PRESENT SIMPLE

Form: In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person
singular (which ends in –s).
Uses
We use the present simple to talk about:

1) something that is true in the present:

I'm a student.
She lives in Australia.
2) General facts; something that is always true:

e.g. a) Fish swim.

b) The human body has 206 bones.

3) Repeated actions or events: I go to school five times a week; I play the piano every
day.

4) Something that is fixed in the future (timetables; itineraries, schedules)

e.g. a) The plane leaves at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

b) The Christmas holiday starts on the 23rd.

c) We fly to Rome next month.

5) To talk about something in the future after when, after and before and after if and unless:

I'll talk to the teacher when we have class.

You must finish your homework before you leave.
If it snows we'll go inside.
My mother will not cook pancakes unless I ask her.
5) To summarise a book, play, film, etc.
6) To tell a story:
e.g. I was reading a book in the park last Sunday when a dog comes up to me and starts
barking. I am a little bit scared. I don’t know what to do, perhaps he needs help...

We often use adverbs of frequency such as always, usually, never, sometimes.

 PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1)Things that are happening at the moment of speaking. These actions usually last for a short
time and they are not finished when we are talking about them.

e.g. a) I am watching a movie at the moment.

b) My dad is cooking dinner right now.

2) Actions or habits that annoy the speaker or the situations happen again and again (adv. like
always, forever, never are usually used in this situation).

e.g. a) You are always smoking.

b) My brother is always forgetting his keys home.

4) Temporary situations, even if the action isn't happening at this moment.

e.g a) Sarah is feeding her sister’s cats this week because she is on holiday. (She doesn’t
usually feed her sister’s cars)

b) He's staying with his friend for a week.

In comparison, the present simple is used of permanent situations that we feel will continue
for a long time.
e.g. a) I teach English (This is a permanent situation, it is my job)
b) I'm teaching English for the next two weeks (This might be a temporary situation. I don’t
teach English all the time; it’s only a temporary action).

4) Future plans or arrangements:

e.g. We are visiting our aunt next summer.

5) Something which is happening before and after a specific time:

e.g. a) At seven o'clock tomorrow we are usually doing our homework.

b) When I get home the children are already sleeping.

6) Something which is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing up quickly.

The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.

7) something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

e.g. These days most people are using the Internet more than in the past.
 8) To tell a story (like Present Simple).
9) To summarise a book (like Present Simple).

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

1)Unfinished actions or states or habits that started in the past and continue to the present.
Usually we use it to say 'how long' and we need 'since' or 'for'. We often use stative verbs.
a) They have lived in Bucharest for 19 years.
b) She has known her husband since 1998.
We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2020, May, December 22nd, last year). The fixed
time can be another action, which is in the past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived).
a) I've known Sam since 1992.
b) I've liked chocolate since I was a child.
c) She's been here since 2pm.

We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months).
a) I have had this coat for ten years.
2)Life experience. These are actions or events that happened sometime during a person's life.
We don't say when the experience happened, and the person needs to be alive now. We often
use the words 'ever' and 'never' here.
I have been to Rome.
a)
b) We have never seen that film.

3) With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today). The period of time is still
continuing.
e.g. I haven't seen her this month.

We CAN'T use the present perfect with a finished time word, such as yesterday, last week,
month, year, etc).

4. A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result). We often use the present
perfect to talk about something that happened in the recent past, but that is still true or
important now. Sometimes we can use the past simple here.

e.g. I've lost my phone (so I can't call you).

5: To talk about something that happened recently, even if there isn't a clear result in the
present.
e.g. The Queen has given a speech.
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1.To say how long for unfinished actions which started in the past and continue to the present
(often with for and since).

e.g. I have been living in New York for ten years.

2. Temporary habits or situations. The action started in the past and continues to the present,
but we don't answer the questions about 'how long' so clearly. Instead, we use a word like
'recently'.

e.g. I've been going to the gym a lot recently.

3. Actions which have recently stopped (though the whole action can be unfinished) and have
a result, which we can often see, hear, or feel, in the present.

e.g. I'm so tired, I've been studying.

The present perfect simple has a very similar use, which focuses on the result of the action,
whereas the present perfect continuous focuses on the action itself.

Past Simple

1.Something that happened only once in the past

e.g. I met my best friend in 2010.

