PAST TENSES

Tense

PAST
SIMPLE

Signal
words

Use

Last
ago
In 1999
yesterday

An action took
place in the
past, mostly
connected with
an expression
of time (no
connection to
the present)

PAST
CONTINOUS

While/when

PRESENT
PERFECT
SIMPLE

Just
Yet
Never
Ever
Already
So far
Up to now
Since
For
recently

PRESENT
PERFECT
CONTINOUS

PAST
PERFECT
SIMPLE

PAST
PERFECT
CONTINOUS

An action
happened in
the middle of
another action.
Someone doing
sth. At a
certain time (in
the past) you
do not know if
it was finished
or not.
You say that
sth. Has
happened or is
finished in the
past and has
connection to
the present.
Action started
in the past and
continues in
the present.

Example
+

Example
-

Example
?

I worked
He worked
I went
He went

I didnt work
He didnt work
I didnt go
He didnt go

Did I work?
Did he work?
Did I go?
Did he go?

Was/were +
infinitive +
ing

I was working
He was working
I was going
He was going

I wasnt working
He wasnt working
I wasnt going
He wasnt going

Was I working?
Was he working?
Was I going?
Was he going?

Have/has
+
Past
Participle
rd
(3 column)

I have worked
He has worked
I have gone
He has gone

I havent worked
He hasnt worked
I havent gone
He hasnt gone

Have I worked?
Has he worked?
Have I gone?
Has he gone?

Have I been
working?
Has he been
working?
Have I been
going?
Has he been
going?

Form
Regular:
infinitive + ed
nd

Irregular: 2
column of
table of
irregular
verbs.

All day
The whole day
How long
Since
for

An action
began in the
past and has
just stopped.
Emphasis:
length of time
of an action.

Have/has
+
been
+
Infinitive
+
ing

I have been working

He has been working
I have been going
He has been going

I havent been
working
He hasnt been
working
I havent been going
He hasnt been going

Already
Just
Never

When two
actions in a
story are
related to each
other.
The past of the
past simple
and present
perfect simple.

Had
+
Past
Participle
rd
(3 column)

I had worked
He had worked
I had gone
He had gone

I hadnt worked
He hadnt worked
I hadnt gone
He hadnt gone

Had I worked?
Had he worked?
Had I gone?
Had he gone?

How long
Since
for

How long
something had
been
happening
before
something
happened.

Had
+
been
+
Infinitive
+
ing

I had been working

He had been working
I had been going
He had been going

I hadnt been
working
He hadnt been
working
I hadnt been going
He hadnt been going

Had I been
working?
Had he been
working?
Had I been going?
Had he been
going?

Past tenses in English

English uses three forms of the past, the Simple Past (or preterite), the Present
Perfect, and the past perfect. All of these forms can also be used in a progressive
form .

1. Simple past. This is used to relate past events in a historic context. Often, you
will know that it must be used, because the sentence also contains an adverb (or
adverb phrase) of time, such as yesterday, or a date or time.
Examples:

1) Queen Victoria died in 1901.

2) The Titanic sank when it hit an iceberg.
3) I told you not to drink too much
4) Next, they went and cooked dinner.
1.1. Simple past - progressive or continuous forms: Here are some examples with a
progressive or continuous form too: both of the events in the sentence are
"historic", but one took place while another longer-lasting situation was true:

Examples:
1) John Lennon died while he was living in New York.
2) The students shouted as the President was speaking.
1.2. Used to and would - the past of finished situation or finished habit
To express a finished habit, or terminated situation, there are two possible
structures, one with used to, the other with would. To express a terminated
situation, only the structure with used to can be used. Terminated situation can also
be expressed using the simple past often reinforced by an adverb of duration or of
time. These structures only exist in the active voice.

Examples:
1) I used to go to Brighton when I was a child. But I don't any longer.
2) He would call her every day when she was younger, but he doesn't now
3) This streeet used to be very quiet; but nowadays it's full of traffic.
4) This street was once very quiet, but nowadays it's full of traffic.

2. Present Perfect is used to situate past events, or the consequences of past

events, in relation to the present situation. (that's why we call it the "present"
perfect). Americans do not always use the present perfect in this situation.
Examples:

1) I have ordered a new refrigerator, darling!

(i.e., the speaker means "A new refrigerator is coming and will be here soon").

2) I've eaten too much!

(i.e. the speaker implies: "At this moment now, I do not feel very well; I have a
funny feeling in my stomach!)

3) Manchester United have won the Cup

(i.e. Manchester United are now, at this moment , football champions).
You do not usually find adverbs of time used with verbs in the present perfect, but
there are some exceptions:
1. already:
2. adverbs of frequency:
3. adverbs or adverb phrases of duration related to the present:

1. Come on, we've already started eating !

2. I've often seen people driving too fast down that road.
3. I've lived in London for ten years.
(Contrast with: I lived in London for ten years (but I don't live there now) - a
historic statement)
I've lived in London since 1985.
I've been living in London since 1985. (Both of these forms are acceptable)
Up to now, I've always refused to eat fish.
2.1. Present-perfect progressive or present-perfect continuous:
These progressive forms are used when we want to imply that an event / events in
the past have been continuing until the present point in time, or have taken place
over a period of time in the past

1) I've been waiting for you since three o'clock.

2) The doctor has been seeing patients for most of the afternoon.
( Cross reference: since and for)

3. Past perfect

is normally only used in English when one past event (either a

specific action, or a contuous condition) has to be situated in a more distant past

than another past event. In some situations, the progressive or continuous form is
necessary.

Examples:
I had just put the phone down, when the doorbell rang.
The man had been drinking before the accident happened.
He had worked in the company for five years before he got promotion.
There are some other uses too, but they are less common. Note, for example, the use
of the past perfect (and inversion) after hardly :

Hardly had I put the phone down, than the phone rang.
Click for a short test on past tenses