ENGLISH TENSES

1. Present Perfect
2. present Perfect Continuous
3. Past Perfect
4. Past Perfect Continuous
5. Present Continuous
6. Past Continuous
7. Used to and Would meaning "Past"
8. Will and going to meaning "future"

1. PRESENT PERFECT

Form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I have eaten.	I haven't eaten.	Have I eaten?
Have/has+ past participle(infinitive +ed or third column of irregular verbs	She has eaten	She hasn't eaten.	Has she eaten?
	They have worked.	They haven't worked.	Have they worked?

Signal words

• ·Just
• ·Recently
• ·Already
• ·Yet
• ·Ever
• ·Never
• ·Since
• ·For
• ·So far

Use

A) We use the present perfect when there is a connection between the past and the present. We say that something started in the past and continues up to the present.

Examples

• ·I have lived in Yungay for twenty years.(I still live in Yungay)
• ·Neal has known me for ten year.

B) We use the Present Perfect when an action happened in the past but it has results or consequences in the present.

Examples

• I have washed my hair.(my hair is clean now)
• She hasn’t finished her essay. (The essay is not finished yet).
• I can’t open the door. I have lost my keys.
• I am very fat. I have eaten a lot of junk food.

C) We use the Present Perfect when something happened between the past and the present and we don’t know exactly when it happened.

Examples

• Karla has broken her arm twice.(we don’t know exactly when she broke her arm)
• I have written new scary stories for children.

D) We use the Present Perfect with the following mentioned signal words: just, recently, already, yet, ever, never, since, for and so far.

Examples

• I have just heard about the grammar test.
• I have already finished my homework.
• Have you bought my ice-cream yet?
• Felipe has never tasted snake meat.
• Have you ever seen a zombie?
• Nadir has worked as English teacher since 1990.
• Nakamura and Morita have taught Japanese writing for ten years.

2) PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I have been waiting	I haven't been waiting	Have I been waiting?
have/has + been + infinitive + ing	She has been waiting	She hasn't been waiting	Has she been waiting?
	They have been waiting	They haven't been waiting	Have they been waiting?

Signal words

• The whole day
• All day
• Since
• For
• How long?

USE

A) We use the present perfect continuous to emphasize the length of time of an activity.

Examples

• Valentina has been playing videogames the whole day.
• Carla hasn’t been working in this factory for decades.
• How long have you been watching cartoons?

B) We use the present perfect continuous when an action is temporary.

Examples

• My mother is very busy so I have been cooking dinner.
• There is too much noise outside so I have been listening to music with maximum volume.
• How long have your uncle been sleeping in your room?

C) We can also the present perfect continuous for unfinished actions (incomplete action).

Examples

• I have been washing the floor. Don’t enter yet please. (The floor is not dry yet. The action is incomplete)
• My daddy has been swimming. That is the reason why his clothes are wet.

D) We also use the present perfect continuous for repeated actions up to now.

Examples

• I have been playing the harmonica since I was eighteen.
• Guadalupe hasn’t been eaten sushi since her Japanese boss fired her.
• Have Martha and Thom been playing cards recently?

3) PAST PERFECT

Form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I had studied	I hadn't studied	Had I studied?
Had+ past participle	She had studied	She hadn't studied	Had she studied?
	They had studied	They hadn't studied	Had they studied?

Signal words

• Already
• Just
• Never

Time linkers

• Before
• After
• When
• Until
• As soon as
• once

Use

A) We use the Past Perfect two actions are related to each other. It means that an action or activity was completed before another activity in the past.

Examples

• Until yesterday, I had never heard about your disease.
• Claudia had finished her test before I came into the classroom.
• I had arrived to Hokkaido airport when my mother called me.

4) PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I had been working	I hadn't been working	Had I been working?
Had+ been + infinitive + ing	She had been working	She hadn't been working	Had she been working?
	They had been working	They hadn't been working	Had they been working?

Signal words

• How long
• For
• Since

Use

a) We use the Past Perfect Continuous to emphasize the duration of an activity that was in progress before another activity.

Examples

• You had been working for decades at McDonald's before you got married with the famous Japanese singer Tatsurou.
• The company had been looking for a Japanese translator for three years before I got hired.
• I had been waiting for my friend Aamir for three hours but he didn’t come.

b) We can use the Past Perfect Continuous for a repeated activity or event that was in progress before another activity in the past.

Examples

• Sergio had been studying at the library for two hours when his teacher asked for help.
• I had been writing poems without stopping for several hours when Guadalupe bothered me.
• How long had you been lying on the beach before your skin was sunburned?

c) We can also use the Past Perfect Continuous to express that an activity has recently finished before another time in the past.

Examples

• When George came into my cottage his hair was still wet because he had been swimming in the beach.
• Your hands were frozen because you had been playing with snow without gloves.

5) PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I am writing	I am not writing	Am I writing?
Present tense of be (am/are/is)+infinitive+ing	He is writing	He is not writing	Is he writing?
	They are writing	They are not writing	Are they writing?

Signal words

• Right now/just know/now
• At the moment
• Listen!
• Look!

Use

a) The present continuous expresses an activity or action that is happening at the same time of speaking(now)

Examples

• Tanaka is sleeping right now on the sofa.
• I am not talking on the phone.
• who are you laughing at?

b) The present continuous also expresses an activity happening around now but not at the moment of speaking.(at the moment, right now)

Examples

• I am studying hard for my grammar test at the moment.
• Ana is not doing a course at Bio Bio University right now.
• Is your teacher writing a new interesting book now?

c) The present continuous expresses an action that take place for a limited period of time.(this week, this month, this year)"temporary actions"

Examples

• Daniela is writing another children story book this year.
• Guadalupe is not eating junk food this month.
• Is Elizabeth taking a science course abroad this semester?

d) The present continuous has a "future meaning".It means that someone has already decided to do something(plan or date)."near future".There are signal words that expresses near future.they are:in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, tonight, at noon,tomorrow and "next".

