Classroom – English

Classroom English-Grammar-Past Perfect Continuous

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Past Perfect Continuous

FORM

[had been + present participle]
Examples:
  • You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
  • Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?
  • You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. “For five minutes” and “for two weeks” are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.
Examples:
  • They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
  • She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.
  • How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
  • Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.
  • James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia.
  • A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara? B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past

Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.
Examples:
  • Jason was tired because he had been jogging.
  • Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
  • Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
Past Perfect ContinuousPast Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous
If you do not include a duration such as “for five minutes,” “for two weeks” or “since Friday,” many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. Study the examples below to understand the difference.
Examples:
  • He was tired because he was exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment.
  • He was tired because he had been exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at that moment OR that he had just finished.

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings forMixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect.
Examples:
  • The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct
  • The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived.
  • Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?

Past Perfect Continuous

The Past Perfect Continuous is another tense that expresses the “past in the past”. In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Past Perfect Continuous tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Past Perfect Continuous tense is sometimes called the Past Perfect Progressive tense.

How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous tense?

The structure of the Past Perfect Continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary have + auxiliary be + main verb
conjugated in Past Simple past participle
had been present participle
The first auxiliary verb (have) is conjugated in the Past Simple, invariable: had The second auxiliary verb (be) is invariable in past participle form: been The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing For negative sentences we insert not after the first auxiliary verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the 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?

Contraction with Past Perfect Continuous

When we use the Past Perfect Continuous in speaking, we often contract the subject and the first auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.
I had been I’d been
you had been you’d been
he had been she had been it had been he’d been she’d been it’d been
we had been we’d been
they had been they’d been
  • He’d been drinking all day.
  • It’d been pouring with rain.
In negative sentences, we may contract the first auxiliary verb and “not”:
  • We hadn’t been living there long.
  • They hadn’t been studying very hard.

How do we use the Past Perfect Continuous tense?

The Past Perfect Continuous tense is like the Past Perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the past before another action in the past. For example:
  • Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two hours.
 
past present future
Ram starts waiting in past at 9am.
9 11
I arrive in past at 11am.
Ram had been waiting for two hours when I arrived.
Here are some more examples:
  • John was very tired. He had been running.
  • I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
  • Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been running well for a long time.
  • Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?
You can sometimes think of the Past Perfect Continuous tense like the Present Perfect Continuous tense, but instead of the time being now the time is before.
have been doing →
had been doing →
past present future
For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:
  • “I am angry. I have been waiting for two hours.”
Later, you tell your friends:
  • “Ram was angry. He had been waiting for two hours.”

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Classroom English-Grammar-Past Perfect

Classroom - English, Learn English / By

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense

FORM

[had + past participle]
Examples:
  • You had studied English before you moved to New York.
  • Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
  • You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
Examples:
  • I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
  • I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
  • Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
  • Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
  • She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
  • Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
  • We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
  • A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006? B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.
Past Perfect Tense

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.
Examples:
  • We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
  • By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
  • They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.
Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words “live,” “work,” “teach,” and “study” are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.
Example:
  • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when “before” or “after” is used in the sentence. The words “before” and “after” actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.
Examples:
  • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
  • She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.
Examples:
  • She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
  • She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
  • Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

For actions that happened before a past event

When we want to talk about an action that happened before a past event, we often use the past perfect. Look at these examples:
  • When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.
  • I didn’t want to go to the movies with my friends because I had seen the film already.
  • My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn’t hungry because I had just eaten lunch.
  • I arrived very late at the party. All my friends had already gone home.
  • As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed.
  • I was very tired as I hadn’t slept well for several days.
  • Had you seen the film before?
Notice how often words like already, just, never etc. are used with the past perfect.

In reported speech

The past perfect is common when we report people’s words or thoughts .., as in the following examples:
  • John said that he had never eaten sushi before.
  • She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had not.
  • She wondered why he had been so unkind to her.
  • He told me he hadn’t done his homework, but he was hoping to finish it on the bus.
  • I thought I had sent her a birthday card, but I was wrong.

In if (conditional) sentences

The past perfect tense is used in unreal or hypothetical stituations, as in the following sentences:
  • If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have called you. (but I didn’t know you were here so I didn’t call you!)
  • If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a better present. (but I didn’t have enough money.)
  • I would have been very angy if you had laughed when I got the answer wrong. (but you didn’t laugh, so I wasn’t angry.)
  • She wouldn’t have been able to finish, if you hadn’t helped her. (but you did help her and she did finish.)
  • I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn’t study – and I got bad grades!)
  • I would have been in big trouble if you hadn’t helped me. (but you did help me so I stayed out of trouble.)
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Classroom English-Grammar-Past Continuous

Classroom - English, Learn English / By

Past Continuous

FORM

[was/were + present participle]
Examples:
  • You were studying when she called.
  • Were you studying when she called?
  • You were not studying when she called.

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
Examples:
  • I was watching TV when she called.
  • When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
  • While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
  • What were you doing when the earthquake started?
  • I was listening to my iPod, so I didn’t hear the fire alarm.
  • You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
  • While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
  • Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
  • While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
  • A: What were you doing when you broke your leg? B: I was snowboarding.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
Examples:
  • Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
  • At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
  • Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.
Examples:
  • Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. I started eating at 6 PM.
  • Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.

