1. SIMPLE PRESENT: I play… (yo juego...)
1. Acciones habituales o que se repiten con cierta frecuencia (always, never,
sometimes..., once/twice a week/month/year/day..., every day/month/ Sunday..., on
Thursdays…):
e.g.: She usually gets up at 7.30 (normalmente se levanta a las 7:30)
2. Acciones permanentes o verdades universales:
e.g.: She works as a nurse (trabaja de enfermera)
e.g.: Money doesn’t buy happiness (el dinero no compra la felicidad)
3. Horarios y programas “oficiales” (uso de futuro):
e.g. The match finishes at 7.45 (el partido acaba a las 7:45)
4. Verbos estáticos:
• Pensamiento: think, imagine, realize, suppose, understand, believe, agree,
forget, remember recognize, know,…
• Sentimiento: love, like, prefer, hate, feel ,want, dislike, wish,…
• Sentidos: smell, see, taste, hear,…
• Apariencia: appear, resemble, seem, look like,…
• Posesión: have (got), belong to, own, contain, include, possess, consist of,…
• Otros: concern, deserve, fit, interest, involve, matter, mean, satisfy, surprise,
weigh, cost, need, require,…
PRESENT CONTINUOUS: I’m playing… (estoy jugando ó juego (futuro))
1. Acciones que se realizan en el momento de hablar o en un momento cercano
(now, at the moment, at present...):
e.g.: She is looking for a better job (está buscando un trabajo mejor)
2. Acciones temporales:
e.g.: They are staying at the Park Hotel at present (se están quedando en…)
3. Acciones futuras cercanas con preparativos:
e.g. I am getting married next Saturday (me caso el sábado que viene)
e.g. R. Madrid is playing against Barca tomorrow (el Madrid juega…mañana)
SIMPLE PRESENT OR PRESENT CONTINUOUS?
1. These flowers ____________________ (SMELL) nice.
2. Paul ____________________ (LISTEN) to a new record in his room.
3. She ____________________ (COME) from Italy, but she
____________________ (LIVE) here in Spain.
4. Milk ____________________ (CONTAIN) lots of vitamins.
5. I ____________________ (KNOW) she ____________________ (HAVE) her
birthday party next Saturday. I ____________________ (ARRIVE) tomorrow.
6. Banks ____________________ (OPEN) at 8.30.
7. Hello! I ____________________ (CALL) you from my office because by boss
____________________ (NOT BE) here; he ____________________ (HAVE)
lunch with his wife; he often ____________________ (TAKE) her for lunch.

2. SIMPLE PAST: I played… (yo jugué…)
1. Acción pasada y acabada que no tiene conexión con el presente (yesterday, last
week, month/year/Sunday..., ago, then, when, in 1987...):
e.g. : When did she phone? She phoned an hour ago. (¿Cuándo llamó?Llamó...)
2. Acciones pasadas que se suceden en el tiempo:
e.g.: She sealed the letter, put a stamp on it and posted it. (cerró…puso…envió)
PAST CONTINUOUS: I was playing...(yo jugaba/ estaba jugando)
1. Acción pasada en transcurso en un momento o período del pasado (at 3.00
yesterday, at his time last week, from 4.00 to 5.00 yesterday...):
e.g.: We were telling horror stories at 12.00 last night (estuvimos contando…)
2. Dos o más acciones pasadas simultáneas (while):
e.g.: While I was sunbathing, Tim was swimming (tomaba el so…lse bañaba)
NOTA:
Si queremos expresar que una acción estaba ocurriendo en el pasado cuando otra
la interrumpió, utilizaremos el pasado continuo para la acción larga (la que estaba
ocurriendo) y el simple para la corta (la que la interrumpió):
e.g. While I was getting dressed, the bell rang (cuando me estaba vistiendo, sonó…)
SIMPLE PAST OR PAST CONTINUOUS?
1. Last night I ____________________ (BE) alone at home. I ________________
(LIE) on my bed and I ____________________ (WATCH) TV when I
____________________ (HEAR) a strange noise. The noise
____________________ (COME) from the kitchen. I ____________________
(GO) downstairs, ____________________ (PICK UP) a heavy vase form the
table and ____________________ (HEAD FOR) the kitchen. I
____________________ (OPEN) the door very slowly. Then, I
____________________ (SEE) someone. He ____________________
(SEARCH) in the fridge. I ____________________ (BE) so frightened that I
____________________ (DROP) the vase I ____________________ (CARRY)
and it ____________________ (CRASH) onto the floor. The man
____________________ (TURN) towards the door and I __________________
(SEE) his face. It ____________________ (BE) my husband!
