SIMPLE PRESENT Affirmative PRESENT SIMPLE I look we look I do not look we do not look do I look? do we look? you look you look you do not look you do not look do you look? do you look? he looks he does not look does he look? she looks they look she does not look they do not look does she look? do they look? it looks it does not look does it look? Notes : Be informed that there is an 's' for the third person singular. You use the Simple Present to talk about : Anything that is true: Key words : o The sun rises in the east. Always, never, often, sometimes, o Water boils at 100 C. usually, every, rarely, seldom Habits: o The postman usually comes before noon. What is generally the case: o In France, people drive on the right-hand side of the road. Planned future event (in a schedule, transportation means, etc.): o Our plane leaves at 10 PM on Thursday. o The show starts at 8 p.m. The Simple Present is also used for verbs of state, meaning verbs refering to a mental or emotional state. Here are some examples: Mental state: believe (croire), doubt (douter), know (savoir, connaître), think (penser), understand (comprendre): o Mary knows how to play the piano Emotions: like, love (aimer), need (avoir besoin), prefer, want (vouloir), wish (souhaiter): o I want to go to New York for my holidays. Perceptions: feel (sentir), hear (entendre), see (voir), sound (sonner), smell (sentir), taste (gouter): o This apple tastes very sweet. o Her perfume smells lovely. Appearances: look (avoir l'air), seem (sembler): o The boss looks angry today. However, please note that certain verbs can have another meaning when considered verbs of state : For example, Fred is thinking about something. Here to think is not used as a verb of state; it rather desribes a mental activity. Compare with the following example: Fred thinks that Quentin Tarantino is a great director. In the first case (in the Present Progressive), it is a mental process ; in the second case (in the Simple Present), we are describing what Fred is thinking.
Affirmative PAST SIMPLE I looked we looked I did not look we did not look did I look? did we look? you looked you looked you did not look you did not look did you look? did you look? he looked he did not look did he look? she looked they looked she did not look they did not look did she look? did they look? it looked it did not look did it look? Notes For regular verbs, we form the simple participle in adding -ed to the base verb (meaning infinitive without 'to'). (See irregular verb list) Before adding -ing ou -ed, you must double the final consonant if the following two conditions apply: o The verb ends by only one vowel followed by only one consonant, o The last syllable is stressed, or there is only one syllabe to know if the last syllabe is stressed or not, you must consult a dictionary. Past Simple You use the Simple Past ( simple participle) to talk about : An action, event, or state that happened in a period of time that is finished and where there is no link with the present. It is often used with the following time expressions (Ex. yesterday, last night, in 1999, 10 years ago): o I watched the film on TV last night. Here, we are interested in the past only (last night). o I saw that film a long time ago. To tell a story: o The vampire got out of his coffin and walked towards us. If there is a link with the present, you MUST use the Present Perfect.
Verb «to be» Simple Present He is a nice man! We are a couple! She is a pretty woman Affirmative I am (I m) He (he ) She is (she s) It (it s) We (we re) You are (you re) They (they re) Am I? Is he? she? it? Yes, Short answers I am he Yes she is it we Yes you are they I am not (I m not) He (he s not) (he isn t) She is (she s not) (she isn t) It (it s not) (it isn t) We (we re not) (we aren t) You are (you re not)(you aren t) They (they re not) (they aren t) I m afraid of cats and dogs. are you? we? they? he s not No, she s not it s not No, we re not you re not they re not
Verb «to be» Simple Past He was busy! Affirmative Were they happy? I was not (I wasn t) He was not (he wasn t) She was not (she wasn t) It was not (it wasn t) I He She It was was We You They were not (we weren t) were not (you weren t) were not (they weren t) We You They were Short answers Was I? Was he? she? it? It wasn t a new building. Yes, I was he Yes she was it we Yes you were they Were you? we? they? No, he was not she was not it was not No, were not you were not they were not
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE Simple Future I will / shall + base verb you will + base verb he / she / it will + base verb we will / shall + base verb you will + base verb they will + base verb Future / Going to I am going to go to the movies. We are going to see my parents. He / she / it is going to sing the song. We are going to travel all summer. You are going to like this song. They are going to visit Europe this summer. Notes The 'base verb' is the infinitive without 'to'; the simple participle has the Verb-ing form; the past participle has the Verd-ed form. Informal language, we use the auxiliary will for all the persons. Formal language, we use the auxiliary shall for the first person singular and plural. Formally speaking, when we wish to give a prescriptive strenght to our words (in a contract, for example), we use will for the first person ( singular or plural) and shall for all other persons. Often, we are free to talk about the future in different ways (for example, going to + verb base, or Present progressive). To talk about the future, we can use either the future (will or shall + verb base ) or a present form. In general, we use a present form when we know that we can see in the present situation what will happen in the future - for example, an arrangment, an intention, or a sign of an intention regarding the near future (for example, when a bull starts thumping, we can see that it has the intention of charging). Simple Future We use the Simple Future (will or shall + verb base ) when : We decide to do something at the moment of speaking it is then used to promise or offer to do something (Ex. You say you are cold, so I say: I'll close the window). You make a prediction based on an estimation or the resultat of a calculation (compared to present observations) often to say what will probably happen or certain of what will happen or what we expect to happen (Ex. According to economists, the price of petrol will increase by 10% by the end of the year
