This document provides information about verb tenses in English, including: - The present simple, present continuous, present perfect, and present perfect continuous tenses. - The past simple, past continuous, and past perfect tenses. - Notes on the use of certain verbs in continuous and non-continuous forms. - Examples of verbs commonly used with certain tenses and structures like time expressions. - Exercises for learners to practice forming and using different verb tenses.

1. WLE COM E TO
ENGL HCL S
IS AS
TENSES

2. I. The present perfect tense (Thì Hiện tại hoàn thành)
1. Form :
-Affirmative: S + HAS/HAVE +V3/ED….
- Negative: S + HAS/HAVE + NOT + V3/ED…..
- Interrogative: HAS/HAVE + S + V3/ED….?
2. Adverbs : - just, recently, lately :gÇn ®©y, võa míi - ever: ®· tõng
- never: ch­ưa bao giờ - already: vừa xong rồi
- yet: ch­ưa (dùng trong c©u phñ ®Þnh vµ nghi vÊn)
- since: tõ khi (chØ thêi ®iÓm mµ hµnh ®éng b¾ t ®Çu)
- for: kho¶ng (chØ kho¶ng gian cña hµnh ®éng)
- so far = until now = up to now = up to the present : cho ®Õn nay, cho ®Õn
tËn b©y giê ... - it’s the first / second time/ twice, three/many/several times
- Diễn tả HĐ vừa mới xảy ra, HĐ được lặp đi lặp lại nhiều lần ở quá khứ.
- Diễn tả HĐ bắt đầu từ quá khứ mà còn kéo dài đến hiện tại và có khả năng tiếp tục ở tương lai.
- Diễn tả HĐ xảy ra trong quá khứ mà không biết rõ thời gian.
Ex:
-She (visit) has visited Ha Long Bay several times.
- My mother (be) has been sick sinse yesterday
- Lan (just buy) has just bought a new shirt.
•Thì HTHTTD : S + have been + Ving. Sử dụng t­ương tự thì HTHT nh­ưng nhấn mạnh tính
liên tục của hành động.
eg. You have been learning E nglish for 5 years.

3. SOME NOTES ON THE USES OF VERB TENSES
………
……
1. Some verbs that are not usually used in continuous ( progressive )tenses.
• Verbs of senses or liking verbs: be, feel, hear, look, see, smell, sound, taste, notice,…….
• Verbs of feeling or emotion: like, dislike, hate, love, want, prefer, wish, need,……..
• Verbs of thinking: believe, know, think, understand, forget, remember, agree,……..
• Verbs of possession: have (coù), own, possess, contain, belong to,………
Notes: - I think (that) you should pay attention to your work.
- I’m thinking about you.
- I have a lot of time to study.
- I was having breakfast when I saw Tom.
- You look ill. What’s the matter with you?
- Why are you looking at me like that?
2. Progressive tenses are often used with :
 Future plan with : go, arrive, come, leave,….
 Continuous activity : sleep, study, work, cook, wash the dishes/clothes, play, listen, read, watch,
wait, have breakfast / lunch/ dinner / meals / coffee / a bath / a walk / a good time / a party…
Ex: I am leaving for New York tomorrow.
She was listening to the radio when he called her last night.
3. Không dùng các thì tương lai ở mệnh đề thời gian. (mệnh đề bắt đầu bằng các liên từ như:
when, whenever, while, as, as soon as, after, before, until, till, by the time, since,…)
Ex: I will give you a special gift when I see you tomorrow

4. 4. Since , For , Just, Already:
two hours / days seven o’clock
many years / ages Tuesday, January 4th
For five weeks / months Since 2006
a long time yesterday, last…
a while he left shool
For  Present perfect Just , Already  Present perfect
 Simple past  Past perfect
 Past perfect
Examples:
*FOR:
- Mr. Pike has worked here for six months. ( = he still works here now.)
- She lived in Paris for two years. Then, he moved to New York last year.
- I had known Jean for a year when she invited him to her home.
*JUST, ALREADY:
- Would you like something to drink? –No, thanks. I’ve just drunk a cup of tea.
- They’ve already seen that movie.
- By the time we got to the theatre, the play had already begun.
- The plane had just landed when I arrived at the airport.
5. Present Perfect Progressive & Past Perfect Progressive:
- I’ve been working hard all day, so I’m very tired now.
- I had been working hard all day, so I was very tired last night.
- Julia is still out of work. She has been looking for a job for six months.

5. PRACTICE:
I. Supply the correct form of the verbs in brackets
1. We _ _ _ _ _ _ (know) James for 10 years.
2. _ _ _ _ _ _ (you/read) any interesting books lately?
3. Laura _ _ _ _ _ _ (not/write) her essay yet.
4. One of my classmates _ _ _ _ _ _ (never/be) abroad.
5. Our neighbours _ _ _ _ _ _ (buy) a new car. It’s a BMW.
6. _ _ _ _ _ _ (Nancy/answer) all the questions yet?
7. I _ _ _ _ _ _ (just/plant) some trees in the garden.
8. How long _ _ _ _ _ _ (they/be) away?
9. Phil _ _ _ _ _ _ (not/visit) his hometown since he moved to L.A.
two years ago.
10. _ _ _ _ _ _ (you/ever/fly) by plane?
11. We’re ready to go. We _ _ _ _ _ _ (already/pack)
our suitcases.

