English Verb Tenses and Modal Auxiliaries Guide
English Verb Tenses
Present Tenses
Present Simple
Use: Facts, states, habits, repeated actions, stative verbs
- I/You/We/They play
- He/She/It plays
- I/You/We/They do not play
- He/She/It does not play
- Do I/You/We/They play?
- Does He/She/It play?
Present Continuous
Use: Actions happening now, temporary situations, future arrangements
- I am playing
- He/She/It is playing
- We/You/They are playing
- I am not playing
- He/She/It is not playing
- We/You/They are not playing
- Am I playing?
- Is He/She/It playing?
- Are We/You/They playing?
Present Perfect Simple
Use: Present situations that started in the past, past experiences (not specifying when they took place)
- I/You/We/They have played
- He/She/It has played
- I/You/We/They have not played
- He/She/It has not played
- Have I/You/We/They played?
- Has He/She/It played?
Present Perfect Continuous
Use: Present situations that started in the past, past actions or situations with an effect on the past
- I/You/We/They have been playing
- He/She/It has been playing
- I/You/We/They have not been playing
- He/She/It has not been playing
- Have I/We/You/They been playing?
- Has He/She/It been playing?
Past Tenses
Past Simple
Use: Completed actions in the past, repeated things in the past, past states
- I/You/We/They/He/She/It played
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They did not play
- Did I/You/He/She/It/We/They play?
Past Continuous
Use: Actions in progress at a specific time in the past, past actions interrupted by other actions
- I/He/She/It was playing
- We/You/They were playing
- I/He/She/It was not playing
- We/You/They were not playing
- Was I/He/She/It playing?
- Were We/You/They playing?
Past Perfect Simple
Use: States or actions that happened before other events in the past
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They had played
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They had not played
- Had I/You/He/She/It/We/They played?
Past Perfect Continuous
Use: Past actions or situations that happened over a period of time before other actions or situations
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They had been playing
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They had not been playing
- Had I/You/He/She/It/We/They been playing?
Used To
Use: Past habits or situations that are no longer true in the present
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They used to play
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They did not use to play
- Did I/You/He/She/It/We/They use to play?
Future Tenses
Will for Future Use
Use: Making predictions or giving opinions about the future, spontaneous decisions
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They will play
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They will not (won’t) play
- Will I/You/He/She/It/We/They play?
Be Going To for Future Use
Use: Predictions based on evidence, plans and intentions
- I am going to play
- He/She/It is going to play
- We/You/They are going to play
- I am not going to play
- He/She/It is not going to play
- We/You/They are not going to play
- Am I going to play?
- Is He/She/It going to play?
- Are We/You/They going to play?
Future Continuous
Use: Future actions that take place over a period of time, future actions that have already been planned
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They will be playing
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They will not (won’t) be playing
- Will I/You/He/She/It/We/They be playing?
Future Perfect Simple
Use: Events or actions that will be completed by a specific time in the future
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They will have played
- I/You/He/She/It/We/They will not (won’t) have played
- Will I/You/He/She/It/We/They have played?
Modal Auxiliaries
Note: There are two types of modal forms:
- Simple Modals: Modal + Infinitive (Present/Future)
- Perfect Modals: Modal + Have + Past Participle (Past)
Note: The modals could, had to, didn’t need to, didn’t have to are simple modals, but they express meaning in the past.
| Function | Time | Modals | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ability | Present | Can | Samir can speak English. |
| Past | Could | Sarah could swim when she was young. | |
| Possibility | Present | Can/Could, May/Might | It can/could/may/might rain tomorrow. Hassan may/might/could be at the library. |
| Past | Might have + past participle, Could have + past participle | Khalid might have gone to the party. Amal could have finished the project. | |
| Advice | Present | Should, Had better | Children should obey their parents. You had better see a doctor. |
| Regret/Remorse | Past | Should have + past participle | You should have studied harder for the exam. |
| Obligation/Necessity | Present | Must (100%), Have to (70%), Ought to (60% – advice), Need to (40%) | You must be quiet in the library. All citizens have to pay taxes. You ought to exercise regularly. Stop working! You need to rest. |
| Past | Had to | I had to work late yesterday. | |
| Ought to have + past participle | She ought to have called her mother. | ||
| Prohibition | Present | Mustn’t, Can’t | You mustn’t smoke here. We can’t afford to buy a new car. |
| Logical Conclusion/Deduction | Present | Must (positive), Can’t (negative) | Hassan has been running for an hour. He must be tired. He has many bank loans. He can’t be rich. |
| Past | Must have + past participle (positive), Can’t have + past participle (negative) | He is with his wife again. They must have reconciled. I saw him taking the taxi to work. He can’t have driven his car. | |
| Lack of Obligation | Present | Needn’t + infinitive, Don’t have to + infinitive, Don’t need to | I needn’t go to the meeting. We don’t have to wear uniforms. You don’t need to worry about it. |
| Past | Needn’t have + past participle, Didn’t need to + infinitive, Didn’t have to + infinitive | Sam needn’t have brought a gift. I didn’t need to take a taxi. Ali didn’t have to work on weekends. | |
| Permission/Polite Request | Present | Can, May, Could | Can I smoke in here? May I open the window, please? Could you repeat what you have just said, please? |
| Offering Help | Present | Can | Can I help you with the loads? |
| Suggestion | Present | Shall | Shall we go to the movies? |
Practice
Now, supply the functions to the following sentences:
| Sentences | Functions |
|---|---|
| 1- John can speak English, but he can’t speak French. | Ability |
| 2- Nada might participate in the contest tomorrow. | Possibility |
| 3- The office must have closed by now. | Logical Conclusion/Deduction |
| 4- You don’t need to go abroad for study. | Lack of Obligation |
Grammar/Modals – Advanced Level
This section can be expanded to include more advanced topics related to modals and verb tenses, such as:
- Mixed modals
- Modal verbs in reported speech
- nuances in the use of different modal verbs
- More complex examples and exercises