Affirmative PRESENT PROGRESSIVE I am we are I am not we are not am I? are we? you are you are you are not you are not are you? are you? he is he is not is he? she is they are she is not they are not is she? are they? it is it is not is it? Notes Before adding «ing», you must double the final consonant if both situations apply : o o the verb ends by only one vowel followed by one consonant, the last syllabe is stressed or there is only one syllable. To know if the syllable is stressed, you must consult the dictionnary. You use the Present Progressive (or Present Continuous) to talk about: What is happening at the moment of speaking: o I'm reading a page on the Internet at the moment. What is happening presently in your life : o Prices are going up; the value of the Euro is going down. What you are planning to do in the near future. o I'm visiting my parents next Sunday.
PAST PROGRESSIVE (CONTINUOUS) progressive participle Affirmative I was we were I was not we were not was I? were we? you were you were you were not you were not were you? were you? he was he was not was he? she was they were she was not they were not was she? were they? it was it was not was it? Note Before adding -ing ou -ed, you must double the final consonant if the following two conditions apply: o The verb ends by only one vowel followed by only one consonant, o The last syllable is stressed, or there is only one syllabe to know if the last syllabe is stressed or not, you must consult a dictionary. o Past Progressive (or Continuous) You use the Past Progressive (progressive participle or continuous) when : Talking about an action that was in process (or interrupted) at a particular moment in the past: o I was watching TV when the phone rang. Talking about an action that was taking place at the same time as another (parallel) at a particular moment in the past: - I was doing the dishes while Robert was watching the news. - Robert was watching the news while I was doing the dishes. Describing a scene during a story: o Dracula's helpers were moving his coffin to a new location. we are here describing a context or a situation; afterwards, you use le Past Simple to talk about the rest of the story. o When I arrived at the office, my supervisor was talking on the phone, my co-worker was explaining procedures to Joe and the President was examining the new photocopier.
Future Continuous Future Continuous has two different forms: "will be doing " and "be going to be doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable. FORM Future Continuous with "Will" [will be + present participle] Examples: You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight? You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. FORM Future Continuous with "Be Going To " [am/is/are + going to be + present participle] Examples: You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight? You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. REMEMBER: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future Continuous with little difference in meaning. Complete List of Future Continuous Forms USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time. Examples: I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight. I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives. I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to contact me. He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives. Notice in the examples above that the interruptions (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.
Affirmative PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE I have looked we have looked I have not looked we have not looked have I looked? have we looked? you have looked you have looked you have not looked you have not looked have you looked? have you looked? he has looked he has not looked has he looked? she has looked they have looked she has not looked they have not looked has she looked? have they looked? it has looked it has not looked has it looked? The Present Perfect in general Generally, we use the Present Perfect to talk about a link between the past and the present: It is concerning the present result of a past action (Ex. Look! I've bought a new car [the car is a visible result of what I have just done]), It is concerning an accomplished action (Ex. I've read Pickwick Papers [I do not mention when, otherwise I would need to use the simple past]), It is concerning an accomplished action in a period that has not yet finished (Ex. during the morning I say : I've been to the doctor's this morning - [if I talk about this in the afternoon, I must use the simple past since the period (morning) is finished]), It is concerning a contiuous action that has been continuing from a moment in the past until the moment I speak (Ex. I have been playing tennis since I was 7 years old), o Note : since is followed by a time frame (date) (Ex. Yesterday, February 2, 10h00, the 12th century), and by for if it is followed by a duration (Ex. Two hours, a long time). It is concerning a recent action that can be considered in the present moment as an (Ex. The Prime Minister has met the President [it regards a recent event that is an information at the moment of speaking]). Present Perfect Simple You use the Present Perfect to talk about: A result or finished action (Ex. Look! I've bought a new car. / I've read Pickwick Papers). In the first case, there is a result we can notice, the new car; in the second case, it regards an action that is finished I read Pickwick Papers from the beginnning to the end.
