7th October 2019

PRESENT TENSE

A) Present Simple

It’s used:

 To describe permanent situations

 To describe habitual or repetitive actions

 To talk about general truths

 To talk about future actions related to timetables

 To refer to a plot of a book, movie…

 In exclamatory sentences (Off, Here, There…) (Here she comes)

 In sport commentaries, newspaper headlines, instructions and declarations

Time expressions:

1. Adverbs of frequency (always, usually, often, sometimes, occasionally, rarely,

seldom, hardly ever, never, constantly).

Those adverbs are positioned:

 BEFORE the MAIN verb (Richard never comes to work late)

 Or AFTER the verb BE (He is often on time)

2. Every day/ every week

3. In the morning/ spring…

4. At the weekend

5. Once/ twice/ three times a week/ a day…

6. On Mondays/ Monday morning…

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B) Present Continuous (Progressive)

It’s used:

 To describe actions happening now

 To describe temporary situations

 To talk about ANNOYING situations which happen repeatedly (with the

adverbs of frequency: always, constantly, continually)

 To describe situations which are changing or developing around the present time

 To talk about future arrangements

Time expressions:

1. Now, at the moment, today, these days

2. This week/ year…

3. Next week/ year…

4. Tonight, tomorrow…

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C) Present Perfect Simple

It’s used:

 To talk an action which happened in the past, but the exact moment is NOT
mentioned

 To talk about a state or action which started in the past AND CONTINUES up
to the present

 To talk about an action that happened in the past AND FINISHED, but the
RESULTS are obvious in the present

 For recent completed actions (We have just finished dinner)

 With adjectives in the superlative form and expressions like the only/ first/
second…

Time expressions:

1. Just, yet, already, ever, never, before, always, how long, for, since, recently, lately,
once, twice, so far…

We use the PAST SIMPLE for actions that were completed in the PAST and the
EXACT time is mentioned

 Present Perfect Simple  I have tasted Mexican food

 Past Simple  I tasted Mexican food last night

We use for and since for actions that started in the PAST and CONTINUES up to the
present

o For + a period of time  I’ve had this car for 6 years

o Since + a point of time  I’ve had this car since 2006

o Present Perfect Simple + since + Past Simple  Ana has changed jobs 3 times since she moved
here

Have been to  Have returned, you visit a place and you come back

Have gone to  Have not returned yet

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D) Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

It’s used:

 To emphasise the duration of a state or action which started in the PAST AND
CONTINUES up to the present

 To talk about an action which happened over a period of time in the PAST AND
MAY HAVE FINISHED, but the results are obvious in the present

 To show ANNOYANCE resulting from a recent action

Time expressions:

1. For, since, how long, all day/ week…

We use the Present Perfect Simple to emphasise the RESULT of an action.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to emphasise the DURATION of an action.

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PAST TENSE

A) Past Simple

It’s used:

 To describe a COMPLETED action in the past

 To describe completed actions that happened one after the other in the past

 To describe past habits or REPEATED actions in the past (often used with
adverbs of frequency)

 To describe PERMANENT situations in the past

 To describe an action in the past that INTERRUPTED a “longer” action in

progress (I was sleeping when the phone rang)

Time expressions:

1. Ago, yesterday, in 1998, las week/ month/ night…

B) Past Continuous (Progressive)

It’s used:

 To describe an action in PROGRESS at a CERTAIN time in the past

 To describe actions that were happening at the SAME time in the past

 To set the SCENE in a story

 To describe TEMPORARY past states or actions

 To describe repetitive or ANNOYING actions

 To describe an action in PROGRESS in the past that was INTERRUPTED by

another action

 To described UNFULFILLED hopes and expectations

 To describe past ARRANGEMENTS

 To express something POLITELY

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C) Past Perfect Simple

It’s used:

 To describe an action which was completed BEFORE a specific point in the past

 With adjectives in the SUPERLATIVE form and expressions like the only/ first/
second… when referring to the past

 To describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. The
SECOND action in in the PAST SIMPLE

Time expressions:

1. Already, ever, never, just, when, by the time, after, by, before…

D) Past Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

It’s used:

 To emphasise the duration of an action that was in progress before another

action or a specific point in time in the past

 To refer to an action whose duration caused visible results at a later point of time
in the past

Time expressions:

1. Already, by the time, for, since, after, before, when, how long…

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E) Used to + base form

It’s used:

 To describe PERMANENT past states

 To describe past HABITS

 To describe REPEATED actions in the past

F) Would + base form

It’s used:

 To describe past HABITS

 To describe typical BEHAVIOUR in the past

G) Would- Was/ Were going to

- WOULD  is used when referring to the past for things that we EXPECTED to
happen at a later time

- Was/ Were going to  is used to talk about actions somebody INTENDED to do in

the past

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FUTURE TENSE

A) Will

It’s used:

 To make predictions about the future, usually with perhaps and probably, or
after verbs believe, think, hope, promise, expect, be sure…

 For statements of fact or things that are generally true

 To talk about spontaneous decisions

 For promises

 For offers and requests

 For threats and warnings

 To express willingness or insistence on doing something

B) Be going to

It’s used:

 To talk about future plans/ intentions

 To make predictions based on evidence

Present Simple  timetables or official programmes

Present Continuous  planned future actions

Present Continuous and Future Going To are usually interchangeable.

1: emphasis on the fact that something has already been decided

2: emphasis on the intention

After the words: before, after, as long as, by the time, by the time, if provided,
providing, until, when, while… we use the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present
Perfect when referring to the future, never the Future Will.

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C) Future Continuous (Progressive)

It’s used:

 To talk about actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future

 To talk about a planned action

 To ask about somebody’s plans politely

D) Future Perfect Simple

It’s used:

 To talk about actions that will be completed before a specific time or another
action in the future

E) Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

It’s used:

 To show the duration of an action up to a certain point of time in the future. The
action may continue further

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STATE VERBS

The following verbs are NOT used with CONTINUOUS (progressive) TENSES:

- Verbs of sense  see, feel, hear, notice, sound…

- Verbs of emotions  like, love, hate, admire, want, need, wish…

- Verbs of perception, belief, knowledge and opinion  know, agree, believe,

remember, imagine, consider, realise…

- Verbs of ownership  have, possess, own, belong…

- Other  be, weigh, measure, look (= seem), appear, exist, equal…

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