ENCLISH TENSES

S SI Ih hP PL LE E P PP PE ES SE EN NT T
HabIts
l smoke
He /73ks tea at breakfast.
They wctch televIsIon regularly

Unchanyny stuaton
l wo7k 3 Lo3/o3

Ceneral truth
ater 17eezes at zero degrees.
Her mother s PeruvIan
Lo3/o3 s c lc7e cty

Pepeated actIons
e cctch the bus every mornIng.
t 7c3s every afternoon In the hot season.
They /7;e to |onaco every summer

or InstructIons or dIrectIons
5e3 the packet and 5ou7 the contents Into hot water.
You tcke the No.6 bus to atney and then the No.10 to 8edford
You wclk 1o7 two hu3/7e/ met7es, the3 you tu73 le1t.

or fIxed arrangements, present or future
HIs mother c77;es tomorrow.
Dur holIday stc7ts on the 26th |arch
You7 excm stc7ts ct 0.00

Ith future constructIons after some conjunctIons ajter, when, bejore.
ell ;e t to you whe3 you come 3ext Sctu7/cy.
She'll see you before she lec;es.

S SI Ih hP PL LE E P PA AS ST T

The sImple past Is used to talk about a com5lete/ ccto3 In a tIme be1o7e 3ow. 0uratIon Is not Important. so It Is assocIated wIth certaIn past tIme
expressIons

She 13she/ her work at se;e3 oclock.
He se3t me a letter sx mo3ths co.
She 5lcye/ the pIano whe3 she wcs c chl/.
lIved In 8angkok for 10 years

Note: f we say the tIme or place of the event, we must use the sImple past, we cannot use the present perfect.

S SI Ih hP PL LE E & &T T& &PPE E

To predIct a future event
t wll 7c3 tomorrow.

A spontaneous decIsIonwIth l/we
lll 5cy for the tIckets by credIt card.

IIIIngness l &nwIIIIngness (In the negatIve form)
lll /o the washIngup.
The baby wo3t ect hIs soup.
wo3t lec;e untIl 've seen the manager!

To make an offer (wIth n the InterrogatIve form)
Shcll l o5e3 the wIndow:

To make a suggestIon (wIth we In the InterrogatIve form)
Shcll we o to the cInema tonIght:

To ask for advIce or InstructIons (wIth In the InterrogatIve form)
hat shcll l tell the boss about thIs money:

To gIve orders (wIth ou)
You wll /o exactly as say.
To gIve an InvItatIon (wIth ou)
ll you come to the dance wIth me:
ll you mc77y me:

NDTE n modern EnglIsh wll Is preferred to shcll. Shcll Is maInly used wIth l and we to make an offer or suggestIon wIth the other persons you, he,
she, they) shcll Is only used In lIterary or poetIc sItuatIons.

P PP PE ES SE EN NT T C CD DN NT TI IN N& &D D& &S S

or an actIon that Is goIng on at thIs moment
am eatIng my lunch.
The candle Is burnIng
or an actIon that Is goIng on durIng thIs perIod of tIme (happenIng around now)
John Is learnIng to drIve.
am lIvIng wIth my sIster untIl fInd an apartment.
7e you stll wo7k3 1o7 the scme com5c3y
Mo7e c3/ mo7e 5eo5le c7e becom3 ;eetc7c3.
or a temporary event or sItuatIon
e usuclly 5lcys the /7ums, but hes 5lcy3 bcss utc7 to3ht
The wecthe7 1o7eccst wcs oo/, but ts 7c33 ct the mome3t.
or an actIon or event In the future, whIch has aIready been pIanned or prepared
lm meet3 my boy17e3/ to3ht.
7e they ;st3 you next wInter:
e're eatIng In a restaurant tonIght. e've already booked the table.

P PA AS ST T C CD DN NT TI IN N& &DD& &S S

An actIon at a partIcuIar moment In the past. The actIon started before but has not fInIshed at that moment.
Yesterday watched a fIlm on T7. The fIlm started at 7pm and fInIshed at 9pm. At 8pm yesterday, was watchIng T7

An unfInIshed actIon that was Interrupted by another event or actIon.
wcs hc;3 a beautIful dream when the alarm clock rang

To descrIbe the background In a story wrItten In the past tense, to "set the scene"
The sun wcs sh33 and the bIrds we7e s33 as the elephant came out of the jungle
Past ContInuous Tense + SImple Past Tense
4 when + short actIon sImple past tense
4 whIle + long actIon past contInuous tense
was walkIng past the car when the car exploded.
hIle was walkIng past the car, the car exploded.

