English Tenses examples and description

1. Future-Tenses
The auxiliaryverb will isusedinmakingpredictionsorsimple statementsof factaboutthe future.
 The sun will rise at 6.30 tomorrow.
 Lunch break today will be 10 minutes longer than usual.
 In the year 2050 all students will have their own computers in school.
 If you help me, I will help you.
 Do you think she will come soon?
 You won't pass your exams if you don't start working harder.
 I know my parents won't let me go to the party.
 Will it snow for Christmas?
 I know she's sick, but will she be back in school tomorrow?
The auxiliaryverb goingto isusedintalkingaboutintentions.(Anintentionisaplanforthe future that
youhave alreadythoughtabout.)
 We're going to buy a new car next month.
 I'm going to work in a bank when I leave school.
 In the New Year I'm going to stop eating so much junk.
 He's not going to go to the dance. He's got too much work.
 I'm not going to watch TV until my science project is finished.
 Are you going to play basketball after school?
 What are you going to have for lunch today?
Note: going to is often used in the pasttense to talk about an unfulfilled intention.Examples: I was going to study
for my grammar test, but I had no time. / He was going to call you, but he couldn't find his mobile phone. / My
grandmother was going to visit us, but she fell and broke her arm.

2. The Present Simple Tense
The present simple tense is very often used with adverbs of repeated time. Look at these
examples (the adverbs are shown in bold):
 I always come to school by car.
 She frequently arrives here before me.
 He never forgets to do his homework.
 I often catch the late bus home.
 I play football on Saturdays.
 Once a year I fly back to visit my family in Korea.
 The classrooms are cleaned every evening after school.
 She sometimes loses her temper, but it doesn't happen very often.
 Do you ever eat in the cafeteria?
 Does your father speak English every day?
When we want to state a fact or ask a question without any time reference, we use the
present simple tense.
 I live in Frankfurt.
 She plays football but she doesn't play tennis.
 For breakfast he eats rice and drinks cold milk.
 She works very hard.
 My friend speaks four languages.
 It rains a lot in Germany.
 I don't like horror films!
 Do you smoke?
 Does your sister have any children?
 How much does it cost to buy an apartment in Frankfurt?
The present simple tense is used for many verbs of thinking, feeling and sensing. The most
common words are:
 She likes it in Germany.
 I love lying in bed late on Sunday mornings.
 I need to know right now.
 She says she doesn't know who did it, but I don't believe her.
 He doesn't want to speak to you again.
 This doesn't taste very good, does it?
 Do you remember the first time we met?
 Do you smell something funny?
 Does he understand which way to go?
like love prefer know understand
hate need want believe remember
see hear taste smell look

3. Past Simple
For actions thathappened in the past.The pastsimpleis the most usual tense for talkingaboutthings that
happened or have finished before now. Very often we use a word or expression of finished timewith this tense. In
the followingexamplesentences the expressions of finished time areshown in bold:
 She came to Germany two years ago.
 It rained every day for a week on my vacation.
 Columbus discovered America in 1492.
 I played tennis at the weekend.
 I didn't see you yesterday. Were you in school?
 My mother went shopping on Saturday but shedidn't buy anything.
 I felt embarrassed when the teacher asked an easy question but I di dn't know the answer.
 The weather was bad this afternoon* so we didn't have a picnic as planned.
 How did you do that?
 Did you see the filmon TV last night?
 Why didn'tyou do your homework?
In reported speech itis common to shiftthe tense back. So for example, if someone said somethingto you in the
present tense, you would report it in the pasttense. Look at these examples. In each casethe firstsentence is
directspeech and the second sentence is in reported speech. The verbs in the pastsimpleform are shown in bold.
 She said: "I live in Frankfurt."
She told me she lived in Frankfurt. *
 He said: "I can speak 5 languages."
He said he could speak 5 languages.
 The new girl said: "My father is a millionaire!"
The new girl told me her father was a millionaire but I don't believe her!
 She said: "My mother doesn't like German food."
She said her mother didn't like German food.
 He said: "I don't feel well."
He said he didn't feel well.
 She asked: "Do you like ESL lessons?"
She asked me if I liked ESL lessons.
 The teacher said: "Do you know the answer?"
The teacher asked me if I knew the answer.
The past simple tense is used in conditional 2 sentences. Have a look at some examples before
reading the explanation about what the conditional 2 is. The verbs in past simple form are shown in
bold.
 I would help you if I had time!
 If I were the teacher I would give lots of homework every day!
 What would you buy if you won a lot of money?
 If you bought a calculator, you wouldn't have to borrow mine all the
time!

