PRESENT TENSES - PAST TENSES - PRESENT PERFECT TENSES - PAST PERFECT TENSES

Grammar is the set of rules to follow in order to speak and write a language correctly. It is also the part of linguistics which brings together phonology, morphology and syntax.

The Present tenses

I. The simple present tense

A) Use:

- Repetitive actions or daily routine (I get up at 6am on weekdays)

- Permanent condition (I live in Leffrinckoucke, near Dunkirk in -France)

- General truth (Leaves fall in Autumn)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question: do, does + subject + infinitive verb (Do you want to come with me?)

- In a positive statement: subject + verb + s or es (Yes, I want to come with you)

- In a negative statement: subject + do, does + not + verb (No, I don't want to come with you)

C) Time markers:

Always, often sometimes, rarely, from time to time, usually, never (I seldom go to the flicks)

II. The present continuous tense

A) Use:

- Things that are going on at the time of speaking (Ann is currently listening to the radio)

- Something that happens over a limited period of time but not necessarily at the time of speaking (they are learning English this year)

- We can use 'always' to talk about something that happens too often, showing that we are annoyed by the repetition of events (I'm always forgetting names!)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question am, are, is + ing verb (Is she making a presentation today?)

- In a positive statement: subject + am, are, is + ing verb (She is making a presentation today)

- In a negative statement: subject + am, are, is + ing verb (She is not making a presentation today)

C) Time markers:

At the moment, right now, currently, now (I'm talking on the phone right now)

The Past tenses

I. The simple past tense

A) Use:

- An action that took place at a time in the past and is now over (I watched a detective series on Netflix the other night)

- It is used to tell a story (I went to the bookshop to buy office supplies)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question: did + subject + infinitive verb (Did you finish your work on schedule yesterday?)

- In a positive statement: subject + verb + ed or irregular verb from a list (I finished my work on schedule yesterday) (I learnt my lesson last week)

- In a negative statement: subject + did + not + verb (I didn't learn my lesson last week)

C) Time markers:

Yesterday, last week, in 2020, when … ? … two months ago (I drove to my hometown Strasbourg a few years ago)

II. The past continuous tense

A) Use:

- Emphasize on the the length of the action in the past (I was watching a movie all evening yesterday)

- Overlapping actions in the past (I was walking down the street when I spotted a tall blonde woman with long hair)

B Grammatical forms:

- In a question: was, were + subject + ing verb (Was she using her cell phone at the meeting yesterday morning?)

- In a positive statement: subject + was, were + not + ing verb (She wasn't using her phone at the meeting yesterday morning)

- In a negative statement: subject + was, were + not + ing verb (She wasn't using her phone at the meeting yesterday morning)

C) Time markers:

While, whereas, last nigh, yesterday (They were working late at night when I got home)

The Present Perfect tenses

I. The simple present perfect tense

A) Use:

- It's the result in the present from a past action (they have just opened a new railway track)

- A period of time in the past until the moment we speak in the present (I have already travelled to a foreign country)

- What matters here in the simple present perfect is the result in the present from a past action and NOT the past action itself (I have just got up: past action = I got up a few minutes ago; result in the present = I'm up)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question: have, has + subject + past participle verb (Have you already sent the invoice to the supplier?)

- In a positive statement: subject + have, has + past participle verb (I have sent the invoice to the supplier)

- In a negative statement: subject + have, has + not + past participle verb (I haven't sent the invoice to the supplier)

C) Time markers:

For three months; Since April. Not … yet; today; this week; ever; never; already (Has she already finished her work?) (I have lived in this neighbourhood for years or I have lived in this neighbourhood since 2025)

II. The present perfect continuous tense

A) Use:

It's an action that began in the past and has continued into the present (Ann has been reading a book since this morning)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question: have, has + subject + been + ing verb (Have you been waiting for long?)

- In a positive statement: subject + have, has + been + ing verb (I have been waiting for long)

- In a negative statement: subject + have, has + not + been + ing verb (I haven't been waiting for long)

C) Time markers:

For three months, since April, not … yet, today, this week, ever, never, already (How long has she been living in this neighbourhood?) (She has been living in this neighbourhood for years or She has been living in this neighbourhood since 2025)

The Past Perfect tenses

I. The simple past perfect tense

A) Use:

- It's an action that had taken place before another one in past of the past (They had already left when I got home)

- In our example above, there is an anteriority of the first action in the past (simple past perfect tense) compared to the second action in the pas (simple past tense)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question: had + subject + past participle verb (Had he watched that TV movie before?)

- In a positive statement: subject + had + past participle verb (He had watched that TV movie before)

- In a negative statement: subject + had + not + past participle verb (He had not watched that TV movie before)

C) Time markers:

For (duration, in the past of the past) and Since (starting point, in the past of the past), that is to say the day before yesterday (She had travelled round the world for 5 years when she decided to settle in France permanently)

II. The past perfect continuous tense

A Use:

To talk about an action that went on up to a time in the past of the past (I had been driving a mid-range German sports car before I decided to go for a sedan one)

B) Grammatical forms:

- In a question: had + subject + been + ing verb (Had you been waiting for long?)

- In a positive statement: subject + had + been + ing verb (I had been waiting for long)

- In a negative statement: subject + had + not + been + ing verb (I hadn't been waiting for long)

C) Time markers:

For (duration, in the past of the past) and Since (starting point, in the past of the past) (How long had they been waiting for her?) (They had been waiting for hours before she showed or They had been waiting since the beginning of the afternoon before she showed up)