Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
The verb is king in English. The shortest sentence contains a verb. You can make a one-word sentence
with a verb, for example: "Stop!" You cannot make a one-word sentence with any other type of word.
Verbs are sometimes described as "action words". This is partly true. Many verbs give the idea of action,
of "doing" something. For example, words like run, fight, do and work all convey action.
But some verbs do not give the idea of action; they give the idea of existence, of state, of "being". For
example, verbs like be, exist, seem and belong all convey state.
A verb always has a subject. (In the sentence "John speaks English", John is the subject and speaks is
the verb.) In simple terms, therefore, we can say that verbs are words that tell us what a subject does
or is; they describe:
There is something very special about verbs in English. Most other words (adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions etc) do not change in form (although nouns can have singular and plural forms). But almost all
verbs change in form. For example, the verb to work has five forms:
Of course, this is still very few forms compared to some languages which may have thirty or more forms
for a single verb.
In this lesson we look at the ways in which we classify verbs, followed by a quiz to test your
understanding:
Verb Classification
Helping Verbs
Main Verbs
1. HELPING VERBS
Imagine that a stranger walks into your room and says:
I can.
People must.
The Earth will.
Do you understand anything? Has this person communicated anything to you? Probably not! That's
because these verbs are helping verbs and have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the
grammatical structure of the sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping
verbs with main verbs. They "help" the main verb. (The sentences in the above examples are therefore
incomplete. They need at least a main verb to complete them.) There are only about 15 helping verbs.
Helping verbs have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the grammatical structure of a
sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping verbs with main verbs. Helping
verbs are also called "auxiliary verbs".
Primary helping verbs, used mainly to change the tense or voice of the main verb, and in making
questions and negatives.
Modal helping verbs, used to change the "mood" of the main verb.
Study the table below. It shows the prinicipal forms and uses of helping verbs, and explains the
differences between primary and modal helping verbs.
* Sometimes we make a sentence that has a helping verb and seems to have no main verb. In fact, the
main verb is "understood". Look at the following examples:
Question: Can you speak English? (The main verb speak is "expressed".)
Answer: Yes, I can. (The main verb speak is not expressed. It is "understood" from the context.
We understand: Yes, I can speak English.
But if somebody walked into the room and said "Hello. I can", we would understand nothing!
Helping Verbs
Primary
Modal
do
(to make simple tenses, and questions and
can
could
negatives)
be
(to make continuous tenses, and the
may
might
passive voice)
have
(to make perfect tenses)
will
would
shall
should
must
ought (to)
"Do", "be" and "have" as helping verbs have exactly
Modal helping verbs are invariable. They
the same forms as when they are main verbs
always have the same form.
(except that as helping verbs they are never used
in infinitive forms).
Primary helping verbs are followed by the main verb "Ought" is followed by the main verb in
in a particular form:
infinitive form. Other modal helping verbs
do + V1 (base verb)
are followed by the main verb in its base
be + -ing (present participle)
form (V1).
ought + to... (infinitive)
have + V3 (past participle)
other modals + V1 (base verb)
"Do", "be" and "have" can also function as main
Modal helping verbs cannot function as
verbs.
main verbs.
be
to make continuous tenses (He is watching TV.)
to make the passive (Small fish are eaten by big fish.)
o
o
have
o
do
o
o
o
o
B. Modal
We use modal helping verbs to "modify" the meaning of the main verb in some way. A modal helping verb
expresses necessity or possibility, and changes the main verb in that sense. These are the modal verbs:
can, could
may, might
will, would,
shall, should
must
ought to
need
dare
used to
2. MAIN VERBS
Now imagine that the same stranger walks into your room and says:
I teach.
People eat.
The Earth rotates.
Do you understand something? Has this person communicated something to you? Probably yes! Not a lot,
but something. That's because these verbs are main verbs and have meaning on their own. They tell us
something. Of course, there are thousands of main verbs.
In the following table we see example sentences with helping verbs and main verbs. Notice that all of
these sentences have a main verb. Only some of them have a helping verb.
helping verb
John
You
They
The children
We
I
are
must
do
not
main verb
likes
lied
are
playing.
go
want
coffee.
to me.
happy.
now.
any.
Helping verbs and main verbs can be further sub-divided, as we shall see on the following pages.
Main verbs are also called "lexical verbs".
Main verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs). There are thousands of main verbs, and we
can classify them in several ways:
Transitive and intransitive verbs
A transitive verb takes a direct object: Somebody killed the President. An intransitive verb does not
have a direct object: He died. Many verbs, like speak, can be transitive or intransitive. Look at these
examples:
transitive:
I saw an elephant.
We are watching TV.