4. The present Continous
Whenwe want to talkaboutan action that ishappeningnow orat thistime (andisunfinished),we use
the presentcontinuoustense.We alsouse thistense whenwe wanttomake clearthat the actionis
temporary.
 Sorry,she can't come to the phone rightnow;she is having a bath.
 Look!Someone istrying to breakintoyourcar.
 Thiswork isgood!Your handwriting isgettingbetterandbetter.
 I'm wearingthese oldtrouserstoschool thisweek,aswe're doinga potterycourse andit's very
messywork!
 Of course she likesyou.You're justbeingstupid!
 Where'sJohn? - He'splayingsoccer inthe sports hall.
 Thiscalculatorisn'tworking properly.Doyouhave anotherone.
We usuallyuse the presentcontinuoustense forfuture events thathave alreadybeenarranged:
 I'mmeetingmy motherat the airporttomorrow.
 Our grandmotherisvisitingus at Christmas.
 Sorry,I can't stayafter school today;I'mplayingtenniswithJun-Sik.
 My mother'sgoingtothe dentisttomorrow.
 I'mnot goinghome at Christmas,soI can come to yourparty afterall!
Usuallythe presentsimpleisusedforrepeatedactions.Forexample, Healwaysgetsup before7 o'clock,
but... The presentcontinuousisthe correctchoice whenthe speakerwantstoexpressannoyance ata
repeatedaction. (Note howoftenthe word"always"isusedinsuchstatements):
 You are alwaysinterruptingme whenI'm talkingandI don'tlike it!
 She'salwaystappingherpencil onthe deskand it'sgettingonmy nerves!
 My ESL teacher'salwaysgivingdetentions;how cananyone be so mean?
 I'mgetting tiredof youalwayscominglate to class.
 Why isit alwaysrainingin Germany?
 Why are youalways criticisingme?

5. The Past Continoues
When we want to talk about an action that was happening over a period of
time in the past, we use the past continuous tense. Look at these examples:
 At this time last week I was lying on the beach in Florida.
 My mother was working in the garden so she didn't hear the
telephone when I called her yesterday.
 I had my car fixed because it wasn't working properly.
 Sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you say it again please?
 What were you doing at 8 o'clock yesterday?
 Why were you talking to John when I saw you in the cafeteria
yesterday?
 I went to lunch too early. The food was still being cooked. (passive)
The past continuous is very often used with the past simple to say that
something happened in the middle of something else. In each of the
following examples, the single event (past simple) happens in the middle of
a longer action (past continuous).
 You phoned while I was having a bath.
 When I got home yesterday, a cat was sitting on the roof.
 It started to rain just as we were getting ready to have our picnic.
 The boy was standing on the table when the principal came into the
room.
 Many people were shopping in the market when the bomb exploded.
 I saw Noriko in town yesterday. She was wearing a pink dress and
an orange hat!
 When I went to bed last night the sun was already beginning to rise.
 It was lucky we weren't sitting under that tree when the lightning
hit.
 What were you doing when the lights went off last night?
 Were you watching me when I showed you how to do it?
 How fast was she driving when she had the accident?