USE 3 Parallel Actions

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
Examples:
  • I was studying while he was making dinner.
  • While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
  • Were you listening while he was talking?
  • I wasn’t paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.
  • What were you doing while you were waiting?
  • Thomas wasn’t working, and I wasn’t working either.
  • They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

USE 4 Atmosphere

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.
Example:
  • When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.

USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with “Always”

The Past Continuous with words such as “always” or “constantly” expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression “used to” but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words “always” or “constantly” between “be” and “verb+ing.”
Examples:
  • She was always coming to class late.
  • He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.
  • I didn’t like them because they were always complaining.

While vs. When

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word “when” such as “when she called” or “when it bit me.” Other clauses begin with “while” such as “while she was sleeping” and “while he was surfing.” When you talk about things in the past, “when” is most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas “while” is usually followed by Past Continuous. “While” expresses the idea of “during that time.” Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.
Examples:
  • I was studying when she called.
  • While I was studying, she called.

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings forMixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Past.
Examples:
  • Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct
  • Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct

FUNCTIONS OF THE PAST CONTINUOUS

The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past. It is used:
  • Often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. “The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn’t notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river…”
  • to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action, e.g. “I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang.”
  • to express a change of mind: e.g. “I was going to spend the day at the beach but I’ve decided to get my homework done instead.”
  • with ‘wonder’, to make a very polite request: e.g. “I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight.”
EXAMPLES
  • They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
  • Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
  • When we arrived he was having a bath.
  • When the fire started I was watching television.
Note: with verbs not normally used in the continuous form, the simple past is used.

FORMING THE PAST CONTINUOUS

The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.
Subject was/were base + ing
They were watching
Affirmative
She was reading
Negative
She wasn’t reading
Interrogative
Was she reading?
Interrogative negative
Wasn’t she reading?
TO PLAY, PAST CONTINUOUS
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I was playing I was not playing Was I playing?
You were playing You were not playing Were you playing?
He was playing He wasn’t playing Was he playing?
We were playing We weren’t playing Were we playing?
They were playing They weren’t playing Were they playing?

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Classroom-English-Grammar: Use of "used to" and " would always"

Classroom - English, Learn English / By

Use of “used to” and ” would always” in English

[used to + VERB]
Example:
  • I used to go to the beach every day.
It is better not to use “used to” in questions or negative forms; however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using Simple Past.  

USE 1 Habit in the Past

“Used to” expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.
Examples:
  • Jerry used to study English.
  • Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
  • I used to start work at 9 o’clock.
  • Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.

Use of "used to" and " would always" in English

USE 2 Past Facts and Generalizations

“Used to” can also be used to talk about past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.
Examples:
  • I used to live in Paris.
  • Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.
  • George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena is the best.
  • Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite expensive.
 Use of "used to" and " would always" in English

“Used to” vs. Simple Past

Both Simple Past and “Used to” can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations; however, “used to” is preferred when emphasizing these forms of past repetition in positive sentences. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, Simple Past is preferred.
Examples:
  • You used to play the piano.
  • Did you play the piano when you were young?
  • You did not play the piano when you were young.

FORM

[would always + VERB]
Examples:
  • You would always take your surfboard with you when you went to the beach.
  • Would you always take your surfboard with you when you went to the beach?
  • You would not always take your surfboard with you when you went to the beach.

USE 1 Habit in the Past

Like “used to” and Simple Past, “would always” expresses the idea that something was an old habit which stopped in the past. It says that an action was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now. Unlike “used to” and Simple Past, “would always” suggests that someone willingly acted that way and sometimes expresses annoyance or amusement at the habit. It also often suggests the habit was extreme. To express the opposite idea, we can say “would never” to indicate that someone never did something in the past, but now they do.
Examples:
  • She would always send me strange birthday gifts.
  • Sam and Mary would always choose the most exotic vacation destinations.
  • Sally would not always arrive early to class. She came late once or twice.
  • Ned would always show up at our house without calling first.
  • Mindy would not always walk to school. Sometimes, she took the bus.
  • Christine would always come late to the meetings.
  • Jeff would never pay for drinks when we went out together with our friends. Refusing to do something or normally not doing something is also a form of habit.

REMEMBER “Would Always” is Different

“Would always” is not exactly the same as “used to” or the Simple Past. “Would always” cannot be used to talk about past facts or generalizations. It can only be used for repeated actions.
Examples:
  • Sarah was shy, but now she is very outgoing. Correct
  • Sarah used to be shy, but now she is very outgoing. Correct
  • Sarah would always be shy, but now she is very outgoing. Not Correct
 

Forms Related to “Would Always”

In addition to “would always,” English speakers often use “would constantly,” “would often,” “would forever” or simply “would.” Although the last form “would” is correct, it is not suggested because it can easily be confused with other verb forms such as the Conditional or Future in the Past. Similarly, speakers can use “would rarely,” “would occasionally” and “would seldom” to express the idea that an action was not often repeated.
Examples:
  • Jerry would come to the parties every weekend.
  • Jerry would constantly bring his girlfriend to the parties.
  • Jerry would often bring his best friend to the parties.
  • Jerry would occasionally bring his older brother to the parties.
  • Jerry would seldom bring his sister to the parties.
  • Jerry would never bring his younger brother to the parties.

