ENGLISH VERB TENSES 1

THE PRESENT SIMPLE:

Use: Habits, things in general, something which happens all the time or repeatedly or a
general truth or fact.

Form: verb / 3rd person singular + s : Come / comes

Auxiliary: Do / Does (3rd person singular)

Structure:
a) All verbs except to be, have got and modals:

Affirmative: Subject + Verb + Complements.

Negative: Subject + Auxiliary (Do/Does) + negative + verb + Complements

Interrogative: Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complements?

b) To be, have got and modals:

Affirmative: Subject + Verb + Complements.

Negative: Subject + Verb + Negative + Complements.

Interrogative: Verb + Subject + Complements.

Adverbs of frequency: They are used with the present simple. They are placed
before the main verb except when they go with the verb to be, they are placed after
the verb to be:

He often plays football.

He is always sad.
Adverbs: Always Usually Normally - Often Sometimes Rarely Scarcely - Never
Notes: Remember that do apart from the auxiliary can be also the main verb (hacer),
note the examples:

What do you do?

Auxiliary

Verb

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 2

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

Use: things we are doing at the moment of speaking, or something that we have started
but havent finished yet: Tom is reading a book at the moment (not now, but these
days). Things happening during a period around now, and that are not finished. Things
happening around now: Your English is getting better

Form: to be + verb ing (gerund)

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs ( No auxiliary because we have the verb to be)

Example:

Affirmative: Subject +to be + Verb ing + Complements.

Negative: Subject + to be + Negative +verb ing + Complements.

Interrogative: To be + Subject + Verb ing + Complements.

Peter and Sara are playing basketball in the park.

Note: Remember that this tense can also be used with a future meaning
when we are talking about plans, things that are about to happen:

This Summer we are travelling to London. (a plan made previously)

Look! He is falling. (He is walking on a banana peel)
Note that there are some verbs that are normally not used in continuous sentences:

Like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, know, realise, suppose, mean, understand, believe, remember,
belong, contain, consist, depend and seem.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 3

THE PAST SIMPLE:

Use: past finished actions.

Form: Regular verbs verb + -ed for all persons./ Irregular verbs.

Auxiliary: did for all persons.

Structure:
a) All verbs except to be, have got and modals:

Affirmative: Subject + Verb-ed + Complements.

Negative: Subject + Auxiliary (did) + negative + verb + Complements

Interrogative: Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complements?

b) To be, have got and modals:

Example:

Affirmative: Subject + Verb + Complements.

Negative: Subject + Verb + Negative + Complements.

Interrogative: Verb + Subject + Complements.

Peter played tennis three years ago.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 4

THE PAST CONTINUOUS

Use: past actions that were taking place when something else happened. Somebody was
in the middle of doing something at a certain time, the action or situation had already
started before this time but had not finished.
Interruption (past simple) : ...when the telephone rang

Past continuous
I was eating...

Form: verb to be (in the past) + verb + ing (gerund)

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

now

Structure:
a) All verbs ( No auxiliary because we have the verb to be)

Affirmative: Subject +to be + Verb ing + Complements.

Negative: Subject + to be + Negative +verb ing + Complements.

Interrogative: To be + Subject + Verb ing + Complements.)

Example: Ann was watching TV when the telephone rang.

Note: Remember that this tense can also be used with a future meaning in
the past when we are talking about plans we had in the past or things that
were about to happen in the past, but didnt happen in the end.

Last Summer we were travelling to London but we missed the train. (a plan made
beforehand but we couldnt go)

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 5

THE PRESENT PERFECT:

Use: Past actions which are unfinished. Remember that the present perfect is a present
tense. Actions that began in the past but are still happening in the present, actions that
have a connection with the present. It is used for a period of time that continues from the

past to the present.

Form: verb have + Past participle (regular verbs +ed and irregular verbs 3rd column.

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Example:

Affirmative: Subject + have + past participle + Complements.

Negative: Subject + have + negative + past participle + Complements

Interrogative: Have + Subject + past participle + Complements?

Peter has played tennis since he was 5 (began in the past but he still play tennis

nowadays.
The present perfect is often used with just, already and yet:
-

I have just arrived

He has already gone

It hasnt stopped raining yet.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 7

THE FUTURE WILL

Use: Unplanned, future actions or sudden decisions. We decide to do something at the

moment of speaking. We often use will when we offer help, agree to do something,
promise to do something and when we ask somebody to do something.

Form: will + infinitive

Auxiliary: no auxiliary (will is the auxiliary for the future).

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Example:

Affirmative: Subject + will + verb + Complements.

Negative: Subject + will + negative + verb + Complements

Interrogative: will + Subject + Verb + Complements?

Peter will help you.

That bag looks heavy. I will help you.
I need a dictionary./ ok. I will give one to you tomorrow.
I Wont tell anyone.
Will you close the door?

Shall is used mostly in questions, especially offers and suggestions:

Shall I open the window.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 8

THE GOING TO FUTURE

Use: planned future actions, Ive already decided to do something (definite plan for the
future). Things that are about or beginning to happen (prediction for the present). (see
the present continuous also which is used also when we say what we have arranged)

Form: verb to be + going to + verb

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Example:

Affirmative: Subject +to be + going to + Verb + Complements.

Negative: Subject + to be + negative +going to + verb + Complements

Interrogative: to be + Subject + going to + Verb + Complements?

Peter is going to buy a car next year (plan)

It is going to rain. (prediction)

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 9

THE FUTURE PERFECT

Use: future actions that will take place and will have finished before
another future action. We say that something will have been
completed by a certain time in the future.

Form: will + have + verb in the past participle

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Affirmative: Subject +(will+have +Verb in pp)+ Complements.

Negative: Subject +will+negative+have+verb+Complements.

Interrogative: will+Subject+ have + Verb + Complements?

Example: I will have gone when you arrive.

We wont have cleaned everything by the time our parents return.

Will you have finished the report by lunch?
Note: We can also find the Future Perfect Continuous and we can use it to
say how long something will have continued by a certain time in the future.

I will have been doing the homework for two hours by the time you arrive

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 6

THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Use: We use the present perfect continuous for an action that has
recently stopped or has just stopped, we still have a connection with
the present. It can be used as well for actions repeated over a period
of time.

Form: have/has + been + verb in the gerund (-ing)

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Affirmative: Subject+have/has+been+Verb-ing+Complements.

Negative: Subject + have/has + negative + been + verb(-ing)

+ Complements

Interrogative: Have/has + Subject + been + Verb(-ing) +

Complements?
Example:

The floor is wet, it has been raining.

I have been looking for you for two hours.
He has been playing since he was five.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 10

THE PAST PERFECT

Use: The past perfect is used to talk about a past action, completely
finished but which took place before another past action.

Form: had + verb in the past participle.

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Affirmative:

Subject + had + Verb (past participle) +

Complements.

Negative: Subject + had + negative + verb(past participle) +

Complements

Interrogative: Had + Subject + Verb(past participle) +

Complements?
Example: When Sara arrived at the party, Paul had already gone home.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES 11

Use: We use the past perfect continuous to talk about something had
been that happened during a period of time in the past but before

something else happened.

Form: had + been + verb in the gerund (-ing)

Auxiliary: no auxiliary

Structure:
a) All verbs:

Affirmative: Subject + had + been + Verb-ing + Complements.

Negative: Subject + had + negative + been + verb(-ing) +

Complements

Interrogative:

Had + Subject + been + Verb(-ing) +

Complements?
Example:

Ken gave up smoking two years ago, he had been smoking

for
30 years.
He was out of breath, he had been running.