2. I ____________________ (SLEEP) at 3.00 yesterday afternoon.
3. Elvis Presley ____________________ (DIE) in 1977.
4. I ____________________ (CYCLE) to work when I ____________________
(FALL) off the bike.
5. He ____________________ (GET) into the plane, ____________________
(START) the engine and ____________________ (FLY) off into the clouds.
6. When she ____________________ (FLY) to Paris, the sun
____________________ (SHINE).
7. When she ____________________ (BE) young, she ____________________
(DANCE) a lot.

3. PRESENT PERFECT:I have played… (he jugado ó juego...)
1. Acciones que empezaron en el pasado pero que tienen repercusión o
consecuencias claras en el presente (suelen ser acciones que acaban de terminar):
e.g. She has tidied her room (ha ordenado su habitación)
e.g. I have lost my keys (he perdido mis llaves)
2. Acciones que empezaron en el pasado pero que continúan en el presente:
e.g.: She has worked in the same company for 3 years (trabaja en la misma…)
e.g.: I have lived here since I was born (vivo aquí desde que nací)
3. Acciones que han ocurrido dentro de un período de tiempo no acabado y, por lo
tanto, se pueden volver a repetir (in my life, this year/week/month, today...).
e.g.: I have been to London twice in my life (he estado 2 veces en L. en mi vida)
PRES. PERF. CONTINUOUS: I’ve been playing …(he estado/llevo jugando…)
1. Tiene prácticamente los mismos usos que el presente perfecto simple; la única
diferencia es que el simple hace más hincapié en el resultado de la acción, mientras
que el continuo se centra más en la duración de esa acción:
e.g. She has been writing SMS’s for two hours (lleva escribiendo SMS 2 horas)
e.g.: She has already written 18 SMS’s (ya ha escrito 18 SMS)
e.g.: I have been repairing my bike all day, but I haven’t finished it yet (llevo
arreglando mi bici todo el día pero todavía no he acabado)
EXPRESIONES QUE SUELEN IR CON LOS TIEMPOS PERFECTOS
EXPRESSION TYPE OF SENT. POSITION IN SENT. MEANING EXAMPLE
1. ALREADY mainly affirmative before main verb ya She’s already finished her homework.
2. YET negative
interrogative
end position todavía
ya
I haven’t phoned her yet.
Have they left the party yet?
3. JUST mainly affirmative before main verb acabar de The film has just begun.
4. SINCE any type introducing a time compl. desde (que) I haven’t seen Anne since she moved to Paris.
5. FOR any type introducing a period of time durante / desde hace He has lived here for nine months.
6. NEVER affirmative (neg. sense) before main verb nunca I’ve never been to Russia.
7. ALWAYS affirmative before main verb siempre You’ve always been in love with her.
8. EVER mainly affirmative
& interrogative
before main verb jamás
alguna vez
This is the best book I’ve ever read.
Have you ever eaten snails?
9. SO FAR mainly affirmative usually end position hasta ahora He has recorded two albums so far.
10. RECENTLY
LATELY any type
end position &
before main verb
recientemente,
últimamente
I’ve spoken to the manager recently.
He’s been very busy lately.
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE/CONTINUOUS OR SIMPLE PAST?
1. ____________________ (YOU/BE) on holiday this year? No, I ________________.
I ____________________ (BREAK) my leg in August and ____________________
(HAVE TO) stay in hospital for 2 months. But I’m ok now.
2. ____________________ (YOU/VISIT) the museum yet? Yes, I ________________
(BE) there 3 times, but I ____________________ (NOT SEE) everything yet.
3. You look tired, what ____________________ (YOU /DO)? I __________________
(RUN) for 1 hour. Today I____________________ (RUN) 8 kms.
4. I can’t see anything, I ____________________ (LOSE) my glasses. I ____________
(put) them on the table one minute ago, but they’re not there now.