He speaks English.
intransitive:
He has arrived.
John goes to school.
She speaks fast.
Linking verbs
A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. It "links" the subject to what is said about the
subject. Usually, a linking verb shows equality (=) or a change to a different state or place (>). Linking
verbs are always intransitive (but not all intransitive verbs are linking verbs).
be
like, love, prefer, wish
impress, please, surprise
hear, see, sound
belong to, consist of, contain, include, need
appear, resemble, seem
Regular Verbs
English regular verbs change their form very little (unlike irregular verbs). The past tense and past
participle of regular verbs end in -ed, for example:
work, worked, worked
3. The present tense of some regular verbs is the same as the past tense of some irregular verbs:
regular
irregular
accept
add
admire
admit
advise
afford
agree
allow
amuse
analyse
announce
annoy
answer
apologise
applaud
appreciate
approve
argue
arrange
arrest
arrive
attach
attack
attempt
attend
attract
avoid
alert
appear
ask
back
bake
balance
ban
bang
bare
bat
bathe
battle
beg
behave
belong
bleach
bless
blind
blink
blot
blush
boil
bolt
bomb
book
bore
borrow
bounce
bow
box
brake
branch
breathe
bruise
brush
bubble
bump
burn
bury
beam
boast
brake
buzz
calculate
call
camp
care
carry
carve
cause
challenge
change
charge
chase
cheat
check
cheer
choke
chop
claim
clap
clean
clear
clip
close
coach
coil
collect
colour
comb
command
compare
compete
complain
complete
concentrate
concern
confess
confuse
connect
consider
consist
contain
continue
copy
chew
communicate
correct
dam
damage
dance
dare
decay
deceive
decide
decorate
delay
deliver
depend
describe
desert
deserve
destroy
detect
develop
disagree
disapprove
disarm
discover
dislike
divide
double
doubt
drag
drain
delight
disappear
dream
earn
educate
embarrass
employ
empty
end
enjoy
enter
entertain
escape
excite
excuse
exercise
exist
expand
encourage
examine
expect
face
fade
fail
fancy
fasten
fax
fear
fetch
file
fill
film
fire
fit
fix
flash
float
flood
flow
flower
fold
follow
fence
flap
fool
gather
gaze
glow
grab
grate
grease
grin
grip
groan
glue
greet
guarantee
hammer
hand
handle
hang
harm
hate
haunt
head
heat
help
hook
hop
cough
count
cover
crack
crash
crawl
cross
crush
cry
cure
curl
curve
cycle
dress
drip
drop
drown
drum
dry
dust
explain
explode
extend
force
form
found
frame
frighten
fry
guard
guess
guide
hug
hum
hunt
happen
heal
hope
hurry
harass
heap
hover
identify
ignore
imagine
impress
improve
increase
influence
inform
inject
injure
intend
interest
interfere
interrupt
introduce
invite
irritate
itch
include
instruct
invent
jail
jog
joke
juggle
jam
join
judge
jump
kick
kiss
knit
knot
kill
label
land
last
laugh
kneel
knock
learn
level
license
lick
lighten
like
list
listen
load
lock
long
look
launch
lie
live
love
man
manage
march
mark
marry
match
matter
measure
meddle
melt
memorise
mend
milk
mine
miss
mix
moan
moor
move
muddle
mug
multiply
murder
mate
mess up
mourn
nail
need
nod
notice
name
nest
note
number
obey
object
obtain
occur
offer
open
overflow
owe
observe
offend
order
own
pack
paddle
paint
park
part
pass
paste
pat
pause
peck
pedal
peel
peep
permit
phone
pick
pinch
pine
place
plan
plant
play
please
plug
point
poke
pop
possess
post
pour
practise
pray
preach
precede
prefer
prepare
present
preserve
press
prevent
prick
print
produce
program
promise
protect
provide
pull
pump
punch
puncture
punish
perform
polish
pretend
push
question
queue
race
radiate
rain
raise
reach
realise
receive
recognise
record
reduce
refuse
regret
reign
reject
rejoice
relax
release
rely
remain
remember
remove
repair
repeat
replace
reply
report
reproduce
request
rescue
retire
rhyme
rinse
risk
rob
rock
roll
rot
rub
ruin
rule
reflect
remind
return
rush
sack
sail
satisfy
save
saw
scare
scatter
scold
scorch
scrape
scratch
scream
screw
scribble
scrub
seal
search
separate
serve
settle
shade
share
shave
shiver
shock
shop
shrug
sigh
sign
signal
sin
sip
ski
skip
slap
slip
slow
smash
smell
smile
smoke
snatch
sneeze
sniff
snore
snow
soothe
sound
spare
spark
sparkle
spell
spill
spoil
spot
spray
sprout
squash
squeak
squeal
squeeze
stain
stamp
stare
start
stay
steer
step
stir
stop
store
strap
strengthen
stretch
strip
stroke
stuff
subtract
succeed
suck
suffer
suggest
suit
supply
support
suppose
surprise
surround
suspect
suspend
switch
shelter
soak
stitch
talk
tame
tap
taste
tease
telephone
tempt
terrify
test
thaw
tick
tickle
tie
time
tip
tire
touch
tour
trace
trade
train
transport
trap
travel
treat
tremble
trick
trot
trouble
trust
try
tug
tumble
turn
twist
type
thank
tow
trip
undress
unite
unpack
use
unfasten
unlock
untidy
vanish
visit
wail
wait
walk
wander
want
warm
warn
waste
watch
water
wave
weigh
welcome
whine
whirl
whisper
whistle
wink
wipe
wish
wobble
wash
whip
wonder
x-ray
yawn
yell
zip
zoom
work
worry
wrap
wreck
wrestle
wriggle
Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are an important feature of English. We use irregular verbs a lot when speaking, less
when writing. Of course, the most famous English verb of all, the verb "to be", is irregular.
