1)
present simple
a.
use:
i.
habitual action, routines: I come to
school every day
ii.
permanent situations: I study English at
school
iii.
facts or general truths: Many people go
to England to study English
2)
present continuous
a.
use:
i.
actions at the moment of speaking: I am
listening to you now.
ii.
Future arrangements: I am having lunch
with you tomorrow.
iii.
Temporary situation (not necessary in
progress): this year we are speaking in English in class.
iv.
Habitual action which irritates: You are always speaking in class.
3)
Past simple
a.
Use:
i.
Action specific moment in the past:
yesterday I went to the cinema
ii.
Sequence of past events: Last summer we
went to London. There, we visited many places and bought souvenirs.
4)
Past continuous
a.
Use
i.
Action in progress at specific moment in the
past: yesterday at 11’00 I was studying for the exam
ii.
Activity in the past interrupted by another
shorter activity: while I was watching TV, you phoned me
iii.
Two simultaneous actions (in progress in the
past): I was studying while my sister was watching tv.
5)
Present perfect simple
a.
Use
i.
Action at an unspecified time in the past:
they have visited the country.
ii.
With “just” in very recent past (acaba de…):
I have just seen Kelly outside.
iii.
With “for(durante)”
and “since(desde)”: They have been there
for two weeks / I have worked here since 1999.
iv.
With time expressions indicating period of
time not finished (today, this week, this year): we have done a lot of
homework this week.
v.
With the superlative: you are the most
beautiful person I have ever seen.
6)
Present perfect continuous
a.
Use
i.
Actions which started in the past and
continue in the present: We have been writing for forty minutes
ii.
Actions which started in the past and may
have already finished: Mirari has been speaking with students all morning.
iii.
Actions which have recently finished and have
a visible result in the present: Have you been running?
7)
Past perfect
Structure: Subject + HAD + VERB
(PARTICIPLE)
SHE HAD VISITED HER FRIENDS = ELLA HABÍA VISITADO A SUS AMIGAS
SHE HAD NOT VISITED HER FRIENDS
HAD SHE VISITED HER FRIENDS?
a.
Use
i.
Action in the past before another (also in past)
1.
Kelly had done the exercise when I asked her the
question
a.
Kelly había hecho el ejercicio cuando le
pregunté
ii.
3rd conditional
1.
Soraya would have passed if she HAD STUDIED
harder
a.
Soraya habría aprobado
si hubiera estudiado más duro
iii.
With “just”, action in past occurred a short
time before.
1.
When Xabi had dinner, he had just played
football.
a.
Cuando Xabi cenó,
acababa de haber jugado al fútbol.
iv.
With “until, till, before, as soon as, after” to
express that the action had completely finished.
1.
I went home after the lesson had finished
a.
Me fui a casa después
de que la clase se hubiera acabado.
v.
With the expression: “it was the first
time/second time”
1.
It was the first time I had kissed a monkey
a.
Era la primera vez que
había besado a un mono
8)
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
HAD BEEN + VERBO EN GERUNDIO (+ING)
a.
Use.
i.
Highlight repetition of action before another
action. (llevaba haciendo algo…)
1.
He had been studying the English exam for two
weeks when the teacher told him there was not exam = llevaba
estudiando el examen de inglés durante dos semanas cuando el profe le dijo que
no había examen.