5. We ____________________ (STUDY) English for more than 10 years.

4. PAST PERFECT: I had played… (había jugado…)
1. Acción pasada anterior a otra acción pasada o a un momento pasado (by):
e.g.: He had left by 8.15 (se había ido antes de las 8:15)
e.g.: The film had already started by the time I arrived (la peli ya había
empezado cuando llegué)
PAST PERF. CONTINUOUS: I had been playing…(había estado/llevaba
jugando…)
1. Se usa prácticamente igual que el pasado perfecto simple; la diferencia es la
misma que la que existe entre presente perfecto simple y continuo (el simple suele
hacer hincapié en el resultado de la acción mientras que el continuo se centra más
en la duración de esa acción):
e.g.: She went to the doctor because her leg had been aching for 2 days (fue al
médico porque le había estado doliendo la pierna 2 días)
e.g.: They were wet because they had been walking in the rain for two hours.
They had walked 8 kms. (estaban empapados porque llevaban caminando dos
horas bajo la lluvia. Habían recorrido 8 kms.)
SIMPLE PAST OR PAST PERFECT (SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS)?
1. Last Monday, Angie ____________________ (GET UP) for work as usual and
____________________ (GO) to the kitchen to have some breakfast. But when she
____________________ (OPEN) the fridge, she ____________________ (FIND) that
her flatmate Lucy ____________________ (DRINK) all the milk –not a good start to
the day! So she ____________________ (HAVE) a quick cup of black coffee,
____________________ (GET) dressed and ____________________ (GO) out to the
car. There she ____________________ (FIND) that she ____________________
(FORGET) to put the cover on the car the night before and there __________________
(BE) thick frost all over the windscreen. She ____________________ (SCRAPE) it all
off and ____________________ (GET) into the car. However, when she ____________
(TURN) the key, nothing ____________________ (HAPPEN)! Someone ___________
(LEAVE) the headlights on and the battery ____________________ (GO) flat. She
____________________ (BE) furious as Lucy ____________________ (USE) the car
last and it ____________________ (BE) her who ____________________ (FORGET)
to switch off the lights. Angie ____________________ (HEAD) for the bus stop to wait
in the freezing cold.
2. When I ____________________ (ENTER) the house, something ________________
(SMELL) awful. Someone ____________________ (COOK) and _________________
(BURN) the meal. I ____________________ (VISIT) the house once before and
____________________ (MEET) the family, but I ____________________ (NOT
KNOW) what ____________________ (HAPPEN) since then. The house ___________
(BE) a mess. The children ____________________ (PLAY) in the living-room and
____________________ (LEAVE) their toys all over the floor. Someone ___________
(LEAVE) all the windows open. It ____________________ (RAIN) for hours and all
the curtains ____________________ (BE) wet and dirty. I ____________________
(ASK) the children were their parents ____________________ (BE). They __________
(TELL) me that their mother ____________________ (BE) in hospital for the last two
weeks. Their father ____________________ (LOOK AFTER) them since then. He
____________________ (NOT CAN) do any better because he ___________________

5. (WORK) all day and ____________________ (HAVE) to leave them alone all day.
FUTURE SIMPLE: I will play… (jugaré ó juego)
1. Predicciones de futuro (que pueden ocurrir o no):
e.g.: She’ll probably buy the dress (probablemente se compre el vestido)
2. Decisiones tomadas en el momento de hablar:
e.g.: A: It’s getting dark (está oscureciendo)
B: I’ll switch on the light (yo enciendo la luz)
3. Promesas, deseos, ofrecimientos, peticiones... (promise, I’m sure...):
e.g.: I hope you’ll pass the exam (espero que apruebes el examen)
e.g.: Will you close the window, please? (quieres cerrar la ventana, por favor?)
4. Condicionales I y con oraciones temporales (el otro verbo suele ir en presente
simple):
e.g.: If she doesn’t phone, I’ll call the police. (si no llama, llamaré a la policía)
e.g.: I’ll go home when it gets dark (me iré a casa cuando oscurezca)
‘BE GOING TO’ FUTURE: I’m going to play…(voy a jugar)
1. Acciones futuras que van ocurrir con casi toda seguridad porque tenemos
evidencias en el presente:
e.g.: My sister is going to have a baby (mi hermana va a tener un bebé)
2. Acciones planeadas o intencioes:
e.g.: Sam is going to have a party to celebrate his promotion (Sam va a dar una
fiesta para celebrar su promoción)
SIMPLE FUTURE OR ‘BE GOING TO’ FUTURE?
