The Twelve Tenses of English

PRESENT (main verb)

I study English.
He studies English.

PAST (past tense of main verb)

I studied English.
He studied English.

FUTURE (will or shall + main verb)

I will study English.
He will study English.

PRESENT PERFECT (have or has + past participle of verb)

I have studied English.
He has studied English.

PAST PERFECT (had + past participle of verb)

I had studied English.
He had studied English.

FUTURE PERFECT (will or shall + have + past participle of verb)

I will have studied English.
He will have studied English.

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (form of "be" verb + "ing" form of main verb)

I am studying English.
He is studying English.

PAST PROGRESSIVE (past tense of form "be" verb + "ing" form of main verb)
I was studying English.
He was studying English.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE (will or shall +be + "ing" form of main verb)

I will be studying English.
He will be studying English.

PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (have or has + been + "ing" form of main

verb)
I have been studying English.
He has been studying English.
 PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (had + been + "ing" form of main verb)
I had been studying English.
He had been studying English.

FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (will or shall + have + been + "ing" form of

main verb)
I will have been studying English.
He will have been studying English.

Conditional Sentences
Las frases condicionales

El uso del condicional significa que una acción depende de otra. Los
condicionales se utilizan para hablar sobre situaciones reales o irreales. En
general, las frases condicionales llevan la palabra “if” (si).

Ten en cuenta que no existe un tiempo verbal para el condicional en inglés como
existe en español. A la vez, se usa el verbo auxiliar “would” para formar el
condicional en inglés.

Hay cuatro tipos de frases condicionales y el uso de uno u otro refleja la

probabilidad de la acción.
 Conditional Types (Tipos de los condicionales)

Zero Conditional (Tipo 0)

Se usa este tipo de condicional cuando la condición y el resultado siempre es

verdad, como por ejemplo los hechos científicos.

IF Condition Result

If present simple present simple

Ejemplos:
If you heat water to 100° C, it boils. / Water boils if you heat it to 100° C. (Si
calientas agua a 100 ° C hierve.)
If I don’t practice the piano everyday I play poorly. / I play the piano poorly if I
don’t practice everyday. (Si no practico el piano cada día toco mal.)
Does your mom get mad if you don’t call her? / If you don’t call your mom,
does she get mad? (¿Si no llamas a tu madre, se enoja?)

Nota: Podemos cambiar el orden de las frases sin cambiar el significado.

También, en general con este tipo de condicional, podemos sustituir “if” por
“when” sin alterar el significado.

First Conditional (Tipo 1)

Este tipo de condicional se utiliza para el futuro y en los casos en que es muy
probable que la condición pasará.

IF Condition Result
 If present simple future simple (“will”)

Ejemplos:
If Bill studies, he will pass the exam. / Bill will pass the exam if he studies. (Si
Bill estudia, aprobará el examen.)
If it doesn’t rain, we will go to the beach. / We will go to the beach if it doesn’t
rain. (Si no llueve, iremos a la playa.)
Will you take the train if you miss the bus? If you miss the bus, will you take
the train? (¿Cogerás el tren si pierdes el bus?)
Nota: Se puede usar algunos verbos modales en vez de “will” para cambiar la
probabilidad o expresar una opinión. Para más información, ver la lección sobre
los verbos modales.

Ejemplos:
If it doesn’t rain, we may go to the beach. (Significado: Con el uso de “may”, el
significado de esta frase cambia. Ahora, el hablante reconoce que puede ir a la
playa, pero no está tan seguro de si irá.)
If it doesn’t rain, we should go to the beach. (Significado: En este caso, el uso
de “should” expresa la opinión del hablante.)
If it doesn’t rain, we can go to the beach. (Significado: “Can” significa que es
posible ir a la playa, pero no indica la probabilidad.)
Nota: Se puede usar algunos verbos modales en vez de “will” para cambiar la
probabilidad o expresar una opinión. Para más información, ver la lección sobre
los verbos modales.

Ejemplos:
If it doesn’t rain, we may go to the beach. (Significado: Con el uso de “may”, el
significado de esta frase cambia. Ahora, el hablante reconoce que puede ir a la
playa, pero no está tan seguro de si irá.)
If it doesn’t rain we should go to the beach. (Significado: En este caso, el uso
de “should” expresa la opinión del hablante.)
If it doesn’t rain we can go to the beach. (Significado: “Can” significa que es
posible ir a la playa, pero no indica la probabilidad.)

