English Tenses 

SUMMARY OF THE ENGLISH VERB: TENSES, FORMATION, USES.

I) THE PRESENT TENSES

A. The Simple Present Tense:

The simple present has the same form as the infinitive but adds an "-s" for the third person singular. The rules for this formation are the same as those for the plural on nouns:

-. We generally add an "-s" to the verb : wait-waits / work- works

-. if the verb ends in consonant+"y", the "y" is changed to "i" and we add "-es": try-tries / spy-spies

-. if the verb ends in vowel+"y", then there is no change: play-plays / obey-obeys

-. verbs ending in "ss, sh, ch, x, o, add "-es" instead of "-s" alone: kiss-kisses / box-boxes / rush-rushes / go-goes / watch-watches. If the verb ends in "-e", then we only add "-s": realise-realises

When we want to use the negation or the interrogation of a verb used in the simple present tense, we have to add the auxiliary "DO" or "DOES" for the third person singular:

We often carry heavy loads

We do not (don't) carry heavy loads

Do we carry heavy loads ?

The main use of the simple present tense is to express general actions:

Dogs bark - Cats drink milk - Birds fly

A second use is to express habitual actions. In this case, this tense is often used with frequency adverbs (usually, never, sometimes, occasionally, etc....) or adverb phrases:

I go to church on Sundays How often do you wash your hair ? The positioning of the frequency adverb is always between the subject and the verb, though if the verb is TO BE, then the adverb comes after the verb:

Tom never says that he´s sorry People are sometimes afraid to tell the truth

B. The Present Continuous Tense:

The present continuous tense is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb BE + the present participle (any verb + "-ing"). We can also note special cases in the spelling of an "-ing" form:

-. when a verb ends in a single "-e", this "-e" is dropped before "- ing": love-loving / hate-hating / argue-arguing. This does not happen when the verb ends in "-ee": agree-agreeing

-. when a verb has the stress in the last syllable, has one vowel and ends in a single consonant, this consonant is doubled before "- ing": hit-hitting / permit-permitting

-. "-ing" can be added to a verb ending in "-y" without affecting the spelling of the verb: hurry-hurrying / enjoy-enjoying

-. there is a special case with two verbs: die-dying / lie-lying

The present continuous tense is used for an action happening now:

It is raining now - I´m not wearing a coat

It is also used for an action happening about this time but not necessarily at the moment of speaking:

He is teaching French and learning Greek

Another very important use of this tense is for definite arrangements in the near future (it is the most usual way of expressing one´s immediate plans). The time of the action must always be mentioned.

I´m meeting Peter tonight They are taking an exam next May

A last important use of this tense is with "always" to express a frequently repeated action, often one which annoys the speaker or seems unreasonable to him: Tom is always going away for weekends This last example implies that Tom goes away very often, probably too often in the speaker´s opinion.

Finally, we must add that there are certain verbs which are not used in "- ing" forms, and therefore cannot be used in this continuous tense:

a. Verbs of the senses (involuntary actions): see, hear, smell, feel

b. Emotion/feeling verbs: adore, desire, hate, like, love, want, wish

c. Verbs of mental activity: agree, think, forget, know, mean, understand

d. The auxiliaries (except BE and HAVE in certain uses)

e. Verbs such as appear, concern, consist, hold, seem

C. The Present Perfect Tense:

The present perfect tense is formed with the present tense of HAVE + the past participle:

I have worked - She hasn't decided yet

The past participle of the regular verbs is exactly the same as the past tense form. Irregular verbs, on the contrary, have to be learnt by heart.

This tense is a sort of mixture of present and past. It always implies a strong connection with the present though its beginning has to be located in the past. We can explain the different uses:

a. It is used with recent actions when the time is not mentioned:

I have read the instructions but I don't understand them

Have you had breakfast ? No, I haven't had it yet

b. It is used for actions which occur further back in the past but that can be repeated in the present:

I have seen wolves in that forest

This last sentence implies that you can still see them there. c. With "for" and "since" to denote an action beginning in the past and still continuing:

He has been in the army for two years (he is still in the army)

I have smoked since I left school (I still smoke)

"For" is used with a period of time while "since" is used with a point in time and means "from that point to the time of speaking".

