table of english tenses

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES
TENSE
PRESENT SIMPLE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
FORM
USE
SIGNAL WORDS
A: I / You / We / They eat
He / She / It eats
N: I / You / We / They don't eat
He / She / It doesn't eat
Q: Do
I / You / We / They eat?
Acciones rutinarias: I watch TV every night
Con hechos o verdades generales: Water boils
at 100 Cº
Con situaciones permanentes: I work as a
waiter in a restaurant
Acciones futuras con horarios de trenes, aviones,
etc. My train leaves at 5.30
Con verbos que no suelen ir en presente
continuo: know, like, hate, want, love, need,
belong, mean, understand, remember,
prefer…
Con acciones que ocurren en el momento de
hablar: We're studying the verbs now.
Adverbios de frecuencia: always, often,
usually, generally, seldom, never…
A: I am eating
He / She / It is eating
We / You / They are eating
N: I am not eating
He / She / It isn't eating
We / You / They aren't eating
Q: Am I eating?
Is He / She / It eating?
Are We / You / They eating?
Con
acciones
que
están
ocurriendo
temporalmente: My brother is working hard
this year.
Con acciones habituales que causan irritación al
hablante: They are always complaining about
the same thing.
Con acciones futuras planeadas y confirmadas
(fecha): She's visiting the doctor tomorrow
morning.
* El presente continuo no se suele utilizar con
los siguientes verbos: know, like, want, hate,
love, need, belong mean, understand, believe,
remember, prefer; aunque algunos de estos
verbos pueden aparecer en forma continua con
un sentido diferente
Every day/ week/ month…
Once / Twice / Three times… a week/ day /
month/ year…
Now, right now
At present, at the moment, in this moment,
….
These days, this year/ month/ week…,
nowadays
Tonight, tomorrow, next week / month…,
in a minute, in a couple of days…
TENSE
PAST SIMPLE
FORM
USE
SIGNAL WORDS
A: He watched
/ He ate
Con acciones pasadas que tuvieron lugar
en un momento determinado: We didn't
watch TV last night
Narrar hechos pasados secuenciados
I went to the doctor and later I came
home
While
N: He didn't watch / He didn't eat
Q: Did he watch? / Did he eat?
PAST CONTINUOUS
A: I / He / She / It was eating
We / You / They were eating
N: I / He / She / It wasn't eating
We / You / They weren't eating
Q:
Was I / He / She / It eating?
Were We / You / They eating?
Normalmente, después de las siguientes
expresiones: I wish, If only, as if, as
though, would rather, would sooner, it's
time….
Para expresar una acción incompleta que
estaba ocurriendo en el pasado. (acción
larga): Last week, we were working in a
science project.
Para señalar que una acción larga estaba
teniendo lugar en el pasado cuando fue
interrumpida por otra breve: We were
watching TV, when suddenly the TV set
broke down.
Para indicar que 2 ó + acciones largas
estaban ocurriendo simultáneamente en el
pasado: While I was cooking dinner, he
was laying the table.
Para indicar acciones repetidas y monótonas
en el pasado indicando cierta queja: The
children were always screaming.
Para descripciones y especificaciones:
People were walking, the sun was
shining, the birds….
While
TENSE
PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPLE
FORM
USE
SIGNAL WORDS
A: I / You / We / They have eaten
He / She / It has eaten
N: I / You / We / They haven't eaten
He / She / It hasn't eaten
Q: have I / You / We / They eaten?
Para hablar de acciones que ocurrieron en
el pasado pero llegan o tienen importancia
en el presente: I have found a wallet in
the street.
Con el superlativo: She's the most
intelligent person I have ever met.
Already (AF)…ya
Yet (NG/INT)….ya, aún, todavía
For…durante
Since…desde
Just…acabo de
This week/ month…
Recently
has He / She / It eaten?
PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
A: I / You / We / They have been eating
He / She / It has been eating
N: I / You / We / They haven't been
eating
He / She / It hasn't been eating
Q: have I / You / We / They been
eating?
has He / She / It been
eating?
