Verb Tenses

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The document covers different English verb tenses including simple present, past, future, perfect, continuous and their usage.

The document covers 12 different verb tenses: simple present, present progressive, simple past, past continuous, simple future, future progressive, present perfect, past perfect, past perfect continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous and going to future.

Simple present tense is used to talk about habits, general truths and things that happen regularly. It can also be used to tell a story.

GRAMMARBANK

VERB TENSES
E-BOOK
Table of Contents

1. Simple Present
2. Present Progressive
3. Simple Past
4. Past Continuous
5. Simple Future
6. (Be) Going to Future
7. Future Continuous
8. Present Perfect
9. Past Perfect
10. Past Perfect Continuous
11. Future Perfect
12. Future Perfect Continuous

May be freely copied for personal or classroom use


Redistributing this ebook is a violation of copyright laws
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Simple Present Tense

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I know.

I dont (do not) know.

Do I know?

YOU

You know.

You dont (do not) know.

Do you know?

WE

We know.

We dont (do not) know.

Do we know?

THEY

They know.

They dont (do not) know.

Do they know?

HE/SHE/IT

He knows.

He doesnt (does not) know.

Does he know?

Main Use:
We use simple present tense to talk about
things that we always do or situations that
occur in general.

The sun sets in the West.


The water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
I go to school every week.
The fact that they dont visit us doesnt mean that they dont love us.

Simple present to talk about habits/hobbies

Every June we go to Florida for a vacation.


I brush my teeth every morning.
Bus comes at 3 o'clock.

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Some Grammar:

RULE 1:
In affirmative form add s to the verbs after the subjects he/she/it.

Examples:
Celine loves me.
He manages well.
My sister reads a lot.

RULE 2:
In affirmative form add es to the verbs ending in sh, -ch, -ss, -o, -x after the
subjects he/she/it.

Examples:
John washes his face.
Sarah watches TV.
The little kid kisses her mother.
He goes to the cinema.
RULE 3:
In affirmative form remove y and add -ies to the verbs ending in consonant +
y after the subjects he/she/it.

Examples:
Daniel studies English. (the verb study ends in d which is a consonant + y)
That baby cries a lot. (the verb cry ends in r which is a consonant + y)
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Note: in question and negative forms, we dont use the three rules above, instead;
we just use the bare forms of the verbs.

Examples:
He doesnt go to school. (not he doesnt goes)
Does Tom miss his family? (not does Tom misses)

Some time expressions used with simple present tense:


always

almost(nearly) always usually

often

normally

generally

sometimes

occasionally

hardly

hardly ever

scarcely

Barely

rarely

Everyday/week/month seldom

never

Note: the adverbs with negative meanings turn the sentences into negative:

Examples:
I hardly ever visit my uncle. ( I dont visit my uncle.)
The cheetah rarely likes to hunt. (they dont hunt)

When we use negative adverbs in the beginning, we use inversion.

Examples:
Seldom does she visit her uncle. (she seldom visits her uncle).
Barely did she work with us. (she barely worked with us.)

We can use these adverbs with simple past tense as well.


I often played soccer when I was in high school.
I rarely went to the cinema when I was in London.
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We can use this tense with a future meaning.

The deadline for new registration finishes next week.


The train arrives in ten minutes.

When telling a story or a joke, we can use simple present.


The man opens the drawer and takes out a gun
A bus stops outside the school and a little boy gets on it slowly.

After time clauses when, while, after, before, as soon as, as, until, by the time,
etc. we use simple present instead of future tense.
Example:
When I see him tomorrow Ill talk to him.
will see
am going to see
would see

We use the present simple rather than the present continuous with stative
verbs:
I agree with you. (not I am agreeing with you)
I like this hamburger. (not I am liking this hamburger)

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Some common stative verbs are:

Agree

Like

Believe

Look

Understand

Own

Cost

Prefer

Disagree
Dislike

Promise
Realize

Feel

Recognize

Forget

Regret

Forgive

Resemble

Love

See
Suppose

Know

Want

Notice

Wish

Hate
Hope
I promise you. (I am promising you)
I love you. (I am loving you)
I want a cupcake. (I am wanting a cupcake)

Attention:
Some of these words are used with present progressive tense, but they have
different meanings.

You are looking at me.


Correct
You are looking beautiful. Incorrect
You look beautiful.
Correct
I see that girl. (That girl is visible to me right now)
I am seeing that girl. (I am dating that girl)
Saying I am seeing you for the first meaning of 'to see' is incorrect.
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Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I am eating.