What is the difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs?
Base Form
Past Simple
Past Participle
finish
stop
work
finished
stopped
worked
finished
stopped
worked
sing
buy
cut
sang
bought
cut
sung
bought
cut
One good way to learn irregular verbs is to try sorting them into groups, as above.
If in doubt, a good dictionary can tell you if a verb is regular or irregular.
Past Simple
Past Participle
awake
awoke
awoken
be
was, were
been
beat
beat
beaten
become
became
become
begin
began
begun
bend
bent
bent
bet
bet
bet
bid
bid
bid
bite
bit
bitten
blow
blew
blown
break
broke
broken
bring
brought
brought
broadcast
broadcast
broadcast
build
built
built
burn
burned/burnt
burned/burnt
buy
bought
bought
catch
caught
caught
choose
chose
chosen
come
came
come
cost
cost
cost
cut
cut
cut
dig
dug
dug
do
did
done
draw
drew
drawn
dream
dreamed/dreamt
dreamed/dreamt
drive
drove
driven
drink
drank
drunk
eat
ate
eaten
fall
fell
fallen
feel
felt
felt
fight
fought
fought
find
found
found
fly
flew
flown
forget
forgot
forgotten
forgive
forgave
forgiven
freeze
froze
frozen
get
got
gotten
give
gave
given
go
went
gone
grow
grew
grown
hang
hung
hung
have
had
had
hear
heard
heard
hide
hid
hidden
hit
hit
hit
hold
held
held
hurt
hurt
hurt
keep
kept
kept
know
knew
known
lay
laid
laid
lead
led
led
learn
learned/learnt
learned/learnt
leave
left
left
lend
lent
lent
let
let
let
lie
lay
lain
lose
lost
lost
make
made
made
mean
meant
meant
meet
met
met
pay
paid
paid
put
put
put
read
read
read
ride
rode
ridden
ring
rang
rung
rise
rose
risen
run
ran
run
say
said
said
see
saw
seen
sell
sold
sold
send
sent
sent
show
showed
showed/shown
shut
shut
shut
sing
sang
sung
sit
sat
sat
sleep
slept
slept
speak
spoke
spoken
spend
spent
spent
stand
stood
stood
swim
swam
swum
take
took
taken
teach
taught
taught
tear
tore
torn
tell
told
told
think
thought
thought
throw
threw
thrown
understand
understood
understood
wake
woke
woken
wear
wore
worn
win
won
won
write
wrote
written
V1
base
V2
infinitive
past
simple
regular
(to) work work worked
(to) sing
sing
sang
(to) make make made
(to) cut
cut
cut
irregular (to) do*
do
did
(to) have* have had
infinitive base past
simple
(to) be*
be
was, were
V3
past
participle
worked
sung
made
cut
done
had
past
participle
been
present
participle
working
singing
making
cutting
doing
having
present
participle
being
to
to
to
to
The infinitive can be with or without to. For example, to sing and sing are both infinitives. We often call
the infinitive without to the "bare infinitive".
At school, students usually learn by heart the base, past simple and past participle (sometimes called V1,
V2, V3, meaning Verb 1, Verb 2, Verb 3) for the irregular verbs. They may spend many hours chanting:
sing, sang, sung; go, went, gone; have, had, had; etc. They do not learn these for the regular verbs
because the past simple and past participle are always the same: they are formed by adding "-ed" to the
base. They do not learn the present participle and 3rd person singular present simple by heartfor
another very simple reason: they never change. The present participle is always made by adding "-ing" to
the base, and the 3rd person singular present simple is always made by adding "s" to the base (though
there are some variations in spelling).
