TIME TENSES

PRESENT SIMPLE
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I talk I don’t talk Do I talk?
You talk You don’t talk Do you talk?
He talks He doesn’t talk Does he talk?
We talk We don’t talk Do we talk?
You talk You don’t talk Do you talk?
They talk They don’t talk Do they talk?
WATCH OUT!
 USES
 We use it with the following tense markers: always,
everyday, usually, often, sometimes, rarely etc.
 We use it to make generalizations about people or
things. Madrid is in Spain.
 It is used to talk about scheduled events in the near
future. The bus leaves at 9p.m.
PRESENT CONTINUOS
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I am talking I’m not talking Am I talking?
You are talking You aren’t talking Are you talking?
He is talking He isn’t talking Is he talking?
We are talking We aren’t talking Are we talking?
You are talking You aren’t talking Are you talking?
They are talking They aren’t talking Are they talking?
 USES
 We use it to express the idea that something is
happening now, at this very moment.
Is it snowing?
 We use it to say that we are in the process of doing
a longer action which is in progress.
We are learning English.
 It is used to indicate that something will or will not
happen in the near future.
They are going to the cinema tonight.
 We use some tense markers such us currently,
lately, these days etc.
 STATE VERBS
 When a verb describes a state and not an
action we do not use the continuous tense.
 State verbs generally fall into 4 groups:

Emotion: love, hate, want, need

Possession: have, own, belong
Sense: see, hear, smell, feel
Thought: know, believe, remember, seem
 STATE VERBS
 Some verbs can be both state and action verbs
Some words can be state verbs and action verbs.
The meaning of these verbs is then different. Take
a look at these:
'I have a car.' – state verb possession/
'I am having a bath.' – action verb 'taking'.
'I think you are cool.' – state verb 'in my
opinion‘/
‘I’m thinking about buying a motorbike.' – action
verb 'considering'.
BE GOING TO
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I am going to talk I am not going to talk
You are going to talk You are not going to talk
He is going to talk He is not going to talk
We are going to talk We are not going to talk
You are going to talk You are not going to talk
They are going to talk They are not going to talk
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Am I going to talk?
Are you going to talk?
Is he going to talk?
Are we going to talk?
Are you going to talk?
Are they going to talk?
 USES
 We use going to when we have the intention to do
something before we speak.
We're not going to paint our bedroom tomorrow.
 We often use going to to make a prediction about
the future. Our prediction is based on present
evidence.
The sky is very black. It's going to snow.
 Note that we can also use going to with be in other
tenses, for example:
I was going to tell him but I forgot.
FUTURE
SIMPLE
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I will play I won’t play Will I play?
You will play You won’t play Will you play?
He will play He won’t play Will he play?
We will play We won’t play Will we play?
You will play You won’t play Will you play?
They will play They won’t play Will they play?
 USES
 Generally, we use will to talk about the future.
They will go to Brazil in two years.
 We use will when we decide to do something at
the time of speaking (Sudden decision).
What would you like to drink? I will have an
orange juice.
 It is used when we promise something.
I won’t tell anyone your secret.
 We use will when agreeing to do something.
Can you give this to Tom? Sure, I’ll give it to him.
 FUTURE
CONTINUOUS
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I will be playing I won’t be playing
You will be playing You won’t be playing
He will be playing He won’t be playing
We will be playing We won’t be playing
You will be playing You won’t be playing
They will be playing They won’t be playing
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Will I be playing?
Will you be playing?
Will he be playing?
Will we be playing?
Will you be playing?
Will they be playing?
 USES
 We use will be doing to talk about something that
will be in progress at a particular moment in the
future.
This time next week, I'll be sitting on the beach in
Barbados.
 We can use will be doing to talk about future events
that are fixed or decided.
I'll be visiting your country on a regular basis. In fact,
I'm going to be coming next month.
 We can use will be doing to predict what is happening
now.
Try phoning his hotel. He'll probably still be having
breakfast.
FUTURE
PERFECT
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I will have eaten I won’t have eaten
You will have eaten You won’t have eaten
He will have eaten He won’t have eaten
We will have eaten We won’t have eaten
You will have eaten You won’t have eaten
They will have eaten They won’t have eaten
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Will I have eaten?
Will you have eaten?
Will he have eaten?
Will we have eaten?
Will you have eaten?
Will they have eaten?
 USES
 Will have done is used to talk about what will
have been achieved by a certain moment in time.
We'll have been in these offices for eight years next
month.

 We use the future perfect to predict what we think

has already happened at present.
She'll have boarded her plane. It's too late to
contact her.
FUTURE PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I will have been eating I won’t have been eating
You will have been eating You won’t have been eating
He will have benn eating He won’t have been eating
We will have been eating We won’t have been eating
You will have been eating You won’t have been eating
They will have been eating They won’t have been eating
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Will I have been playing?
Will you have been playing?
Will he have been playing?
Will we have been playing?
Will you have been playing?
Will they have been playing?
 USES
 We use the Future Perfect Continuous to show that
something will continue up until a particular event or
time in the future.
James will have been teaching at the university for
more than a year by the time he leaves for Asia.