The present perfect continuous tense (she has been waiting), is used when we want to emphasise that the action has been repeated over a period of time. Sometimes no difference can be found:

We have been telling you that for a long time

This sentence implies that the action of "telling" has been repeated since it began in the past.

II) THE PAST TENSES

A. The Simple Past:

When we talk about the simple past tense of a verb in English, we have to distinguish between regular and irregular verbs. This is so because the past tense form is different in each case.

Irregular verbs have their three forms with no rule in the form, therefore, the three forms can be the same or two of them the same or all different, in any case they have to be learnt by heart.

Regular verbs on the contrary, form their past tense by adding "-ed" to the infinitive form. The spelling notes for this form are:

-. the rules about doubling the final consonant are the same as in the "-ing" form: admit-admitted / stop-stopped

-. verbs ending in consonant + "y" change "y" into "i" before "-ed": carry-carried (but obey-obeyed)

The simple past is the tense normally used for the relation of past events. It is used for actions completed in the past at a definite time. It must be accompanied by a past expression of time, I met him yesterday We drove her to the airport two days ago or the action must be clearly situated in the past though the time may not be mentioned:

a: Where have you found that beautiful dress ?

b: I found it in a newly opened shop quite near here

The past correspondents to the present continuous and the present perfect retain the same meaning as their present counterparts, though situating their time of action in the past, therefore we will not mention them here

III) THE FUTURE FORMS

A. The present continuous tense:

It has already been mentioned when talking about the present tenses. As a brief summary, just to remember that it expresses a definite arrangement in the near future, and that it must be followed by the expression of time situating it in the future, otherwise there may be confusion between present and future.

Bob and Bill are meeting tonight = this implies that they have arranged this meeting

This kind of future form cannot be used, of course, with verbs that cannot appear in "-ing" forms:

We will know tonight (** We are knowing tonight **)

B. The Be Going To Form:

This form is used for INTENTION and PREDICTION.

a. Intention: It expresses the subject´s intention to do a certain future action. This intention is premeditated and there is usually also the idea that some preparation for the action has already been made. This action is very likely to be performed, though there is not the same idea of definite future arrangement that we get from the present continuous: I´m meeting Tom at the station at six

I´m going to meet Tom at the station at six

The first sentence implies an arrangement with Tom, but the second sentence does not imply it. It only expresses my intention of meeting him; perhaps he does not know anything about it.

b. Prediction: this form can express the speakers feeling of certainty. The time is usually not mentioned, but the action is expected to happen in the near or immediate future. With this form there are signs that something will happen, that is, we base our prediction on something "true":

Look at those clouds ! Its going to rain

Listen to the wind ! We are going to have a bad storm

C. The Future Tense:

The future tense is formed with shall/will + infinitive (without TO) for the first person singular and plural, and will + infinitive (without TO) for the other persons. The negation and interrogation are formed with these same verbs. There is a special case in that the contractions of the negative forms are irregular: shall not = shan't / will not = won´t.

As it has been said "shall" is used to form the first person future, but in actual English it is not very much used. However there are certain uses in which "shall" is still found:

-. in questions tags after "Lets": Let´s go, shall we ?

-. in suggestions: Shall we take a taxi ?

-. in requests for orders or instructions: What shall do with your mail ?

-. for determination. In this case, using "shall" means something like: "I want / its my opinion": We shall win / You shall have what is yours

In the rest of the occasions when we need to use a future tense, it is better to use the form "will".

The uses of this future tense are the following: -. to express the speakers opinions, speculations about the future. It is a kind of neutral future: we just say what our opinion is about the future, but we do not say it with intention or based on real observations, etc....

Perhaps well find him at the hotel

They'll probably wait for us

It is usually used with introductory verbs such as "assume, expect, think, hope, know", or adverbs such as "probably, possibly, perhaps".

-. it is also used for future habitual actions which we assume that will take place as it has always been:

Birds will build nests

Spring will come again

-. a final use of this tense is to express the speaker´s unpremeditated intention, usually in the first person singular and contracted:

I´ll do that for you if you can´t

I´ll pay the drinks

As a final summary of the different future forms in terms of "meanings", we can have....

-. premeditated intention : be going to

-. unpremeditated intention : I´ll

-. prediction based on real facts : be going to

-. neutral prediction/neutral view of the future : will

-. near and almost certain future : present continuous