English Subjects
Comparison of English Tenses
(1) The PRESENT TENSES
You use the present tense to express something that happens in the present. The Present Simple differs from the Present Continuous or Progressive in:
|
Present Simple 1. a present
habit or routine
She smokes a lot. 2. a general
truth Water is
wet. 3. a present
situation (not temporary)
He lives in Dendermonde. 4. always
with STATE VERBS: a. verbs of the senses
Do you hear
anything? b. verbs of opinion and
understanding He doesn't
understand Japanese. c. verbs of emotions and
feelings She hates classical
music. 5. in the
first conditional
He will come to the party, if you invite him. |
Present Continuous or Progressive 1. a present
and temporary activity
She is smoking a lot. (She doesn’t normally.) 2. an
on-going activity of limited duration
He is watching television at the moment. 3. a future
arrangement
He is seeing his dentist tomorrow. (an appointment) 4. repeated
actions that irritate the speaker
He is always telling other people what to do. |
(2) The PERFECT and
PAST tenses
All these tenses describe actions in the past. The Present Perfect differs from the Simple Past in:
|
Present
Perfect |
Simple
Past |
|
1. you know
that the action took place in the past, but don't know when
precisely.
I have seen her three times.
(when? you don't know) |
1. you know
precisely when the action took place in the past.
I saw her last week.
(when? last week) |
|
2. very
recent past
They've just left. |
2. a past
habit which is now finished
She smoked a lot. (not anymore now) |
|
A new president has been elected in Italy. 4. a state or
situation which has started in the past and is continuing up to now.
I have lived there for a long time. (I am still living there.) 5. a finished
state or activity but the period of time in which it has taken place is
not finished.
I have written a letter this morning. (the letter is finished and it is
still morning) 6. a present
result
I have lost my keys. |
She would help him, if she knew he was in troubles. 4. a state or
situation which started in the past and is now finished.
I lived there for a long time.
(I am living somewhere else now.) 5. a finished
state or activity and the period of time in which it has taken place
is finished.
I wrote a letter this morning.
(the letter is finished and it is no longer morning) |
The Present Prefect
Simple differs from the Present Prefect Progressive in:
|
Present
Perfect Simple 1. a
one-moment action
I have cut my finger. 2. the
activity stops after the moment of speaking and you are speaking about a
result.
I have painted the room. (finished) |
Present
Perfect Progressive 1. an
on-going activity
I have been cutting the grass. 2. the
activity started in the past and is continuing after the moment of
speaking a(so not finished).
I have been painting the room.
(still to finish it) 3. to express
irritation
I have been waiting for hours. |
(3) The
PAST Perfect
You use the
Past Perfect instead of the Simple Past or Present Perfect when an action has
taken place before another action in the past.
She
found feathers everywhere. The cat
had caught a bird.
(4)
Expressing the FUTURE
There is no
one future tense in English.
Instead, several verb forms and auxiliaries might be used to express the
future.
4.1 will + infinitve: (shall after I and we in
formal English)
1.) a
prediction without proof and which is based upon your own opinion
I think Labour will win the elections. (That is my opinion.)
2.) in the
First Conditional but never after if
If you aren’t careful, you’ll break that glass.
3.) a
decision or an intention made at the moment of speaking
Someone is knocking at the door.
I’ll open it.
4.2 - to be going to +
infinitive:
1.) a
prediction based on a present fact or some evidence
Look at the sky. It ‘s going to
be a lovely day. (The sky proves this.)
2.) a
decision or an intention made before the moment of speaking
When she grows up, she is going to be a ballet dancer.
4.3 the Present Progressive or Continuous
1.) a
future arrangement (made an
appointment)
I’m seeing Aïda next month. (You have bought the tickets already.)
4.4 the Present Simple
1.) the
certain future of a timetable or calendar
My flight leaves at 10.00.
It is my birthday tomorrow.
2.) after
if, when, before and so on in the First Conditional
If the weather turns bad, the picnic will be cancelled.
4.5 the Future Continuous: will + be + -ing
form
1.) an
activity that will be in progress before
and after a time in the future
Don’t phone at 8.00, because we will be having dinner.
2.) a
future event that will happen in he natural course of events
Don’t worry about our guests.
They’ll be arriving any minute now.
4.6 the Future Perfect
1.) an
action that will be completed before a definite time in the future.
I’ll have done all my work by this evening.