English Verb Tenses and Imperatives

Verb Tenses

Verb

Tense

Will, am, are, is

Future

Do, does, am, are, is

Present

Did, was, were

Past

Have, has

Present Perfect

Do = You, I, They    Does = She, He, It

Examples

  • Will: Will Ainhoa play the piano?
  • Do: Do you have a pencil?
  • Does: Does she have a problem?
  • Am: Am I lazy?
  • Are: Are you an idiot?
  • Is: Is the school white?
  • Did: Did David do the work?
  • Was: Was he ugly?
  • Were: Were your friends going to invite José to the party?
  • Have: Have they talked to the police?
  • Has: Where has he been?

Imperatives

Function: Imperatives are used to order someone to do something.

Structure

  • Future: Subject + will + ask + subject + to + verb + complement
  • Present: Subject + asks + subject + to + verb + complement
  • Past: Subject + asked + subject + to + verb + complement

Example (Eat)

  • Mario will ask you to eat worms.
  • Mario asks you to eat worms.
  • Mario asked you to eat worms.

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • ½ cup of milk
  • ¼ teaspoon of vanilla
  • 6 tablespoons of rock salt

You’ll also need:

  • 1 small plastic food storage bag
  • 1 large plastic food storage bag
  • About 50 ice cubes

(This makes enough for about one scoop of ice cream.)

Revolution Park

Revolution Park was opened in 2005. It’s in the center of the town and it’s very popular with everyone. On sunny days, you can see people having a picnic, and on snowy days, people go there to make snowmen. The park is large and there are lots of trees; it is like a natural forest, and there’s a natural lake in the middle. There is also an area for playing some sports. You can play tennis, ride bicycles, or walk with your family.

The Importance of Context

Context is very important because, without it, we can’t understand the message. Context gives meaning to words. For example, win and earn both mean “ganar” in Spanish. However, you win money with the lottery, and you earn money with sponsors.