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Classroom-English-Grammar: Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Classroom - English, Learn English / By

Present Perfect Continuous Tense in English

The present perfect continuous is used to refer to an unspecified time between ‘before now’ and ‘now’. The speaker is thinking about something that started but perhaps did not finish in that period of time. He/she is interested in the process as well as the result, and this process may still be going on, or may have just finished.
ACTIONS THAT STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE IN THE PRESENT
She has been waiting for you all day (= and she’s still waiting now). I’ve been working on this report since eight o’clock this morning (= and I still haven’t finished it). They have been travelling since last October (= and they’re not home yet).
ACTIONS THAT HAVE JUST FINISHED, BUT WE ARE INTERESTED IN THE RESULTS
She has been cooking since last night (= and the food on the table looks delicious). It’s been raining (= and the streets are still wet). Someone’s been eating my chips (= half of them have gone). Present Perfect Continuous Tense in English

FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements: the present perfect of the verb ‘to be’ (have/has been), and the present participle of the main verb (base+ing)
Subject has/have been base+ing
She has been swimming
Affirmative: She has been / She’s been running. Negative: She hasn’t been running. Interrogative : Has she been running? Interrogative negative: Hasn’t she been running?
EXAMPLE: PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS, TO LIVE
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I have been living I haven’t been living Have I been living?
You have been living You haven’t been living Have you been living?
He, she, it has been living He hasn’t been living Has she been living?
We have been living We haven’t been living Have we been living?
You have been living You haven’t been living Have you been living?
They have been living They haven’t been living Have they been living?
Present Perfect Continuous Tense in English

VERBS WITHOUT CONTINUOUS FORMS

With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the simple present perfect instead (verbs such as: know, hate, hear, understand, want). I’ve wanted to visit China for years. She’s known Robert since she was a child. I’ve hated that music since I first heard it. I’ve heard a lot about you recently. We’ve understood everything.

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.
Examples:
  • Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
  • She has been watching too much television lately.
  • Have you been exercising lately?
  • Mary has been feeling a little depressed.
  • Lisa has not been practicing her English.
  • What have you been doing?
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Classroom-English-Grammar: Present Perfect Tense

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Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense

DEFINITION OF THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.
BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same.
THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO DESCRIBE
  • An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)
  • An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn’t over yet.)
  • A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal several times.
  • An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by ‘just’. I have just finished my work.
  • An action when the time is not important. He has read ‘War and Peace’. (= the result of his reading is important)
ACTIONS STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUING IN THE PRESENT
  • They haven’t lived here for years.
  • She has worked in the bank for five years.
  • We have had the same car for ten years.
  • Have you played the piano since you were a child?
WHEN THE TIME PERIOD REFERRED TO HAS NOT FINISHED
  • I have worked hard this week.
  • It has rained a lot this year.
  • We haven’t seen her today.
ACTIONS REPEATED IN AN UNSPECIFIED PERIOD BETWEEN THE PAST AND NOW.
  • They have seen that film six times
  • It has happened several times already.
  • She has visited them frequently.
  • We have eaten at that restaurant many times.
ACTIONS COMPLETED IN THE VERY RECENT PAST (+JUST)
  • Have you just finished work?
  • I have just eaten.
  • We have just seen her.
  • Has he just left?
WHEN THE PRECISE TIME OF THE ACTION IS NOT IMPORTANT OR NOT KNOWN
  • Someone has eaten my soup!
  • Have you seen ‘Gone with the Wind’?
  • She’s studied Japanese, Russian, and English.

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.
Examples:
  • I have seen that movie twenty times.
  • I think I have met him once before.
  • There have been many earthquakes in California.
  • People have traveled to the Moon.
  • People have not traveled to Mars.
  • Have you read the book yet?
  • Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
  • A: Has there ever been a war in the United States? B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?

The concept of “unspecified time” can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:

TOPIC 1 Experience

You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, “I have the experience of…” You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.
Examples:
  • I have been to France. This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you have been there once, or several times.
  • I have been to France three times. You can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.
  • I have never been to France. This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.
  • I think I have seen that movie before.
  • He has never traveled by train.
  • Joan has studied two foreign languages.
  • A: Have you ever met him? B: No, I have not met him.

TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.
Examples:
  • You have grown since the last time I saw you.
  • The government has become more interested in arts education.
  • Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.
  • My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.

TOPIC 3 Accomplishments

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time.
Examples:
  • Man has walked on the Moon.
  • Our son has learned how to read.
  • Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
  • Scientists have split the atom.

TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.
Examples:
  • James has not finished his homework yet.
  • Susan hasn’t mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
  • Bill has still not arrived.
  • The rain hasn’t stopped.

TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible.
Examples:
  • The army has attacked that city five times.
  • I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.
  • We have had many major problems while working on this project.
  • She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.

Time Expressions with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some point in our lives before now. Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important. Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.
Examples:
  • Have you been to Mexico in the last year?
  • I have seen that movie six times in the last month.
  • They have had three tests in the last week.
  • She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far.
  • My car has broken down three times this week.

NOTICE

“Last year” and “in the last year” are very different in meaning. “Last year” means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires Simple Past. “In the last year” means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present Perfect.
Examples:
  • I went to Mexico last year. I went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one.
  • I have been to Mexico in the last year. I have been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.

USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present Perfect 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.
Examples:
  • I have had a cold for two weeks.
  • She has been in England for six months.
  • Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.
Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words “live,” “work,” “teach,” and “study” are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You have only seen that movie one time.
  • Have you only seen that movie one time?

FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called ‘Verbs’.
Affirmative
Subject to have past participle
She has visited.
Negative
Subject to have + not past participle
She has not (hasn’t) visited.
Interrogative
to have subject past participle
Has she visited?
Negative interrogative
to have + not subject past participle
Hasn’t she visited?
TO WALK, PRESENT PERFECT
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I have walked I haven’t walked Have I walked?
You have walked You haven’t walked. Have you walked?
He, she, it has walked He, she, hasn’t walked Has he, she, it walked?
We have walked We haven’t walked Have we walked?
You have walked You haven’t walked Have you walked?
They have walked They haven’t walked Have they walked?
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English-Grammar: Present Continuous

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FORMING THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

FORMING THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts – the present tense of the verb to be + the present participle of the main verb. (The form of the present participle is: base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving, smiling)
Affirmative
Subject + to be + base + ing
She is talking.
Negative
Subject + to be + not + base + ing
She is not (isn’t) talking
Interrogative
to be + subject + base + ing
Is she talking?

Present Continuous Tense

In the Present Continuous tense, the action is on-going/ still going on and hence continuous. The present continuous tense is used to talk about actions that are happening at this current moment. POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT AM / ARE / IS VERB + ing REST OF THE SENTENCE
I am watching television.
You are watching television.
He is watching television.
Mohan is watching television
The boy is watching television.
She is watching television.
Pooja is watching television.
The girl is watching television.
We are watching television.
You are watching television.
They are watching television.
The children are watching television.
Notice that we use ‘am’ with ‘I’, ‘is’ with ‘He’ and ‘She’ ‘are’ with ‘You’, ‘We’ and ‘They’ The verb form remains the same for all subjects. NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT AM NOT / ARE NOT / IS NOT VERB + ing REST OF THE SENTENCE
I am not playing chess.
You are not playing chess.
He is not playing chess.
Mohan is not playing chess.
The boy is not playing chess.
She is not playing chess.
Pooja is not playing chess.
The girl is not playing chess.
We are not playing chess.
You are not playing chess.
They are not playing chess.
The men are not playing chess.
Notice that we use ‘am not’ with ‘I’, ‘is not’ with ‘He’ and ‘She’ ‘are not’ with ‘You’, ‘We’ and ‘They’ The verb form remains the same for all subjects. INTERROGATIVE STATEMENTS / QUESTIONS
AM / ARE / IS SUBJECT VERB REST OF THE SENTENCE
Am I reading a book?
Are you reading a book?
Is he reading a book?
Is Mohan reading a book?
Is the boy reading a book?
Is she reading a book?
Is Pooja reading a book?
Is the girl reading a book?
Are we reading a book?
Are you reading a book?
Are they reading a book?
Are the men reading a book?
Notice the structure of the interrogative statements. We use ‘am’ with ‘I’, ‘is’ with ‘He’ and ‘She’ ‘are’ with ‘You’, ‘We’ and ‘They’ The verb form remains the same for all subjects.

EXAMPLES: TO GO, PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I am going I am not going Am I going?
You are going You aren’t going. Are you going?
He, she, it is going He, she, it isn’t going Is he, she, it going?
We are going We aren’t going Are we going?
You are going You aren’t going Are you going?
They are going They aren’t going Are they going?
Note: alternative negative contractions: I’m not going, you’re not going, he’s not going etc.

FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

As with all tenses in English, the speaker’s attitude is as important as the time of the action or event. When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete
THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS IS USED:
  • to describe an action that is going on at this moment: You are using the Internet. You are studying English grammar.
  • to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend: Are you still working for the same company? More and more people are becoming vegetarian.
  • to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared: We’re going on holiday tomorrow. I’m meeting my boyfriend tonight. Are they visiting you next winter?
  • to describe a temporary event or situation: He usually plays the drums, but he’s playing bass guitar tonight. The weather forecast was good, but it’s raining at the moment.
  • with “always, forever, constantly”, to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions: Harry and Sally are always arguing! You’re constantly complaining about your mother-in-law!
BE CAREFUL! Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form

VERBS THAT ARE NOT USUALLY USED IN THE CONTINUOUS FORM

The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form because they refer to states, rather than actions or processes.
SENSES / PERCEPTION
  • to feel*
  • to hear
  • to see*
  • to smell
  • to taste
OPINION
  • to assume
  • to believe
  • to consider
  • to doubt
  • to feel (= to think)
  • to find (= to consider)
  • to suppose
  • to think*
MENTAL STATES
  • to forget
  • to imagine
  • to know
  • to mean
  • to notice
  • to recognise
  • to remember
  • to understand
EMOTIONS / DESIRES
  • to envy
  • to fear
  • to dislike
  • to hate
  • to hope
  • to like
  • to love
  • to mind
  • to prefer
  • to regret
  • to want
  • to wish
MEASUREMENT
  • to contain
  • to cost
  • to hold
  • to measure
  • to weigh
OTHERS
  • to look (=resemble)
  • to seem
  • to be (in most cases)
  • to have(when it means “to possess”)*
EXCEPTIONS
Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with can: : I can see… These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning
  • This coat feels nice and warm. (your perception of the coat’s qualities)
  • John’s feeling much better now (his health is improving)
  • She has three dogs and a cat. (possession)
  • She’s having supper. (She’s eating)
  • I can see Anthony in the garden (perception)
  • I’m seeing Anthony later (We are planning to meet)
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English-Grammar: Simple Present Tense

