Present Simple
The present simple is used to talk about actions we see as long term or permanent. It is very common and very important.
In these examples, we are talking about regular actions or events.
In these examples, we are talking about regular actions or events.
- I drive to work every day.
- She doesn't come very often.
- The games usually start at 8.00 in the evening.
- What do you usually have for breakfast?
- Water freezes at 0° C or 32° F.
- I have three children.
- What does this word mean?
- I don't have any of my original teeth left.
- The plane leaves at 5.00 tomorrow morning.
- Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year.
- Ramadan doesn't begin for another 2 weeks.
- Does the class begin this week or next?
- I think you are wrong.
- She doesn't want to do it.
- They don't agree with us.
- Do you understand what I am trying to say.
Present Continuous
The present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as short-term or temporary . We use the present simple to talk about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent.
In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking.
In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking.
- It's raining.
- Who is Kate talking to on the phone?
- Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet.
- I'm not looking. My eyes are closed tightly.
- I'm looking for a new apartment.
- He's thinking about leaving his job.
- They're considering making an appeal against the judgment.
- Are you getting enough sleep?
- I'm meeting her at 6.30.
- They aren't arriving until Tuesday.
- We are having a special dinner at a top restaurant for all the senior managers.
- Isn't he coming to the dinner?
Past simple
We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.
We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.
We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.
- She came back last Friday.
- I saw her in the street.
- They didn't agree to the deal.
- She lived in Tokyo for seven years.
- They were in London from Monday to Thursday of last week.
- When I was living in New York, I went to all the art exhibitions I could.
- Yesterday
- three weeks ago
- last year
- in 2002
- from March to June
- for a long time
- for 6 weeks
- in the 1980s
- in the last century
- in the past
Past Continuous
We use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.
We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. (If we just want to talk about the past event as a simple fact, we use the past simple.)
We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. (If we just want to talk about the past event as a simple fact, we use the past simple.)
- While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
- Were you expecting any visitors?
- Sorry, were you sleeping?
- I was just making some coffee.
- I was thinking about him last night.
- In the 1990s few people were using mobile phones.
- I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.
- She was talking to me on the phone and it suddenly went dead.
- They were still waiting for the plane when I spoke to them.
- The company was declining rapidly before he took charge.
- We were just talking about it before you arrived.
- I was making a presentation in front of 500 people when the microphone stopped working.
Past simple and the Past continuous
Both the past simple and the past continuous refer to completed actions in the past.
Most of the time when we are talking about such actions, we use the past simple. This is by far the most common way about talking about the past.
Most of the time when we are talking about such actions, we use the past simple. This is by far the most common way about talking about the past.
- I lived there for 6 years.
- I only found out a few moments ago.
- I asked her but she didn't know anything.
- The company made 100 people redundant last year.
- Everybody was talking about it all evening.
- They were really trying hard but couldn't do it.
- I was thinking about you the other day.
- Were you expecting that to happen?
- It was raining hard when we left the building.
- I was reading the report when you rang.
- He was going out to lunch when I saw him.
- The company was doing well when I last visited it.
Present Perfect
(British English and American English have different rules for the use of the present perfect. The comments being made here and the exercises state the correct grammar for British English. However, in American English, it is often considered acceptable to use the past simple in some of these examples.)
We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.
We can use it to look back on the recent past.
We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.
We can use it to look back on the recent past.
- I've broken my watch.
- She's taken my copy.
- They have cancelled the meeting.
- The company has doubled its turnover.
- I've just finished.
- She's just arrived.
- We've already spoken about that.
- They've already met.
- I haven't finished yet.
- They don't know yet.
- Have you spoken to him yet?
- Has he got back to you yet?
- I've been to Singapore a lot over the years.
- He's done this type of project several times before.
- They've talked about it in the past.
- We've spoken to them on several occasions over the years.
- Have you ever been to Indonesia?
- Has he ever spoken to you about the problem?
- I've never met him.
- We've never considered investing in Canada.
Past Perfect
We use the past perfect simple to talk about what happened before a point in the past. It looks back from a point in the past to further in the past.
- I hadn't known the bad news when I spoke to him.
- I checked with the supplier and they still hadn't received the contract.
- She had already told him before I got a chance to give him my version.
- The company has started the year well but was badly hit by the postal strike.
- He told me they had already paid the bill.
- He said he believed that John had moved to Italy.
- I thought we had already decided on a name for this product.
- It looked like a good time to invest. Inflation had been falling for several months.
- Before I changed jobs, I had been working on a plan to reduce production costs.
- We had been thinking about doing that but then decided against it.
Future Simple
Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.
We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.
We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.
- The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
- Next year, I'll be 50.
- That plane will be late. It always is.
- There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.
- I'll probably come back later.
- He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
- Maybe it will be OK.
- Perhaps we'll meet again some day.
- I think I'll go to bed now.
- I think she'll do well in the job.
- I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
- I hope you won't make too much noise.
- Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
- I'll answer that.
- I'll go.
- I won't tell him. I promise.