More Tenses – English 1

Present perfect
USE: what started in the past and is still relevant now.
Also events completed very recently (results).
STRUCTURE: have / has + 3rd form of the verb (past participle)
1 John … in Africa since he was a child. (live)

2 She wasn’t driving. She … her driving test yet. (not

pass)
3 I … anything like it in my life! (never see)

4 My mum … lots of different cars since she started to

work at the local garage. (drive)
5 So far today he … four cups of strong coffee! (drink)

6 They … 6 million masks from the beginning of the

year till now. (sell)
7 What … with your hair? It looks like it did when you
were a kid!
8 We … in Zweibrücken for several months now.
(study)

Don’t worry too much about the progressive form:

I have been working, he has been working …
Very generally speaking, the progressive forms are used in natural English when an action
FEELS LONG, like e.g.waiting.

Past perfect
USE: what started at ONE point in the past and went on until a LATER point in the past: a
time span up until THEN, not NOW.
Also when two different past time points are in one sentence, this is shown by using two
tenses: the earlier past action uses the past perfect and the later past action uses the simple
past.
STRUCTURE: had + 3rd form of the verb (past participle)
1 Before I came to Germany I … in Norwich for four
years. (live)
2 By 2010 she … three European swimming titles. (win)

3 When they arrived, the party … . There was nothing

left to eat or drink! (finish)
 4 How long … your girlfriend before you asked her to
move in with you? (know)
5 After Jane … working she and Andy finally found
place to retire to. (stop)
6 Pete … the film until that day in 1998 when he went
to the old cinema in Manchester. (not see)
7 All the guests left the hall after the President … what
he thought. (say)
8 We … to be more successful, but last year’s crisis
made everything more difficult. (hope)

Again, use the progressive form when something FEELS LONG. e.g. I had been waiting for
years before I found out the answer.

The main future tenses

‘will’ future and ‘going to’ future
USE: for a point/period of time in the future
STRUCTURE:
Will + infinitive am / is / are going to + infinitive
I will go I am going to write s.th.
I won’t go (will not go) I am not going to write …

These two future tenses are practically interchangeable.

Some books differentiate between the two in terms of PROBABILITY, INTENTION and
NEAR/DISTANT future time. This is not necessary:
Look at the sky! It’ll rain soon / It’s gonna rain soon – difference in probability? Not really!
He’s late again! I’ll kill him! / I’m gonna kill him! – difference in intention / probability? Not
really!
I’ll drive to London next week/ I’m gonna drive to London next week – both are ok.
It is difficult to categorise time. ‘Next week’ is near future when you are talking about
relocating, but distant future when you are talking about having something to drink.
It all depends what you are talking about and what FEELS more NATURAL.
Often a natural English speaker just takes the lazy option.
1 Stop bothering me! I … you next time we meet! (tell)

2 At six o’clock coming Friday they … the bells in

celebration. (ring)
3 Next summer we … on holiday to Egypt. (go)

4 We … what happens in 2025. (see)

Future perfect
USE: for a period of time stretching up to a future point of time.
STRUCTURE: will have + 3rd form of the verb (past participle)
He will have worked
He won’t have worked

Complete the following sentences using FUTURE PERFECT.

1 By 2030 I … in Germany for some 40 years or so!
(live)
2 This time next year we … all we want to see! (see)

3 I need my car asap. … it by next Tuesday or not?

(repair)
4 She is much too busy. Next year you say? No, she …
by then! (decide)

Once again, the progressive forms are used less and only to emphasise the length of an action.
e.g. By this time next week I will have been sitting on the train for six hours!
Remember the tense table? Now the other main tenses have been added.
Tense Form Key words / use Exception Misc.

Present progressive He is working Now, at the moment … / changes He is always

complaining! = criticism
Simple present He works Always, usually, sometimes, Note:
normally, frequently, often, rarely, Senses
seldom, occasionally, never … on e.g. He can see /
Sundays, every week …/ facts, hear etc.
phrases with no time
Past progressive He was working While (2 long-lasting activities
running parallel)… / a long-lasting
activity in the past (usually
interrupted by a short activity in
the past see simple past)
Simple past He worked Yesterday, in the past, last week, 2
months ago …/ for a point or period
of time in the past which is over /
short activity in the past
Present perfect He has worked For, since, already, ever?, not yet,
yet? until now, so far this week …/
for the period of time between a
point in the past and now.
Past perfect He had worked Before, after …for, since, until then,
so far that week, …/ for a point in
the past which was before a later
point in the past. / 2 past times in
one sentence need 2 past tenses
(past perfect=earlier activity),
(simple past=later activity)
Future He will work Tomorrow, next week, in 6 months
He is going to work …/ all future activity
Future perfect He will have worked By (up to a point of time in the by = deadline
future) until = linear
Now please do this mixture of tense questions:

1 ... to Peru? (Warst du jemals in Peru?)

2 All the students (to wait) for the bus for 40 minutes now.

3 All those attending ... (to find) their seats before the guest
speaker arrived.

4 Anna (to brush) her teeth twice a day.

5 Cats and dogs (not like) one another.

6 He gets on my nerves. He ... always ... . (to moan)

7 How ... the bluetooth work? I would tell you if I knew.

8 I (to do) the washing up when someone knocked at the door.

9 I (to visit) my best friend's family next month.

10 Last Monday I ... to the bank. (to go)

11 Last night I came in late, collapsed on the sofa and ... (to
forget) to lock the door.

12 My brother (to see) Stars Wars yesterday evening.

13 My neighbours (to live) next door for two years before they
even said ‘hello’.
14 On Mondays, the English course usually (to start) at 9 o' clock.

15 Our statistics are better than they … last year.

16 The consignment ... (to be) ready for dispatch next Thursday.

17 The NHS … (to exist) for 60 years now.

18 Up until 2010 he ... (never read) anything interesting about

geology.
19 Where ... that coat? It’s awesome! (Wo haben Sie den Mantel
gekauft)
20 Yesterday they ... (to eat) at a Japanese restaurant.