Tenses review

Present simple

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I eat I don’t eat Do you eat?

She eats She doesn’t eat Does he eat?
I feel good She loves you

I got you- James Brown

She loves you- The Beatles
Uses

● To speak about habitual actions or routines.

● To speak about general truths.
● With stative verbs:
● With timetables.

➢ If you are using adverbs of frequency, you have to take into account..
○ They are placed before the main verb but after the verb to be: He usually comments the posts
he likes. She is always late.
○ Time expressions are used at the beginning or the end of the sentence: They hang around
together every weekend.
○ To ask about frequency we use: “How often…?”
Time expressions

always, usually, generally, regularly, At 1 o’clock, at night, in the morning, on Fridays,

occasionally, frequently, often, sometimes, every week, once a month….
rarely, seldom, never
 ● In affirmative, we add -s to 3rd person singular.
Be careful! ● To form correctly this form you have to take into
account:
○ If the verb ends in -o, -ss, -sh, -ch or -x, we add
-es: miss → misses, wish → wishes; touch →
touches…
○ If the verb ends in vowel +y, you add s: say→
says
○ If the verb ends in consonant + y, we change y
for i before adding es: try → tries.
Present continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I am playing You aren’t reading Are you sleeping?

She is cooking He isn’t playing Is he playing?
I’m having such a good time

Don’t stop me now- Queen

Uses

● An action which is happening now: Tom is watching a popular film now.

● A temporary action: Everyone is talking about the new president these days.
● A definite plan for the near future: We are meeting at Gina’s tonight.

● We use the adverb always to express a complaint: You’re always talking about yourself!
Time expressions

now, right now, at the moment, this year, at this evening, tonight, tomorrow, next Friday,
present, today, these days, this month, this week….
evening…
 ● When we add -ing to the base form, we have to take
Be careful! in mind:
○ If the infinitive ends in mute -e, that -e is lost:
ride → riding
○ If it ends in -ie, we change it for -y: die → dying.
○ If it is a monosyllable and ends in vowel +
consonant, we double the last consonant except
w,x and y: run → running. This also happens if
the verb has got more than one consonant but it
ends in the vowel + consonant and the stress is
in the last syllable: refer- referring; admit →
admitting
 ● Stative verbs refer to states rather than to actions,
Be careful! therefore they usually are in present simple not in
present continuous.
● These verbs refer to:
○ emotions and feelings: dislike, enjoy…
○ thinking: believe, forget, think…
○ perceptions and feelings: feel, hear, see…
○ measurements: cost, measure….
○ possesion: belong, have, own…
● Some of them can also be considered as expressing
an activity and therefore be used in Present
Continuous:
I think it’s important to learn new languages.
I’m thinking about talking it over later.
Past Simple

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I slept You didn’t eat Did we finish?

He played He didn’t feel Did it stop?
Did I disappoint you or let you down?

Goodbye my lover- James Blunt

Uses

● A completed action in the past: My sister and I had an argument yesterday

● A series of completed actions in the past: he felt confident and decided to run a business on his own.
● To describe or explain how things were in the past: In 1900, there weren’t any mobile phones.

❖ We use “ago” to express time periods. It is placed after the time expression:
I moved here ten years ago.
Time expressions

yesterday, last week/last year, two days ago, in

2007, in the 1980s, in the 18th century, when,
then
 ● Irregular verbs have different forms to the infinitive.
Be careful! ● When we form the past of regular verbs, we add -ed to
the infinitive:
○ If the infinitive ends in -e, we add -d: prove -
proved.
○ If it ends in vowel + l, we double -l: travel-
travelled.
○ If it is monosyllabic and ends in vowel +
consonant (except -w, -x or -y), we double the
consonant: stop- stopped. This also happens
when the verb has got more than one syllable
but the stress is on the last syllable: admit-
admitted.
Past continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I was listening You weren’t listening Were they listening?

