TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES

TENSE FORM USE SIGNAL WORDS

PRESENT A: I / You / We /  Con acciones rutinarias: I see my grandparents twice a week.  Adverbios de frecuencia:
They eat  Con hechos o verdades generales: Water boils at 100 Cº always, often, usually,
SIMPLE  Con situaciones permanentes: I work as a Walter in a restaurant generally, seldom, never…
He / She / It eats  Acciones futuras con horarios de trenes, aviones, etc. My train leaves  Every day/ week/
at 5.30 month…
N: I / You / We /  Oraciones condicionales de 1er tipo y en oraciones temporales  Once / Twice / Three
They don't eat  Con verbos que no suelen ir en presente times… a week/ day /
continuo: know, like, hate, want, love, need, belong, mean, month/ year…
understand, remember, prefer…
He / She / It
doesn't eat

Q: Do
I / You / We /
They eat?

Does He / She /
It eat?

PRESENT A: I am eating  Con acciones que ocurren en el momento de hablar: We're studying  Now, right now
the verbs now.  At present, at the
CONTINUOUS He / She / It is  Con acciones que están ocurriendo temporalmente: My brother is moment, in this moment,
eating working hard this year. ….
 Con acciones habituales que causan irritación al hablante: They are  These days, this year/
We / You / They always complaining about the same thing. month/ week…, nowadays
are eating  Con acciones futuras planeadas y confirmadas (fecha): She's visiting  Tonight, tomorrow, next
the doctor tomorrow morning. week / month…, in a
N: I am not
 eating  * El presente continuo no se suele utilizar con los siguientes verbos: minute, in a couple of
know, like, want, hate, love, need, belong mean, understand, believe, days…
He / She / It remember, prefer; aunque algunos de estos verbos pueden aparecer en
isn't eating forma continua con un sentido diferente

We / You / They
aren't eating

Q: Am I eating?

Is He / She / It
eating?

Are We / You /
They eating?

PAST A: He watched  Con acciones pasadas que tuvieron lugar en un momento  Yesterday
/ He ate determinado: We didn't watch TV last night  Last month / week..
SIMPLE  Narrar hechos pasados secuenciados  Ago
N: He didn't  Normalmente, después de las siguientes expresiones: I wish, If only,  Fechas pasadas
watch / He as if, as though, would rather, would sooner, it's time….
didn't eat

Q: Did he
watch? / Did he
eat?

PAST A: I / He / She /  Para expresar una acción incompleta que estaba ocurriendo en el  While
It was eating pasado. (acción larga): Last week, we were working in a science
CONTINUOUS project.
We / You / They  Para señalar que una acción larga estaba teniendo lugar en el pasado
 were eating cuando fue interrumpida por otra breve: We were watching TV,
when suddenly the TV set broke down.
N: I / He / She /  Para indicar que 2 o + acciones largas estaban ocurriendo
It wasn't eating simultáneamente en el pasado: While I was cooking dinner, he was
laying the table.
We / You / They  Para indicar acciones repetidas y monótonas en el pasado indicando
weren't eating cierta queja: The children were always screaming.
 Para descripciones y especificaciones: People were walking, the sun
Q: was shining, the birds….
Was I / He /
She / It eating?

Were We / You /
They eating?

PRESENT A: I / You / We /  Para hablar de acciones que ocurrieron en el pasado pero llegan o  Already (AF)…ya
They have eaten tienen importancia en el presente: I have found a wallet in the  Yet (NG/INT)….ya, aún,
PERFECT street. todavía
He / She / It has  Con el superlativo: She's the most intelligent person I have ever  For…durante
SIMPLE eaten met.  Since…desde
 En las expresiones  Just…acabo de
N: I / You / We / It's the first/ second time: It's the first time I've eaten raw fish  This week/ month…
They haven't
 Recently
eaten
 Adverbios de frecuencia:
He / She / It ever…
hasn't eaten

Q: have I / You /
We / They
eaten?
 has He / She / It
eaten?

