Verb tenses - @El diario del profe

AUXILIAR
VERB FORM WHEN DO WE USE? SOME CLUES... EXAMPLES

VERB - Always, often, sometimes, Nurses look after patients in

★ Things in general
SIMPLE DO / DOES He/She/It + VERB- - Usually, never, every day, in hopstitals
★ Habits
s/es the morning Juan often plays tennis
PRESENT
★ Action that is happening Andrew is having a shower right now
CONTINUOUS AM / IS / AM/IS/ARE + while you are talking At the moment, now
-
You’re working hard today
ARE VERB - ING ★ Near future plan - Today, tonight, this week...
She is meeting him tonight

She is happy because she has just

passed the exam
★ Action that started in the He has lived in Madrid for five years
PRESENT HAVE/HAS + PAST
PERFECT
HAVE / HAS
PARTICIPLE past and still happening in - Just, never, ever, already, yet, I’ve never been in Paris
the present since, for Have you ever visited in Rome?
You haven’t done your homework
yet
VERB IN PAST
SIMPLE ★ Action that started - Yesterday, last night…
She finished her degree 5 years ago
SIMPLE DID (Regular or and finished in the past
He cleaned his teeth and got into
2nd ★ Past actions that - Time period + ago, last
happen consecutively week/month/year, in 2010… bed
column)
PAST
★ Unfinished action that
At 5.00 o’clock on Monday she was
happens at a particular
CONTINUOUS WAS / WERE WAS/WERE + - At 10 o’clock last playing basketball
time in the past
VERB- ING (It can be interrupted by night, while, as… The phone rang while I was having a
a past simple action) shower

★ Suddenly decision (while I will meet you outside in ten

you are talking) - Tomorrow, soon, in an hour, minutes
WILL
WILL WILL + VERB ★ Predictions next year, next week… I am sure he’ll pass the exam
- I think, I’m sure
★ Future actions The train will leave in half an hour

FUTURE
★ Future plans
BE GOING AM / IS / AM/ IS/ ARE GOING ★ Predictions based - This afternoon, later, soon, She’s going to meet him this evening
TO ARE GOING TO + VERB on what we see at nine o’clock, next month, Look at those clouds! It’s going to
★ Action that is going to in one week... rain
happen 100% sure