& &T T& &PPE E CCD DN NT TI IN N& &D D& &S S

t expresses actIon at a partIcular moment In the future. The actIon wIll start before that moment but It wIll not have fInIshed at that moment.
For example, tomorrow wIll start work at 2pm and stop work at 6pm At 4pm tomorrow, wIll be workIng.
They won't be watchIng T7 at 9pm tonIght.
hat wIll you be doIng when arrIve:
e 'll be havIng dInner when the fIlm starts.
AskIng for InformatIon
O ll you be b733 your frIend to the pub tonIght:
O ll 1m be com3 wIth us:

To predIct or guess about someone's actIons or feelIngs, now or In the future
Youll be 1eel3 thIrsty after workIng In the sun.
ell be com3 to the meetIng, expect.

n the InterrogatIve form, especIally wIth 'you', to dIstInguIsh between a sImple request for InformatIon and an InvItatIon
O ll you be com3 to the party tonIght: request for InformatIon
O Ill you come to the party: InvItatIon

P PP PE ESSEEN NT T P PE EP P EEC CT T

1.An actIon or sItuatIon that started In the past and contInues In the present(we usuaIIy use for or sInce wIth thIs structure)
have lIved In 8rIstol sInce 1984 and stIll do.
They haven't lIved here for years.
e hc;e hc/ the same car for ten years.
c;e you 5lcye/ the pIano sInce you were a chIld:
. An actIon performed durIng a perIod that has not yet fInIshed.
She hcs bee3 to the cInema twIce thIs week and the week Isn't over yet.
l hc;e wo7ke/ hard ths week.
t hcs 7c3e/ a lot ths yec7.
e hc;e3t see3 her to/cy.
. A repeated actIon In an unspecIfIed perIod between the past and now.
They hc;e see3 that fIlm sIx tImes.
t hcs hc55e3e/ several tImes already.
She hcs ;ste/ them frequently.
e hc;e ecte3 at that restaurant many tImes.

. An actIon that was compIeted In the very recent past, (expressed by 'just').
hc;e ]ust 13she/ my work.
e hc;e ]ust see3 her.
cs he ]ust le1t:

. An actIon when the tIme Is not Important or not known.
He hcs 7ec/ 'ar and Peace'. the result of hIs readIng Is Important
Someone hcs ecte3 my sou5!
c;e you see3 'Cone wIth the Ind':
Shes stu/e/ Japanese, FussIan and EnglIsh

Note AmerIcans do not use the present perfect tense so much as 8rItIsh speakers. AmerIcans often use the past tense Instead. An AmerIcan mIght say
0Id you have lunch:, where a 8rItIsh person would say Have you had lunch:
Note hen we want to gIve or ask detaIls about whe3, whe7e, who, we use the sImple past.
He 7ec/ 'ar and Peace' lcst week.

Present perfect wIth ever, never, alread, et

'Ever' Is used
a. In questIons
c;e you e;e7 ;ste/ 8e7l3
c;e you e;e7 bee3 to E3lc3/
cs she ever met the P7me M3ste7
b. In negatIve questIons
c;e3t they ever bee3 to Eu7o5e
c;e3t you ever ecte3 Ch3ese 1oo/
c. In negatIve statements usIng nothny...ever, nobod...ever
Nobo/y hcs e;e7 sc/ thct to me be1o7e.
Noth3 lke ths hcs e;e7 hc55e3e/ to us.
d. ver Is aIso used wIth %he jrst tme
lts the 17st tme (thct) l;e e;e7 ecte3 s3cls.
Ths s the 17st tme l;e e;e7 bee3 to E3lc3/.

ever means ct 3o tme be1o7e 3ow
l hc;e 3e;e7 ;ste/ 8e7l3.
have never been to taly.

lread
An actIon that has happened at an unspecIfIed tIme before now. There Is no need for repetItIon.
l;e cl7ec/y /7u3k th7ee co11ees ths mo733. and you're offerIng me another one!
o3t w7te to 1oh3, l;e cl7ec/y /o3e t.
c;e you cl7ec/y w7tte3 to 1oh3

et Is used In negatIve statements and questIons, to mean (3ot) 3 the 5e7o/ o1 tme betwee3 be1o7e 3ow c3/ 3ow.
Have you met Judy yet
Has he arrIved yet
They haven't eaten yet.

