OVERVIEW

Verbs in English are made up of two parts

Tense (time) - Tells the time period that the action happens in:
- Past
- Present
- Future

Aspect - Tells how the action of the verb unfolds in time

- Simple
- Continuous (or progressive)
- Perfect
- Perfect continuous
 VERB = TENSE + ASPECT

Past Present Future

Simple Past Simple Simple Present Future Simple

Continuous Past Continous Simple Past Future Continous

Perfect Past Perfect Present Perfect Future Perfect

Past Perfect Present Perfect Future Perfect

Perfect Continuous
Continuos Continuous Continuous
 THE PRESENT AND THE PAST
English verbs have past and present forms:
Be - Was
Do - Did
Want - Wanted
See - Saw

I go to work once a week

I went to work once a week

He is driving to work
He was driving to work

We have not seen it yet

We had not seen it yet
 THE FUTURE
There are no future verb forms.

I will be waiting for you outside the station.

When are you going to tell her?

He might join us later

There is an overlap between the present and the future.

What are you doing this weekend?

Class starts at 7:00pm.

 WHAT ARE THESE THREE VERB FORMS?

1) I went to Canada last year

2) I go to work by bike

3) I will go with you

 THEY ARE ALL SIMPLE

1) I went to Canada last year

2) I go to work by bike

3) I will go with you

Describe:

Single actions (1 and 3)

Repeated actions or states (2)

 WHAT ARE THESE THREE VERB FORMS?

1) I was eating dinner at seven o’clock last night.

2) I am eating a tuna sandwich

3) This time next week, I will be eating seafood in an island

 THEY ARE ALL CONTINUOUS

1) I was eating dinner at seven o’clock last night.

be + verb + ing

2) I am eating a tuna sandwich

be + verb + ing

3) This time next week, I will be eating seafood in an island?

will + be + verb+ing

Describe:

Things that are incomplete / Usually talks about one moment in time
 WHAT ARE THESE THREE VERB FORMS?

1) He had not finished speaking

2) She has finished all her homework

3) We will have finished everything by Friday

 THEY ARE ALL PERFECT

1) He had not finished speaking

have + past participle

2) I have known Julie for 10 years

have + past participle

3) We will have finished everything by Friday

will have + past participle
 UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING
1) He had not finished speaking (1) when everybody started to leave (2)
- It connects an action in the past with another action in the past

2) I have known Julie for 10 years

- You knew her 10 years ago and you still know her

3) We will have finished everything by Friday

- It connects the present to a point in the future
Meaning:
It connects two points in time. We use for:
- Actions which started in the past and are still happening now;
- Finished actions that have a connection to the present.
 WHAT ARE THESE THREE VERB FORMS?

1) She had been feeling much better

2) We have been waiting for ages

3) By the end of the day, we will have been working without a

break for 14 hours
 THEY ARE ALL PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1) She had been feeling much better

had+been+ing

2) We have been waiting for ages

have+been+ing
will+have+been+ing
3) By the end of the day, we will have been working without a
break for 14 hours
 UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING

*1) She had been feeling much better

It suggests that she was feeling ill either before or after she was feeling better

2) We have been waiting for ages

You still haven’t got what you came for. The action is incomplete

*3) By the end of the day, we will have been working without a
break for 14 hours
Your work still won’t be finished by the end of the day

Meaning:
They are a combination of two aspects: perfect and continuous
- Perfect: because they connect two points in time;
- Continuous: It adds the idea of something incomplete or temporary

* Rare forms