The  Tenses  of  English

  Simple   Continuous   Perfect  Simple   Perfect  Continuous

Past   past  tense  verb was/were  +  ~ing   had  +  PP   had  +  been  +  ~ing
1. completed  action  in  the  past  (the  time 1. action  that  was  in  progress  at  a  certain   1. action  which  happened  before  another  past  action  or   1. action  happening  over  a  period  of  time  up  to  a  specific
the  action  happened  is  often  stated  or point  in  the  past   time   time/event  in  the  past
known) It  was  raining  at  2  o’clock  yesterday.   When  we  arrived  at  the  station,  the  train  had  left.     He  saw  when  he  woke  up  that  it  had  been  raining  all  night.
He  went  to  New  York  last  year. 2. (longer)  action  in  the  past  that  was   2. emphasises  the  activity,  the  duration  or  its  effect  on
2. actions  taking  place  one  after  another interrupted  by  another  (shorter)  action   us,  not  the  completed  action
(e.g.  the  main  events  of  a  narrative) I  was  watching  TV  when  the  power  went  off.   They  had  been  waiting  for  an  hour  when  the  bus  finally
After  they  stole  the  car,  they  drove  away  quickly.   arrived.
  now   now   now     now  

X   X   X   X  

Present   INFINITIVE   (+  s  for  he/she/it) is/are/am  +  ~ing   has/have  +  PP   has/have  +  been  +  ~ing  
1. permanent  or  long-­‐term  situations 1. action  taking  place  now  or  around  now   1. past  actions  in  a  time  period  that  is  unfinished   1. past  actions  in  a  time  period  that  is  unfinished  
(always  true/false) A:  What’s  she  doing?   I’ve  ridden  an  elephant.  (in  my  life  which  is  unfinished)   He’s  been  studying  English  since  he  was  15  years  old.  
I  am  a  teacher. B:  She’s  taking  a  shower.   2. action  started  /  happened  in  the  past  but  is  still   2. more  temporary  activities  
2. habits  /  routines  or  regular  events 2. action  /  situation  taking  place  only  for  a   relevant  or  important  now   I’ve  been  reading  a  good  book.  
She  plays  tennis  every  Saturday. limited  period  of  time  (temporary)   He’s  broken  his  leg.  (and  now  he  can’t  run)     3. recent  repeated  activity  
  Normally  I  live  in  Sydney,  but  this  week  I’m   3. action  that  continues  up  to  the  present  (or  ended   Your  wife  has  been  phoning  all  morning.  
staying  in  Melbourne.   recently)   4. focuses  on  the  action  and  duration  (how  long),  not  the  
I’ve  lived  in  this  house  for  10  years.  (and  I  still  live  here)   result  
now   4. focuses  on    the  result,  not  the  action   A:  “Why  are  you  so  dirty?”  B:  “I’ve  been  cleaning  the  
now  
I’ve  painted  the  room.  (finished  painting)   backyard.”(might  be  finished  or  might  not  be  finished)    
  now     now  
 
  X  
  X  
Future   There  are  lots  of  ways  to  talk  about  the  future  in   will  +  be  +  ~ing   will  +  have  +  PP   will  +  have  +  been  +  ~ing  
English.  For  some  of  the  most  common  see   1. action  that  will  be  happening  at  a  certain   1. action  which  will  be  completed  by  a  certain  point  in   1. talking  about  how  long  an  action  will  have  been  in  
“Talking  about  the  future”  below.   point  in  the  future   the  future   progress  at  a  certain  point  in  the  future  
At  7pm  tomorrow,  I’ll  be  watching  the  football.   By  the  time  they  reach  Melbourne,  they  will  have  driven  more   By  the  next  Olympics,  he  will  have  been  training  for  3  years.  
2. action  that  will  happen  in  the  usual   than  5000km.    
course  of  events,  without  a  special  plan  
Will  you  be  coming  past  the  shops  on  your  way  
home?  
now   now   now  
 
 
X   X  
  X  
Talking  about  the  future  
will  +INF   be  going  to  +INF   Present  Continuous   Present  Simple   Other  phrases  
1. spontaneous  decision  (decision  made  at  the  time   1. present  intentions  for  the  future  (already   1. action  arranged  for  the  future   1. regular  timetabled  events   be  likely  to  +  INF;  be  planning  to  
of  speaking)   decided)   (already  decided  and  organised)   The  train  to  Newcastle  leaves  at  3  o’clock.   +  INF;  hope  to  +  INF;  hope  
A:  Jeff’s  been  taken  to  hospital.   I’m  going  to  get  married  one  day.   I’m  getting  married  in  July  next  year  in   2. after  future  conjunctions  (if,  in  case,   that…;  would  like  to  +  INF;  want  
B:  Oh,  I’ll  go  and  visit  him  after  work.   2. prediction  made  based  on  present  evidence   Hawaii.   before,  unless,  after,  when,  as  soon  as   to  +  INF;  bet  +  SUBJECT  +  future;  
2. prediction  based  on  own  belief  or  prior  experience   Brazil  are  playing  really  well  this  half.  I  think  they’re   etc.)   be  certain  to  +  INF;  there’s  a  
Brazil  always  win.  They’ll  probably  win  this  game  too.   going  to  win.   When  I  get  home,  I’ll  call  you.   good  chance  that…  
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Conditionals  

Zero  conditional   1st  conditional   2nd  Conditional   3rd  conditional  

if  +  present,  present  (OR  if  +  past,  past)   if  +  present,  future   if  +  past,  would/could/might  +  INF   if  +  past  perfect,  would/could/might  +  have  +  PP  
• facts  that  are  always  true   • Real  future  possibility   • Hypothetical  (imaginary)  situations  in  the  present   • Hypothetical  (imaginary)  situations  in  the  past  
If  water  is  100°C,  it  boils.   If  the  weather  is  nice  next  weekend,  we’ll  go  to  the  beach.   or  future.   If  I  had  studied  harder,  I  might  have  passed  the  exam  last  
• past  habits     If  I  had  $1  billion,  I  would  give  a  lot  of  money  to  charity.   week.  
If  I  was  a  bit  sick,  my  grandmother  always  let  me  stay   If  I  were  you,  I  wouldn’t  go  out  with  him.   She  wouldn’t  have  met  him  if  she  hadn’t  travelled  to  New  
home  from  school.   She  could  be  a  professional  basketball  player  if  she  was   Zealand.  
taller.   I  could  have  helped  him  if  he’d  asked  me.    
 
 

Notes:  

1. This  table  is  an  overview  of  the  English  tenses  and  should  be  used  after  you  have  already  studied  most  of  the  tenses.  Look  at  grammar  books  for  details  of  when  and  how  to  use  each  tense.  
2. PP  =  Past  Participle  
3. INF  =  Infinitive  verb  (sometimes  called  “base  form”)  
4. State  verbs  (seem,  know,  understand  etc.)  are  not  usually  used  in  continuous  tenses.  (e.g.  I’ve  been  knowing  him  for  three  years.  I’ve  known  him  for  three  years.)    
5. Some  grammar  books  say  “progressive”  instead  of  “continuous”.  

Source:  James  Heath  www.eltideas.com.  Adapted  from  First  Certificate  Expert  (2008:  Pearson  Longman)  and  New  Cutting  Edge  Upper  Intermediate  (2008:  Pearson  Longman).  

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