or and SInce
or + a perIod of tIme: 1o7 sIx years, 1o7 a week, 1o7 a month,
have worked here 1o7 fIve years.
She has lIved here 1o7 twenty years.
AlIce has been marrIed 1o7 three months.
$nce + a poInt In tIme: sInce thIs mornIng, sInce last week, sInce yesterday, sInce was a chIld
have worked here sInce 1990.
AlIce has been marrIed s3ce |arch 2nd.
NDTE
1. o7 and s3ce can both be used wIth the past perfect.
2. S3ce can only be used wIth perfect tenses, 1o7 can also be used wIth the sImple past.
Compare: Present perfect or SImpIe past
Always use the present perfect when the tIme Is not Important, or not specIfIed.
Always use the sImple past when detaIls about the tIme or place of the event are specIfIed or asked for.
hc;e l;e/ In Lyon. l;e/ In Lyon 3 18.
They hc;e ecte3 ThaI food. They cte ThaI food lcst 3ht.
c;e you see3 'Dthello':. here // you see 'Dthello':
e hc;e bee3 to reland. hen // you o to reland:
There Is also a dIfference of attItude that Is often more Important than the tIme factor.
hct // you /o ct school to/cy consIders the school day as fInIshed.
hct hc;e you /o3e ct school to/cy regards the tIme of speakIng as a contInuatIon of the school day.

P PA AS ST T P PE EP P E EC CT T

The past perfect refers to a tIme ec7le7 thc3 before now. t Is used to make It clear that one event happened before another In the past.
O hc/ sc;e/ my document before the computer crashed.
O hen they arrIved we hc/ cl7ec/y stc7te/ cookIng
O He was very tIred because he hc/3t sle5t well.

& &T T& &PPE E PPE EP P E EC CTT

Fefers to a completed actIon In the future before another actIon In the future .
O The traIn wIll leave the statIon at 9am. You wIll arrIve at the statIon at 9.15am. hen you arrIve, the traIn wIll have left
O |ary won't be at home when you arrIve. Feally: here wIll she have gone:
O lll hc;e bee3 here for sIx months on June 2Jrd.
O 8y the tIme you read thIs lll hc;e le1t.
O wIll have fInIshed by 9pm tonIght.
O e wIll have been marrIed for ten years next month.

P PP PE ES SE EN NT T PPE EP P E EC CT T C CD DN NT TIIN N& &D D& &SS

For an actIon that started In the past and Is contInuIng now. ThIs Is often used wIth for or sInce.
O She hcs bee3 wct3 for you all day and she's stIll waItIng now.
O l;e bee3 wo7k3 on thIs report sInce eIght o'clock thIs mornIng and stIll haven't fInIshed It.
O They hc;e bee3 t7c;ell3 sInce last Dctober and they're not home yet.

ActIons that have just fInIshed, but we are Interested In the results
She hcs bee3 cook3 sInce last nIght and the food on the table looks delIcIous.
lts bee3 7c33 and the streets are stIll wet.
Someo3es bee3 ect3 my chIps half of them have gone.

PPA AS ST T P PE EP P E ES ST T C CD DN NT TI IN N&&D D& &S S

The past perfect contInuous corresponds to the present perfect contInuous, but Instead of the tIme beIng now the tIme Is past. AgaIn, we are more
Interested In the 57ocess.
4 For example, ImagIne that you meet Fam at 11am. Fam says to you am angry. have been waItIng for two hours. Later, you tell your frIends
Fam was angry. He had been waItIng for two hours.

& &TT& &P PE E P PE EP P E EC CT T C CD DN NT TI IN N& &D D& &S S

t refers to long events or actIons before some poInt In the future, that may be u313she/.
8y the tIme fInIsh thIs course, l wll hc;e bee3 lec733 EnglIsh for twenty years.
O l wll hc;e bee3 wct3 here for three hours by sIx o'clock.
O Next year l wll hc;e bee3 wo7k3 here for four years.
O 8y 2001 l wll hc;e bee3 l;3 here for sIxteen years.