* Note that "do", "have" and "be" also function as helping or auxiliary verbs, with exactly the same forms
(except that as helping verbs they are never in infinitive form).
Example Sentences
These example sentences use main verbs in different forms.
Infinitive
I want to work
He has to sing.
This exercise is easy to do.
Let him have one.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Base - Imperative
Work well!
Make this.
Have a nice day.
Be quiet!
I work in London.
You sing well.
They have a lot of money.
Past simple
I worked yesterday.
She cut his hair last week.
They had a good time.
They were surprised, but I was not.
Past participle
Present participle
I am working.
Singing well is not easy.
Having finished, he went home.
He works in London.
She sings well.
She has a lot of money.
It is Vietnamese.
TENSES
The English Tense System:
In some languages, verb tenses are not very important or do not even exist. In English, the concept of
tense is very important.
In this lesson we look at the idea behind tense, how to avoid confusing tense with time, and the structure
of the basic tenses, with examples using a regular verb, an irregular verb and the verb be.
What is Tense?
Tense & Time
Basic Tenses
Regular Verbs
Irregular Verbs
Be
What is Tense?
tense (noun): a form of a verb used to indicate the time, and sometimes the continuation or
completeness, of an action in relation to the time of speaking. (From Latin tempus = time).
Tense is a method that we use in English to refer to timepast, present and future. Many languages use
tenses to talk about time. Other languages have no tenses, but of course they can still talk about time,
using different methods.
So, we talk about time in English with tenses. But, and this is a very big but:
we can also talk about time without using tenses (for example, going to is a special construction to
talk about the future, it is not a tense)
one tense does not always talk about one time (see Tense & Time for more about this)
Here are some of the terms used in discussing verbs and tenses.
Mood
indicative mood expresses a simple statement of fact, which can be positive (affirmative) or negative
I like coffee.
I do not like coffee.
Sit down!
Voice
Voice shows the relationship of the subject to the action. In the active voice, the subject does the
action (cats eat mice). In the passive voice, the subject receives the action (mice are eaten by cats).
Among other things, we can use voice to help us change the focus of attention.
Aspect
Aspect expresses a feature of the action related to time, such as completion or duration. Present simple
and past simple tenses have no aspect, but if we wish we can stress with other tenses that:
the action or state referred to by the verb is completed (and often still relevant), for example:
I have emailed the report to Jane. (so now she has the report)
(This is called perfective aspect, using perfect tenses.)
the action or state referred to by the verb is in progress or continuing (that is, uncompleted), for
example:
We are eating.
(This is called progressive aspect, using progressive [continuous] tenses.)
The following examples show how different tenses can be used to talk about different times.
TENSE
past
Present Simple
She
Present Continuous
TIME
present
I want a coffee.
likes
I am having dinner.
future
I leave tomorrow.
coffee.
I am taking my exam
Present Perfect
Simple
Present Perfect
Continuous
Past Simple
Past Continuous
Past Perfect Simple
Past Perfect
Continuous
Future Simple
Future Continuous
Future Perfect Simple
Future Perfect
Continuous
They
are
I have seen ET.
living
I have finished.
in
next month.
London.
If you came
tomorrow, you would
see her.
If I had been
working now, I would
have missed you.
Hold on. I'll do it now.
If I had been
working tomorrow, I
could not have agreed.
I'll see you tomorrow.
I will be working at
9pm tonight.
I will have finished
by 9pm tonight.
We will have been married for ten years next month.
They may be tired
when you arrive
because they will have
been working.
In 30 minutes, we will have been working for four hours.
Basic Tenses
For past and present, there are 2 simple tenses + 6 complex tenses (using auxiliary verbs). To these, we
can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using modal auxiliary verbs will/shall). This makes a total of 12
tenses in the active voice. Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice. So now we have 24 tenses.
24 Tenses
simple tenses
ACTIVE
complex tenses
formed with
auxiliary verbs
PASSIVE
past
past
past perfect
past continuous
past perfect
continuous
past
past perfect
past continuous
past perfect
continuous
present
present
present perfect
present continuous
present perfect
continuous
present
present perfect
present continuous
present perfect
continuous
future*
future
future perfect
future continuous
future perfect
continuous
future
future perfect
future continuous
future perfect
continuous
Some grammar books use the word progressive instead of continuous. They are exactly the same.
