English Tenses PDF
English Tenses PDF
English Tenses PDF
Past
Simple Past
Past
Continuous
Future
Past Perfect
Past Perfect
Continuous
Simple Future
Future
Continuous
Present
Simple
Present
Present
Continuous
Present
Perfect
Present
Perfect
Continuous
Future
Perfect
Future
Perfect
Continuous
Simple
Present
Positive
Negative
Sentence Structure
Singular Subject
1) He, She, It or Singular Noun
2) I, You
Plural Subject
We, They, You
He, She, It
I, You, We, They, You
He, She, it
I
They, We, You
Irregular Verb To be
Subject + Is
Subject + am
Subject + are
Sentence Structure
Singular Subject
1) He, She, It or Singular Noun
2) I, You
Plural Subject
Subject + do not + 1st Form of Verb
Irregular Verb To be
He, She, it
I
They, We, You
Sentence Structure
Singular Subject
1) He, She, It or Singular Noun
2) I, You
Plural Subject
Subject + 1st Form of Verb
Interogative
He, She, It
I, You, We, They, You
Do + Subject + Has ?
Does + Subject + Have ?
Irregular Verb To be
Subject + Is not
Subject + am not
Subject + are not
He, She, it
I
They, We, You
Is + Subject ?
Am + Subject ?
Are + Subject ?
Modal Verbs
Modal Verbs
Modal Verbs
Uses
1st Use: Repeated Actions
Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.
Examples: I play tennis. She does not play tennis. Does he play tennis? The train leaves every morning at 8 AM. The train does not leave at 9 AM. When does the train usually leave? She always forgets her purse. He never forgets his wallet. Every twelve
months, the Earth circles the Sun. Does the Sun circle the Earth?
2nd Use: Facts or Generalizations
The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.
Examples: Cats like milk. Birds do not like milk. Do pigs like milk? California is in America. California is not in the United Kingdom. Windows are made of glass. Windows are not made of wood. New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is
untrue.
Present
Continuous
I
You
He, She, It
We, They, You
Positive
Negative
Interogative
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
I
You
He, She, It
We, They, You
I
You
He, She, It
We, They, You
Uses
1st Use: Now
Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.
Examples: You are learning English now. You are not swimming now. Are you sleeping? I am sitting. I am not standing. Is he sitting or standing? They are reading their books. They are not watching
television. What are you doing? Why aren't you doing your homework?
Present
Perfect
He, She, It
I , You, We, They
Positive
Negative
Interogative
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
He, She, It
I , You, We, They
Uses
He, She, It
I , You, We, They
Uses
1st
5th
Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week, in
the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.
Examples:
Have you been to Mexico in the last year?
I have seen that movie six times in the last month.
They have had three tests in the last week.
She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far.
My car has broken down three times this week.
NOTICE
"Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time
which requires Simple Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires
Present Perfect.
Examples:
I went to Mexico last year.
I went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one.
I have been to Mexico in the last year.
I have been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.
2nd Use: Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)
With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the
past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with
the Present Perfect.
Examples:
I have had a cold for two weeks.
She has been in England for six months.
Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.
Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the
words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
You have only seen that movie one time.
Have you only seen that movie one time?
He, She, It
I , You, We, They
Positive
Negative
Interogative
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
He, She, It
I , You, We, They
He, She, It
I , You, We, They
Uses
1st Use: Duration from the Past Until Now
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous.
Examples:
They have been talking for the last hour.
She has been working at that company for three years.
What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
James has been teaching at the university since June.
We have been waiting here for over two hours!
Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?
2nd Use: Recently, Lately
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.
Examples:
Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
She has been watching too much television lately.
Have you been exercising lately?
Mary has been feeling a little depressed.
Lisa has not been practicing her English.
What have you been doing?
IMPORTANT
Remember that the Present Perfect Continuous has the meaning of "lately" or "recently." If you use the Present Perfect Continuous in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it can suggest that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question
such as "Have you been smoking?" can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person. Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear or feel the results of the action. It is possible to insult someone by using this tense incorrectly.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs
It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Present Perfect Continuous with these
verbs, you must use Present Perfect.
Examples:
Sam has been having his car for two years. Not Correct
Sam has had his car for two years. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
You have only been waiting here for one hour.
Have you only been waiting here for one hour?
Simple Past
He, She, It
I
We, They, You
Positive
Negative
Interogative
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
Sentence Structure
Subject + Had
Subject + Had
He, She, It
I, You, We, They, You
Irregular Verb To be
Irregular Verb To be
He, She, it
I
They, We, You
He, She, It
I
We, They, You
Subject + Was
Subject + Was
Subject + Were
He, She, it
I
They, We, You
He, She, It
I
We, They, You
Irregular Verb To be
He, She, it
I
They, We, You
Was + Subject ?
Was + Subject ?
Were + Subject ?
Uses
1st
When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past . Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my
question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question,
and then, I paid her one dollar.
Example:
I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
You just called Debbie.
Did you just call Debbie?