I am not eating.

am I eating?

YOU

You are eating.

You arent (are not) eating.

are you eating?

WE

We are eating.

We arent (are not) eating.

are we eating?

THEY

They are eating.

They arent (are not) eating.

are they eating?

HE/SHE/IT

It is eating.

It isnt (is not) eating.

Is it eating?

Main Use:
When talking about actions or events that
happen at the time of speaking:

Examples:

I am sleeping now.
Are you waiting for me here?
They are watching TV at the moment.
Look! She is coming back.

Rule:
We use verb to be + Verb-ing

Spelling rule:
When we dont pronounce the last e of a verb (when its not strong), we drop it.
Example:
I am writing an e-mail right now. (the last letter e is not pronounced.)
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Some time expressions used with present progressive tense:


Now

right now

at the moment

at present

currently

today

tonight

this week

Note: sometimes the action may not be going on at the time of speaking.
I am reading a novel by John Steinback. (not right now, but can be nowadays)

Some Other Uses of Present Continuous:

To indicate temporary situations


Example:
I am living in an apartment till I find an affordable house. (temporary situation)

When we complain about repeated actions:


Examples:
You are always losing your temper.
She is constantly parking her car in front of my house.

To talk about changes:


Examples:
Every day more and more people are visiting our website.
You are being rude now.

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Simple Past Tense


SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I walked.

I didnt(did not) walk .

did I walk?

YOU

You walked.

You didnt (did not) walk.

Did you walk?

WE

We walked.

We didnt (did not) walk.

Did we walk?

THEY

They walked.

They didnt (did not) walk.

Did they walk?

HE/SHE/IT

He walked.

He didnt (did not) walk.

Did he walk?

Main Use:
We use simple past tense when talking
about an action or an event that started
and ended at a specific time in the past.
Examples:
I saw the English teacher a few hours ago.
I was born in 1981.
When I got into the room, I found Jessy crying.

Some Grammar:
We use the second form of the verbs (V2) with the past simple.
Rule 1:
In affirmative form add ed to the verb.

Examples:
They walked across the bridge carefully.
The class started three hours ago.
He fixed the fences.
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Rule 2:
In affirmative form add only d to the verbs ending in e.

Examples:
He liked playing soccer.
They decided to join us.
I recognized him.
Rule 3:
In affirmative form remove y and add -ied to the verbs ending in consonant+y
Example:
They carried all the boxes. (carry)
Roberto studied a lot to pass his exam. (study)
Rule 4:
Irregular verbs (the verbs that are exceptions to the above rules)

Examples:
We saw the thief stealing the money.
They broke the window.
Jessica took my pen.
My brother won the golden medal.
You can find a comprehensive list of irregular verbs at:
http://www.grammarbank.com/irregular-verbs.html

Note: in question and negative forms, we dont use the four rules above, instead; we
just use the bare forms of the verbs.

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Examples:
I didnt give it.
(not didnt gave)
Did you buy that?
(not did you bought)
We didnt pay for it. (not didnt paid)

Time expressions used with simple past tense:


yesterday

(some time) ago

in 2000 / in the second century / ...

last week / month / year / summer / winter / May / June / Monday ...

Examples:
They found the lost box yesterday morning.
He left five minutes ago.
They got divorced five months ago.
I ran into Ted last week.
We went to Egypt for a vacation in 1988.

We can also use the past simple for situations that existed for a long time in
the past.

Examples:
When I was in London, I smoked. (used to smoke)
Our teacher at high school was so strict that he severely punished any
misbehaving students. (would punish)

Note: we should pay attention to tense agreement in sentences with time clauses
such as when, while, after, before, as, by the time, etc.

Example:
He always shouted at me before he listened to me. (not has listened or listens)
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We can use for with simple past tense as well if the action finished in the
past.
I stayed at a hotel in Paris for six months. ( I am no longer staying there)
I played volleyball for 3 years at high school. (I am no longer playing)

Sometimes we dont use the simple past for past actions.

It is high time somebody did something (It has a present meaning)


(About)

Examples:
Its time you went to bed. (it's your bed time, go to bed.)
Its about time you went to bed.
Its about time you grew up and became realistic.

Attention:
It was time you had started (start) studying.

If Clause
Second conditional if clauses - we use the simple past with a present meaning.

Examples:
If I went shopping, I would buy some cheese.
Even if I knew your phone number, I wouldn't call you.

