The Present Tenses
Present Simple
|
Present Simple |
Used to say what
someone usually does |
I always study English on
Tuesday. |
Present Progressive/Continuous
|
Present Progressive |
Used to say what
someone is doing now |
I am studying English now |
Present Perfect Simple
|
Present Perfect Simple |
Used to show unfinished
time |
I have studied English
twice this week. |
Present Perfect
Progressive/Continuous
|
Present Perfect
Progressive |
Used to say how long
someone has been doing something. |
- I have been studying
English for 2 years.
- I have been studying
English since 1997.
|
The Past Tenses
Simple Past
|
Simple Past |
Used to show a
completed action |
- I studied English
last Saturday.
|
Past Progressive/Continuous
|
Past Progressive |
Often used to say when
something was being done or what was happening when something else
happened |
- I was studying
English last Monday when my friend rang.
- I was studying
English at 5pm last Monday.
|
Past Perfect Simple
|
Past Perfect Simple |
The past of have done.
Used to say when something was done by. |
- I had done my
English homework by 6.30 pm last Saturday.
|
- I had done my English
homework by the time I ate dinner last Saturday.
Past Perfect Progressive/Continuous
|
Past Perfect
Progressive |
The past of have been.
Used to show how long something was done for by a certain time. |
- I'd been doing my
English homework for 30 minutes when my friend rang last Saturday.
- I'd been doing my
English homework for 30 minutes by 1 pm last Saturday.
|
The Future Tenses
The future can be indicated
in several different ways in English. It is often created with the use of
auxiliaries: "She will be a student.", "She is going to drive a new car."
English can even create the
future by using the simple present (used for timetables,programs etc.), "The
train arrives at 10pm" or the present progressive (used for future plans),
"He is collecting his mother from the station tonight."
Simple Future (uses will
or shall or going to + base form)
|
Simple Future (Some
uncertainty) |
Decide to do something
at the time of speaking |
I think I'll do my English
homework tonight. |
|
Simple Future (Certain) |
Have already decided or
arranged to do something |
I am going to study
English next Saturday. |
Future Progressive/Continous
(uses will be, shall be or going to be +-ing form)
|
Future Progressive (Some
uncertainty) |
The English lesson
should begin at 7.30 and end at 9.15, so the person should
be studying at 7.30 (but the lesson might start late). |
I will be starting my
English lesson at 7.30 pm. |
|
Future Progressive (Certain) |
The English lesson
begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.15, so he's certain to be studying
when his friend arrives at 8.00 |
I am going to be studying
English when my friends arrive at 9.00 pm. |
Future Perfect Simple (uses
will have or shall have + past participle)
|
Future Perfect Simple |
Used to say something
will already be complete by a time. |
I will have already done
my English homework by the time I eat dinner on Saturday. |
Future Perfect
Progressive/Continuous (uses will have been or shall have been + -ing
form)
|
Future Perfect
Progressive |
Used to say how long
something will have been happening in the future by a certain time. |
I will have been studying
English for 30 minutes when my friends arrive. |
 |