THE PATHWAY ENGLISH CENTER

TENSES OVERVIEWS

THE PRESENT SIMPLE (I do)

We use the present simple to talk about things in general. We use it to say that
something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general:
Nurses look after patients in hospitals.
I usually go away at weekends.
The cafe opens at 7.30 in the morning.

We use the present simple to say how often we do things:

I get up at 8 o’clock every morning.
How often do you go to the dentist?
Julie doesn’t drink tea very often.
Robert usually goes away two or three times a year.

I promise / I apologize etc.

Sometimes we do things by saying something. For example, when you promise to
do something,
you can say ‘I promise …’; when you suggest something, you can say ‘I suggest …’:
I promise I won’t be late. (not I’m promising)
‘What do you suggest I do?’ ‘I suggest that you …’
In the same way we say:I apologize … / I advise … / I insist … / I agree … / I refuse

STRUCTURE
Positive statements Negative statements Interrogative statements

S+V+O S + DO/ DOES+NOT+V+O DO/ DOES+S+V+O+?

We use do/does to make questions and negative sentences:

I come from Canada. Where do you come from?
What does this word mean? (not What means this word?)
Rice doesn’t grow in cold climates.
In the following examples, do is also the main verb (do you do / doesn’t do etc.):
‘What do you do?’ ‘I work in a shop.’
He’s always so lazy. He doesn’t do anything to help.
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 PRESENT CONTINUOUS (I am doing)

We use the continuous for things happening at or around the time of speaking. The
action is not complete.
The water is boiling. Be careful.
Listen to those people. What language are they speaking?
Let’s go out. It isn’t raining now.
‘I’m busy.’ ‘What are you doing?’
I’m getting hungry. Let’s go and eat.
Kate wants to work in Italy, so she’s learning Italian.
The population of the world is
increasing very fast.

We use the continuous for temporary situations (things that continue for a short
time):
I’m living with some friends until I find a place of my own.
a: You’re working hard today.
b: Yes, I have a lot to do
We use continuous forms (I’m waiting, it’s raining etc.) for actions and happenings
that have started but not finished. Some verbs (for example, know and like) are not
normally used in this way. We don’t say ‘I am knowing’, ‘they are liking’. We say ‘I
know’, ‘they like’. The following verbs are not normally used in the present
continuous:
Like/ Want/ Need// Prefer
Know/ Realize/ Understand/ Recognize
Believe/ Suppose/ Remember/ Mean
Belong/ Fit/ Contain/ Consist/ Seem
I’m hungry. I want something to eat. (not I’m wanting)
Do you understand what I mean?
Anna doesn’t seem very happy right now
STRUCTURE

Positive statements Negative statements Interrogative statements

S+Am/ Is/Are+V+Ing+O S+Am/Is/Are+Not+V+Ing +O Am/ Is/Are+S+V+Ing+O+?

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 THINK
When think means ‘believe’ or ‘have an opinion’, we do not use the continuous:
I think Mary is Canadian, but I’m not sure. (not I’m thinking)
What do you think of my idea? (= what is your opinion?)

When think means ‘consider’, the continuous is possible:

I’m thinking about what happened. I often think about it.
Nicky is thinking of giving up her job. (= she is considering it)
B
am/is/are being
You can say he’s being … , you’re being … etc. to say how somebody is behaving
now:
I can’t understand why he’s being so selfish. He isn’t usually like that. (being selfish
= behaving selfishly now)
‘The path is icy. Don’t slip.’ ‘Don’t worry. I’m being very careful.’

Compare:
He never thinks about other people. He’s very selfish.
(= he is selfish generally, not only now)
I don’t like to take risks. I’m a very careful person.
We use am/is/are being to say how a person is behaving (= doing something they
can control) now.

It is not usually possible in other situations:

Sam is ill. (not is being ill)
Are you tired? (not are you being tired)
D
See, hear, smell, taste, look and feel
We normally use the present simple (not continuous) with see/hear/smell/taste:
Do you see that man over there? (not are you seeing)
The room smells. Let’s open a window.
This soup doesn’t taste very good.