Affirmative PAST PERFECT SIMPLE I had looked we had looked I had not looked we had not looked had I looked? had we looked? you had looked you had looked you had not looked you had not looked had you looked? had you looked? he had looked he had not looked had he looked? she had looked they had looked she had not looked they had not looked had she looked? had they looked? it had looked it had not looked had it looked? Affirmative PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE I had been we had been I had not been we had not been had I been? had we been? you had been you had been you had not been you had not been had you been? had you been? he had been he had not been had he been? she had been they had been she had not been they had not been had she been? had they been? it had been it had not been had it been? Notes The simple for of the Past Perfect is : had + past participle (meaning, Verb-ed). The progressive form of the Past Perfect is: had + been + present participle (meaning, Verb-ing). Before adding -ing ou -ed, you must double the final consonant if the following two conditions apply: o o The verb ends by only one vowel followed by only one consonant, The last syllable is stressed, or there is only one syllabe to know if the last syllabe is stressed or not, you must consult a dictionary.
DIFFERENT FUTURE TENSES Simple Future Future progressive I will / shall + base verb we will / shall + base verb I will / shall be + present participle we will / shall be + present participle you will + base verb he / she / it will + base verb you will + base verb they will + base verb you will be + present participle he / she / it will be + present participle you will be + present participle they will be + present participle Future pefect simple Futur perfect progressive I will / shall have + past participle you will have + past participle he / she / it will have + past participle we will / shall have + past participle you will have + past participle they will have + past participle I will / shall have been + present participle you will have been + present participle he / she / it will have been + present participle we will / shall have been + present participle you will have been + present participle they will have been + present participle Notes The 'base verb' is the infinitive without 'to'; the simple participle has the Verb-ing form; the past participle has the Verd-ed form. Informal language, we use the auxiliary will for all the persons. Formal language, we use the auxiliary shall for the first person singular and plural. Formally speaking, when we wish to give a prescriptive strenght to our words (in a contract, for example), we use will for the first person ( singular or plural) and shall for all other persons. Often, we are free to talk about the future in different ways (for example, going to + verb base, or Present progressive). To talk about the future, we can use either the future (will or shall + verb base ) or a present form. In general, we use a present form when we know that we can see in the present situation what will happen in the future - for example, an arrangment, an intention, or a sign of an intention regarding the near future (for example, when a bull starts thumping, we can see that it has the intention of charging). Present progressive Here are different structures used to talk about the future : We use the Present progressif (often with a date, time or place) to talk about: Something planned or decided on (Ex. We're having dinner at 8 o'clock ); going to + verb base is also possible ici (see information below). Personal arrangements (Ex. This weekend I'm playing tennis with Pauline); going to + verb base is also possible but less used (see information below). Going to We use going to + verb base (the infinitive without 'to')to talk about:
Present Perfect Continuous FORM [has/have + been + present participle] Examples: You have been waiting here for two hours. Have you been waiting here for two hours? You have not been waiting here for two hours. Complete List of Present Perfect Continuous Forms USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous. Examples: They have been talking for the last hour. She has been working at that company for three years. What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes? James has been teaching at the university since June. We have been waiting here for over two hours! Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days? USE 2 Recently, Lately You can also use the Present Perfect Continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks." Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense I had been singing How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous Tense? The structure of the past perfect continuous tense is: subject + auxiliary verb HAVE + auxiliary verb BE + main verb conjugated in simple past tense past participle present participle had been base + ing For negative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense, we insert not after the first auxiliary verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and first auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past perfect continuous tense: subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb + I had been working. + You had been playing tennis. - It had not been working well. - We had not been expecting her.? Had you been drinking?? Had they been waiting long? When speaking with the past perfect continuous tense, we often contract the subject and first auxiliary verb: I had been you had been he had she had been it had been we had been they had been I'd been you'd been he'd been she'd been it'd been we'd been they'd been
Future Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous has two different forms: "will have been doing " and "be going to have been doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect Continuous forms are usually interchangeable. FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Will" [will have been + present participle] Examples: You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives? You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Be Going To" [am/is/are + going to have been + present participle] Examples: You are going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. Are you going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives? You are not going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future Perfect Continuous with little or no difference in meaning. Complete List of Future Perfect Continuous Forms USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Future