Grammatica inglese

Verb tense use example

Past simple

Past simple I didn’t pass the Russian Regular: Verb + ed exam last year. Irregular: first paradigm.

1. Actions that started and finished in the past. Kelly went to the seaside two days ago.
2. A series of completed actions in the past.
3. The past simple gives us the events in a story. These events are in chronological order.

• Often with expressions of time such as: yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week/month/year, two minutes/an hour/three days/five years ago.

Past continuous

Past simple verb to be (was/were) + verbs in the ing form.

A: Where was Donna last night?

B: I’m not sure. I think she was visiting her family.

• Talk about actions and states in progress (happening) around a particular time in the past.
• It can emphasise that the action or state continued for a period of time in the past.
• When you're using the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel. (action)
• To create atmosphere: In English, they often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past. I remember that night. You were wearing that red dress.
• The past continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. (state) The concept is very similar to the expression used to but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing." She was always coming to class late.
• We can use the past continuous with a precise hour in the past.
• Stative verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Instead of using past continuous with these verbs, you must use simple past.

Present perfect

Present has/have + past participle. IRR: 2nd paradigm. REG: -ed.

Statement: You have seen that movie many times.

Question: Have you seen that movie many times?

Negative: You have not seen that movie many times.

• Actions that occurred in an unspecified time in the past but has a result in the present.
• We use the present perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.
• To talk about our experiences up to now. The time of the experiences is not important.
• We usually use the present perfect simple with "the first time" when we’re talking about an immediate, continuing or recent event.
• We often use the present perfect simple for a 'unique experience' when we are using a superlative. We haven’t met before, have we?
• 1. A finished event or state in the very recent past. We often use words like just or recently for events taking place a very short time before now. I felt the happiest I have ever felt. My first Olympic final; the bronze medal; European record of 9.97 seconds.
• When talking of a recent past:

→ Almost/nearly (affirmative) I’ve almost finished the test.

→ Already (affirmative) he has already had lunch.

We use already + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that something is done or achieved, often before the expected time.

→ Just (interrogative and affirmative) I have just met Mike.

→ Yet (interrogative) Have you seen the news yet?

→ Yet (negative and interrogative-negative) he hasn’t spoken to me yet.

We use yet + the present perfect simple, mainly in questions and negative statements, to refer to things we intend to do in the future but which are not done.

• Still. We use still + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that something we expected to happen continues not to happen.
• How long …? We often use expressions with for and since to answer the question How long … + present perfect simple. We use the How long …? question to ask about the duration of a state or activity:
• Time + for and since. We use the present perfect simple with for and since to talk about a present situation that began at a specific point in the past and is still going on in the present. We are looking back from the present to a point in the past.

(For refers to periods of time, e.g. three years, four hours, ages, a long time, months, years. We use for to express the duration of the action.)

(Since refers to a previous point in time, e.g. last Monday, last year, 1987, yesterday. We use since to say when the action begun.)

• We often use ever, not … ever and never when we talk about experiences.
• We use the present perfect with adverbs and expressions of time like: this week / month / year, lately, recently, today, in the last few days, so far, up to now. We can use the present perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc. Although we do not give a specific time, we often use general time expressions like ever, never, before, in my life, so far, up until now.
• You cannot use the present perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc.

Past perfect

The past perfect is made from the verb had and the past participle of a verb. IRR: 2nd paradigm. REG: -ed.

Mary rang John’s doorbell at 8:15 yesterday but John had already left the house.

• We use the past perfect (had left) because the action happened before another action in the past (Mary rang the doorbell).
• Sometimes the Past Perfect starts a new narrative outside the time frame of the main narrative.

Past perfect continuous

Past perfect had + been + present participle.

Statement: You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.

Question: Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?

Negative: You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.

• The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an action started in the past and continued up to another point in the past.
• Using the past perfect continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.
• "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the past perfect continuous.
• It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using past perfect continuous with these verbs, you must use past perfect.

Examples:

The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct.

The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct.

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html

Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.

Future continuous

Will/shall + be + -ing form. Next week they will be flying to Australia from Saudi Arabia.

In an hour I'll still be ironing my clothes.

1. We use the future continuous to refer to temporary actions and events that will be in progress at a particular time in the future. We use it usually with this time tomorrow, in an hour’s time, in five years’ time.
2. We use the future continuous to refer to habitual actions that happen regularly because they are habits or because they were planned in details.
3. We use the future continuous also to politely ask about someone’s future plans, probably because we need a favor (more polite than will).
4. When combined with still, the future continuous refers to events that are already happening now and that we expect to continue some time into the future.

• Remember: no stative verbs with continuous forms.

To practice:

https://www.e-grammar.org/future-simple-continuous/test3-exercise1/

https://www.e-grammar.org/future-simple-continuous/test1-exercise4/

Future perfect simple

• Do you think she’ll have seen the doctor by four o’clock?
• Next month my parents will have been together for thirty years.
• The bottle of milk is empty. Zoe will have drunk it. (I assume that she drank it)

1. Events finished by a certain time in the future. We use the future perfect simple form when we look back to the past from a point in the future. We usually use a time phrase, for example by tomorrow, for three years, by the end of the week, this time next week, in a year’s time.