Comprehensive Guide to English Verb Tenses and Reported Speech

Posted on May 16, 2024 in Spanish

Ser/Estar: To Be

Forms

Present: am, is, are
Past: was, were
Past Participle: been

Common Irregular Verbs

Verb	Past Simple	Past Participle
Ganarle (a alguien) – Beat	beat	beaten
Empezar – Begin	began	begun
Morder – Bite	bit	bitten
Soplar – Blow	blew	blown
Romper – Break	broke	broken
Llevar, Traer – Bring	brought	brought
Construir – Build	built	built
Comprar – Buy	bought	bought
Coger – Catch	caught	caught
Elegir – Choose	chose	chosen
Venir – Come	came	come
Costar – Cost	cost	cost
Hacer – Do	did	done
Dibujar – Draw	drew	drawn
Soñar – Dream	dreamt	dreamt
Conducir – Drive	drove	driven
Beber – Drink	drank	drunk
Comer – Eat	ate	eaten
Caer – Fall	fell	fallen
Sentir – Feel	felt	felt
Luchar – Fight	fought	fought
Encontrar – Find	found	found
Volar – Fly	flew	flown
Olvidar – Forget	forgot	forgotten
Perdonar – Forgive	forgave	forgiven
Conseguir – Get	got	gotten
Dar – Give	gave	given
Ir – Go	went	gone
Crecer – Grow	grew	grown
Tener – Have	had	had
Oír – Hear	heard	heard
Esconder – Hide	hid	hidden
Golpear – Hit	hit	hit
Sujetar – Hold	held	held
Doler – Hurt	hurt	hurt
Guardar – Keep	kept	kept
Saber – Know	knew	known
Aprender – Learn	learnt	learnt
Marcharse – Leave	left	left
Prestar – Lend	lent	lent
Permitir – Let	let	let
Perder – Lose	lost	lost
Hacer – Make	made	made
Querer decir – Mean	meant	meant
Quedar – Meet	met	met
Pagar – Pay	paid	paid
Poner – Put	put	put
Leer – Read	read	read
Sonar – Ring	rang	rung
Levantar – Rise	rose	risen
Correr – Run	ran	run
Decir – Say	said	said
Ver – See	saw	seen
Vender – Sell	sold	sold
Enviar – Send	sent	sent
Demostrar – Show	showed	showed
Cerrar – Shut	shut	shut
Cantar – Sing	sang	sung
Sentarse – Sit	sat	sat
Dormir – Sleep	slept	slept
Hablar – Speak	spoke	spoken

English Verb Tenses

Past Simple

Form: Verb + ed (regular verbs) or second column of irregular verb table
Negative: Didn’t + base form of verb
Uses: Actions completed in the past, specific time in the past (last year, last week, yesterday, last night, in 1937)

Past Continuous

Form: Was/Were + verb + ing
Uses: Actions in progress at a specific time in the past, actions happening simultaneously in the past, setting the scene for a story
Keywords: When (followed by past simple), while (followed by past continuous)

Present Perfect

Form: Have/Has + past participle (third column of irregular verb table)
Uses: Actions that started in the past and continue to the present, experiences in life, recent events with an impact on the present
Keywords: Never, ever, for, since, already, yet, just

Present Perfect Continuous

Form: Have/Has + been + verb + ing
Uses: Actions that started in the past and continue to the present (emphasizing duration), actions that recently stopped but have a present result
Keywords: For (hours, weeks, years), since, lately, recently

Past Perfect

Form: Had + past participle
Uses: Actions completed before another action in the past
Keywords: By the time, before, when, in the past, until

Present Simple

Form: Base form of verb (add -s for third person singular)
Negative: Don’t/Doesn’t + base form of verb
Uses: Facts, habits, routines, permanent situations
Keywords: Always, every day, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, hardly ever, never

Present Continuous

Form: Am/Is/Are + verb + ing
Uses: Actions happening now, temporary situations, future plans
Keywords: At the moment, now, today, this week, this year, currently, lately, these days, tonight, tomorrow

Past Perfect Continuous

Form: Had + been + verb + ing
Uses: Actions in progress before another action in the past (emphasizing duration)
Keywords: For, since

Modal Perfect

Must have + past participle: Logical deduction about a past event
May have/Might have + past participle: Possibility in the past
Can’t have + past participle: Impossibility in the past
Could have + past participle: Unrealized possibility in the past
Should have/Ought to have + past participle: Regret or criticism about a past action

Modal Verbs

Can: Ability, permission, request
May: Permission (formal), possibility
Might: Suggestion, possibility (weaker than may)
Would: Habits in the past, polite requests
Must: Necessity, obligation
Should: Advice, recommendation
Mustn’t: Prohibition

Future Tenses

Future Simple

Form: Will + base form of verb
Uses: Predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises
Keywords: I think, I believe, I promise

Going to

Form: Am/Is/Are + going to + base form of verb
Uses: Plans, intentions, predictions based on present evidence
Keywords: Look!, Watch out!

Future Continuous

Form: Will be + verb + ing
Uses: Actions in progress at a specific time in the future, actions that will be interrupted
Keywords: By 5 o’clock, 5 hours from now

Future Perfect

Form: Will have + past participle
Uses: Actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future

Reported Speech

Tense Changes

Tense in Direct Speech	Tense in Reported Speech	Example
Present Simple	Past Simple	Direct: “I like ice cream.” Reported: She said (that) she liked ice cream.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	Direct: “I am living in London.” Reported: She said (that) she was living in London.
Will	Would	Direct: “I’ll see you later.” Reported: She said (that) she would see me later.

Reported Questions

Direct: “Where do you live?” Reported: She asked me where I lived.

Reported Requests

Direct: “Please help me.” Reported: She asked me to help her.

Time Expressions in Reported Speech

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
now	then / at that time
today	yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
yesterday	the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of December
last night	the night before, Thursday night
last week	the week before / the previous week
tomorrow	today / the next day / the following day / Friday

This comprehensive guide provides a detailed overview of English verb tenses and reported speech, covering various forms, uses, and keywords. It also includes a table of common irregular verbs and examples of how to change tenses and time expressions when reporting speech.