TENSE | FORM | USE | SIGNAL WORDS |
PRESENTSIMPLE
| A: I / You / We / They eat He / She / It eats N: I / You / We / They don’t eat
He / She / It doesn’t eat Q: Do
I / You / We / They eat?
Does He / She / It eat?
| - For routine actions: I see my grandparents twice a week.
- With facts or general truths: Water boils at 100 Cº
- With permanent situations: I work as a waiter in a restaurant
- Future actions with train, plane schedules, etc. My train leaves at 5.30
- First conditional sentences and in temporal sentences
- With verbs that do not usually go in the present continuous: know, like, hate, want, love, need, belong, mean, understand, remember, prefer…
| - Adverbs of frequency: always, often, usually, generally, seldom, never…
- Every day/ week/ month…
- Once / Twice / Three times… a week/ day / month/ year…
|
PRESENTCONTINUOUS | A: I am eating He / She / It is eating We / You / They are eating N: I am not eating He / She / It isn’t eating We / You / They aren’t eating Q: Am I eating?
Is He / She / It eating?
Are We / You / They eating? | - With actions that occur at the moment of speaking: We’re studying the verbs now.
- With actions that are occurring temporarily: My brother is working hard this year.
- With habitual actions that cause irritation to the speaker: They are always complaining about the same thing.
- With planned and confirmed future actions (date): She’s visiting the doctor tomorrow morning.
- * The present continuous is not usually used with the following verbs: know, like, want, hate, love, need, belong mean, understand, believe, remember, prefer; although some of these verbs may appear in continuous form with a different meaning
| - Now, right now
- At present, at the moment, in this moment, ….
- These days, this year/ month/ week…, nowadays
- Tonight, tomorrow, next week / month…, in a minute, in a couple of days…
|
PASTSIMPLE | A: He watched
/ He ate N: He didn’t watch / He didn’t eat Q: Did he watch? / Did he eat? | - With past actions that took place at a certain time: We didn’t watch TV last night
- Narrate sequenced past events
- Normally, after the following expressions: I wish, If only, as if, as though, would rather, would sooner, it’s time….
| - Yesterday
- Last month / week..
- Ago
- Past dates
|
PASTCONTINUOUS | A: I / He / She / It was eating We / You / They were eating N: I / He / She / It wasn’t eating We / You / They weren’t eating Q:
Was I / He / She / It eating?
Were We / You / They eating? | - To express an incomplete action that was happening in the past. (long action): Last week, we were working in a science project.
- To indicate that a long action was taking place in the past when it was interrupted by another short one: We were watching TV, when suddenly the TV set broke down.
- To indicate that 2 or + long actions were happening simultaneously in the past: While I was cooking dinner, he was laying the table.
- To indicate repeated and monotonous actions in the past indicating a certain complaint: The children were always screaming.
- For descriptions and specifications: People were walking, the sun was shining, the birds….
| |
PRESENTPERFECTSIMPLE | A: I / You / We / They have eaten He / She / It has eaten N: I / You / We / They haven’t eaten He / She / It hasn’t eaten Q: have I / You / We / They eaten?
has He / She / It eaten?
| - To talk about actions that happened in the past but arrive or have importance in the present: I have found a wallet in the street.
- With the superlative: She’s the most intelligent person I have ever met.
- In the expressions
It’s the first/ second time: It’s the first time I’ve eaten raw fish
| - Already (AF)…already
- Yet (NG/INT)….already, yet, still
- For…during, for
- Since…since
- Just…just
- This week/ month…
- Recently
- Adverbs of frequency: ever…
|
PRESENTPERFECTCONTINUOUS | A: I / You / We / They have been eating He / She / It has been eating N: I / You / We / They haven’t been eating He / She / It hasn’t been eating Q: have I / You / We / They
eating?
has He / She / It
eating?
| - It has the same use as the present perfect simple but highlighting the duration of the activity: I’ve been working in this factory since 1999.
- To talk about past actions that have just concluded and their result is evident: Have you been frying fish?
| - Already (AF)…already
- Yet (NG/INT)….already, yet, still
- For…during, for
- Since…since
- Just…just
- This week/ month…
- Recently
- Adverbs of frequency: ever…
|
PASTPERFECTSIMPLE | A: He had eaten N: He hadn’t eaten Q: Had he eaten? | - To talk about a past action that happened before another: The school had already closed when I arrived.
- In third conditional sentences
- In temporal sentences to emphasize that a past action was completely finished before another began: He didn’t go to bed until the last TV programme had finished.
- With I wish / If only
to regret something that has happened in the past: If only they had stayed with us - In the expression It was the first / the second… time: It was the second time I had flown.
| - Already (AF)…already
- Just
- Until / Till
- Before
- As soon as
- After
|
PASTPERFECTCONTINUOUS | A: He had been eating N: He hadn’t been eating Q: Had
eating? | - To talk about a past action that happened before another but emphasizing the duration of it: She was so ill because she had been eating so many chocolates.
| - For
- Since
- The whole day / all day
|
FUTURE ISIMPLE(WILL) | A: He
will eat N: He won’t eat Q: Will
he
eat? | - Express certainty in the future: We will definitely phone her tonight.
- Predictions: It’ll be windy tomorrow.
- Promises: I’ll buy you a present for your birthday.
- Make a decision at the time of speaking: It’s hot in here. I’ll open the windows.
- Make an offer: I’ll carry the suitcase if you like.
- Ask for something politely: Will you do it for me?
- In first conditional: If it rains, we’ll stay at home.
- When we suggest something we use SHALL: Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
| - Tomorrow
- Next day/ week….
- Future dates
|
FUTURE ISIMPLE(GOING TO) | A: I am going to eat He / She / It is going to eat We / You / They are going to eat N: I am not going to eat He / She / It isn’t going to eat We / You / They aren’t going to eat Q: Am I going to eat?
Is He / She / It going to eat?
Are We / You / They going to eat?
| - Express intentions: I’m going to eat less.
- To talk about future plans: They’re going to build a new bridge in autumn.
- To make future predictions through evident facts in the present: It’s very hot today. We are going to sweat.
- To talk about facts that are going to happen for sure in the future: I’m going to finish Bachillerato next year.
| - Tomorrow
- Next day/ week….
- Future dates
|
FUTURE ICONTINUOUS | A: He
will be eating N: He won’t be eating Q: Will
he be
eating? | - To talk about actions that will be underway at a certain time in the future: At this time next web we’ll be flying to New York.
- To ask about other people’s plans, especially when we want to ask for a favor: Will you be driving to the supermarket tomorrow?
| - Tomorrow
- Next day/ week….
- Future dates
|
FUTURE IIPERFECT SIMPLE | A: He will have eaten.
N: He won’t have eaten.
Q:
Will he have eaten? | - Actions that will be finished at a certain time in the future: We’ll have flown to New York by next week.
| |
CONDITIONAL ISIMPLE | A: He would eat.
N: He wouldn’t eat.
Q:
Would he eat? | - Action that could occur:
- Conditional sentences type II : If I were you I would study more.
| - Conditional sentences (if) type II
|
CONDITIONAL II SIMPLE | A: He would have eaten.
N: He wouldn’t have eaten.
Q:
Would he have eaten? | - Action that could have taken place in the past
- Conditional sentences type III: If I had studied for the exam, I would have passed it.
| - Conditional sentences (if) type III
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