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Wish Clause & Would Rather


Wish clauses or would rather - we use the simple past with a present meaning.

Examples:
I wish you worked with us. (but you dont)
I wish we were in Miami lying on the beach.
I would rather you smoked less.
I wish you smoked less.

As If & As though (pretend to be)


When we use the simple past tense with as if / as though, we mean that we dont
believe in it.

Examples:
She speaks as if she was an expert.(she is not)
I feel as though the world turned round me.(it doesnt)
She speaks as if she is an expert.(I believe she is) (present tense)

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Past Continuous (Progressive)

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I was walking.

I wasnt (was not) walking.

Was I walking?

YOU

You were walking.

You werent (were not) walking.

Were you walking?

WE

We were walking.

We werent (were not) walking.

Were we walking?

THEY

They were walking.

They werent (were not) walking.

Were they walking?

HE/SHE/IT

He was walking.

He wasnt (was not) walking.

Was he walking?

Main Use:
We use past continuous when we talk
about actions or events that was going on
(for a while) at a particular time in the past:
Examples:
What were you doing from 10 to 11 yesterday?
I was waiting for the bus this time yesterday.
They were cleaning the attic last week this time.

Rule:
We use the past form of the verb to be - was / were + Verb-ing
Spelling rule:
When we dont pronounce the last e of a verb (when its not strong), we drop it.
I was hiding behind the tree when my brother caught me. (the last letter e is
not pronounced.)
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Simple Past vs Past Continuous


Simple past tense talks about completed events, however; we use the progressive
tense for situations that existed at the time and went on for a while.
The fire alarm went off just as my brother was getting into the bath.
My aunt Sandra found an old book while she was looking for her purse.
(short actions)
/
(long actions)

When two actions or events existed simultaneously we can use the past
continuous for both:

Christina was tidying her room while her mother was washing up.
Melissa was taking a shower while I was watching TV.
Note: we can use the past simple in the same way.
Melissa took a shower while I watched TV.

Attention!
We dont use the past continuous for a long-term situation.

Examples:
When I was younger, I played basketball so well. (not I was playing)
My uncle worked in a phone factory for ten years. (not my uncle was
working)

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Attention!
We dont use the past continuous or any continuous tense with repeated
actions or events.

Examples:
I traveled to U.S. three times last year. (not I was traveling...)
I called you five times yesterday. (not I was calling...)

We use the past simple when we talk about two or more consecutively
completed events or actions.

Examples:
Teacher came into the class, greeted the students and started the lesson.
Clara dressed up, put on her shoes, went out for shopping.

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FUTURE TENSES
Simple Future (Will)

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I will come.

I wont (will not) come.

Will I come?

YOU

You will come.

You wont (will not) come.

Will you come?

WE

We will come.

We wont (will not) come.

Will we come?

THEY

They will come.

They wont (will not) come.

Will they come?

HE/SHE/IT

He will come.

He wont (will not) come.

Will he come?

Form: will + verb


It is one of the simplest tenses in English grammar,
we just add the bare form of the verb after the
auxiliary will.

Examples:
I will see you tomorrow.
They will visit us soon.
I will pick up the phone.
It looks like it will rain tomorrow.

Will future is also known as simple future and it is used for unplanned future. You are
having a conversation with friends and they tell you about a party the next day which
you didn't know about until then and you suddenly say Oh, I will come to the party
tomorrow too. You just decided at that moment.
And they say We will see you at the party.
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(be) Going To Future

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I am going to do.

I am not going to do.

Am I going to do?

YOU

You are going to do.

You arent (are not) going to do.

Are you going to do?

WE

We are going to do.

We arent (are not) going to do.

Are we going to do?

THEY

They are going to do.

They arent (are not) going to do.

Are they going to do?

HE/SHE/IT

He is going to do.

He isnt (is not) going to do.

Is he going to do?

Form: form of be + going to + verb


Similar to will we use the bare form of the verb
after be going to

Examples:
I am going to drive to L.A.
We arent going to participate in this race.
Are they going to swim with us?

Main Uses:
Both will future and going to future talk about future. However we prefer be
going to rather than will when we have some evidence.
Whats the matter with your daughter. She looks so pale.
She looks like she is going to faint.
Look at all those dark clouds, it is going to rain.
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If its just a prediction or a hope, we use will.


She hopes she will win the race.
I hope I will see you again very soon.

For the decisions made at the time of speaking.