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Simple Present Tense Simple Present Tense

 The simple present tense is one of several forms of present tense in English. It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements. The simple present tense is simple to form. Just use the base form of the verb: (I take, you take, we take, they take) The 3rd person singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes, she takes)

Simple Present Tense

In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about its completeness. It is used to talk about an action which happens on a regular basis. POSITIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT VERB REST OF THE SENTENCE
I study in Bal Bharti school.
You study in Bal Bharti school.
He studies in Bal Bharti school.
Mohan studies in Bal Bharti school.
The boy studies in Bal Bharti school.
She studies in Bal Bharti school.
Pooja studies in Bal Bharti school.
The girl studies in Bal Bharti school.
We study in Bal Bharti school.
You study in Bal Bharti school.
They study in Bal Bharti school.
The children study in Bal Bharti school.
Notice how we use ‘study’ for the subjects I, You, We, You and They and we use ‘studies’ for the subjects ‘He’ and ‘She’. NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT DON’T (DO NOT) / DOESN’T (DOES NOT) VERB REST OF THE SENTENCE
I don’t play football.
You don’t play football.
He doesn’t play football.
Mohan doesn’t play football.
The boy doesn’t play football.
She doesn’t play football.
Pooja doesn’t play football.
The girl doesn’t play football.
We don’t play football.
You don’t play football.
They don’t play football.
The men don’t play football.
Notice how we use ‘don’t’ for the subjects I, You, We, You and They and we use ‘doesn’t’ for the subjects ‘He’ and ‘She’. The verb form remains the same for all subjects. INTERROGATIVE STATEMENTS / QUESTIONS

THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IS USED:

  • To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes: I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)
  • To give instructions or directions: You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
  • To express fixed arrangements, present or future: Your exam starts at 09.00
  • To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until: He’ll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
Be careful! The simple present is not used to express actions happening now.

EXAMPLES

  • For habits He drinks tea at breakfast. She only eats fish. They watch television regularly.
  • For repeated actions or events We catch the bus every morning. It rains every afternoon in the hot season. They drive to Monaco every summer.
  • For general truths Water freezes at zero degrees. The Earth revolves around the Sun. Her mother is Peruvian.
  • For instructions or directions Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water. You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.
  • For fixed arrangements His mother arrives tomorrow. Our holiday starts on the 26th March
  • With future constructions She’ll see you before she leaves. We’ll give it to her when she arrives.

FORMING THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE: TO THINK

Affirmative Interrogative Negative
I think Do I think? I do not think
You think Do you think? You do not think
He thinks Does he think? He does not think
She thinks Does she think? She does not think
It thinks Does it think? It does not think
We think Do we think? We do not think.
They think Do they think? They do not think.

NOTES ON THE SIMPLE PRESENT, THIRD PERSON SINGULAR

  • In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s: he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.
  • Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary ‘DO’) + the infinitive of the verb. He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.
  • Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies: fly –> flies, cry –> cries Exception: if there is a vowel before the –y: play –> plays, pray –> prays
  • Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch: he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes
EXAMPLES
  • He goes to school every morning.
  • She understands English.
  • It mixes the sand and the water.
  • He tries very hard.
  • She enjoys playing the piano.
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German Classroom:Essential Vocabulary

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German Essential Vocabulary

German Essential Vocabulary

Question Words

who wer vehr whom (acc.) wen vain
what was vahs whom (dat.) wem vaim
why warum vah-room how come wieso vee-zo
when wann vahn where from woher vo-hair
where wo voh where to wohin vo-hin
how wie vee which welche/-r/-s velsh-uh/er/es

Learn German in Coimbatore

Some Useful Words in German

and und oont
but aber ah-ber
very sehr zair
or oder oh-der
here hier here
also auch owkh
both beide by-duh
some etwas eht-vahss
only nur noor
again wieder vee-der
hopefully hoffentlich hoh-fent-likh
between zwischen zvish-en
therefore deshalb des-halp
a lot, many viel(e) feel(uh)
really wirklich veerk-lish
together zusammen tsoo-zah-men
all alle ahl-luh
now jetzt yetst
so also al-zoh
another noch ein nohkh ine
already schon shone
isn’t it? nicht wahr? nikht vahr
too bad schade shah-duh
gladly gern gehrn
immediately sofort zoh-fort
sure(ly) sicher(lich) zikh-er-likh
but, rather sondern zohn-dehrn
finally schließlich shleess-likh
right! stimmt shtimt
anyway überhaupt oo-ber-howpt
enough genug guh-nook
exact(ly) genau guh-now
sometimes manchmal mahnch-mal
always immer im-er
never nie nee
often oft ohft
of course klar klahr
perhaps vielleicht fee-likht
a little ein bisschen ine biss-khen
a little ein wenig ine vay-nikh
not at all gar nicht gar nikht
not a bit kein bisschen kine biss-khen
Es gibt is commonly used to mean there is/are and it is always followed by the accusative case.German Classes