2. A repeated action in the past (it took place several times in the past)

e.g. When I was a child, I went to piano lessons every Wednesay.

3. Something that was true for some time in the past:

e.g. I lived in Italy for 6 years.

4. For stories or lists of events, we often use the past simple for the actions in the story and
the past continuous for the background.
e.g. He went to a café. People were chatting and music was playing. He sat down and ordered
a coffee.
5. We use the past simple to talk about things that are not real in the present or future. So we
use it with the second conditional and after words like 'wish'.
e.g. a) If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
b) I wish I had more time!
 PAST CONTINUOUS

1.for something which happened before and after another action.

e.g. They were doing their homework when she arrived home.
2. Something that happened before and after a specific time:
e.g. It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter.
3. To show that something continued for some time
e.g. My head was aching.
4. Something that happened again and again.
e.g. They were always arguing.
5. With verbs that show change or growth.
e.g. The children were growing up quickly.
6. The background of a story. (We often use the past simple for the actions.)
e.g. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and in the cafés people were laughing and
chatting. Amy sat down and took out her phone.

PAST PERFECT

1.A finished action before another action in the past.

e.g. When we arrived, the film had started (first the film started, then we arrived).
If it's clear which action happened first (if we use the words 'before' or 'after', for example),
the past perfect is optional.
2.Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or time in the past. The
past perfect tells us 'how long', just like the present perfect, but this time the action continues
up to a point in the past rather than the present. Usually we use 'for + time'. We can also use
the past perfect continuous here, so we most often use the past perfect simple with stative
verbs.
e.g. When he graduated, he had been in London for six years. (= He arrived in London six
years before he graduated and lived there until he graduated, or even longer.)
3. To talk about unreal or imaginary things in the past. Common in the third conditional and
after wish.

e.g. a) She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder.

b) I wish I hadn't gone to bed so late!

 PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or time in the
past.

e.g. She had been working at that company for a year when she met Mike.

2. Something that finished just before another event in the past. This is usually used to
show a result at a time in the past.

e.g. The pavement was wet, it had been raining. (The rain had finished before the time I'm
describing in the past. We could see the result of the rain.)

FUTURE SIMPLE

WILL

1. We use the future simple with 'will' to predict the future.

e.g. I think that he will be our next president.

2. Promises / requests / refusals / offers.

e.g. I'll help you with your homework.

In a similar way, we often use 'will' when we're talking about a decision at the moment of
speaking. We are usually making an offer or promise or talking about something that we want
to do.

A: I'm cold. B: I'll close the window.

3.We use the simple future with 'will' in the first conditional, and in other sentences that have
a conditional feeling.

e.g. If it doesn't rain, we'll go to the park.

BE GOING TO
1. We often use 'be going to' to talk about our future intentions and plans. We have usually
made our plans before the moment of speaking.

e.g. A: We've run out of milk. B: I know, I'm going to buy some.

2. We can also use 'be going to' to make a prediction about the future. Often it's possible to
use both 'be going to' and 'will' but it's more common to use 'be going to' if we can see
evidence in the present.
e.g. Look at those boys playing football! They're going to break the window.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

The future continuous refers to an unfinished action or event that will be in progress at a time
later than now. The future continuous is used for quite a few different purposes.

1. The future continuous can be used to project ourselves into the future.

e.g. This time next week I will be skiing in Austria.

2. To predicti or guess about future events.

e.g. He'll be coming to the meeting, I expect.

3. In the interrogative form, the future continuous can be used to ask politely for information
about the future.

e.g. Will Jim be coming with us?

4. To refer to continuous events that we expect to happen in the future.

e.g. When he is in Australia he will be staying with friends.

5. When combined with still, the future continuous refers to events that are already happening
now and that we expect to continue some time into the future.

e.g. In an hour I'll still be ironing my clothes.

FUTURE PERFECT

We use the future perfect simple (will/won't have + past participle) to talk about something
that will be completed before a specific time in the future.

e.g. a) The guests are coming at 8 p.m. I'll have finished cooking by then.
c) Will you have gone to bed when I get back?

We can use phrases like by or by the time (meaning 'at some point before') and in or in a day's
time / in two months' time / in five years' time etc. (meaning 'at the end of this period') to give
the time period in which the action will be completed.
a) I won't have written all the reports by next week.
b) By the time we arrive, the kids will have gone to bed.