6. Present Perfect
For past events with a connection to the present.The present perfect tense is quite complicated to explain. It is
used when an action that happened in the past continues to have a strong connection in the present. The best
way to understand it is to look at some examples. They are followed in each case by a short explanation:
 I have lost mydictionary. (I don't have my dictionary now; can you help me find it?)
 Maryhas fixed mycomputer (Mycomputer is working now and I'm happy about it!)
 You haven't eaten verymuch. (Don't you feel well? Don't you like it?)
 I haven't readhis letter. (I haven't had time yet. What does he say?)
 Have you seen my calculator? (- I want to use it now!)
 Has she hadan accident? (- Someone said she's in hospital!)
 Have you done your homework?(- It's due today!)
The present perfect tense is used with words or expressions of unfinished time. Unfinished
time started in the past and continues into the present. (So, this week, for example, means
all the days so far this week including today.) Here are some sentences in the present
perfect. The expressions of unfinished time are shown in bold.
 I've played tennis 3 times already this week and it's only Thursday!
 She's been back to Korea twice already this year, and she's going again next week!
 Sorry, I've seen that film already. I don't want to see it again.
 I've lived in Germany since 1986.
 She's had a lot of bad luck recently.
 I haven't seen my mother for 2 months.
 No, you can't use the bathroom. You haven't finished the exercise yet.
 She hasn't called me lately? Do you think she's sick?
 Have you ever seen a ghost?
** Be careful:sometimes an expression of unfinished time can be used with the past simpletense. Look at these
examples and explanations:
 I drank three cups of coffee this morning.
The speaker is talkingin the evening so for him this morning is finished time.
 I didn't see John today.
The student is talkingafter school when there is no more possibility of seeingJohn on this day. Today becomes an
expression of finished time.
 This year was a very good year for me!
This is possibleif the speaker is talkingvery near to the end of the year, and so in her opinion the year is finished.
Therefore she uses the pastsimplewas.

7. Past Perfect
For actions that happened before a past event
When we want to talk about anactionthat happened before a past event, we oftenuse the past perfect. Lookat these
examples:
 When I got homeyesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.
 I didn't want togo to themovies with my friends becauseI had seen thefilm already.
 My friend offered meanapple inclass yesterday, but I wasn't hungry because I had justeaten lunch.
 I arrived very late at the party. Allmy friends had already gonehome.
 As soon as she had doneher homework, she wentto bed.
 I was very tiredas I hadn't slept wellfor several days.
 Had you seen the filmbefore?
Notice how oftenwords like already, just, never etc. are usedwith the past perfect.
In reported speech
The past perfect is common when we report people's words or thoughts .., as inthe followingexamples:
 John said thathe had never eaten sushibefore.
 She told me that she had finished, butI knewshe had not.
 She wondered why he had been sounkind toher.
 He told me he hadn'tdonehis homework, but hewas hoping to finish it on the bus.
 I thought I had sent hera birthday card, butI was wrong.
In if (conditional) sentences
The past perfect tense is usedinunreal or hypothetical stituations, as inthe followingsentences:
 If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have calledyou. (but I didn't know you were here so I didn't call you!)
 If I had had enoughmoney, I wouldhave bought you a better present. (but I didn't have enough money.)
 I wouldhave beenveryangyifyou hadlaughed when I got the answer wrong. (but you didn't laugh, so I wasn't
angry.)
 She wouldn't have beenable to finish, if you hadn't helped her. (but you did help her and she did finish.)
 I wishI hadstudied for my exams. (but I didn't study - and I got bad grades!)
 I wouldhave beeninbig trouble ifyou hadn't helped me. (but you did help me so I stayed out of trouble.)