Examples:
A: I have a severe headache.
B: Dont worry Ill get you an aspirin.
A: The phone is ringing.
B: OK. I will answer it.

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Present Continuous vs Will vs be going to FUTURE


We use the present continuous for more organized actions. There is more
certainty.
be going to for planned actions / events with some certainty.
will for unplanned or decisions made at the time of speaking.

Examples:
Im seeing my dentist tomorrow at 7. (more organized)
Im going to see my dentist tomorrow.(theres a certain plan)
I will see my dentist tomorrow. (there is not much certainty)

We use simple present instead of future tenses after time clauses such as:
when / while / after / before / as / as soon as / by the time / just as / etc.

Example:
When you arrive , Ill call him and let him know.
are going to arrive
will arrive
We can use shall or shant instead of will or wont with the pronouns I we to be more polite in formal English.

When I retire, I shall/will have more time for fishing.

When ordering, offering or requesting something.


Be quiet, will you? (order)
Will you be quiet? (request)
Shall I help you? (offer)

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Future Continuous
SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I will be going.

I wont (will not) be going.

Will I be going?

YOU

You will be going.

You wont (will not) be going.

Will you be going?

WE

We will be going.

We wont (will not) be going.

Will we be going?

THEY

They will be going.

They wont (will not) be going.

Will they be going?

HE/SHE/IT

He will be going.

He wont (will not) be going.

Will he be going?

Main Use:
We use will+be+V-ing when we talk about an
action or an event which shows a duration at a
particular time in the future.

Examples:
I will be bicycling from 10:00 to 11:00 tonight.
Next Saturday, our manager will be celebrating ten years in management.
After the graduation, I won't be doing anything for a while.
My grandparents will be coming to our house again for Christmas.(they always
do)
At this time tomorrow, Ill be lying on the beach.
When you arrive at the airport tonight, well be waiting for you.

When we want to make an invitation we use will; however, when we want to


ask for a previous arrangement we use the future continuous.
Will you come to the party? (A request, an invitation)
Will you be coming to the party? (asking about a previous arrangement)

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Future Continuous & Present Continuous for the Future


We can use both the future continuous and the present continuous for planned
activities or events in the future.

Example:
We will be landing / are landing for Venice at 7.00 in the morning.
I will be driving / am driving tomorrow early in the morning.

Note: when we talk about unexpected events, we use the present continuous.

Example:
A: Have you talked to Mr. Anderson?
B: No, why?
A: He is leaving in an hour! (not ...will be leaving)

Will & Future Continuous (Progressive)

Tommy will help me do my homework.(= he is eager to help)


Tommy will be helping me do my homework. (= a previous arrangement)

Will you join us?(= an invitation)


Will you be joining us? (= asking about a possible previous arrangement)

I will leave early tomorrow.(= I have just decided)


I'll be leaving early tomorrow. (= already arranged)

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PERFECT TENSES
All perfect tenses talk about a specific moment before another.

Sometime before the present


Present Perfect => Have you come to a decision yet?
Past----------Present Perfect----------now----------future

Sometime before another time in the past


Past Perfect

=> In 1992 a German called Wegner declared that all the


continents had been joined together.

----------Past Perfect----------past----------now----------future

Sometime before another time in the future


Future Perfect

=> Everything will have been prepared by the time we set sail
tomorrow.

----------Past----------now----------Future Perfect----------future

We can use perfect tenses to express cause and effect situation.


Examples:

I have lost my keys, so I cant get into my house.


I had lost my keys, so I couldnt get into my house.
I will have finished my assignment by tomorrow so that I can hand it in.
They closed down the factory because it had caused great damage to the
environment.

Let's look at the perfect tenses in detail

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Present Perfect Tense

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I have seen.

I havent (have not) walked.

Have I grown?

YOU

You have seen.

You havent (have not) walked.

Have you grown?

WE

We have seen.

We havent (have not) walked.

Have we grown?

THEY

They have seen.

They havent (have not) walked.

Have they grown?

HE/SHE/IT

He has seen.

He hasnt (has not) walked.

Has he grown?

Main Use:
The Present Perfect Tense expresses actions or
events that began in the past and are still true or
appropriate in the present time, or just finished.
Present Perfect is also used for something that
happened in the past but the exact time of the
action isnt known or is not important.

Examples:
My brother has dedicated all his life to helping the poor.
Daniel has successfully managed to pass his class.
Ive learned the truth.

Formation: have / has + verb3(-ed / -d / -ied / irregular verbs)

Examples:
They have walked across the bridge carefully.
The class has started.
He has fixed the fences.