The use of tenses in English may be quite complicated, but the structure of English tenses is actually
very simple. The basic structure for a positive sentence is:
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
An auxiliary verb is used in all tenses. (In the simple present and simple past tenses, the auxiliary verb is
usually suppressed for the affirmative, but it does exist for intensification.) The following table shows
the 12 tenses for the verb to work in the active voice.
structure
auxiliary main verb
simple
normal
intensive
perfect
do
have
base
past participle
continuous
be
continuous
perfect
have
been
present
participle -ing
present
participle -ing
past
present
future*
I worked
I work
I did work
I do work
I had worked I have
worked
I was
I am working
working
I had been
I have been
working
working
I will work
I will have
worked
I will be
working
I will have been
working
Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a modal auxiliary verb and
future tenses are sometimes called "modal tenses". The examples are included here for
convenience and comparison.
positive: +
negative: -
question: ?
These are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the tenses:
base verb
work
SIMPLE
do + base verb
(except future:
will + base verb)
SIMPLE PERFECT
have + past participle
+
?
+
-
past
worked
past participle
worked
past
I did work
I worked
I did not work
Did I work?
I had worked
I had not worked
present
I do work
I work
I do not work
Do I work?
I have worked
I have not worked
future
I will work
I will not work
Will I work?
I will have worked
I will not have worked
?
+
?
+
CONTINUOUS
be + ing
CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + ing
Had I worked?
I was working
I was not working
Was I working?
I had been working
Have I worked?
I am working
I am not working
Am I working?
I have been working
I have not been
working
Have I been
working?
positive: +
negative: -
question: ?
These are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the tenses:
base verb
sing
SIMPLE
do + base verb
(except future:
will + base verb)
SIMPLE PERFECT
have + past participle
CONTINUOUS
be + -ing
CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + -ing
+
?
+
?
+
?
+
?
past
sang
past participle
sung
past
I did sing
I sang
I did not sing
Did I sing?
I had sung
I had not sung
Had I sung?
I was singing
I was not singing
Was I singing?
I had been singing
I had not been
singing
Had I been
singing?
present
I do sing
I sing
I do not sing
Do I sing?
I have sung
I have not sung
Have I sung?
I am singing
I am not singing
Am I singing?
I have been singing
I have not been
singing
Have I been
singing?
future
I will sing
I will not sing
Will I sing?
I will have sung
I will not have sung
Will I have sung?
I will be singing
I will not be singing
Will I be singing?
I will have been singing
I will not have been
singing
Will I have been
singing?
The basic structure of tenses for regular verbs and irregular verbs is exactly the same (except to be).
The only difference is that with regular verbs the past and past participle are always the same (worked,
worked), while with irregular verbs the past and past participle are not always the same (sang, sung). But
the structure is the same! It will help you a great deal to really understand that.
Basic Tenses: Be
This page shows the basic tenses with the verb be. It includes the affirmative or positive form (+), the
negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?).
The basic structure is:
positive: +
negative: question: ?
But for simple past and simple present tenses, the structure is not the same. In fact, it's even easier.
There is no auxiliary verb. Here is the structure:
positive: +
negative: question:
These are the forms of the main verb be that we use to construct the tenses:
base
be
past simple
was, were
past participle
been
present participle
being
past
SIMPLE
present simple or
past simple
(except future: will + be)
SIMPLE PERFECT
have + been
CONTINUOUS
be + being
CONTINUOUS PERFECT
have been + being
present simple
am, are, is
+
?
I was
I was not
Was I?
I am
I am not
Am I?
future
I will be
I will not be
Will I be?
+
?
+
?
+
-
I had been
I had not been
Had I been?
I was being
I was not being
Was I being?
I had been being
I had not been
being
Had I been
being?
I have been
I have not been
Have I been?
I am being
I am not being
Am I being?
I have been being
I have not been
being
Have I been
being?
present
SIMPLE
singular
I
past
was
present
am
future
will be
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
PERFECT
singular
I
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
CONTINUOUS
singular
I
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
CONTINUOUS PERFECT
singular
I
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
were
was
were
were
were
past
had been
had been
had been
had been
had been
had been
past
was being
were being
was being
were being
were being
were being
past
had been being
had been being
had been being
had been being
had been being
had been being
are
is
are
are
are
present
have been
have been
has been
have been
have been
have been
present
am being
are being
is being
are being
are being
are being
present
have been being
have been being
has been being
have been being
have been being
have been being
will be
will be
will be
will be
will be
future
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
future
will be being
will be being
will be being
will be being
will be being
will be being
future
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
being
being
being
being
being
being
The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses. In each lesson we look at two aspects of
the tense:
Present Tense
I do do, I do
Present Continuous Tense
I am doing, I am doing tomorrow
Present Perfect Tense
I have done
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
I have been doing
Past Tense
I did do, I did
Past Continuous Tense
I was doing
PRESENT TENSES
Simple Present Tense
I sing
How do we make the Simple Present Tense?
subject
+ I, you, we, they
He, she, it
- I, you, we, they
He, she, it
? Do
Does
auxiliary verb
main verb
like
coffee.
likes
coffee.
do
not like
coffee.
does
not like
coffee.