1. A: I’ve lost my keys!
B: Don’t worry, I ____________________ (HELP) you look for them.
2. Watch out! You ____________________ (KNOCK) the vase over.
3. Don’t eat any more ice-cream. You ____________________ (GET) sick.
4. Would you like a drink? Yes, please, I ____________________ (HAVE) some wine.
5. ____________________ ( YOU / DO) me a favour, please?
6. Have you decided what to wear tonight? Yes, I ____________________ (WEAR)
my black velvet dress.
7. I’m sure my parents ____________________ (NOT BE ) are home.
8. What ____________________ (YOU / BUY) if I give you $5?
9. I ____________________ (WRITE) you back as soon as I can.
10. I ____________________ (PROBABLY / STUDY) engineering.
11. I ____________________ (BUY) a new car tomorrow.
12. What are you doing with those candles? I_________________ (EXPLORE) a cave.
13. Look out! That dog ____________________ (BITE) you.
14. A: Look at those children! They ___________________ (HIT) that old woman.
B: I ____________________ (CALL) the police immediately.
15. My parents ____________________ (GET) very angry if I arrive home late.
16. She’s got a lung cancer. She ____________________ (DIE).
17. I ____________________ (DO) my homework before my parents come back.

6. 18. I promise I ____________________ (NOT DO) it again.
FUTURE CONTINUOUS: I’ll be playing… (estaré jugando…)
1. Acciones que se estarán realizando en un momento determinado del futuro (this
time tomorrow/next week/on Sunday...):
e.g.: He’ll be sunbathing in Hawaii this time next week (la semana que viene a
esta hora estará tomando el sol en Hawai)
e.g.: Don’t phone me from 3.00 to 4.00. I’ll be having a nap (no me llames de 3
4. Estaré durmiendo la siesta)
FUTURE PERFECT: I’ll have played... (habré jugado…)
1. Acciones que habrán acabado antes de un momento futuro concreto (by the
time, by 7.00, by tomorrow/July, not until...):
e.g.: She will have finished by 8 o’clock (habrá acabado para las 8)
e.g.: She won’t have arrived until 8 o’clock (no habrá llegado hasta las 8)
e.g.: By the end of this year I’ll have bought a new car (antes de final de año
me habré comprado un coche nuevo)
FUTURE CONTINUOUS OR FUTURE PERFECT?
1. I ____________________ (FINISH) painting your room by the time you get home.
2. Phone me tomorrow evening, I ____________________ (NOT DO) anything.
3. This time tomorrow I ____________________ (HAVE) a drink with Tom Cruise.
4. You’ll recognise her immediately. She __________________ (WEAR) a yellow hat.
5. They are late; the film ____________________ (START) when they get there.
MIXED TENSES
1. How long ____________________ (LIVE) here?
2. ____________________ (HELP) me with the cooking, please?
3. She _________________ (WORK) for 12 hours before she finished everything.
4. What ____________________ (YOU / DO) at 10 last night?
5. He ____________________ (NOT LEAVE) the office yet.
6. ‘I have problems with this exercise’ ‘Don’t worry, I ____________ (HELP) you.
7. A: ‘You ____________________ (LOOK) slimmer.’
B: ‘Yes, I____________________ (LOSE) 12 kilos.
8. A: ‘____________________ (YOU / BE / EVER) to China?’
B: ‘Yes, I ____________________ (GO) there in 1990.’
9. What’s wrong with Laura? She ____________________ (HAVE) problems at
work lately.
10. By December I ____________________ (PUBLISH) my new novel.
11. What ____________________ (PAM, DO)? She ____________________
(SEEM) to be working.
12. A: ‘I ____________________ (NEED) to give a message to Susan.’
B: ‘I ____________________ (PHONE) her at the office this afternoon.’
13. When you ____________________ (GET) home last night, I _______________
(JUST, LEAVE).
14. While she ____________________ (LISTEN) to music in her room yesterday,
her brother ____________________ (SLEEP) downstairs.
15. How long ____________________ (WORK) here? By the end of the month I
____________________ (WORK) here for three years.
16. We ____________________ (BELONG) to a political party.