En las expresiones
It's the first/ second time: It's the first
time I've eaten raw fish
Tiene el mismo uso que el present perfect
simple pero resaltando la duración de la
actividad: I've been working in this
factory since 1999.
Para hablar de acciones pasadas que
acaban de concluir y su resultado es
evidente: Have you been frying fish?
Adverbios de frecuencia: ever…
Already (AF)…ya
Yet (NG/INT)….ya, aún, todavía
For…durante
Since…desde
Just…acabo de
This week/ month…
Recently
Adverbios de frecuencia: ever…
TENSE
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
FORM
A: He had eaten
N: He hadn't eaten
Q: Had he eaten?
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
A: He had been eating
N: He hadn't been eating
Q: Had he been
eating?
USE
SIGNAL WORDS
Para hablar de una acción pasada que
ocurrió antes que otra: The school had
already closed when I arrived.
En oraciones condicionales de 3er tipo
En oraciones temporales para enfatizar que
una acción pasada estaba totalmente
acabada antes de comenzar otra: He didn't
go to bed until the last TV programme
had finished.
Con
I
wish
/
If
only
para lamentarnos de algo que ha ocurrido
en el pasado: If only they had stayed with
us (ojalá)
Already (AF)…ya
Just
Until / Till
Before
As soon as
After
En la expresión It was the first / the
second… time: It was the second time I
had flown.
Para hablar de una acción pasada que
ocurrió antes que otra pero poniendo
énfasis e la duración de la misma: She was
so ill because she had been eating so
many chocolates.
For
Since
The whole day / all day
TENSE
FUTURE SIMPLE (WILL)
FUTURE SIMPLE
(GOING TO)
FORM
USE
SIGNAL WORDS
A: He
will eat
N: He won't eat
Q: Will
he
eat?
Expresar certeza en el futuro: We will
definitely phone her tonight.
Predicciones: It'll be windy tomorrow.
Promesas: I'll buy you a present for your
birthday.
Tomar una decisión en el momento de
hablar: It's hot in here. I'll open the
windows.
Hacer un ofrecimiento: I'll carry the
suitcase if you like.
Pedir algo educadamente: Will you do it
for me?
En condicionales de 1er tipo: If it rains,
we'll stay at home.
Tomorrow
Next day/ week….
A: I am going to eat
He / She / It is going to eat
We / You / They are going to eat
N: I am not going to eat
He / She / It isn't going to eat
We / You / They aren't going to eat
Q: Am I going to eat?
Is He / She / It going to eat?
Are We / You / They going to eat?
Cuando sugerimos algo utilizamos
SHALL: Shall we go to the cinema
tonight?
Expresar intenciones: I'm going to eat
less.
Para hablar de planes futuros: They're
going to build a new bridge in autumn.
Para hacer predicciones de futuro a través
de hechos evidentes en el presente: It's
very hot today. We are going to sweat .
Para hablar de hechos que van a ocurrir
con seguridad en el futuro: I'm going to
finish Bachillerato next year.
Fechas futuras
Tomorrow
Next day/ week….
Fechas futuras
TENSE
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
FORM
USE
SIGNAL WORDS
A: He
will be eating
N: He won't be eating
Q: Will
he be
eating?
Para hablar de acciones que estarán en
marcha en un momento determinado del
futuro: At this time next web we'll be
flying to New York.
Tomorrow
Next day/ week….
FUTURE PERFECT
SIMPLE
A: He will have eaten.
N: He won't have eaten.
Q:
Will he have eaten?
FUTURE PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
A: He will have been eating.
N: He won't have been eating.
Q:
Will he have been eating?
Para preguntar por los planes de los demás
sobre todo, cuando queremos pedir un
favor: Will you be driving to the
supermarket tomorrow.
Acciones que estarán finalizadas en un
momento determinado del futuro: We'll
have flown to New York by next week.
Acción que tiene lugar antes de un
momento exacto del futuro poniendo
énfasis en la duración de la acción: By
midnight I Hill have been sleeping for 2
hours.
Fechas futuras
By Monday…
In a week…
By Monday…
In a week…