You can use the present simple or continuous to say how somebody looks or feels
now:
You look well today. or You’re looking well today.
How do you feel now? or How are you feeling now?
but
I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I’m usually feeling)
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 PAST SIMPLE (I did)

Very often the past simple ends in “ed” (regular verbs):

I work in a travel agency now. Before that I worked in a department store.
They invited us to their party, but we decided not to go.
The police stopped me on my way home last night.
Laura passed her exam because she studied very hard.

But many verbs are irregular. The past simple does not end in -ed. For example:
write → wrote Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
see → saw We saw Alice in town a few days ago.
go → went I went to the cinema three times last week.
shut → shut It was cold, so I shut the window.
STRUCTURE

Positive statements Negative statements Interrogative statements

S+PRETERIT+O S + DID+NOT+V+O DID+S+V+O+?

In questions and negative sentences, we use did/didn’t + infinitive (enjoy/see/go

etc.):

I enjoyed the party a lot. Did you enjoy it?

How many people did they invite to the wedding?
I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t have any money.
‘Did you go out?’ ‘No, I didn’t.’
Sometimes do is the main verb in the sentence (did you do? I didn’t do):
What did you do at the weekend? (not What did you at the weekend?)
I didn’t do anything. (not I didn’t anything)
C
The past of be (am/is/are) is was/were:
I/he/she/it was/wasn’t was I/he/she/it?
we/you/they were/weren’t were we/you/they?
I was annoyed because they were late.
Was the weather good when you were on holiday?
They weren’t able to come because they were so busy.
I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat anything.
Did you go out last night or were you too tired?
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 PAST CONTINUOUS (I was doing)

I was doing something = I was in the middle of doing it at a certain time. The action
or situation started
before this time, but had not finished:
This time last year I was living in Hong Kong.
What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?
I waved to Helen, but she wasn’t looking.

I was doing (= in the middle of an action)

We were walking home when I met Dan. (in the middle of walking home).
Kate was watching TV when we arrived.

You can say that something happened (past simple) in the middle of something else
(past continuous):
Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
It was raining when I got up.
I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.
I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened aft er another:
I was walking along the road when I saw Dan. So, I stopped, and we talked for a
while.
Compare:
When Karen arrived, we were having dinner. (= we had already started before she
arrived)
When Karen arrived, we had dinner. (= Karen arrived, and then we had dinner)
D
Some verbs (for example, know and want) are not normally used in continuous
forms (is + ing, was + -ing etc.).

We were good friends. We knew each other well. (not we were knowing)
I was enjoying the party, but Chris wanted to go home. (not was wanting)

STRUCTURE

Positive statements Negative statements Interrogative statements

S+Was/ Were+V+Ing+O S+Was/ Were e+Not+V+Ing +O Was/ Were +S+V+Ing+O+?

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 PRESENT PERFECT (I have done)

When we say ‘something has happened’, this is usually new information:

Ow! I’ve cut my finger.
The road is closed. There’s been an accident. (= There has been …)
Police have arrested two men in connection with the robbery.

When we use the present perfect, there is a connection with now. The action in the
past has a result now:
Tom has lost his key. (= he doesn’t have it now)
He told me his name, but I’ve forgotten it. (= I can’t remember it now)
Sally is still here. She hasn’t gone out. (= she is here now)
I can’t find my bag. Have you seen it? (= do you know where it is now?)

Compare gone (to) and been (to):

James is on holiday. He has gone to Italy. (= he is there now or on his way there)
Amy is back home now. She has been to Italy. (= she has now come back)

You can also use the past simple (did, went, had etc.) in the examples on this page.
So you can say:

Ben isn’t here. He’s gone out. or He went out.

‘Are you hungry?’ ‘No, I’ve just had lunch.’ or ‘No, I just had lunch.’

You can use the present perfect with just, already and yet.

Just = a short time ago:

‘Are you hungry?’ ‘No, I’ve just had lunch.’
Hello. Have you just arrived?

Already = sooner than expected:

‘Don’t forget to pay the bill.’ ‘I’ve already paid it.’
‘What time is Mark leaving?’ ‘He’s already left.’
Yet = until now. We use yet to show that we are expecting something to happen.