 The Future Perfect Continuous is used before another

action in the future is a good way to show cause and
effect.
Claudia's English will be perfect when she returns to
Germany because she will have been studying English
in the United States for over two years.
PAST SIMPLE
1. REGULAR VERBS
2. IRREGULAR VERBS
 1. FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I played I didn’t play Did I play?
You played You didn’t play Did you play?
He played He didn’t play Did he play?
We played We didn’t play Did we play?
You played You didn’t play Did you play?
They played They didn’t play Did they play?
 2. FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I forgot I didn’t forget Did I forget?
You forgot You didn’t forget Did you forget?
He forgot He didn’t forget Did he forget?
We forgot We didn’t forget Did we forget?
You forgot You didn’t forget Did you forget?
They forgot They didn’t Did they forget?
forget
WATCH OUT!
PAST CONTINUOS
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I was playing I wasn’t playing Was I playing?
You were playing You weren’t playing Were you playing?
He was playing He wasn’t playing Was he playing?
We were playing We weren’t playing Were we playing?
You were playing You weren’t playing Were you playing?
They were playing They weren’t playingWere they playing?
 USES
 We use it to indicate that a longer action in the
past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a
shorter action in the Simple Past. When + past
simple and while + past continuous.
While I was watching TV my mom called.
When I arrived home, my brother was watching
TV.
 It is used with two actions in the same sentence, it
expresses the idea that both actions were
happening at the same time.
They were reading while I was walking.
PRESENT PERFECT
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I have played I haven’t played Have I played?
You have played You haven’t played Have you played?
He has played He hasn’t played Has he played?
We have played We haven’t played Have we played?
You have played You haven’t played Have you played?
They have played They haven’t played Have they played?
 USES
 We use it to say that an action happened at an
unspecified time before now.
I think I have met him once before.
 We often use the Present Perfect to talk about a
change that has happened over a period of time.
My English has really improved since I moved to
Australia.
 We use this tense when we want to talk about
unfinished actions that started in the past and
continue to the present.
She has lived in London for three years.
 FOR & SINCE
 We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004, April
23rd, last year, two hours ago). The fixed time can be
another action, indicated with the past simple (since I
was at school, since I arrived etc.)
I've known Sam since 1992.
I've liked chocolate since I was a child.
 We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years,
six months)
She has had a cold for a week.
I've known Julie for ten years.
 JUST & YET
 Just is usually used only with the present perfect
tense and it means a short time ago. It comes
between the auxiliary verb (have) and the past
participle .
I’ve just seen Susan coming out of the cinema.
 Yet is used to talk about something which is
expected to happen. It means at any time up to
now. It is used in questions and negatives. It usually
comes at the end of the sentence.
Have you finished your homework yet?
 STILL & ALREADY
 Still is used to talk about something that hasn’t
finished – especially when we expected it to finish
earlier. It usually comes in mid-position.
I’ve been waiting for over an hour and the bus still
hasn’t come.
 It is used to say that something has happened early
– or earlier than it might have happened. It usually
comes in mid-position.
The train’s already left! What are we going to do?
 EVER & NEVER
 Ever means "at any time." One of its uses is in
questions. Have you ever seen a ghost? Another
common use for ever is in negative statements
(in which it means "not at any time").
Bob hasn't ever smoked.
 Never means "not at any time." Its main use is in
negative statements.
Bob has never smoked.
 BEEN & GONE
 We use been (often when we talk about 'life
experience') to mean that the person being talked
about has visited the place, and come back. Notice
the preposition 'to’.
I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in
London, where I live).
 We use gone (often when we are talking about an
action with a result in the present) to mean that
the person is at the place now.
Julie has gone to Mexico (now she's in Mexico).
PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I have been playing I haven’t been playing
You have been playing You haven’t been playing
He has been playing He hasn’t been playing
We have been playing We haven’t been playing
You have been playing You haven’t been playing
They have been playing They haven’t been playing
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Have I been playing?
Have you been playing?
Has he been playing?
Have we been playing?
Have you been playing?
Have they been playing?
 USES
 We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that
something started in the past and has continued up
until now.
She has been working at that company for three years.

 You can also use the Present Perfect Continuous

WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks." Without
the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of
"lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to
emphasize this meaning.
Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
PAST PERFECT
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I had played I hadn’t played Had I played?
You had played You hadn’t played Had you played?
He had played He hadn’t played Had he played?
We had played We hadn’t played Had we played?
You had played You hadn’t played Had you played?
They had played They hadn’t played Had they played?
 USES
 The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something
occurred before another action in the past.
She only understood the movie because she had
read the book.

 We use the Past Perfect to show that something

started in the past and continued up until another
action in the past.
We had had that car for ten years before it broke
down.
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I had been playing I hadn’t been playing
You had been playing You hadn’t been playing
He had been playing He hadn’t been playing
We had been playing We hadn’t been playing
You had been playing You hadn’t been playing
They had been playing They hadn’t been playing
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Had I been playing?
Had you been playing?
Had he been playing?
Had we been playing?
Had you been playing?
Had they been playing?
 USES

 We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that

something started in the past and continued up
until another time in the past. "For five minutes"
and "for two weeks" are both durations which can
be used with the Past Perfect Continuous.
How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
CONDITONAL
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE
I would play I wouldn’t play Would I play?
You would play You wouldn’t play Would you play?
He would play He would’t play Would he play?
We would play We would’t play Would we play?
You would play You would’t play Would you play?
They would play They would’t play Would they play?
 USES
 The word would is used for unreal or imagined
situations.
I would love to visit New York.
 Would can be used to talk about actions that
repeated in the past. It is used in the same context
as used to.
When I was young I would do my homework every
evening.
 We use would for requests.
Would you carry this for me please?
 We use would for offers and invitations.
Would you like to come round tomorrow?
CONDITONAL
PERFECT
 FORM
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I would have played I wouldn’t have played
You would have played You wouldn’t have played
He would have played He would’t have played
We would have played We would’t have played
You would have played You would’t have played
They would have played They would’t have played
 FORM
INTERROGATIVE
Would I have played?
Would you have played?
Would he have played?
Would we have played?
Would you have played?
Would they have played?
 USES
 Conditional perfect is used for something that
might have happened in the past.
She would have met him if she had come earlier.
THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!