Download use of tenses

USE OF TENSES
BASIC RULES
I. DISTINCTION TENSE / FORM
Tenses: Present, Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future, Future Perfect...
Forms: Simple - Continuous.
The tense of the verb refers to when the action happens.
The form refers to how the action is considered:
- is it a habit, a repeated action, a general truth... ? [SIMPLE]
- is the action unfinished, still in progress, exceptional... ? [CONTINUOUS]
Therefore, the Present Simple and the Present Continuous are two different aspects of the same
tense.
II. HOW TO CHOOSE THE FORM?
The Continuous Form
BE (in the appropriate tense) + -ING
Usually it corresponds to the French «en train de». This means that the action is not completed (=
finished) at the time mentioned.
Sometimes the continuous form is used to show that an action is exceptional (you are working quite
well today !) or so often repeated that it is finally getting on your nerves (the pupils are always asking
the same questions).
CAREFUL !
Some verbs cannot be used with a continuous form. This is because they do not express an action.
Examples: love, hate, understand, know, be... .
Some others like «have» can be either an action verb (to have a bath, to have breakfast) or a state
verb (to have a brother, to have a car). When they express an action in progress, they can be used with
a continuous form; when they are state verbs, they must be used with a simple form.
Beware: «to wear» and the verbs of position («to stand, to sit, to lie...») are ACTION VERBS in English.
Therefore: I’m wearing a pullover, she’s sitting on a chair, he’s lying in bed....
The Simple Form
It expresses that the action is completed, usual, repeated or generally true. It is also used with state
verbs (see above).
HOW TO CHOOSE THE TENSE?
Is there an expressed time indication?
If yes, it tells you which tense to use. Examples:
ago ----- PAST
now ----- PRESENT
tomorrow ----- FUTURE
since/for (= depuis) ----- PRESENT PERFECT
etc.
CAREFUL !
Some time indications can refer to various periods of time. Examples:
never ----- PRESENT? PAST? PRESENT PERFECT? FUTURE?
I never eat fish.
When I was a child I never ate fish.
I have never eaten fish.
I will never eat fish.
this morning ----- IS THE MORNING FINISHED OR NOT?
I read the newspaper this morning. [It is now 3 p.m.]
I have read the newspaper this morning. [It is 11 a.m., so the morning is not finished]
etc.
If there is no time indication in the sentence, you must look
- at other elements of the sentence that can give you a time indication:
- I bought my car in Italy (= when I was in Italy)
- Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays (= when he was still alive)
- at the context. A verb can depend on a time indication mentioned before in the
context.
WHAT ARE THE TENSES USED FOR?
THE PRESENT
For actions in the present time or directly around it.
I go to school every day.
This book contains 300 pages.
I’m going to school now.
Why are you looking at me?
For actions in the future (in French, you can also express future with a present tense: Que fais-tu
demain ? - Je vais à Londres).
THE PAST
For actions that took place in a period of time that is completely finished and does not last until the
present. With a Past tense, you can answer the question «when?».
I went to London in 1990, 92 and 95. ----- we know when ----- PAST
I have been three times to London. ----- we don’t know when; we just know it happened
before now ----- PRESENT PERFECT
THE PRESENT PERFECT
For actions that happened before now. The period of time can go up to the present. With a Present
Perfect we don’t know «when», but sometimes we know «how long».
I have never been in Japan. (until now)
I have known Peter for ten years. (we know «how long»)
THE PAST PERFECT
For actions that happened prior to other past actions.
Yesterday I washed my car. (= past action) But before that I had cleaned all the house.
(= it happened before I washed the car, so before a past action)
When I saw him (= past) he had been waiting for the bus for half an hour. (= this had
started before I saw him)
THE FUTURE
For actions in the future time.
The Future Simple (It will probably rain tonight) and the Future Continuous (Next week at the same
time I will be lying on the beach) follow the distinction SIMPLE / CONTINUOUS mentioned before.
However, the other forms of future tenses (be going to, ’ll, shall, present tenses) follow other rules
and the analysis is different:
BE GOING TO ----- intentions (like the French «aller + infinitif»)
I’m going to learn English = je vais apprendre l’anglais
’LL ----- spontaneous decisions, decisions made on the very moment
[in a pub] I’ll have a coke = pour moi, ce sera un coca
[the phone is ringing] I’ll answer it = je réponds
SHALL (in questions) ----- expresses the will of someone else
Shall I open the window ? = Voulez-vous que j’ouvre la fenêtre ?
PRESENT CONTINUOUS ----- (if Present in French) if the subject can decide
I’m going to London tomorrow = je vais à Londres demain
PRESENT SIMPLE ----- (if Present in French) if the subject can’t decide
I have an English examination tomorrow = j’ai un examen d’angais demain
My train leaves in two hours = mon train part dans deux heures
BEWARE!
Never use any WILL or SHALL form after a time conjunction (when, as soon as, before, after,
until/till...). Use a Present Simple instead.
Ex. I will tell him when I see him.
THE FUTURE PERFECT
For actions that happen between now and another time in the future, that will have taken place before
a given moment in the future.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m. I will have finished my exercise = demain à 2 heures, j’aurai fini mon
exercice
TENSE FORMS
(ACTIVE)
PRESENT
SIMPLE
I/you/we/they work/push/go
he/she/it works/pushes/goes
Do I/you/we/they work/push/go ?
Does he/she/it work/push/go ?
I/you/we/they don’t work/push/go
he/she/it doesn’t work/push/go
CONTINUOUS I am/’m working
you/we/they are/’re working
he/she/it is/’s working
am I working ?
are you/we/they working ?
is he/she/it working ?
I am not working
you/we/they are not/aren’t working
he/she/it is not/isn’t working
PAST
SIMPLE
I/you/he/she/it/we/they worked/went
did I/you/he/she/it/we/they work/go ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they didn’t work/go
CONTINUOUS I/he/she/it was working/going
you/we/they were working/going
was I/he/she/it working/going ?
were you/we/they working/going ?
I/he/she/it was not/wasn’t working/going
you/we/they were not/weren’t working/going
PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPLE
I/you/we/they have worked/gone
he/she/it has worked/gone
have I/you/we/they worked/gone ?
has he/she/it worked/gone ?
I/you/we/they have not/haven’t worked/gone
he/she/it has not/hasn’t worked/gone
CONTINUOUS I/you/we/they have been working
he/she/it has been working
have I/you/we/they been working ?
has he/she/it been working ?
I/you/we/they have not/haven’t been working
he/she/it has not/hasn’t been working
PAST PERFECT
SIMPLE
I/you/he/she/it/we/they had worked
had I/you/he/she/it/we/they worked ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not/hadn’t worked
CONTINUOUS I/you/he/she/it/we/they had been working
had I/you/he/she/it/we/they been working ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not/hadn’t been working
FUTURE
SIMPLE
I/you/he/she/it/we/they will work
will I/you/he/she/it/we/they work ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they will not/won’t work
CONTINUOUS I/you/he/she/it/we/they will be working
will I/you/he/she/it/we/they be working ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they will not/won’t be working
BE GOING TO
I am/you are/he is... going to work
am I/are you/is he... going to work ?
I am not/you aren’t/he isn’t going to work
FUTURE PERFECT
SIMPLE
I/you/he/she/it/we/they will have worked/gone
will
I/you/he/she/it/we/they have worked/gone ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they will not/won’t have worked/gone
CONTINUOUS I/you/he/she/it/we/they will have been working
will I/you/he/she/it/we/they have been working ?
I/you/he/she/it/we/they will not/won’t have been working