I, you, we, they
like
coffee?
he, she, it
like
coffee?
Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:
subject
+
main verb
am
French.
are
French.
is
French.
am
not old.
are
not old.
is
not old.
I
late?
you, we, they
late?
he, she, it
late?
the
the
the
the
action is general
action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future
action is not only happening now
statement is always true
John drives a taxi.
present
past
future
It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.
Look at these examples:
Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not
general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to
be" in the simple present tensesome of them are general, some of them are now:
Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past
present
future
past
I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
present
future
This page shows the use of the simple present tense to talk about general events. But note that there are
some other uses for the simple present tense, for example in conditional or if sentences, or to talk about
the future. You will learn about those later
I am singing
We often use the present continuous tense in English. It is very different from the simple present tense,
both in structure and in use. Continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the present
progressive tense is the same as the present continuous tense.
Structure: How do we make the Present Continuous Tense?
The structure of the present continuous tense is:
subject
+ I
+ You
- She
- We
? Is
? Are
auxiliary verb
main verb
am
speaking
are
reading
is
not staying
are
not playing
he
watching
they
waiting
to you.
this.
in London.
football.
TV?
for John?
past
I am eating my lunch.
present
future
past
future
past
future
The action is in the future.
In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The decision and plan were made
before speaking.
Spelling: How do we spell the Present Continuous Tense?
We make the present continuous tense by adding -ing to the base verb. Normally it's simplewe just add
-ing. But sometimes we have to change the word a little. Perhaps we double the last letter, or we drop a
letter. Here are the rules to help you know how to spell the present continuous tense.
Basic rule
>
>
>
>
working
playing
assisting
seeing
Exception
1
Exception
2
Exception
3
be
>
being
If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the
last letter:
s
t
o
p
stressed
consonant
consonant
vowel
(vowels = a, e, i, o, u)
stop
>
stopping
run
>
running
begin
>
beginning
Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of the base verb is
not stressed:
open
>
opening
If the base verb ends in ie, change the ie to y:
lie
>
lying
die
>
dying
If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant + e, omit the e:
come
>
coming
mistake
>
mistaking
I have sung
The present perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages
a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact,
the structure of the present perfect tense is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense.
In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English. The present
perfect tense is really a very interesting tense, and a very useful one. Try not to translate the present
perfect tense into your language. Just try to accept the concepts of this tense and learn to "think"
present perfect! You will soon learn to like the present perfect tense!
Structure: How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?
The structure of the present perfect tense is:
subject
auxiliary verb
have
main verb
past participle
+
+
-
subject
I
You
She
We
auxiliary verb
main verb
have
seen
have
eaten
has
not been
have
not played
ET.
mine.
to Rome.
football.
?
?
Have
Have
you
they
finished?
done
it?
I've
You have
You've
He has
She has
It has
John has
The car has
He's
She's
It's
John's
The car's
We have
We've
They have
They've
He's or he's??? Be careful! The 's contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs have and be. For example,
"It's eaten" can mean:
past
future
past
Last week I didn't have a car.
past
+
Yesterday John had a good leg.
past
+
Was the price $1.50 yesterday?
future
future
future
future
Americans do not use the present perfect tense so much as British speakers. Americans often use the
past tense instead. An American might say "Did you have lunch?", where a British person would say "Have
you had lunch?"
3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation
We often use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started
in the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a state (not
an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.
past
future
It continues up to now.
since
a point in past time
x-----------6.15pm
Monday
January
1994
1800
I left school
the beginning of time
etc
For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.
+
+
?
?
subject
I
You
It
We
Have
Have
auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb main verb
have
been
waiting
have
been
talking
has
not been
raining.
have
not been
playing
you
been
seeing
they
been
doing
Contractions
When we use the present perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and the
first auxiliary. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.
I have been
You have been
He has been
She has been
It has been
John has been
The car has been
We have been
They have been
I've been
You've been
He's been
She's been
It's been
John's been
The car's been
We've been
They've been
past
future
since
a point in past time
20 minutes
three days
6 months
4 years
2 centuries
a long time
ever
etc
6.15pm
Monday
January
1994
1800
I left school
the beginning of time
etc
For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.
PAST TENSES
Simple Past Tense
I sang
The simple past tense is sometimes called the preterite tense. We can use several tenses to talk about
the past, but the simple past tense is the one we use most often.