Asking Questions in German

1. Simply add a question mark to the end of the statement for yes/no questions

2. Invert the verb and subject for yes/no questions

3. Add nicht wahr? or oder? to the end of the statement for yes/no questions

4. Use a question word + verb + subject for information questions

German Days of the Week / Die Tage

Monday Montag mohn-tahk
Tuesday Dienstag deens-tahk
Wednesday Mittwoch mit-vock
Thursday Donnerstag don-ers-tahk
Friday Freitag fry-tahk
Saturday (N & E Germany) Samstag Sonnabend zahms-tahk zon-nah-bent
Sunday Sonntag zon-tahk
day der Tag (-e) dehr tahk
morning der Morgen (-) mawr-gun
afternoon der Nachmittag (-e) nakh-mih-tahk
evening der Abend (-e) ah-bunt
night die Nacht (ä, -e) nahkt
today heute hoy-tuh
tomorrow morgen mawr-gun
tonight heute Abend hoy-tuh ah-bunt
yesterday gestern geh-stairn
last night gestern Abend geh-stairn ah-bunt
week die Woche (-n) voh-kuh
weekend das Wochenende (-n) voh-ken-en-duh
daily täglich teh-glikh
weekly wöchentlich wer-khent-likh
Learn and Speak German To say on a certain day or the weekend, use am.  Add an -s to the day to express “on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.”  All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of these words:  jeden – every, nächsten – next, letzten – last (as in the last of a series), vorigen – previous.  In der Woche is the expression for “during the week” in Northern and Eastern Germany, while unter der Woche is used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

German Months of the Year / Die Monate

January Januar yah-noo-ahr
(Austria) Jänner yeh-ner
February Februar fay-broo-ahr
March März mehrts
April April ah-pril
May Mai my
June Juni yoo-nee
July Juli yoo-lee
August August ow-goost
September September zehp-tehm-ber
October Oktober ok-toh-ber
November November no-vehm-ber
December Dezember deh-tsem-ber
month der Monat (-e) moh-naht
year das Jahr (-e) yaar
monthly monatlich moh-naht-likh
yearly jährlich jehr-likh
To say in a certain month, use im. Wann hast du Geburtstag? When is your birthday?Best German Classes Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. My birthday is in May.

German Seasons / Die Jahreszeiten

winter der Winter dehr vin-ter
spring der Frühling dehr frew-ling
summer der Sommer dehr zom-mer
autumn der Herbst dehr hehrpst

Spoken German

Directions / Die Richtungen

right rechts
left links
straight geradeaus
north der Norden
south der Süden
east der Osten
west der Westen

im Norden = in the North nach Osten = to the East aus Westen = from the West

German Colors & Shapes / Die Farben & Die Forme

orange orange square das Viereck
pink rosa circle der Kreis
purple violett / lila triangle das Dreieck
blue blau rectangle das Rechteck
yellow gelb oval das Oval
red rot octagon das Achteck
black schwarz cube der Würfel
brown braun sphere die Kugel
gray grau cone der Kegel
white weiß cylinder der Zylinder
green grün
turquoise türkis
beige beige
silver silber
gold gold

Very Good German Classes in Coimbatore

Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe if they are placed before the noun. However, not all adjectives agree, such as colors ending in -a or -e; nor do they agree when they are used as predicate adjectives. To say that a color islight, put hell- before it, and to say that a color is dark, put dunkel- before it.

Das Viereck ist braun. The square is brown. Das Rechteck ist hellblau. The rectange is light blue.

German Time / Die Zeit

What time is it? Wie spät ist es? vee shpayt isst ess
(It is) 2 AM Es ist zwei Uhr nachts ess ist tsvy oor nahkts
2 PM Es ist zwei Uhr nachmittags tsvy oor nahk-mih-tahks
6:20 Es ist sechs Uhr zwanzig zex oor tsvahn-tsikh
half past 3 Es ist halb vier hahlp feer
quarter past 4 Es ist Viertel nach vier feer-tel nahk feer
quarter to 5 Es ist Viertel vor fünf feer-tel for fewnf
10 past 11 Es ist zehn nach elf tsyan nahk elf
20 to 7 Es ist zwanzig vor sieben tsvahn-tsikh for zee-bun
noon Es ist nachmittag nakh-mih-tahk
midnight Es ist mitternacht mih-ter-nahk
in the morning morgens / früh mawr-guns / frew
in the evening abends aah-bunts
It’s exactly… Es ist genau… ess ist guh-now
At 8. Um 8 Uhr. oom akht oor
early(ier) früh(er) frew(er)
late(r) spät(er) shpayt(er)

Official time, such as for bus and train schedules, always uses the 24 hour clock. Notice that halb + number means half to, not half past, so you have to use the hour that comes next.

