WELCOME TO THE

WONDERFUL WORLD OF

THE ENGLISH VERBAL

TENSES
PRESENT SIMPLE
 FORMATION
Affirmative eat/eats

Negative don’t /doesn’t eat

Interrogative Do/Does - Subj.- Eat?

 USES
 To talk about routines.
Eg. They usually get up at 7
 To talk about true sentences or universal truths.
Eg. I’m thirsty. The sun sets in the west.
 Description of actions in the present (In sport or
recipes)
Eg. Messi shoots and it’s goal. We mix the sauce
with the eggs.
 Historical present.
Eg. In 1492, Columbus discovers America.
 Future timetable actions.
Eg. The train leaves tomorrow at 6.
 KEY WORDS
 Frequency adverbs: Always, usually,
seldom, never, etc.

 Time expressions: at 1 o’clock, at night, in

the morning, on Fridays, every week, once
a month, How often…?, etc
 PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
 FORMATION
Affirmative am/is/are eating

Negative am/is/are not eating

Interrogative am/is/are-Subj.-eating?
 USES
 An action which is happening now.
Eg. She is listening to the radio right now.
 To talk about a temporary action.
Eg. Greg is installing new software today.
 A definite plan for the near future. Fixed
future plans. (They give place/time).
Eg. They are meeting their friends in the pub
tonight.
 KEY WORDS

Time expressions:
now, right now, at the moment.

This year, at present, today, these days, this

month.

This evening, tonight, next Friday, etc.

 STATIVE VERBS
 They imply an state more than an action. They are only
used in the present simple tense, NOT in he continuous.
 Verbs related to feeling and emotions: enjoy, dislike, like,
love, hate, prefer, want.
 Verbs related to thinking and opinion: believe, forget,
guess, know, remember, think, understand.
 Verbs related toperception and the senses: feel hear,
see, smell, sound, taste, touch.
 Verbs related to prices and measures: cost, measure,
weigh.
 Verbs related to possesion: belong, have, own
 Some indicate an state and an action. Eg. Think
PAST SIMPLE
 FORMATION
Affirmative Reg. walked
Irr. ate

Negative Reg. Didn’t walk

Irr. Didn’t eat

Interrogative Reg. Did -Subj. – walk?

Irr. Did- Subj.-eat?
 USES
 An action finished in the past.
Eg. Last year I won the lottery.
 To talk about a series of completed
actions in the past.
Eg. I asked him a question and he answered
quickly.
 KEY WORDS

Time expressions:
Yesterday, last week/year.., two days ago, in
2003, in the 1980s, in the 18th century,
when, then.
 PAST
CONTINUOUS
 FORMATION
Affirmative was/were eating

Negative was/were not eating

Interrogative was/were -Subj.-eating?

 USES
 An incomplete action in progress at a specific
time in the past.
Eg. Last night at 10 o’clock I was watching TV.
 An incomplete action interrupted by another
action.
Eg. Sarah was reading a book when I phoned her.
 Two incomplete actions in progress at the same
time in the past.
Eg. They were talking quietly while the baby was
sleeping.
 KEY WORDS

Time expressions:
Yesterday, last week/year.., two days ago.

When, while, as.

 PRESENT
PERFECT SIMPLE
 FORMATION
Affirmative Reg. Have / has walked
Irr. Have / has eaten

Negative Reg. Have / has not walked

Irr. Have / has not eaten

Interrogative Reg. Have / has -Subj. – walked?

Irr. Have / has - Subj.-eaten?
 USES
 An action that began in the past and continues until the
present.
Eg. Peter has worked in this restaurant for two years.
 An action that took place at an undetermined place in the
past, but it is connected to the present.
Eg. Graffiti has appeared on our walls due to the strike.
 To talk about things we have done but we don’t say
when.
Eg. I’ve bought a car.
 When we talk about our first / second / etc. experience in
something.
Eg. He has never driven a car. It’s the first/ second/ etc
time she has driven a car.
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions: recently, lately, how long…?, in recent years.
For: period of time. Eg He has lived in London for 3 years.
Since: point in the past. Eg He has lived in since 2009.
Before the verb:
Still+neg verb. An action which has not been completed but we
expected to have been finished. It’s emphatic.Eg. They still haven’t
brought my book back
Ever: ( alguna vez) Eg. Have you ever been to london?
Never: (nunca). Eg. I’ve never been to London.
Just: (acabar de). Eg. I’ve just done my homework.
Already: (ya). Eg. She has already finished.
At the end of the sentence:
Yet: In interrogative sent. (ya). Eg. Have you finished yet?
In negative senences. (todavía). Eg. I haven’t finished yet.
PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
 FORMATION
Affirmative Reg. Have / has been walking
Irr. Have / has been eating

Negative Reg. Have / has not been walking

Irr. Have / has not been eating

Interrogative Reg. Have / has -Subj. – been walking?