Second Conditional (Tipo 2)

Se utiliza el tipo 2 para expresar una posibilidad irreal en el presente, como un

deseo o un sueño, o para una acción en el futuro no tan probable.
 IF Condition Result

If past simple “would” + infinitivo

Ejemplos:
If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. / I would travel around the
world if I won the lottery. (Si ganara la lotería, viajaría alrededor del mundo.)
If Rachel had more time, she would learn to play the guitar. / Rachel would
learn to play the guitar if she had more time. (Si Rachel tuviera más tiempo,
aprendería a tocar la guitarra.)
Would you be happy if you were to get married? / If you were to get married,
would you be happy? (¿Estarías feliz si te casaras?)

Nota: Como en el tipo 1, se pueden usar otros verbos modales en vez de “would”
para cambiar el significado y la posibilidad.

Third Conditional (Tipo 3)

A diferencia a los tipos 1 y 2, se utiliza el tercer tipo de condicional cuando

hablamos de una condición en el pasado que no ha sucedido.

IF Condition Result

If past perfect “would have” + past participle

Ejemplos:
If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things differently. / I
 would have done things differently if I had known then what I know now. (Si
hubiera sabido en el pasado lo que sé ahora, hubiera hecho las cosas de
manera diferente.)
Suzanne wouldn’t have had the heart attack if she had gone on a diet as her
doctor recommended. / If Suzanne had gone on a diet as her doctor
recommended she wouldn’t have had the heart attack. (Suzanne no hubiera
tenido el infarto si hubiera hecho dieta como su médico le recomendó.)
Would you have liked to go to university if you had been able to afford it? / If
you had been able to afford it, would you have liked to go to university? (¿Te
hubiera gustado ir a la universidad si te lo hubieras permitido pagar?)

Nota: Como en los tipos 1 y 2, se pueden usar otros verbos modales en vez de
“would” para cambiar el significado y la probabilidad.

English Sentence Structure: 4 Types of English Sentences

Simple Sentence

A 1-simple sentence contains one independent clause.

What’s an “independent clause”? It’s one subject followed by one verb or verb
phrase. It expresses a single idea.

Examples of simple sentences:

 I‘m happy.
 Robert doesn’t eat meat.
 My brother and I went to the mall last night.
 This new laptop computer has already crashed twice.

Notice that a “simple sentence” isn’t necessarily short. The subject can be a single
word like “I” or “Robert,” or it can be a double subject like “my brother and I,” or it
can be multiple words describing a single person/object, like “This new laptop
computer.”
2-Compound Sentence
A compound sentence has two independent clauses joined by a linking word
(and, but, or, so, yet, however).

Each independent clause could be a sentence by itself, but we connect them with a
linking word:

 I‘m happy, but my kids are always complaining.

 Robert doesn’t eat meat, so Barbara made a special vegetarian dish for
him.
 My brother and I went to the mall last night, but we didn’t buy
anything.
 This new laptop computer has already crashed twice, and I have no
idea why.

Note that each sentence has TWO subjects and TWO verb phrases.

3-Complex Sentence
A complex sentence has one independent clause and one or more dependent
clauses.

A dependent clause cannot be a complete sentence by itself.

 I’m happy, even though I don’t make much money.

 Robert, a friend I’ve known since high school, doesn’t eat meat.
 My brother and I went to the mall last night, while my sister stayed
home and studied.
 This new laptop computer, which I bought yesterday, has already
crashed twice.
4-Compound-Complex Sentence
A compound-complex sentence contains 3 or more clauses: 2 independent and
at least 1 dependent clause.

 I’m happy, even though I don’t make much money, but my kids are
always complaining since we can’t afford to buy the newest toys.

Independent clauses: “I’m happy” and “my kids are always complaining”
Dependent clauses: “even though I don’t make much money” and “since we can’t
afford to buy the newest toys”
Linking word: “but”

 Robert, a friend I’ve known since high school, doesn’t eat meat – so
Barbara made a special vegetarian dish for him.

Independent clauses: “Robert doesn’t eat meat” and “Barbara made a special
vegetarian dish for him”
Dependent clause: “a friend I’ve known since high school”
Linking word: “so”

 My brother and I went to the mall last night, while my sister stayed
home and studied because she has a test coming up.

Independent clauses: “My brother and I went to the mall last night” and “my sister
stayed home and studied”
Dependent clause: “because she has a test coming up”
Linking word: “while”

 This new laptop computer, which I bought yesterday, has already

crashed twice; however, I have no idea why.

Independent clauses: “This new laptop computer has already crashed twice” and “I
have no idea why”
Dependent clause: “which I bought yesterday”
Linking word: “however”