Structure: How do we make the Simple Past Tense?
To make the simple past tense, we use:
Here you can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and regular verbs:
regular
verb
irregular
verb
V1
base
work
explode
like
go
see
sing
V2
past
worked
exploded
liked
went
saw
sang
V3
past participle
worked
exploded
liked
gone
seen
sung
subject +
auxiliary verb
did
base
The structure for question sentences in the simple past tense is:
base
The auxiliary verb did is not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you did, he did etc). And
the base form and past form do not change. Look at these examples with the main verbs go and work:
subject
+ I
You
- She
We
? Did
Did
auxiliary verb
did
did
you
they
main verb
went
worked
not go
not work
go
work
to school.
very hard.
with me.
yesterday.
to London?
at home?
Exception! The verb to be is different. We conjugate the verb to be (I was, you were, he/she/it was, we
were, they were); and we do not use an auxiliary for negative and question sentences. To make a question,
we exchange the subject and verb. Look at these examples:
subject
+ I, he/she/it
You, we, they
- I, he/she/it
You, we, they
? Was
Were
main verb
was
here.
were
in London.
was
not there.
were
not happy.
I, he/she/it
right?
you, we, they
late?
past
future
past
future
In general, if we say the time or place of the event, we must use the simple past tense; we cannot use the
present perfect.
Here are some more examples:
Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the simple past tense. We may use the past continuous
tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use the simple past tense for the action. Look at this
example of the beginning of a story:
"The wind was howling around the hotel and the rain was pouring down. It was cold. The door opened and
James Bond entered. He took off his coat, which was very wet, and ordered a drink at the bar. He sat
down in the corner of the lounge and quietly drank his..."
This page shows the use of the simple past tense to talk about past events. But note that there are some
other uses for the simple past tense, for example in conditional or if sentences.
subject +
auxiliary verb BE
+
conjugated in simple past tense
was
were
main verb
present participle
base + ing
For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main
verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the past continuous tense:
subject
+ I
+ You
- He, she, it
- We
? Were
? Were
auxiliary verb
main verb
was
watching
were
working
was
not helping
were
not joking.
you
being
they
playing
TV.
hard.
Mary.
silly?
football?
The spelling rules for adding ing to make the past continuous tense are the same as for the present
continuous tense.
Use: How do we use the Past Continuous Tense?
The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started
before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV.
The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.
past
8pm
At 8pm, I was in the middle of
watching TV.
future
When we use the past continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are
talking about. Look at these examples:
present
8pm.
future
(Notice that "when you telephoned" is also a way of defining the time [8pm].)
We use:
When
While
when
while
it exploded.
I was walking past it.
I was walking past it.
it exploded.
Notice that the long action and short action are relative.
There are some verbs that we do not normally use with continuous tenses. We usually use the following
verbs with simple tenses only (not continuous tenses):
-
With verbs that we don't use in the continuous tense, there is no real action or activity. Compare "to
hear" and "to listen". "To hear" means "to receive sound in your ears". There is no real action or activity
by you. We use "to hear" with simple tenses only. But "to listen" means "to try to hear". You make an
effort to hear. There is a kind of action or activity. We can use "to listen" with simple or continuous
tenses.
Some verbs have two different meanings or senses. For one sense we must use a simple tense. For the
other sense we can use a continuous or simple tense.
For example, the verb to think has two different senses:
1.
Stative sense
(no real action)
Simple only
I think she is beautiful.
Dynamic sense
(a kind of action)
Continuous
Be quiet. I'm thinking.
Simple
I will think about this
problem tomorrow.
We consider every job
application very carefully.
A good carpenter measures
his wood carefully.
I always taste wine before
I drink it.
We have dinner at 8pm
every day.
The verb be can be an auxiliary verb (Marie is learning English) or a main verb (Marie is French). On this
page we look at the verb be as a main verb.
Usually we use simple tenses with the verb be as a main verb. For example, we say:
Notice that we also make a difference between "to be sick" and "to be being sick":
subject +
main verb
past participle
V3
For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences
with the past perfect tense:
+
+
?
?
subject
I
You
She
We
Had
Had
auxiliary verb
main verb
had
finished
had
stopped
had
not gone
had
not left.
you
arrived?
they
eaten
my work.
before me.
to school.
dinner?
When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I had
you had
he had
she had
it had
we had
they had
I'd
you'd
he'd
she'd
it'd
we'd
they'd
The 'd contraction is also used for the auxiliary verb would. For example, we'd can mean:
We had
or
We would
But usually the main verb is in a different form, for example:
We had arrived (past participle)
We would arrive (base)
It is always clear from the context.
Use: How do we use the Past Perfect Tense?
