The Present tenses

Present simple
     
Present continuous
Present perfect simple
Present perfect continuous

 
 
  Present simple        Present Continuous

    Ken always watches the news Ken is watching TV now.  

on TV every evening.

    Past Now Future Past Now Future

 
7.1
5
         
7.00 7.3
0

Habit or repetition  Duration including

‘now’
 
  Present simple        Present Continuous
 I    work.  I    am working.
 
  +
He    works. He    is working.

I    do not / don’t work. I    am not working.

-
He    does not / doesn’t work. He    is not / isn’t working.
     

Do    I work ? Am    I working ?
?
Does      he work ?  Is    he working ?

 
S don’t / doesn’t Do / Does ? BE + verb + -
ING
 
  Present simple
3rd person singular (he / she / it)
 

    Consonant Vowel
General rule sh/ch/ss/o +y +y
     
+S +ES -IES +S
  He finishes    
  He catches    
He works He kisses He studies He plays
He goes
 

 
  Present Continuous
Verb endings
 
     
General rule Consonant + e Stressed  vowel +
consonant
       
    Double
+ ING E + ING consonant
+ ING
     
He is working He is living He is stopping
 

 
  Verbs not used in continuous tenses

1  . Verbs of
  thinking  
   

think (= believe)    see (= understand)    imagine    believe

recognize    forget    understand    suppose
mean    know    remember    realize
     
2. Verbs of feeling

like    dislike    hate    love    prefer    want    wish  

3. Verbs of perception
 
see    hear    smell    taste    feel    

 
  Verbs not used in continuous tenses

4  . Verbs  of possession  

   

have (= possess)    own    possess    belong to    

     
5. Verbs of measurement

weigh    contain    include    cost    measure

 

6. Verbs of state
 
be    seem    sound    need    deserve

 
  Present simple        Present Continuous
Tom    always    watches TV. Tom  is watching TV    now
   never    right now
   often    at the moment
   usually = generally    at present
   sometimes = occasionally    for the time being
     
   seldom = rarely    today
     this week
  
Tom watches TV    every day.    these  days
       on Tuesdays.    …
       at weekends.   
       twice a week.  

  
 
  Present simple

    Ken always watches the news Ken gets up at 7.00 every day.  
on TV every evening.

Past Now Future Past Now Future

   
 
       
7.00 – 7.00 – 7.30 7.00 – 7.30 7.00 – 7.30 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00
7.30

Habitual or repeated durations Habitual or repeated

short actions
 
 
  Present simple

    Water  boils at 100°C. The sun rises in the East.  

Past Now Future Past Now Future

   

General truth, universal law

 
  Present simple        Present Continuous

    The film starts tonight at 7.30. I am meeting Sarah on Saturday  

evening.

Past Now Future Past Now Future

   
 

Future – fixed timetable Future – arrangement

 
  Present simple
After :
 
when
once
till = until time
    I’ll phone you as soon as I arrive. before – after  
as soon as
Past Now Future  
   
if – unless
 
as / so long as
provided (that) condition
Future – clause of time providing (that)
or condition  
   
  Present perfect simple         Present perfect continuous

Now Now
     

   
2.00 3.00 2.00 3.00
   
I have been here for one hour. I have been waiting
 
here for one hour.

Action  that started in the past and has been in progress up to now

 
 
Present perfect simple         Present perfect continuous

Now Now
     
 

   
Someone has broken the window. It has been
 
snowing.

Past action / duration that has a consequence on the present

 
  Has gone         Has been

     

He has  gone to the hairdresser’s.  

He has been to the hairdresser’s.

He has not He has returned

returned
 
 
Present perfect simple         Present perfect continuous

I  have / ‘ve  worked.   +

  / ‘ve been
I have   working.
He has / ‘s worked. He has / ‘s been working.

I have not / haven’t  worked. I have not / haven’t been

-
working.
He has not / hasn’t worked.
     
He    has not / hasn’t been
working.
Have I worked ? Have I been working ?
?
Has  he worked ?   he been working ?
Has

  HAVE BEEN + verb + -

HAVE + verb + - ED
ING

 
 The Past tenses
 

Past simple
     
Past continuous
Past perfect simple
Past perfect continuous

 
  Past simple        Past Continuous

Past Now Past Now

     
 
7.00 9.00 7.50 8.00 8.10
  
At
  8 o’clock last night
His plane landed 2 hours ago.
I was watching TV

 Duration in the past

Action in the past

 
  Past simple        Past Continuous
 I    worked.
    working.
I    was  
  +
He    worked. We    were working.

I    did not / didn’t work. I    was not / wasn’t working.

-
He    did not / didn’t work. We    were not / weren’t
     
working.

Did    I work ? Was    I working ?

?
Did      he work ?  
Were    they working ?