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He has phoned me before.


They have decided to join us.
I have recognized him
They have carried all the boxes.
Roberto has studied a lot to pass his exam.

We have seen the thief stealing the money.


They have broken the window
Jessica has taken my pen.

Events or activities that happened in the past but the effects are still present.

Examples:
Ive broken the window.( it is still broken)
My brothers lost his car keys.(he cant find them)
I've found the glasses you were looking for. (they are here)

When we talk about an incomplete period of time.


It hasnt snowed much this year.
incomplete period
It has snowed a lot
snowed

in the past two days.


in the last two months.
over the last/past three decades.

Time expression used in present perfect tense:


since

for

ever

never

lately

recently

so far

by now

up until now

up to now

up to present

until now

these days

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Already / just / yet


Already
We use already to say that something finished or happened before an
expected time.
Note: it is used before the participle.
Examples:
A friend asks to have lunch together and I say
I have already finished my lunch. (He/She didn't expect I had already had lunch)
They have already finished building the bridge.
She has already left.

Just
We use just to say that something has finished or happened very recently.
Examples:
The new manager walks through the door and one says:
The new manager has just arrived.
My brother has just graduated from college.

Yet
We use yet to say that something is expected to happen.
Examples:
Have you finished your homework yet?
No, I havent finished it yet.
Yet is usually used in negatives and questions, though, you will see the following
usage also.
I have yet to learn verb tenses. (I haven't learned verb tenses yet.)
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For vs Since
For: the amount of time passed
Since: a specific of time, starting point / date / clause
For two years
Since two years ago
Since I saw him
For a week

for more than 3 weeks


for a long time
since the wedding
since your wedding

for ages
since yesterday
since you came
for a month

Examples:
Ive worked as an English teacher for the past 5 years. (indicates a duration)
Ive worked as an English teacher since 2004. (indicates the starting point)
She has changed a lot since she moved to downtown. (followed by a clause)

First / second / third etc. time +

Present Perfect

This is the

Present Perfect

superlative
the most

Examples:

This is the first time Ive seen such a beautiful beach.


This is the 13th patient Ive examined today.
Jessica is the most irresistible woman Ive ever seen.
This is the last time Ive told you my secret.
Its the best film Ive ever seen in ages.

Present Perfect to emphasize the meaning of the sentences.


Examples:
Once you have finished your assignment you can go out.
Once you have mastered grammar and vocabulary you will feel more
comfortable speaking.

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Been vs Gone
Been (to/in)
We use been to say that somebody went somewhere and came back.

Examples:
Gerard has been to Paris. ( hes not there any more, maybe here)
I have been to that caf before. (I am here in front of the listener.)
A: Where have you been?
B: Oh, I have been to the supermarket.
A: have your ever been to Vegas? (did you go and come back?)
B: No, but my cousin has been there. And now she says she wants to go there again.

Gone
We use gone to say that somebody went somewhere and hasnt come back
yet.

Examples:
Peter has gone to the florist. (he is still there)
A: Is James in his office?
B: No. Hes gone out. And I dont know when hell be back. (he is still out)

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Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive)

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I have been eating.

I havent (have not) been walking.

Have I been walking?

YOU

You have been eating.

You havent (have not) been walking.

Have you been walking?

WE

We have been eating.

We havent (have not) been walking.

Have we been walking?

THEY

They have been eating.

They havent (have not) been walking.

Have they been walking?

HE/SHE/IT

He has been eating.

He hasnt(has not) been walking.

Has he been walking?

Main Use:
We use present perfect progressive tense
when talking about a situation that started
in the past and still going on now since
then.

Examples:
He has been staring at me for 2 hours.
Ive been living in England for over two years.
A: Whats wrong? Why are you out of breath?
B: Because I have been running for over an hour.

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Present Perfect Continuous vs Present Perfect


We don't use the present perfect continuous when we mention the number of
times the activity or event was repeated.
Examples:
I've called you 3 times today.

(not have been calling)

He has visited seven countries this year so far. (not has been visiting)

When we talk about long-lasting situations we use the present perfect.


Examples:
I have always respected my elders.
She is the most attractive woman I've ever met.

We use the present perfect with short / sudden actions.


Examples:
I have dropped my key.
She has lost her passport.

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Past Perfect Tense


SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I had fixed.

I hadnt (had not) fixed.

Had I fixed?

YOU

You had fixed.

You hadnt (had not) fixed.