8. Auxiliary verbs
Auxiliary verbs aresometimes called helping verbs because they are needed to form many of the tenses. The most
used auxiliary verbs arethe verbs to be, to do and to have. For example: the auxiliary to do is needed to ask
questions in the present and pastsimpletenses. To be is needed for the present and pastcontinuous,and all the
passiveforms.The auxiliary to have is used in the present and pastperfect tenses. Some tenses, likethe present
perfect continuous,need more than one auxiliary!
Here are some examples of the common auxiliary verbs in action:
 Do you like German food?
 Does your mother speak English?
 Did you come to school yesterday?
 Whyare you talking?Youshould be listening to me!
 I was havinga bathwhen you called!
Other commonauxiliary verbs are: will,should, would, can, must, might, may, could (Theseverbs are oftencalled modalverbs).
Contracted auxiliaries
The auxiliary verbs arevery often contracted. For example, you can say I'm playing tennis tomorrow, instead of I
am playing tennis tomorrow. The contracted form (which needs an apostrophe) is more likely to be used in
spoken language*. So, for example, itwould be a little unusual to ask your friend: Why did you not call me
yesterday? More probableis:Why didn't you call me ..?
On the other hand, if you are doinga written report or essay,it is more usual to write the full form: Why did
America not join the war until 1941? (instead of: Why didn't America ..?).
The short form itself often has two alternatives,which are equally usual and correct.For example:
 She's not going to the dance.
 She isn't goingto the dance.
 I haven't seenhimfor ages.
 I've not seenhimfor ages.
* The full formis common in spoken languagewhen the speaker wants to emphasize what she is saying.For
example:
 Whydon't you call him?
 I have calledhim.
 I do not want to see him again.

9. Qouestion-Tags
To ask a question in English you must usually useoneof the auxiliary verbs (be,do, have) or a modal verb such
as can, will, may. If you areexpecting a yes/no answer,then the question starts with the auxiliary or modal.Here
are some examples:
 Is she Japanese?
 Do you like German food?
 Can you play chess?
 Have you seen Miho?
 Must I go to school tomorrow?
If you want more information than a simple yes/no answer, you must ask a question startingwith one of the
followingquestion words: what, where, when, why, which, who(m), whose, how. In this kind of question you also
normally usean auxiliary or modal:
 What did you say?
 Where does she live?
 When can you play chess?
 Why must I go to school tomorrow?
 Which book have you borrowed?
 Who has taken my calculator?
* Note that questions startingwith the question words what/who/whose do not need an auxiliary verb in the
simplepresent or past.For example: What happened? Who knows the answer? Whose parents came to Open Day?
The questions what, which, whose are often followed by a noun (before the auxiliary/modal).Thequestion how is
often followed by an adjective. Look at the followingexamples:
 What time must we be there?
 What kind of music do you listen to?
 Which paintingdo you likethe best?
 Whose parents are coming to the meeting tomorrow?
 How longhave you lived in Germany?
A special type of questionisthe tag thatEnglishspeakersputatthe endof manystatements.The tagsin
the followingsentencesare showninred:
 It's a lovelydaytoday, isn't it?
 You live inFrankfurt, don't you?
 Miho can't speakGerman, can she?
 You haven'tseenMiho, have you?
 His parentsare veryold, aren't they?

10. ReportedSpeach
We often want to tell someone what another person has said to us. In most cases we do not
report the exact words that we hear. Instead we make some changes so that what we say
sounds more natural. This is called reported speech (or indirect speech). Here are some
examples:
 Miho told me that she's returning to Japan next year.
 He said that you're angry with me.
 The teacher told me to go to the office.
 She asked if you were feeling better.
 She wanted to know if I had ever ridden a horse.*
* In writing,particularly in fiction writing,itis common to use direct speech: She asked me: "Have you ever ridden
a horse?" Pleasenote, however, that directspeech is most unusual in spoken language.
Reported speech can also includethoughts or words that are the reporter's summary of what was said.Here are
some examples:
 I wonder if she can come to my party.
 I don't know why he shouted at me.
 Do you think that she likes me?
 She begged me not to tell the teacher.
 She apologized for being late.
As noted above when we report words or thoughts we need to make some changes to make what we say sound
natural.Some of these changes may be as easy as changingpronouns or correctingtime references:
 "I can'tcome to your party." - She said shecan't come to my party.
 "My mother called me today." - He said his mother called thatday.
In many cases more extensive changes are needed to produce correct and natural -soundingreported speech,
particularly when reportingquestions or commands. Here are some examples:
 "Do you have children?" - He asked me if I have children.
 "Did you go to the party?" - She wanted to know if I went to the party.
 "What's the time?" - She asked me what the time was.
 "Pleasespeak more slowly!" - She requested that I speak more slowly.
 "Do not open that box!" - She told me not to open the box.