English Tenses

Tense :

Use it to talk about :

Example:

Questions & Negatives

Signal words

PRESENT SIMPLE

EXPRIMER UNE HABITUDE, UNE  ACTION REGULIERE, UNE VERITE GENERALE, UN GOUT

VERBE AU PRESENT

* Regular action or a habit (use it with “never”, “often”, “usually” …)

* Something that is true in the present

* Something that is always true (une vérité générale)

*Something that is fixed in the future (or near future)

* an opinion, a preference

CAREFUL: Don’t forget the –S for the 3rd person

• I play football every week

• She lives in Lille

• London is in England / A dog has four legs

• We fly next Monday / The train leaves in 15 minutes

• I like sweets but she prefers cakes.

DO + I, you, we, they

• Do you play football every week?
• I do not (don’t) play football every week.

DOES + he, she, it

• Does she live in Lille
• She does not (doesn’t) live in Lille.

CAREFUL: 3rd person: -S goes on doeS, not on the verb

always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

ACTION  EN TRAIN DE SE PASSER

BE + V-ing

* Something happening at the moment of speaking (vérifie avec “en train de” ou “at the moment”…)

 * Something temporary

* when something is changing

* when using exaggeration about something that happens again and again (or when it annoys you)

• The students are learning about tenses / Sarah is answering the question

• I am studying history at university / I am working at Auchan for the summer

• You are growing fast / your English is improving

• It is always raining in London

Are the students learning about tenses?

The students are not learning about tenses

Am I growing too fast?

I am not growing too fast.

at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now

PRETERIT SIMPLE

ACTION DANS LE PASSE, COUPE DU PRESENT

VERBE AU PRETERIT (si irrégulier)

VERBE + ED (si régulier)

*  Action in the past – cut from the present

ACTION PASSEE ET DATEE AU MMT OU ON PARLE

* We are interested in THE FACTS, WHAT HAPPENED

(I lost my keys, I called my parents, they came at once)

• I went to the beach on Saturday / I worked on Sunday / I played hockey when I was young

DID 

• Did you go to the beach on Saturday?
• You did not (didn’t) go to the beach on Saturday

yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last year-month-week-Sunday, when I was young-a child…

PRETERIT CONTINUOUS

ACTION ETAIT EN COURS A UN MOMENT PASSE

BE PRETERIT + V-ing

           (WAS/WERE)

* Action going on at a certain time in the past

* When two actions take place at the same time in the past (one is longer than the other one)

* We were playing cards

* I was singing when my sister came in

WERE / WAS

• Were they singing when she came in?
• No they were not singing
• Was she working?
• No, she was not working

when, while, as long as

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

ACTION DANS LE PASSE EN LIEN AVEC LE PRESENT

HAVE/HAS + PP

* We are interested in the result or the consequence

I have lost my key, I can’t go home (result: I can’t go home)

* Action still going on (impact on or continues in the present)

(feeling that the action is not finished)

LIEN AC LE PRST – VRAIE AU MMT OU ON PARLE – REPERCUSSION SUR LE PRESENT

* I have called your parents, they are coming.

  The country has been at war for 3 years.

   I haven’t grown since I was 16.

She hasn’t cut her hair in 3 months.

  I have been here for hours

For + Durée

Since + Moment précis (date, day, hour, …), point de depart, date

HAVE + you, I, we, they

• Have you lost your keys?
• You haven’t lost you keys

HAS + he/she/it

• Has he read the book?
• He hasn’t read it yet

already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now, never, lately, up to now, again

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

ACTION DANS LE PASSE QUI CONTINUE DANS LE PRESENT

HAVE/HAS + BE + ing

* Interested in an activity

* My hands are dirty. I have been repairing my bike

* I have been learning English for 7 years

all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week