Had you fixed?

WE

We had fixed.

We hadnt (had not) fixed.

Had we fixed?

THEY

They had fixed.

They hadnt (had not) fixed.

Had they fixed?

HE/SHE/IT

He had fixed.

He hadnt (had not) fixed.

Had he fixed?

Main Use:
We use the past perfect to talk about a past
event or situation that was before another
past event.
Examples:
They had eaten dinner when I arrived.
I had attended several English courses before I traveled to U.S.
They hadnt met before the school started.
Jack went out after he had finished his homework.
We had never tried sushi until we visited Japan.

Two past events:


The event that happened first is used with past perfect tense and the other event
which happened later is in simple past.
1. The movie started at 8.30
2. I arrived at 9.30
We put the events in order and then decide which one to use the past perfect with.
8:30

9:30

now

future

(Both event are past)

The movie had already started by the time I arrived at the cinema.

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Example 2:
1. They called the car dealer.
2. Their favorite car was sold.
We put the events in order and then decide which one to use the past perfect with.

Car was sold

/ they called

now

future

(Both past)

Their favorite car had already been sold when they called the car dealer.
1st event
2nd event

Some indicators for past perfect tense


2 past events / actions related to each other and one after another.
An indicator word / phrase below
By the time / when / after / before / until

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Past Perfect Continuous (Progressive) Tense

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I had been eating.

I hadnt (had not) been walking.

Had I been walking?

YOU

You had been eating.

You hadnt (had not) been walking.

Had you been walking?

WE

We had been eating.

We hadnt (had not) been walking.

Had we been walking?

THEY

They had been eating.

They hadnt (had not) been walking.

Had they been walking?

HE/SHE/IT

He had been eating.

He hadnt (had not) been walking.

Had he been walking ?

Main Use:
We use past perfect continuous when we talk
about actions or events that went on for a while
before another past event.

Examples:

She had been working non-stop for two hours in front of the computer so her
eyes hurt a lot yesterday.
I was exhausted as I had been studying for the exam for many years.
My brother had been sleeping for two hours when you called us.
I had been playing computer games when the lights went out.

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Past Perfect Continuous vs Past Continuous


We use the past continuous to talk about actions or events that was going on at a
particular time in the past; however we prefer the past perfect continuous to specify
how long something had been going on.

Examples:
When I entered the room he was reading a book.
When I entered the room he had been reading a book for hours.
In the first one we just have the information of what was happening.
In the second one we also have the information of how long the event had been
going.

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Future Perfect Tense

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I will have cleaned

I wont (will not) have cleaned

Will I have cleaned

YOU

You will have cleaned

You wont (will not) have cleaned

Will you have cleaned

WE

We will have cleaned

We wont (will not) have cleaned

Will we have cleaned

THEY

They will have cleaned

They wont (will not) have


cleaned

Will they have cleaned

HE/SHE/IT

He will have cleaned

He wont (will not) have cleaned

Will he have cleaned

Main Use:
We use the future perfect tense to show that
an action will take place, or will be completed
before another action or time in the future.

Examples:

We will have eaten when you arrive home tomorrow.


By the time you get ready we will have missed the flight.
Our car will have done 30,000 miles by the end of the year.
By the time the police arrive the thieves will have gone.
Before you get home I will have finished the laundry.

Time expressions used with this tense:

By + a future time reference - tomorrow / then / the year 2025 / the end of this year.

Examples:
I will have graduated by 2016
by tomorrow
by the end of this month

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Future Perfect Continuous

SUBJECTS

AFFIRMATIVE (+)

NEGATIVE (-)

QUESTION (?)

I will have been going.

I wont (will not) have been going.

Will I have been going?

YOU

You will have been going.

You wont (will not) have been going.

Will you have been going?

WE

We will have been going.

We wont (will not) have been going.

Will we have been going?

THEY

They will have been going.

They wont (will not) have been going.

Will they have been going?

HE/SHE/IT

He will have been going.

He wont (will not) have been going.

Will he have been going?

Main Use:
Future perfect continuous tense is used to
emphasize the duration of an event or an
activity that will be going on for a while in
the future:

Examples:

We will have been studying for 2 hours when you join us.
Next year, I will have been teaching English for fifteen years.
By the end of this month I will have been attending in this course for five weeks.
In June, I will have been babysitting for 2 years and 6 months.

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Useful Links:
1. Verb Tenses Chart
2. Verb Tenses Online Exercises
3. Printable Exercises

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with us.
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