a casa)
- I had left my office before the bomb exploded. (La acción que ocurre antes es que dejé la
oficina, luego ya explotó la bomba)
• Acción en pasado que ocurrió antes de un momento específico del pasado.
- By the time he was ten, Peter had collected seven bikes.
• With the expression ‘It was the first /second/third time…’: It was the first time he had
travelled to Russia’
MIXED PAST TENSES EXERCISE: Continue the story…
Last Friday at two o’clock I was
having lunch with
___________. Everything
was fine until the moment
when, for no apparent reason,
he/she started to throw his/her
food to me. As we were playing,
a huge meatball reached my eye
and it started to turn blue……
…We decided to go to the hospital,
but we couldn’t find a taxi and
decided to go by feet. While we
were walking down the street,
_________ fell down and hit his/her
other eye, which started to turn blue
as well. When we finally arrived at
the hospital, __________’ s eyes
had already turned black.
Fortunately, Doctor Stephen found
a quick remedy to his/her
problem and poor
___________ could
come back home
yesterday.
 • I used to get up early
USED TO when I was a child.
• Did I use to get up……?
• I didn’t use to get up…
BE USED TO
(estar acoustumbrado a)

GET USED TO
(acostumbrase a)

I am used to getting up early.

I will never get used to getting up early.

 (Solía hacer)
, (Hacía/hice) OR… ?
DYNAMIC STATIVE (be, like,
love, believe, think…)

USED TO (habits) I used to travel to I used to be in

Thailand as a child. Thailand as a child.

PAST SIMPLE I travelled to I was in Thailand as a

Thailand as a child. child.

WOULD I would travel to I would be in Thailand

Thailand as a child. as a child.
***OJO: Dado que ‘Used to’ se refiere a un hábito (algo que solías hacer), no lo podremos emplear
tampoco con ciertas expresiones como ‘Last’. Es decir, no podemos decir “I used to go swimming last
Thursday” porque ir ‘el pasado jueves’ no es una rutina de varios días, sino un hecho puntual de ese día.
* Si encontramos este tipo de referencias del pasado simple, lo mejor es usar pasado simple.