Examples

• Max is going to Spain next year.
• I am not coming your party tomorrow.
• what are you doing tonight?

6) PAST CONTINUOUS

Form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I was dancing	I wasn't dancing	Was I dancing?
Was/were+ infinitive(verb)+ ing	She was dancing	She wasn't dancing	Was she dancing?
	They were dancing	They weren't dancing	Were they dancing?

Signal Words

• When
• While

USE

a) We use the present continuous with actions verbs. State verbs (to know, to be, to love, etc.) are used with the Past Simple.

Examples

• Felipe didn’t remember his first teacher. Not, Felipe wasn’t remembering his first teacher( we can’t use “remembering” because it is a state verb)
• I was listening to my Japanese teacher. (It is right. To listen is an action verb).
• They were looking for me all day. (This sentence also is correct).

b) We use the present continuous when we were in the middle of an action in the past. Somebody was doing something in the past but we don’t know whether this person finished or not.

Examples

• Guadalupe was watching a film when her mother came back home.
• Teacher wasn’t looking at her smartphone while she was eating her lunch.
• Were they listening to music when phonetics’ teacher entered to classroom?

Differences between Past Continuous and Past simple

Past Continuous

The Past Continuous is used for an action that happened in the middle of another action.   Example I was sweeping my room when my sister came into my room to wash her teeth. ( I was in the middle of room cleaning)

Past Simple
We use the Past Simple for an action that started and finished in the Past. Example I swept my room. ( The action is finished)

7) "USED TO" AND "WOULD" to express Past

Form and examples

Form	Examples
	I used to take drugs
Used to+ infinitive	He used to take drugs
	They used to take drugs

Form	Examples
Would+ infinitive	I would read a book a day when I was at high school.

Use

a) We use both used to would to express something that happened in the past. Both “would” and “used to” is used to express past habits. However, there are some differences.

Examples

• Yasna used to bite her nails when she was anxious.
• Yasna would bite her nails when she was anxious
  

Differences between Used to and Would

Used to	Would
We use "Used to" for past habits and situations but doesn't happen anymore. Example Steven used to drink three beers a day until he got sick.	We use "would" just for past habits (not past situation) Example Marilyn Manson would do drugs when he was a teenager.
We use "used to" to show location, possession or state. Therefore, we can use stative verbs.(be, know, recognize, think, etc.) Example I used to be a Christian before my baby was born.	We can't use stative verbs for past situations Example We can't say: I would be a Christian.(be is a stative verb).

8) "WILL" AND "BE GOING TO" to express future

will form and examples

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I will go	I won’t go	will I go?
will+infinitive (verb)	He will go	He won’t go	Will he go?
	They will go	They won’t go	Will they go?

Form	Positive	Negative	Question
	I am going to walk	I'm not going to walk	Am I going to walk?
be(am/are/is)+ going to+ infinitive(verb)	He is going to walk	He's not going to walk	Is he going to walk?
	They are going to walk	They' re not going to walk	Are they going to walk?

"WILL"

Willis used to express future time.

Words and expressions that we often use with will

• ( I) think I’ll, ( I )don’t think , I’ll (to do something)
• Suppose
• Guess
• Bet
• Probably
• (I am) Sure

Use

a) We use will when we decide or agree to do something spontaneously at the moment of speaking.

Examples

• There is not any fruit in my fridge. I think I’ll buy it in the supermarket
• It is too late. I won’t go the party with you.
• A long time no see you! Will you visit me in my home again someday?

b) We also use will in the following situations:

1)Offers and invitations

Example

• ·I’ll help with the house cleaning

• ·Will you come to dinner? –yes. Sure!

2)Refusals

Example

• ·I won’t go math classes!

v 3)Simple promises

Example

• ·I’llbuy you a delicious ice cream!

4) Factual predictions

Example

• ·It is cloudy. It will rain.

5)Orders

Example

• ·Will you open the window, please

SHALL AND WILL

a) We can use shall to express future time as well, but only with I or we (in first person).Shall is less common than will.

Example

• I will (or shall) probably go your home tomorrow.

b) We can use shall in offers and suggestions, but only in the questions Shall I…? And Shall we

• Offer:Shall I pay your hotdog for you?

• Suggestion:Shall we dance together?

c) We can also use shall in strong promises

Example

• I shall give up smoking.

Will and going to

a) Both Will and be going to is used to express future meaning.

Example

• Mixy will finish her homework tomorrow

• Mixy is going to finish her homework tomorrow.

Differences between WILL and *BE GOING TO*

1) Decisions

will	Be going to
We use will when we decide to do something at the moment of speaking. Example Guadalupe is talking her mother. Guadalupe: I need some money to travel to Korea, but I don`t know how to earn more money. Mother: if you work on weekends, you will get enough money. Guadalupe: good idea mom. Then, I will work on weekends.	We use be going to when we have already decided to do something. Example Guadalupe tells her father about her decision. Guadalupe: daddy, I know what i need to do to go Korea. Father: what is your plan? Guadalupe: I am going to work on weekends.

2) Predictions

will

We use will for predictions about the future Example Daniela will be Japanese teacher one day.

Be going to

we use Be going to for situations what are going to happen in a near future. Example There is mouse in the kitchen, but don’t worry about it. The cat is going to hunt the litte mouse.