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Let's look at an example; the verb to study.
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Present |
Past |
Future |
| Simple |
I study |
I studied |
I will study |
| Progressive |
I am (I'm) studying |
I was studying |
I will (I'll) be studying |
| Perfect |
I have (I've) studied |
I had (I'd) studied |
I will (I'll) have studied |
| Perfect progressive |
I have (I've) been studying |
I had (I'd) been studying |
I will (I'll) have been studying |
Now, let's look at each tense in more detail.
Present simple
We use the present simple to describe general truths and habits; eg I
like football, they drive to work, he smokes. We
also use it to describe 'timetabled' future events; eg the train leaves
at 1847.
Questions: eg Do you like horror movies?
Where do you work?
Negative sentences: eg I don't work in an
office.
Present progressive (continuous)
This is used for things which are happening now, eg Albert's cooking
dinner; things happening around now (but not right at the moment), eg
I'm reading a really great book; and short-term situations, eg
I'm living in London at the moment. It's also used to talk about
personal plans for the future; eg I'm meeting Yukiko on Saturday.
Questions: eg Is Frank studying Japanese?
What are you reading?
Negative sentences: eg She isn't wearing
a coat.
Present perfect
The present perfect is used to describe experience (without saying when),
eg I've been to Hong Kong; things which happened in the past but
have results in the present, eg she's written six letters (here
they are); and things which started in the past but are still continuing,
eg they've lived there for twenty-nine years.
Questions: eg Has Ted seen Austin Powers?
How long have you worked here? Have you ever been to Kyoto?
Negative sentences: eg I haven't done my
homework. He's never been to America.
note We use 'ever' in questions and 'never' in negative
sentences to show we are talking about the person's whole life.
Present perfect progressive
This is used in a similar way (and is sometimes interchangeable with)
the present progressive, it describes repeated activities or those continuing
over a period of time explaining a present situation, eg I'm tired because
I've been running; current short-term situations, eg he's been
living in Belgium for 6 months; and activites taking place in the
current time period, eg they've been writing letters this afternoon.
Questions: eg Have you been running? What
have you been doing today?
Negative sentences: eg I haven't been sleeping
well.
Past simple
This is used for things which have finished; eg I wrote to my mother
last week.
Questions: eg Did you play golf yesterday?
Who did you go to Kyoto with?
Negative sentences: eg I didn't see the
game last night.
Past progressive
This is used for describing what was happening at a particular time in
the past; eg Arthur was eating dinner when I called.
Questions: eg What were you doing at 7pm
last night?
Negative sentences: eg Jack wasn't working
in the garden when the rain started.
Past perfect
We use this when we are talking about the past and want to talk about
an earlier past (it's often used to give a reason); eg she was angry because
she'd been sacked from her job. It's also used in reported speech
when the original speech used past simple or present perfect; eg she said
she'd lived in Brighton for ten years.
Questions: eg Why had she been sacked? Had
she been late very often?
Negative sentences: eg She hadn't been rude
to the customers.
Past perfect progressive This is used to give a reason for something
in the past where the reason is of a repeated or continuing nature; eg
I was very tired because I'd been studying hard all day.
Questions: eg Had you been drinking? Who
had he been drinking with?
Negative sentences: eg She hadn't been working
there long.
Future simple
This is used for things we've just decided, eg the phone's ringing, stay
there, I'll answer it; predictions based on opinion, eg I think
England will win 2-0; and giving general information about the
future, eg you'll need your passports for the trip tomorrow.
Questions: eg Will I need my passport? Who'll
be at the party?
Negative sentences: eg He won't be back
until Friday.
Future progressive
We use this to say what will be happening at some future time; eg this
time next week I'll be flying to Singapore.
Questions: eg What will you be doing at
7am tomorrow morning? Who will you be working with tomorrow?
Negative sentences: eg Lily won't be playing
golf tomorrow.
Future perfect
This is used to say that something will be completed by a given future
time; eg we'll have visited seven countries by next Thursday.
Questions: eg How many letters will you
have written by noon?
Negative sentences: eg I won't have finished
the essay until next Tuesday.
Future perfect progressive
We use this to describe the duration of something at some future time;
eg by 9pm I'll have been working for thirteen hours.
Questions: eg How long will you have been
driving by midnight?
Negative sentences: eg I won't have been
working too hard (so I'll be able to come to your party).
Back to top
Test yourself
Try to complete the following sentences using the tenses described above
(there is one sentence for each tense).
What shall I do tonight? I know, I **** to the cinema! (go)
I **** in many different countries. (live)
My flat was messy because they **** a party. (have)
She said she **** the package the week before. (receive)
I **** Yoko at 6pm tomorrow evening. (meet)
He always **** to work on Mondays. (walk)
I **** letters all evening. (write)
This time next week I **** to Japan. (fly)
By Christmas I **** here for twenty years. (work)
I **** breakfast when the doorbell rang. (eat)
I **** by the time I'm 60. (retire)
England **** in the last minute. (score)
Answers
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