Irr. Have / has - Subj.- been eating?
 USES
 Same uses than the present perfect but in
the continuous we want to emphasize the
duration of the action.
Eg. I’ve been watching a film for two hours.
 When we want to show the results of an
action.
Eg. A: Why are you so tired?
B: I’ve been reading all night.
 KEY WORDS
Same expressions than in the present
perfect simple plus some expressions
which indicate duration of the action such
as: all night/day/morning….
PAST PERFECT
SIMPLE
 FORMATION
Affirmative Reg. had walked
Irr. had eaten

Negative Reg. Had not walked

Irr. had not eaten

Interrogative Reg. Had -Subj. – walked?

Irr. Had - Subj.- eaten?
 USES
 To talk about a completed action which
took place before another action in he
past.
Eg. They had studied for two hours when we
arrived.
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions:
Already, by the time, after, before, until,
never, just
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
 FORMATION
Affirmative Reg. had been walking
Irr. had been eating

Negative Reg. Had not been walking

Irr. had not been eating

Interrogative Reg. Had -Subj. – been walking?

Irr. Had - Subj.- been eating?
 USES

 To talk about an action which continued up

to the another past action.

Eg. They had been studying for two hours

before we arrived.
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions:
For hours, since last April, all morning,
when, until, before.
FUTURE SIMPLE
 FORMATION
Affirmative will eat

Negative will not eat

Interrogative Will-Subj.-eat?
 USES
 Prediction.
Eg: I will win the lottery
 Time table. We are sure something will
happen.
Eg. Our break will end at 3 o’clock
Eg. The shop will open tomorrow.
 Spontaneous decision.
Eg. I feel sleepy. I’ll go to bed.
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions:
This evening, in an hour, at 2 o’clock, later,
tomorrow, next month/year…, soon, in a
few weeks, in the future, on 1st May.
With expressions such as:
I think, probably, perhaps.
Eg: I think we will live on the moon in the
future.
BE GOING TO + V inf
 FORMATION
Affirmative am/is/are going to eat

Negative am/is/are not going to eat

Interrogative Am/is/are -S-going to eat?

 USES
 Prediction based on evidences.
Eg: It’s cloudy, it’s going to rain.

 A planned action for the future. Intention.

Eg. I’m going to visit my granny tomorrow
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions:
This evening, in an hour, at 2 o’clock, later,
tomorrow, next month/year…, soon, in a
few weeks, in the future, on 1st May.
FUTURE PERFECT
SIMPLE
 FORMATION
Affirmative Reg. Will have walked
Irr. Will have eaten

Negative Reg. Will not (Won’t) have walked

Irr. Will not (Won’t) have eaten

Interrogative Reg. Will -Subj. – have walked?

Irr. Will - Subj.- have eaten?
 USES
 To talk about a completed action in the
future
Eg: He will have moved from his flat by the
end of March.
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions:
By this time next week, by 3 o’clock, by the
end of …, by then, by June, in four
months.
 FUTURE
CONTINUOUS
 FORMATION
Affirmative Will be eating

Negative Will not be eating

Interrogative Will-Subj- be eating?

 USES
 To talk about an action that will be in
progress in the future.
Eg: At this time next year you will be
studying at university. (I hope so)
 KEY WORDS
Time expressions:
At this time tomorrow, next…., on Monday,
in the next decade.
 HOW TO EXPRESS FUTURE IN
ENGLISH
 Present simple. Timetables. The train leaves at 6
tomorrow.
 Present continuous. Fixed future plans. He is meeting
John at the pub.
 Be going to.
A) Intentions. He’s going to get married.
B) Predictions based on evidences. He’s going to crash
 Simple Future.
A) Predictions. We will live on the moon
B) Spontaneous decisions. I’ll help you.
 Future continuous
 Future perfect simple
 OTHER
Used to + V.inf. To talk about an action we did in the past
and it’s different now. Eg. I used to play tennis when I was young.
Now I play football.
When the action was repeated we can replace used to by would.
Eg. I used to/ would walk to school. You CANNOT say “I would live to
London.”

Be used to + V.ing/noun/pronoun. It means to be

accostummed to. Eg. I am used to living with a lot of noise.

Get used to + V.ing/noun/pronoun. It means to adapt

to something. Eg. I’ll get used to living in my new flat.