German Weather / Das Wetter

How’s the weather today? Wie ist das Wetter heute? vie ist dahs vet-ter hoy-tuh
It’s hot Es ist heiß ess isst hise
It’s cold Es ist kalt ess isst kahlt
It’s beautiful Es ist schön ess isst shern
It’s bad Es ist schlecht ess isst shlehkt
It’s clear Es ist klar ess isst klahr
It’s icy Es ist eisig ess isst ise-ikh
It’s warm Es ist warm ess isst varm
It’s sunny Es ist sonnig ess isst zohn-ikh
It’s windy Es ist windig ess isst vin-dikh
It’s cloudy Es ist bewölkt ess isst beh-verlkt
It’s hazy Es ist dunstig ess isst doons-tikh
It’s muggy Es ist schwül ess isst schvool
It’s humid Es ist feucht ess isst foikht
It’s foggy Es ist nebelig ess isst neh-beh-likh
It’s snowing Es schneit ess schnite
It’s raining Es regnet ess rayg-net
It’s freezing Es friert ess freert
It looks like rain. Es sieht nach Regen aus. es seet nahkh ray-gen ows
The weather is clearing Das Wetter klärt sich auf. dahs vett-er klairt sikh owf

German Family / Die Familie

Parents die Eltern Relative der Verwandte (-n)
Mother die Mutter (ü) Man der Mann (ä, -er)
Father der Vater (ä) Sir / Mister der Herr (-en)
Son der Sohn (ö, -e) Woman / Ma’am / Mrs. / Ms. die Frau (-en)
Daughter die Tochter (ö) Husband der Ehemann (ä, -er)
Brother der Bruder (ü) Wife die Ehefrau (-en)
Sister die Schwester (-n) Boy der Junge (-n)
Grandparents die Großeltern Girl das Mädchen (-)
Grandfather der Großvater (ä) Grandpa der Opa (-s)
Grandmother die Großmutter (ü) Grandma die Oma (-s)
Grandchildren die Enkelkinder Dad der Vati
Grandson der Enkel (-) Mom die Mutti
Granddaughter die Enkelin (-nen) Friend (m) der Freund (-e)
Niece die Nichte (-n) Friend (f) die Freundin (-nen)
Nephew der Neffe (-n) Partner / Significant Other (m) der Partner (-)
Cousin (m) der Vetter (-n) Partner / Significant Other (f) die Partnerin (-nen)
Cousin (f) die Kusine (-n) Marital Status der Familienstand
Uncle der Onkel (-) Single ledig
Aunt die Tante (-n) Married verheiratet
Siblings die Geschwister Divorced geschieden
Baby das Baby (-s) Male männlich
Godfather der Pate (-n) Female weiblich
Godmother die Patin (-nen) Child das Kind (-er)
Step- der/die Stief- Toddler das Kleinkind (-er)
-in-law der/die Schwieger- Teenager der Teenager (-)
Brother-in-law der Schwager (ä) Adult der Erwachsene (-n)
Sister-in-law die Schwägerin (-nen) Twin der Zwilling (-e)

The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an umlaut is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example, der Mann is singular (the man) and die Männer is plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just add Stief- orSchwieger- before the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-in-law noted above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e. die Schwiegermutter (singular) and die Schwiegermütter (plural)

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English Classroom: Simple Past Tense

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English Simple Past Tense

English Simple Past Tense

DEFINITION OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.
EXAMPLES
  • John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
  • My father died last year.
  • He lived in Fiji in 1976.
  • We crossed the Channel yesterday.
You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions
  • frequency: often, sometimes, always I sometimes walked home at lunchtime. I often brought my lunch to school.
  • a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago We saw a good film last week. Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva. She finished her work atseven o’clock I went to the theatre last night
  • an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago People lived in caves a long time ago.
  • She played the piano when she was a child.
Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.
Be Careful: The simple past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.
The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.

Form of Simple Past

Positive Negative Question
no differences I spoke. I did not speak. Did I speak?
For irregular verbs, use the past form For regular verbs, just add “ed”.

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed Example
after a final e only add d love – loved
final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled admit – admitted travel – travelled
final y after a consonant becomes i hurry – hurried
 

Use of Simple Past

  • action in the past taking place once, never or several times

    Example: He visited his parents every weekend.

  • actions in the past taking place one after the other

    Example: He came in, took off his coat and sat down.

  • action in the past taking place in the middle of another action

    Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

  • if sentences type II (If I talked, …)

    Example: If I had a lot of money, I would share it with you.

Past Continuous

  The Past Continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past. In this lesson we look at the structure and the use of the Past Continuous tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Past Continuous tense is sometimes called the Past Progressive tense.

How do we make the Past Continuous tense?

The structure of the past continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary be + main verb
conjugated in Past Simple
was, were present participle
The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Past Simple: was, were The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the Past Continuous tense:
subject auxiliary verb main verb
+ I was watching TV.
+ You were working hard.
– He, she, it was not helping Mary.
– We were not joking.
? Were you being silly?
? Were they playing football?

How do we use the Past Continuous tense?

