TENSE REVIEW – all tenses ACTIVE & PASSIVE

TENSE STRUCTURE RULE EXAMPLES TIME EXPRESSIONS

Present simple V1 / V+s  Describes habitual actions, facts and * He takes the dog for a everyday, once a week, etc.
is/am/are + V3 general truth. walk every morning.  The Frequency expressions:
dog is taken for a walk (by never, seldom, rarely,
,‫ פעולה שנעשית מתוך הרגל‬,‫מתאר הרגל‬
him) every morning. usually, sometimes, often,
.‫או עובדה‬
* I’ll tell him the truth when occasionally, hardly ever,
he comes. (temporals) etc.

Present is/am/are + Ving  Describes an activity that is taking
progressive is/am/are + being + V3 place at or around the moment of
speaking.
‫מתאר פעולה שמתרחשת ברגע זה או‬
.‫בעתיד הקרוב מאוד‬
Past simple V+ed (irregular verbs)  Describes an action that happened in
was/were + V3 the past. The time is known.
‫מתאר פעולה שהתרחשה והסתיימה בעבר‬
.‫בזמן ידוע‬
Past was/were + Ving  Describes an action that was in
progressive was/were + being +V3 progress at a specific time in the past,
when something else happened or
was happening.
‫מתאר פעולה ארוכה בעבר שנקטעה על‬
.‫ידי פעולה אחרת קצרה ממנה‬
.‫מתאר פעולה בזמן התרחשותה בעבר‬
‫מתאר מספר פעולות ממושכות‬
.‫המתרחשות במקביל‬
* The chef is baking cakes Now, today, at the
now.  Cakes are being moment, right now, etc.
baked (by the chef) now.
* We are taking our guest to
Eilat at present.  Our
guest is being taken to Eilat
at present.
* He saved the girl from yesterday, last week, a
drowning yesterday.  The moment ago, in 1990, etc.
girl was saved from drowning
(by him) yesterday.
* Father was making dinner When + past simple
when the guests arrived. 
Dinner was being made when While/as + past
the guests arrived. progressive
* My brothers were cleaning
their room while I was
listening to music.  The
room was being cleaned (by
my brothers) while I was
listening to music.
Present have/has + V3  Describes an action that has been
perfect have/has + been + V3 completed in the past (in most cases)
and has some relevance to the
present. The time isn’t known or
unimportant. Present perfect is also
used for repeated actions.
‫ אך זמן‬,‫מתאר פעולה שהתרחשה בעבר‬
‫ מה‬.‫הפעולה אינו מוזכר ואינו חשוב‬
‫שחשוב הוא הפעולה עצמה והקשר‬
‫ מתאר גם פעולות‬.‫שלה להווה‬
.‫שחוזרות על עצמן – הזמן אינו ידוע‬
Present have/has + been + Ving Describes an action that started in the
perfect past and is still going on at present.
The action is usually incomplete.
progressive
‫מתאר פעולה שהחלה בעבר ונמשכת‬
‫ הדגש הוא על הפעולה‬.‫אל תוך ההווה‬
.‫עצמה ועל זמן הימשכותה‬
Past perfect had + V3  Describes an action that had already
had + been + V3 been completed before another action
in the past.
‫מתאר פעולה שהסתיימה לפני פעולה‬
‫ שתי פעולות‬.)‫אחרת בעבר (עבר רחוק‬
.‫שהתרחשו בזו אחר זו בעבר‬
Past perfect had + been + Ving Describes a continuous action that
progressive had been going on until another
action in the past started.
‫מתאר פעולה ממושכת בעבר‬
‫ הדגש‬.‫שהסתיימה לפני פעולה אחרת‬
.‫הוא על הימשכות הפעולה‬
Future will + V1  Describes an action that will happen
* Amos Oz has written this for, since, yet, still,
book.  This book has been already, just, lately,
written by Amos OZ. recently, so far, before,
* She has read “Harry never, ever, often, rarely,
Potter” 3 times.  “Harry etc.
Potter” has been read by
her 3 times.
* I have already done my
project.  My project has
already been done.
* I have been waiting for for, since, all
the doctor for over an hour day/week/month etc.
and he still hasn’t shown up.
* By the time we arrived, he already, just, by the time,
had already sold all the before, after, when,
tickets.  By the time we as soon as, etc.
arrived, all the tickets had
already been sold.
* Amos had been playing for, since, all day, etc.
tennis for 10 years before
he became professional.
* They will paint the room Tomorrow, next week,
 will be + V3 or is going to hahppen in the future. tomorrow.  The room will soon, etc.
be painted tomorrow.
.‫מתאר פעולה שתתרחש בעתיד‬
Is/am/are + going to +V1 * She is going to buy a gift
 is/am/are + going to soon.A gift is going to be
be + V3 bought soon.

Future will be + Ving Describes a continuous action in the * I will be staying with next week/month/year,
progressive future. friends in Paris next month. etc.
.‫מתאר פעולה מתמשכת בעתיד‬
Future past would + V1  Describes a future action when the * Ann hoped she would finish
would be + V3 main verb is in the past. It is used the work on time.  Ann
mainly in REPORTED SPEECH.
‫מתאר פעולה עתידית כאשר הפועל‬ hoped the work would be
.‫המרכזי הוא בעבר‬ finished on time.

Future perfect will have + V3  Describes and action that will have * By the end of the year you By the end of the
will have been + V3 been completed before a certain time will have learned all the week/month/year, etc.
in the future.
tenses.  By the end of the
‫מתאר פעולה שתסתיים לפני זמן‬ year all the tenses will have
.‫מסוים בעתיד‬ been learned.