 
-ED DID WAS / WERE + verb + -
ING
 
  Past simple    

Past Now Past Now

     
 
7.00 9.00 1815 1817
  
His plane landed 2 hours ago.  
Dickens lived in London in
the 19th century.

 Duration in the past

Short action in the past

 
  Past simple        Past Continuous

Past Now
     

 
9.00 10.0
   0
Jack was reading a book when the phone rang.

Past simple Past continuous

Short action in the past Duration
  in the past

 
  Past perfect simple        Past perfect continuous

Past Now Past Now

     
 
7.00 7.20 2.00 3.00
  
 
Dave had been driving for an
When I phoned Sue, she had gone. hour when his car broke down.
Duration preceding
Action preceding another
  another action              in
action in the past the past

 
  Past perfect simple        Past perfect continuous

I  had / ‘d worked.
    + I had  / ‘d been
  working.
He had / ‘d worked. He had / ‘d been working.

I had not / hadn’t  worked. I had not / hadn’t been working.

-
He had not / hadn’t worked. He    had not / hadn’t been
     
working.

Had I worked ? Had I been working ?

?
Had he worked ?   he been working ?
Had

  HAD BEEN + verb + - ING

HAD + verb + - ED

 
 Present vs. Past
 

 
     
 
 
Let’s recap !

 
  Past simple         Present perfect simple

Now Now

   
     
1951 1993 2013

King Baldwin was king    until 1993. King Philippe has been king until now.
   since  1951.    since 2013.
 
   for 42 years.     

             

Duration in the past Duration up to now

 
 
Past simple         Present perfect simple

Now Now

    9.00 12.00 14.00 9.00 10.30 12.00

 
 

this  morning this afternoon this

  morning this afternoon
 

I saw King Albert this morning. I have seen King Albert this morning.
             

 
 
Past simple         Present perfect simple

Now Now
     

 
 

I lost my wallet yesterday, but I’ve I can’t pay now. I have lost my
got it back again. wallet.

 
  Past                 Present
     perfect
 

yesterday lately = recently

the day before yesterday so far = until now
2 days ago in the last / past days  

    last month …  
in 1990  
in the 19th century  
…  
   

 
 
Présent
Lien avec le présent Durée incluant le moment présent

Action qui a commencé dans le passé Action passée qui a

et une conséquence sur le présent
qui  se déroule jusqu’à présent
Verbe On
On allergiqu On n’insiste
insiste e au insiste pas sur
sur la continu sur la la durée
durée durée
    Present  
Present Present Present Present
perfect perfect perfect perfect continuous
continuous simple continuous simple

 
I have I have It has Someone
  Ken is
been been been  has watchin
waitin here for snowing broken g TV now.
g for an an for 2 the
hour. hour. hours. window.

 
  Passé

Past prefect Past

On n’insiste Verbe On n’insiste  

On insiste Durée dans Verbe
    sur la durée pas “allergique”
le passé
pas  
sur la durée au continu sur la durée “allergique”
au continu
 
Past Past Past Past Past simple Past simple
perfect perfect perfect  
continuous
continuous simple simple
 
Dave had
been When I I had been I was King King
driving for phoned Sue, there for an watching Baldwin Baldwin was
an hour she had hour when TV at 8 died in king until
when his car gone. the bus o’clock last 1993. 1993..
broke down. came. night.

 
  Present
    I work • Habitudes, répétitions, vérités
You work générales
Present simple He / She / It works
• Futur d’horaire
We work
You work • Futur dans une subordonnée de temps
They work ou de condition
  I am working • Durée incluant le moment présent
You are working
• Futur proche d’arrangement
continuous He / She / It is working
We are working
    You are working  
They are working

  I have worked • Action qui a démarré dans le passé et

You have worked qui continue jusque maintenant
Present simple He / She / It has worked
• Action passée qui a une conséquence
perfect We have worked  
sur le présent
You have worked
 
They have worked

  I have been working

• Durée qui a commencé dans le passé et
You have been working qui continue jusqu’à présent. On insiste
continuous He / She / It has been working sur la durée.
We have been working
You have been working
They have been working

 
  Past
    I worked • Action dans le passé. On n’insiste pas
You worked sur la durée.
Past simple He / She / It worked
• Action dans le passé. Verbe ‘allergique’
We worked
au continu.
You worked
They worked

  I was working • Durée dans le passé.

You was working
continuous He / She / It was working
We were working
    You were working  
They were working

  I had worked • Action antérieure à un moment du

You had worked passé.
Past simple He / She / It had worked
• Action antérieure à une autre action
perfect We had worked  
passée.
You had worked
 
They had worked

  I had been working

• Durée antérieure à un moment passé.
You had been working
• Durée antérieure à une autre action
continuous He / She / It had been working
passée.
We had been working
You had been working
They had been working