He was listening He wasn’t listening Was she listening?
You were working as a waitress in a
cocktail bar when I met you.

Don’t you want me?- The Human League

Uses

● An incomplete action in progress at a specific time in the past: She was reading at 5 o’clock.
● An incomplete action interrupted by another action: I was walking home when it started to rain.
● Two incomplete actions in progress at the same time in the past: She was uploading some videos
while we were posting our latest photos.

● If we use always, we are complaining about a past action which was unpleasant because it was
repetitive: They were always arguing about ridiculous stuff.
Time expressions

last night/ week/ year…

when, while, as
at 4 o’clock
Future simple

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I will go You won’t go Will you go?

She will go She won’t go Will she go?
I will survive

I will survive- Gloria Gaynor

 They will not force us; they will stop
degrading us, they will not control us.

Uprising- Muse
Uses

● A prediction: You will be thrilled with this innovative device.

● A timetable: The film will start in an hour.
● A spontaneous decision: I feel very tired, so I’ll have a rest.
Time expressions

this evening, in an hour, at 2 o’clock, later,

tomorrow, next month/year, soon, in a few
weeks, in the future, on 1st May
Be going to

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I’m going to swim You isn’t going to swim Are you going to play?
She’s going to play She isn’t going to play Is he going to swim?
Today is gonna be the day that they’re
gonna throw it back to you.

Wonderwall- Oasis
Uses

● A planned action for the future: Bob is going to study telecom engineering next year.
● An action that is about to happen: I feel cold. I’m going to close the window.
Time expressions

this evening, later, in an hour, at 4 o’clock,

tomorrow, soon, next month/year, in a few
weeks, on 8th May
 ● We don’t usually use “be going to” with the verbs go or
Be careful! come. We usually use the present continuous with
the same meaning with this verbs.
Present perfect simple

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I have gone I haven’t eaten. Have I gone?

She has gone She hasn’t eaten. Has she gone?
I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields

I still haven’t found what I’m looking for- U2

Uses

● An action that begins in the past and continues until the present: We have lived in Ireland for two
years.
● An action that took place at an undetermined time in the past but is connected to the present: She
has called her friend recently.
● To express an action that has just happened. We add just between the auxiliary verb have and the
past participle: I have just read your message.
Time expressions

never, ever, already, just, yet, recently, lately, how

long…?

For, since, in recent years

 ● Never, ever, already, and just go between the auxiliary

Be careful! and the participle of the main verb: They have already
spoken about that issue.
● Yet always goes at the end of the sentence: Has she
finished yet?

● We use just, never and already in affirmative

sentences: I have never used Snapchat.
● We use yet in negative: She hasn’t finished yet.
● We use already, ever, yet and just in negative and
interrogative sentences: Have you ever travelled
abroad?
 ● Have you ever? is used to ask about vital

Be careful! experiences: Have you ever visited Paris?

● How long ? is used to ask for the time which has
passed since the action began: How long has she
been abroad?

● For is used to speak about the length of an action.

● Since is used to speak about its starting point.
○ I have worked here for three years.
○ I have worked here since 2015.
Present perfect continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I have been waiting. I haven’t been working. Have you been doing…?
She has been waiting. She has been working. Has she been doing…?
All my life I’ve been waiting for you to
bring a fairytale to my life

Left ouside alone- Anastasia

Uses

● An action that started in the past and which still continues in the present: How long have you been
talking on the phone?
● An action whose results are still apparent: I’m exhausted, I have been working on this project all day,
Time expressions

for a year, since 2012, how long…? all night/

morning/day/week.
Past perfect simple

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I had come I hadn’t come. Had you come?

He had come She hadn’t come. Had she come?
Mama, life had just begun… But now I’ve
gone and thrown it all the way

Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen

Uses

● A completed action which took place before another action in the past: By the time we arrived, the
concert had already started.
Time expressions

already, by the time, after, before, until, never,

just.
You can listen to all these songs here