The past perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in the past. This is the past in
the past. For example:
The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When we arrived, the train had left.
past
Train leaves in past at 9am.
9
9.15
future
You can sometimes think of the past perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of the
time being now the time is past.
past perfect tense
had |
done |
>|
have |
done |
>|
past
now
future
past
now
future
For example, imagine that you arrive at the station at 9.15am. The stationmaster says to you:
We often use the past perfect tense in reported speech after verbs like said, told, asked, thought,
wondered:
Look at these examples:
subject +
main verb
present participle
base + ing
For negative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense, we insert not after the first auxiliary verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and first auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the past perfect continuous tense:
?
?
It
We
Had
Had
had
had
you
they
not been
not been
been
been
working
expecting
drinking?
waiting
well.
her.
long?
When speaking with the past perfect continuous tense, we often contract the subject and first auxiliary
verb:
I had been
you had been
he had
she had been
it had been
we had been
they had been
I'd been
you'd been
he'd been
she'd been
it'd been
we'd been
they'd been
Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two
hours.
future
You can sometimes think of the past perfect continuous tense like the present perfect continuous tense,
but instead of the time being now the time is past.
past perfect continuous tense
had |
been |
doing |
>>>> |
|
|
|
|
past
now
future
For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:
|
|
|
|
have |
been |
doing |
>>>> |
past
now
future
FUTURE TENSES
Simple Future Tense
I will sing
The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with the modal
auxiliary will.
How do we make the Simple Future Tense?
The structure of the simple future tense is:
main verb
base
V1
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main
verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the simple future tense:
+
+
?
?
subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will
auxiliary verb
main verb
will
open
will
finish
will
not be
will
not leave
you
arrive
they
want
the door.
before me.
at school tomorrow.
yet.
on time?
dinner?
When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will
you will
he will
she will
it will
we will
they will
I'll
you'll
he'll
she'll
it'll
we'll
they'll
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
you will not
he will not
she will not
it will not
we will not
they will not
I won't
you won't
he won't
she won't
it won't
we won't
they won't
In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of speaking.
We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:
Prediction
We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan.
We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:
Be
When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision
before speaking. Examples:
Note that when we have a plan or intention to do something in the future, we usually use other tenses or
expressions, such as the present continuous tense or going to.
main verb
present participle
base + ing
For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For question
sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future continuous
tense:
+
+
?
?
subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will
auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb main verb
will
be
working
will
be
lying
will
not be
using
will
not be
having
you
be
playing
they
be
watching
at 10am.
on a beach tomorrow.
the car.
dinner at home.
football?
TV?
When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:
I will
you will
he will
she will
it will
we will
they will
I'll
you'll
he'll
she'll
it'll
we'll
they'll
For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
you will not
he will not
she will not
it will not
we will not
they will not
I won't
you won't
he won't
she won't
it won't
we won't
they won't
past
future
4pm
At 4pm, I will be in the middle of
working.
When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are
talking about. Look at these examples:
main verb
past participle
V3
+
+
?
?
subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will
auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb main verb
will
have
finished
will
have
forgotten
will
not have
gone
will
not have
left.
you
have
arrived?
they
have
received
by 10am.
me by then.
to school.
it?
In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes, we
contract the subject, will and have all together:
I will have
you will have
he will have
she will have
it will have
we will have
they will have
I'll have
you'll have
he'll have
she'll have
it'll have
we'll have
they'll have
I'll've
you'll've
he'll've
she'll've
it'll've
we'll've
they'll've
The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at 9.15am. When you arrive,
the train will have left.
The train will have left when you arrive.
present
past
future
9.15
You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
"Mary won't be at home when you arrive."
"Really? Where will she have gone?"
You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of your
viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:
present perfect tense
past
will |
have |
done |
>|
now
future
past
now
future
subjec
t
auxiliary verb
WILL
invariable
will
auxiliary verb
HAVE
invariable
have
auxiliary verb
BE
past participle
been
main verb
present
participle
base + ing
For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we insert not between will and have. For
question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future
perfect continuous tense:
+
+
?
?
subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will
auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb
will
have
been
working
will
have
been
travelling
will
not have
been
using
will
not have
been
waiting
you
have
been
playing
they
have
been
watching
When we use the future perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and
auxiliary verb:
I will
you will
he will
she will
it will
we will
they will
I'll
you'll
he'll
she'll
it'll
we'll
they'll
For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
you will not
he will not
she will not
it will not
we will not
they will not
I won't
you won't
he won't
she won't
it won't
we won't
they won't
I will have been working here for ten years next week.
He will be tired when he arrives. He will have been travelling for 24 hours.