6. II. Present Perfect or Pre. Perfect Continuous:
1.How long ……..you (study)……. English? For 5 years.
2.I (wait)…….…… for two hours, but she (not come)…….….. yet.
3.They (live)…………. in Ho Chi Minh City since 1975.
4.She (read) ………..all the books written by Dickens. How many books
you (read)…….?
5.He (not, be)……….. here since Christmas, I wonder where he (live)
……….. since then.
6.Jack (go)…………… to Paris for a holiday. He never (be)………….
there.
7.………..you (sleep)…….. so far? I (ring) ………the bell for the last
twenty minutes.
8.He (write)………. a novel for two years, but he (not finish)……… it
yet.
9.Mary (lose)………. her hat and she (look) …………….. for it until
now.
10.I (see)…….. that film several times because I like it.

7. .

8. I. The present simple tense (Thì hiện tại đơn)
1. Form to be
- Affirmative: S + V1…. S + am/is/are……
- Negative: S + do/does + not + V1… S + am/is/are + not…..
- Interrogative: Do/Does + S + V1….? Am/Is/Are + S ….?
2. Adverbs:
O fte n = us ua lly = fre q ue ntly ,
a lwa y s = c o ns ta ntly ,
s o m e tim e s = o c c a s io na lly , s e ld o m = ra re ly ,
e v e ry d a y / we e k/ m o nth. . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. The present continuous tense (Thì hiện tại tiếp diễn)
1. Form : - Affirmative: S + am/is/are + V- ing……
- Negative: S + am/is/are + not + V-ing…..
- Interrogative: Am/Is/Are + S + V-ing ….?
Note: Kh«ng dïng th× HTTD víi c¸c ®éng tõ chØ nhËn thøc, tri gi¸c nh­ : to be , s e e , he a r,
und e rs ta nd , kno w, like , wa nt, g la nc e , fe e l, think, s m e ll, lo ve , ha te , re a liz e , s e e m , re m e m be r, fo rg e t,
be lo ng to , be lie v e .....(Víi c¸c ®éng tõ nµy ta thay b»ng th× HT§).
2. Adverbs:
tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, next summer…

9. IV. The past simple tense (Thì Quá khứ đơn)
1. Form to be
- Affirmative: S + V2/ed…. S + was/were……
- Negative: S + did + not + V1….. S + was/were + not…..
- Interrogative: Did + S + V1….? Was/Were + S ….?
2. Adverbs :
- last, yesterday, ago, in 1989,…
- Khi ®æi sang d¹ng phñ ®Þnh vµ nghi vÊn nhí ®­a ®éng tõ chÝnh vÒ nguyªn mÉu.
- Chó ý c¸ch ph¸t ©m c¸c ®éng tõ cã tËn cïng lµ ‘ed’
V. The past continuous tense: (Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn)
1. Form : - Affirmative: S + was/were + V-ing….
- Negative: S + was/were + not + V-ing…..
- Interrogative: Was/Were + S + V-ing….?
2. Adverbs:
- a t 4 p . m y e s te rd a y
- a t this tim e la s t Sund a y . . . . . . . . . . .
3. Structures:
Whe n S 1 + Ve d , S 2 + wa s / we re + Ving .
While S 1 + wa s / we re + Ving , S2 + wa s / we re + Ving .
VI. The past perfect tense (Thì quá khứ hoàn thành)
1. Form : - Affirmative: S + had + V3/ed….
- Negative: S + had + not + V3/ed…..
- Interrogative: Had + S + V3/ed….?
eg. They had live here before 1985.
After the children had finished their homework, they went to bed.
-2. Structures:
Before S1 + Ved, S2 + had Vpp
, S1 + Ved , after S2 + had Vpp

10. Exercises
Exercise 1: Put the verb in brackets in the correct tense: Past simple, Past progressive, Past perfect.
1. They ………………(go) out a few minutes ago.
2. What (you/ do) .......................... at this time yesterday?
3. By the time we arrived at the cinema, the film (start) ........
4. ……… you and Tom …… (enjoy) the party last night?
5. When we were on holiday, the weather …… (be) terrible.
6. When I found my wallet, someone (take) ................. the money.
7. I ..................... (walk) in the park when it started to rain.
8. Last night, when I (come) ..................... to the party, Mary already (go) ................... home.
9. We were having dinner when they (arrive) ..................
10. I (go) ....................... to Paris last year.
Exercise 2: Supply the correct verb forms: Simple past or Past perfect:
1. After they had gone, I (sit) down and (have) rest.
2. He (forget) what I (tell) him. I (remind) him many times, but he still (not bring) what I (want).
3. What he (be) when he ( be) young?
4. It was the first time I (ever see) such a beautiful girl.
5. He (ask) me whether I (see) his pen on the table. I (tell) him that I (not see) it around.
6. If you (wait) only a little while longer, you would have met her. You (not see) her since we last (meet) two
years ago.
7. They (go) home after they (finish) their work.
8. They told me they (not eat) such kind of food before.
9. After taking a bath, he (go) to bed.
10. When we came to the stadium, the match ( already begin).