English tenses
PRESENT SIMPLE
is used to talk about things in general, actions that belong to the present or to the future (fixed future events); to say that something is a fact or happens repeatedly.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the present simple with
always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, seldom, every day/ week/ month/ year, in the morning/afternoon/evening, on Fridays
Examples from the corpora
- Users talk about their triumphs.
- Does he like your new look?
- Joe puts himself in real danger every day.
- Do you remember the Chinese temple?
- It seldom comes in here.
- I work very hard nowadays.
- That doesn't sound like a great idea.
- Children today grow up in an environment where IT is everywhere.
- Do you really like this place?
- We don't like people who aren't good at their jobs.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS (progressive)
is used to talk about things that are happening at or around the moment of speaking (the action is not completed); to talk about fixed arrangements, intentions, currently changing situations; to express anger or irritation.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the present continuous with
now, at the moment, currently, still, while, today, tonight, at present, these days, this week/ month/ year
Examples from the corpora
- Why are you taking so many photos ?
- Now many people are looking for a restaurant through the Net.
- I am not making any decisions.
- Where are we going ?
- The TV is not working.
- You are thinking about your mother.
- Is she reading a magazine?
- I am making out the report now.
- We are going up to the third floor.
- Sorry, I am not talking to you.
PRESENT PERFECT
is used to talk about an action that happened at an unstated time in the past and has a result now (the action is completed and related to the present).
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the present perfect with
just, since, for, already, yet, ever, never, recently, lately, in the last few days, so far, up to now
Examples from the corpora
- Several brands have used art to achieve this goal!
- His mother has already left Algeria.
- Have you killed many vampires?
- We have not had breakfast yet.
- He has not contacted me.
- I have never been here before.
- He has not been home all night.
- Have I missed something important?
- Has something happened to her?
- I have made a decision.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
is used to emphasize the duration of an action up to the present (actions continuing for a period of time up to the present); to express anger or irritation.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the present perfect continuous with
since, for, just, all day, lately, how long
Examples from the corpora
- I have been waiting to speak to you, Father.
- How long have you been hiding in my house?
- Have you been waiting long?
- Internet technology has been expanding rapidly and continuously.
- I have been living in this house under lock and key for months now.
- My real estate agency has been operating since 2009.
- I know you haven't been dancing as long as the other guys.
- That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you.
- Has he been hanging around lately?
- He has been working on this for days.
PAST SIMPLE
is used to talk about completed actions that occurred at a definite time in the past; actions that happened one after another in the past.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the past simple with
yesterday, ago, before, the other day, last week/ month/ year, when, then
Examples from the corpora
- I understood this an hour ago.
- I did not understand any of what you just said.
- What did you do then?
- I celebrated my birthday last month.
- I didn't sleep yesterday.
- When did she contact you?
- And why didn't he come the other day?
- Security showed this photo around, but no one recognized him.
- Maybe Johnathan wrote about it in his journals.
- He didn't come home yesterday.
PAST CONTINUOUS (progressive)
is used to talk about events that were in progress at a particular time in the past; to describe two simultaneous actions in the past; the atmosphere, background information.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the past continuous with
yesterday at 5 o’clock, while, when
Examples from the corpora
- I was just playing a prank on you.
- We were just talking about how in today 's economy.
- Did he say where he was going?
- He was holding something when he left , but I could not see what it was.
- I heard you were looking for me.
- Were you thinking about me around 4:00 this morning?
- And while he was writing ‘Lord of the Rings’, he was sending excerpts to Christopher to get his mind off the war.
- When we were talking, her cell phone rang.
- When they weren't fighting, tribes were fishing or hunting the moas.
- But while I was traveling around Europe, I noticed something else that really surprised me.
PAST PERFECT
is used to talk about an event that happened before another event in the past.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the past perfect with
before, already, when, since, by
Examples from the corpora
- She handed him the bread that she had baked.
- I had an agent for my first traditionally published book because they had contacted me directly as a result of a mutual friend and my blog.
- She paid back the money she had borrowed from you.
- I thought you had not seen him since your last encounter.
- I mean before you got here, had you ever even heard of this place?
- She didn't know that you had chosen to stop therapy.
- My plan did not work as I had intended.
- Before I knew what had happened , everything just slipped away
- Taxi had to stop for a man crossing the street , who had left for work 5 minutes later than he normally did.
- By April 1945, Iwo Jima had been taken.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
is used to emphasize the duration of an action up to a certain time in the past (a situation that continued for a period of time before another situation in the past).
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the past perfect continuous with
since, for, already, before
Examples from the corpora
- Tom asked Mary what she had been doing all morning.
- I found the very thing you had been looking for.
- It was great to have an outsider's view on what we had been doing for the last 18 months.
- Secondly the monastery was built very close to the residence of the couple, where they had been living for an entire year already.
- It had been going on for one year and a half. I knew it couldn't continue.
- Over half the respondents had been living there for 15-20 yrs.
FUTURE SIMPLE
is used to talk about future facts; situations which will definitely happen in the future, predictions, promises, offers or decisions made at the moment of speaking.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the future simple with
tomorrow, next week/ month/ year, soon, in a week/ month/ year
Examples from the corpora
- They will be the first to enter the maze.
- We will try our best to convince them.
- I will not ever regret it.
- The website will not accept my payment.
- Well, what shall we do?
- Tomorrow, there won't be anything he can do about it.
- We will reply to you within 3 working days.
- Will you listen to me?
- I will buy you something delicious.
- Will she change much in a week?
FUTURE CONTINUOUS (progressive)
is used to talk about an event that will be in progress at a certain time in the future
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the future continuous with
tomorrow at 5 o’clock, when
Examples from the corpora
- Next thing you know, I will be taking up meditation.
- We will be serving up an exciting selection of Halloween inspired menu options at the Edelweiss Sandwich Shop this Halloween.
- Then I will be heading in now.
- All the while, you will be learning new techniques, ever taking your photography skills to a higher level.
- Is there a discernible point to this story, a point that you will be arriving at sometime in the near future?
- Nothing will be easy, every day of the rest of her life, she will be fighting shadows.
- So you can call me in the morning for resources and crew. I will be scheduling the launch.
- Will be visiting the ‘Takeda Castle Remain’ early in the morning tomorrow.
- When I am here , you will be greeting me with love.
- She will be waiting for flowers when you get back.
FUTURE PERFECT
is used to talk about an event completed before another particular event in the future.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the future perfect with
by, for, by then, before
Examples from the corpora
- By the time you listen to this, seven years will have passed.
- By nightfall we will have left your Earth.
- And by then you will have forgotten all your French.
- They will return with an engagement letter, which they will have written in a workshop.
- I will have been in the company for nine years this year.
- By the time I prove it, Roca will have left the country.
- The necessary decisions will have been taken and implemented by then.
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
is used to emphasise the duration of an action up to a certain time in the future.
Positive
Negative
Question
You can use the future perfect continuous with
by, for
Examples from the corpora
- By October 2011, the current negotiations will have been going on for more than three years.
- By this time we will have been walking for almost two hours, a bit over half of this itinerary.
- 10 years from now, I will have been working for a professional sports organisation for at least 5 years.
