In this video, I talk about the main ways that we have in English
of talking about time: past, present, future, simple, continuous,
and perfect (or complex).
characteristics, states – “It’s hot.” “I’m tall.” She’s a student.”
Present Simple
general truths and characteristics – “I have brown hair.”
states – “I want a new car.” “I like the Beatles.”
habits – “I go to work every day.”
Differences between verb “to be” and present simple – Verb “to
be” is not for “habits,” and structure is different. Present
simple uses auxiliary “do.” – “Do you like the Beatles?” “I
don’t have red hair.”
Things that occurred in the past, are not connected
to the present and are finished.
Past Simple – “I walked in the park.” “I
swam in the lake.” Differences between present simple and past
simple: Both use the same basic structure, but different auxiliary
“did” and different form of the verb: regular vs. irregular
verbs. Compare “Do you like the Beatles?” with “Did you like
the Beatles?” Also, compare “I swim . . . ” with “I swam .
. . ”
Academy
Requires English Teachers
Things that are happening at or around a particular
moment in time, or that indicate that something is temporary
(also changing situations)
Present Continuous
“I’m studying for an exam.” “It’s getting late.” “I’m currently
living in a caravan.” Past Continuous (sometimes with interruptions)
“I was studying for an exam, when the phone rang.” Future Continuous
“I will be studying for an exam tomorrow at 19:00.” Differences between Present Continuous and
Present Simple: Apart from the structural differences – present
continuous has verb “to be” as auxiliary and present participle
or a main verb plus –ing, (for example: “I am studying.”) the
present continuous sounds more temporary while the present simple
sounds more permanent. Compare “I live in a caravan” to “I’m
living in a caravan.”
Things that will happen in the future
Apart from Future Continuous . . . Present Continuous (agenda / diary)
“I’m having lunch tomorrow with the boss.” Going to (Intentions)
“I’m going to take a month’s vacation next summer.” Future Simple with Will (Spontaneous decisions)
“I’ll probably stay in a rural house near here.” Present Simple (timetables)
“Flight 256 departs Barajas at 14:00.” Differences: If you use the present continuous,
it sometimes sounds like you have much less control over a decision
because it’s in writing on the agenda. Compare: Mario says:
“Pablo, could we have lunch together tomorrow and talk about
this problem?” Pablo says: “I can’t. I’m having lunch tomorrow
with the boss.” If Pablo says “Sorry, I’ll have lunch with Mary,”
you could think he’s a little disrespectful. On the other hand,
if you say: “I’m going to take a month’s vacation next summer”
it sounds less firm than “I’m taking a month’s vacation next
summer.” The distinctions between these futures are usually
subtle and personal in nature, so when students use these tenses
in a conversation, I’ll often ask them questions to clarify
exactly which tense they meant to use.
Going to (Predictions based on evidence)
“It looks like it’s going to rain.” Future Simple (Predictions based on little
evidence)
“I think the cost of living will probably rise in the immediate
future.”
Things that are connected by two different times
Present Perfect – connects present
and past
experiences – “I’ve been to New York.”
something that started in the past and continues in the present
– “I’ve lived in Madrid for 13 years.”
something that happened in the past that has consequences in
the present. – “I’ve broken my leg.”
Past Perfect – connects past with another previous
past. – “I last visited New York in 1991, but I had visited
it several times before that.” Future Perfect – connects future with another
time, present, past or future. – “On the 30th of November, I
will have been here for 6 months.” (We’re not sure when this
period of time starts.) Differences: The main difference is the structure
using the auxiliary “have,” “had,” or “will have” with the past
participle form of regular or irregular verbs. Another important
difference is that you often need two simple sentences to communicate
the same idea as a present, past or future perfect sentence.
For example, “I’ve been to New York” – “I went to New York.
Now, I have experience.” “I’ve lived in Madrid for 13 years”
– “I came to Madrid 13 years ago. And I still live here today.”
“I’ve broken my leg” – “I broke my leg. I can’t walk.” The problem
here is that it’s easier for students to say the two simple
sentences rather than the one complex sentence, so it can be
a challenge to move them on to the more complex sentences if
they’re slow.
These perfect tenses are also used with a focus on
the activity in progress leading up to a particular moment in
time, or on the temporary nature of something leading up to
a particular moment in time.
Present Perfect Continuous: “I’ve been living in Spain for 13 years.”
“I’ve been rushing around all morning so I’m exhausted now.”
Differences: Compare “I’ve been living in Spain for 13 years,”
which sounds more temporary, with “I have lived in Spain for
13 years,” which sounds more permanent. Or try to say “I’ve
rushed around all morning,” which doesn’t express the activity
in “rushing” well enough.
In this video, I talk about the main ways that we have in English
of talking about time: past, present, future, simple, continuous,
and perfect (or complex).