The Past Continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.
At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.
past present future
8pm
At 8pm, I was in the middle of watching TV.
When we use the Past Continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:
  • I was working at 10pm last night.
  • They were not playing football at 9am this morning.
  • What were you doing at 10pm last night?
  • What were you doing when he arrived?
  • She was cooking when I telephoned her.
  • We were having dinner when it started to rain.
  • Ram went home early because it was snowing.
Note that some verbs cannot be used in continuous/progressive tenses.
We often use the Past Continuous tense to “set the scene” in stories. We use it to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the Past Continuous tense and then moves into the Past Simple tense. Here is an example:
“James Bond was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was walking in the streets. Suddenly, Bond saw the killer in a telephone box…”

Past Continuous + Past Simple

We often use the Past Continuous tense with the Past Simple tense. We use the Past Continuous to express a long action. And we use the Past Simple to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with when or while. In the following example, we have two actions:
  1. long action (watching TV), expressed with Past Continuous
  2. short action (telephoned), expressed with Past Simple
past present future
long action: I was watching TV from 7pm to 9pm.
8pm
short action: You phoned at 8pm.
We can join these two actions with when:
  • I was watching TV when you telephoned.
Notice that “when you telephoned” is also a way of defining the time (8pm). We use:
  • when + short action (Past Simple)
  • while + long action (Past Continuous)
There are four basic combinations:
I was walking past the car when it exploded.
When the car exploded I was walking past it.
The car exploded while I was walking past it.
While I was walking past the car it exploded.
Notice that the long action and short action are relative.
  • “Watching TV” took two hours. “Telephoned” took a few seconds.
  • “Walking past the car” took a few seconds. “Exploded” took milliseconds.

Signal Words of Simple Past

  • yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
The simple past tense is used to talk about finished actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You state when it happened using a time adverb. You form the simple past of a verb by adding -ed onto the end of a regular verb but, irregular verb forms have to be learnt. There are several examples of irregular verbs in our Picture It section.  

Simple Past Timeline

Simple past tense timeline

When you mention a time in the past:- For example: “Last year I took my exams.” “I got married in 1992.” It can be used to describe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now. For example: “I lived in South Africa for two years.” The simple past tense is also used to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past. For example: “When I was a child we always went to the seaside on bank holidays.” It can sometimes be confusing. For example: “She had a baby last year.” (She hasn’t lost the baby, but here you are talking about the actual process of giving birth.)
 

FORMING THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

PATTERNS OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE FOR REGULAR VERBS
Affirmative
Subject + verb + ed
I skipped.
Negative
Subject + did not + infinitive without to
They didn’t go.
Interrogative
Did + subject + infinitive without to
Did she arrive?
Interrogative negative
Did not + subject + infinitive without to
Didn’t you play?
TO WALK
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I walked I didn’t walk Did I walk?
You walked You didn’t walk Did you walk?
He walked He didn’t walk Did he walk?
We walked We didn’t walk Did we walk?
They walked They didn’t walk Did they walk?
SIMPLE PAST TENSE OF TO BE, TO HAVE, TO DO
Subject Verb
Be Have Do
I was had did
You were had did
He/She/It was had did
We were had did
You were had did
They were had did

NOTES ON AFFIRMATIVE, NEGATIVE, & INTERROGATIVE FORMS

AFFIRMATIVE
The affirmative of the simple past tense is simple.
  • I was in Japan last year
  • She had a headache yesterday.
  • We did our homework last night.
NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE
For the negative and interrogative simple past form of “do” as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary “do”, e.g. We didn’t do our homework last night. The negative of “have” in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary “do”, but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction “n’t”. The interrogative form of “have” in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary “do”.
EXAMPLES
  • They weren’t in Rio last summer.
  • We didn’t have any money.
  • We didn’t have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
  • We didn’t do our exercises this morning.
  • Were they in Iceland last January?
  • Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
  • Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?
Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary ‘did”.

SIMPLE PAST, IRREGULAR VERBS

Some verbs are irregular in the simple past. Here are the most common ones.
TO GO
  • He went to a club last night.
  • Did he go to the cinema last night?
  • He didn’t go to bed early last night.
TO GIVE
  • We gave her a doll for her birthday.
  • They didn’t give John their new address.
  • Did Barry give you my passport?
TO COME
  • My parents came to visit me last July.
  • We didn’t come because it was raining.
  • Did he come to your party last week?
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
Long Form Contracted Form
I played I did not play I didn’t play Did I play?
You played You did not play You didn’t play Did you play?
He/she/it played He/she/it did not play He/she/it didn’t play Did he/she/it play?
We played We did not play We didn’t play Did we play?
You played You did not play You didn’t play Did you play?
They played They did not play They didn’t play Did they play?
The past simple tense is used to talk about finished actions in a finished period of time, for example :
  • Yesterday evening I played tennis with a friend.
  • Last year I started taking tennis lessons.
  • When I was at school I hated history.
  • Five minutes ago I finished the report for my boss.
  • Last week I attended a meeting in Tokyo.

FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs
Examples:
  • You called Debbie.
  • Did you call Debbie?
  • You did not call Debbie.

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
  • I saw a movie yesterday.
  • I didn’t see a play yesterday.
  • Last year, I traveled to Japan.
  • Last year, I didn’t travel to Korea.
  • Did you have dinner last night?
  • She washed her car.
  • He didn’t wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
  • I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
  • He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
  • Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
  • I lived in Brazil for two years.
  • Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
  • They sat at the beach all day.
  • They did not stay at the party the entire time.
  • We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
  • A: How long did you wait for them? B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
  • I studied French when I was a child.
  • He played the violin.
  • He didn’t play the piano.
  • Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
  • She worked at the movie theater after school.
  • They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression “used to.”
Examples:
  • She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
  • He didn’t like tomatoes before.
  • Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
  • People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.
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