Understanding Verb Tenses in English: Examples

Understanding Verb Tenses in English

Present Tense

• (+) Albert avoids letting me use the car because he is afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert insists on me not driving.
• (-) Albert doesn’t avoid letting me use the car because he isn’t afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert doesn’t insist on me not driving.
• (?) Does Albert avoid letting me use the car because he is afraid of me crashing? Is that why Albert insists on me not driving?

Past Tense

• (+) Albert avoided letting me use the car because he was afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert insisted on me not driving.
• (-) Albert didn’t avoid letting me use the car because he wasn’t afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert didn’t insist on me not driving.
• (?) Did Albert avoid letting me use the car because he was afraid of me crashing? Is that why Albert insisted on me not driving?

Future Tense

• (+) Albert will avoid letting me use the car because he will be afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert will insist on me not driving.
• (-) Albert won’t avoid letting me use the car because he won’t be afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert won’t insist on me not driving.
• (?) Will Albert avoid letting me use the car because he will be afraid of me crashing? Is that why Albert will insist on me not driving?

Present Perfect Tense

• (+) Albert has avoided letting me use the car because he has been afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert has insisted on me not driving.
• (-) Albert hasn’t avoided letting me use the car because he hasn’t been afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert hasn’t insisted on me not driving.
• (?) Has Albert avoided letting me use the car because he has been afraid of me crashing? Is that why Albert has insisted on me not driving?

Past Perfect Tense

• (+) Albert had avoided letting me use the car because he had been afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert had insisted on me not driving.
• (-) Albert hadn’t avoided letting me use the car because he hadn’t been afraid of me crashing. That’s why Albert hadn’t insisted on me not driving.
• (?) Had Albert avoided letting me use the car because he had been afraid of me crashing? Is that why Albert had insisted on me not driving?

Present Tense

• (+) She is ashamed of you not paying her. However, she doesn’t think she will charge you soon.
• (-) She isn’t ashamed of you not paying her. However, she thinks she will charge you soon.
• (?) Is she ashamed of you not paying her? However, does she think she will charge you soon?

Past Tense

• (+) She was ashamed of you not paying her. However, she thought she would charge you soon.
• (-) She wasn’t ashamed of you not paying her. However, she thought she would charge you soon.
• (?) Was she ashamed of you not paying her? However, did she think she would charge you soon?

Future Tense

• (+) She will be ashamed of you not paying her. However, she will think she will charge you soon.
• (-) She won’t be ashamed of you not paying her. However, she won’t think she won’t charge you soon.
• (?) Will she be ashamed of you not paying her? However, will she think she will charge you soon?

Present Perfect Tense

• (+) She has been ashamed of you not paying her. However, she has thought she would charge you soon.
• (-) She hasn’t been ashamed of you not paying her. However, she hasn’t thought she wouldn’t charge you soon.
• (?) Has she been ashamed of you not paying her? However, has she thought she would charge you soon?

Past Perfect Tense

• (+) She had been ashamed of you not paying her. However, she had thought she would charge you soon.
• (-) She hadn’t been ashamed of you not paying her. However, she hadn’t thought she wouldn’t charge you soon.
• (?) Had she been ashamed of you not paying her? However, had she thought she would charge you soon?