We use yet in questions and negative sentences:

Has it stopped raining yet?
I’ve written the email, but I haven’t sent it yet.
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When we talk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use
the present perfect (have been / have travelled etc.).

Have you ever eaten caviar?

We’ve never had a car.
I don’t know what the film is about. I haven’t seen it.
Susan really loves that book. She’s read it three times. (She’s = She has)
It’s a really boring movie. It’s the most boring movie I’ve ever seen.

been (to) = visited:

I’ve never been to Canada. Have you been there ?

In the following examples too, the speakers are talking about a period that continues
until now (recently, in the last few days, so far, since I arrived etc.):

Have you heard anything from Ben recently?

I’ve met a lot of people in the last few days.
Everything is going well. There haven’t been any problems so far.
The weather is bad here. It’s (= It has) rained every
day since I arrived. (= from when I arrived until now)
It’s good to see you again. We haven’t seen each other for a long time.
In the same way we use the present perfect with today, this evening, this year etc.
when these
periods are not finished at the time of speaking:
I’ve drunk four cups of coffee today.
Have you had a holiday this year?
I haven’t seen Tom this morning. Have you?

We say ‘It’s the (first) time something has happened’. For example:
Don is having a driving lesson. It’s his first lesson.

We can say:
It’s the first time he has driven a car. (not drives) or He hasn’t driven a car before. or
He has never driven a car before.

In the same way we say:

Sarah has lost her passport again. This is the second time this has happened. (not
happens)
Andy is phoning his girlfriend again. It’s the third time he’s phoned her this evening
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 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (I have been doing)

We use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or
just stopped:
Why are you out of breath? Have you been running?
Paul is very tired. He’s been working hard.
Why are you so tired? What have you been doing?
I’ve been talking to Amanda and she agrees with me.
Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.

It’s been raining for two hours.

Study this example situation:
B
How long have you been learning English? (= you’re still learning English)
Ben is watching TV. He’s been watching TV all day.
Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for the last half hour.
Chris hasn’t been feeling well recently.
You can use the present perfect continuous for repeated actions:
Silvia is a very good tennis player. She’s been playing since she was eight.
Every morning, they meet in the same cafe. They’ve been going there for years.
It began raining two hours ago and it is still raining.
How long has it been raining?
It’s been raining for two hours. (= It has been …)
We use the present perfect continuous in this way, especially
with how long, for … and since …. The activity is still
happening (as in this example) or has just stopped.

Compare I am doing and I have been doing:

Don’t disturb me now. I’m working.
We need an umbrella. It’s raining.
Hurry up! We’re waiting.

I’ve been working hard. Now I’m going

to have a break.
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The ground is wet. It’s been raining.
We’ve been waiting for an hour

We use the present perfect to talk about something that began in the past and still
continues now.

Compare the present and present perfect:

Paul is in hospital.
but He’s been in hospital since Monday. (= He has been …) (not Paul is in hospital
since Monday)
We know each other very well.
but We’ve known each other for a long time. (not We know)
Do they have a car?
But: How long have they had their car?
She’s waiting for somebody.
but She hasn’t been waiting very long.
I’ve known / I’ve had / I’ve lived etc. is the present perfect simple.
I’ve been learning / I’ve been waiting etc. is the present perfect continuous.

When we ask or say ‘how long’, the continuous is more usual:

I’ve been learning English since January.
It’s been raining all morning.
Richard has been doing the same job for 20 years.
‘How long have you been driving?’ ‘Since I was 17.’
Some verbs (for example, know and like) are not normally used in the continuous:
How long have you known Jane? (not have you been knowing)
I’ve had these shoes for ages. (not I’ve been having)

You can use either the continuous or simple with live and work:
Julia has been living in this house for a long time. or Julia has lived …
How long have you been working here? or How long have you worked here?
But we use the simple (have lived etc.) with always:
I’ve always lived in the country. (not always been living)
C
We say ‘I haven’t (done something) since/for …’ (present perfect simple):
I haven’t seen Tom since Monday. (= Monday was the last time I saw him)
Sarah hasn’t phoned for ages. (= the last time she phoned was ages ago)
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