PRESENT A: I / You / We /  Tiene el mismo uso que el present perfect simple pero resaltando la  Already (AF)…ya
They have been duración de la actividad: I've been working in this factory since  Yet (NG/INT)….ya, aún,
PERFECT eating 1999. todavía
 Para hablar de acciones pasadas que acaban de concluir y su resultado  For…durante
CONTINUOUS He / She / It has es evidente: Have you been frying fish?  Since…desde
been eating  Just…acabo de
 This week/ month…
N: I / You / We /
 Recently
They haven't
 Adverbios de frecuencia:
been eating
ever…
He / She / It
hasn't been
eating

Q: have I / You /
We / They been
eating?

has He / She / It
been
eating?

PAST A: He had eaten  Para hablar de una acción pasada que ocurrió antes que otra: The  Already (AF)…ya
school had already closed when I arrived.  Just
PERFECT N: He hadn't  En oraciones condicionales de 3er tipo  Until / Till
eaten  En oraciones temporales para enfatizar que una acción pasada estaba  Before
totalmente acabada antes de comenzar otra: He didn't go to bed until  As soon as
 SIMPLE Q: Had he the last TV programme had finished.  After
eaten?  Con I wish / If only
para lamentarnos de algo que ha ocurrido en el pasado: If only they
had stayed with us (ojalá)
 En la expresión It was the first / the second… time: It was the
second time I had flown.

PAST A: He had been  Para hablar de una acción pasada que ocurrió antes que otra pero  For
eating poniendo énfasis e la duración de la misma: She was so ill because  Since
PERFECT she had been eating so many chocolates.  The whole day / all day
N: He hadn't
CONTINUOUS been eating

Q: Had he been
eating?

FUTURE I A: He  Expresar certeza en el futuro: We will definitely phone her tonight.  Tomorrow
will eat  Predicciones: It'll be windy tomorrow.  Next day/ week….
SIMPLE  Promesas: I'll buy you a present for your birthday.  Fechas futuras
N: He won't eat  Tomar una decisión en el momento de hablar: It's hot in here. I'll
(WILL) open the windows.
Q: Will  Hacer un ofrecimiento: I'll carry the suitcase if you like.
he  Pedir algo educadamente: Will you do it for me?
eat?
 En condicionales de 1er tipo: If it rains, we'll stay at home.
 Cuando sugerimos algo utilizamos SHALL: Shall we go to the
cinema tonight?

FUTURE I A: I am going to  Expresar intenciones: I'm going to eat less.  Tomorrow

eat  Para hablar de planes futuros: They're going to build a new bridge  Next day/ week….
SIMPLE in autumn.  Fechas futuras
He / She / It is  Para hacer predicciones de futuro a través de hechos evidentes en el
presente: It's very hot today. We are going to sweat .
 (GOING TO) going to eat  Para hablar de hechos que van a ocurrir con seguridad en el futuro:
I'm going to finish Bachillerato next year.
We / You / They
are going to eat

N: I am not
going to eat

He / She / It
isn't going to
eat

We / You / They
aren't going to
eat

Q: Am I going
to eat?

Is He / She / It
going to eat?

Are We / You /
They going to
eat?

FUTURE I A: He  Para hablar de acciones que estarán en marcha en un momento  Tomorrow

will be eating determinado del futuro: At this time next web we'll be flying to New  Next day/ week….
CONTINUOUS York.  Fechas futuras
N: He won't be  Para preguntar por los planes de los demás sobre todo, cuando
eating queremos pedir un favor: Will you be driving to the supermarket
 Q: Will tomorrow.
he be
eating?

FUTURE II A: He will have  Acciones que estarán finalizadas en un momento determinado del  By Monday…
eaten. futuro: We'll have flown to New York by next week.  In a week…
PERFECT N: He won't
SIMPLE have eaten.
Q:
Will he have
eaten?

FUTURE II A: He will have  Acción que tiene lugar antes de un momento exacto del futuro  By Monday…
been eating. poniendo énfasis en la duración de la acción: By midnight I Hill  In a week…
PERFECT N: He won't have been sleeping for 2 hours.
have been
CONTINUOUS eating.
Q:
Will he have
been eating?