Tenses

Main Tenses
PAST PRESENT FUTURE
Simple Simple Simple
Continous Continous Continous
Perfect Perfect Perfect
Perfect
Continous
Perfect
Continous
Perfect
Continous
Going to

Simple Present Tense
• Regular actions/frequency of the actions
- We sometimes forget to thank people who
acts kindly to us.
• Habits
- I go to bed very late at summer nights.
• General Facts/Scientific Truths
- People in Turkey rarely read book.
- The rolling stone gathers no moss.

• Official ceremonies and celebrations
- I pronounce you man and wife.
• Stories and historical events
- Hitler declares war against many countries.
- When the hunter leaves Snow White in the
forest, 7 dwarfs find her.
• Sudden moves in sport events
- Ronaldo passes the ball to Messi.

• Sentences beginning with «here» and
«there»
- Hurry up. Here comes the bus.
• Headlines in newspapers, magazines,
books…
- Covid-19 continues to spread and countries
respond with travel bans.
• With the future meaning (with a
timetable/program)
- The bus leaves at 9 in the morning.

• Future meaning when used with «when, as,
while, before/after, as soon as, until, once».
Main clause is generally will/going to.
- As soon as she comes, I will give her the gift.
• Verb ‘say’ when quoting from books etc.
- What does the sign say? It says «No
smoking!»
• First conditionals
- If you study hard, you’ll pass the exam.

• For stative verbs (sound, belong, need, seem
etc.) We can use the Present Simple to talk
about now with stative verbs. (Stative verbs
do not describe action.)
- That sounds wonderful.
- I want a coffee.
- I don’t know anything.
- Why are you so beautiful?

• every + noun
• once/twice, __
times a + noun
• on ___days=
every
• first ... then
• always
• often/frequently
• usually/generally
• sometimes/occasionally
• seldom/rarely/barely
• never
Time References/Expressions

Emphatic Do
• Normally, for positive sentences we do not
use the auxiliary verb do. But if we want to
emphasize something, we may use it. For
example, instead of saying "I like your
dress", we could say "I do like your dress",
just to show how much we like it:
- I do wish you'd stop./I do apologize./You do
look smart today.
- You did do the thing properly.
- She does look familiar.

Present Continous/Progressive
• Actions still going on at the time of
speaking
- A bus is coming towards us.
• Temporary situations/habits
- I am living in London. (used with at the
moment, for a few weeks now, for a couple of
months.)

• Annoying habits (with always, forever,
continually, constantly) generally to
complain about that certain action
- You are forever losing your keys!
- I am always washing the dishes.
• Definite future plans
- I am meeting my father tomorrow.

• Actions going on lately but not at the time
of speaking
- I am reading a novel of Orhan Kemal.
• To emphasize the determination of the
speaker
- You are not walking away from me.
• An action that has been still on for a while.
- She is talking to herself for two hours.

• Future meanings with generally a future
time expressions (tomorrow, later, at 7 pm,
tonight, on Tuesday…)
- My wife is baking a pie for lunch tomorrow.
• With exclamations happening at the
present
- Look! The plane is coming out of the
clouds.
- Watch out! The ball is coming.
- Shh! The baby is sleeping.

• right now
• at this moment
• just now
• temporarily
• this + noun
• currently
• this week only
• for a limited time
• for the time being
• at present

Present Perfect (have/has V3)
• Past events present results
- She has washed her hair. (Her hair is wet)
• Recent events
- She has cleaned everwhere in the house.
• Unfinished actions
- They have been married for nearly 50
years.
• Life experiences
- Have you ever ridden a horse?

• Accomplishments of individuals or
humanity when there is no specific time
- Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
- Scientists have split the atom.
- Our son has learned how to read.
• Multiple actions at different times. It
suggests that the process is not complete
more actions are possible.
-The army has attacked the city five times.

- She has talked to several specialists about
her problem, but nobody knows why she is
sick.
• Changes over time
- You have grown since the last time I saw
you.
- The government has become more
interested in arts education.

• Reporting or giving news of recent events
when we do not mention exactly when it
happened.
- There has been a plane crash near London.
- Anna has bought a new laptop.
• Express number of times
- How many times have you tried to call her?
- I have moved house 4 times in my life.

have been or have gone?
• We use have/has been when someone
has gone to a place and returned:
A: Where have you been?
B: I've just been out to the supermarket.
A: Have you ever been to San Francisco?
B: No, but I've been to Los Angeles.

have been or have gone?
• But when someone has not returned, we
use have/has gone:
A: Where's Maria? I haven't seen her for
weeks.
B: She's gone to Paris for a week. She'll be
back tomorrow.

perfect+ since + simple past
• After a clause with the present perfect we
often use a clause with since to show when
something started in the past:
- I've worked here since I left school.
- I've been watching that programme every
week since it started.

Present perfect for future
• We normally use the present simple to talk
about the future in clauses with before,
after, until, etc.:
- I'll keep looking until I find my book.
- We'll begin when everyone arrives.
but we can also use the present perfect:
- I'll keep looking until I have found my book.
- We'll begin when everyone has arrived.

Present Perfect
• ever (?)
• never
• since + beginning
point
• for + duration
• yet (-, ?) at the end of
the sentence
• already
• just/still
• recently/lately
• over (meaning
during)
• so far/up to
now

Present Perfect Progressive
• We normally use the present perfect
continuous to emphasize that something is
still continuing in the present:
- She has been living in Liverpool all her life.
- It's been raining for hours.
- I'm tired out. I've been working all day.
- They have been staying with us since last
week.

• We do not normally use the present perfect
continuous with stative verbs. We use
the present perfect simple instead:
- I've always been liking liked John.
• An action began in the past and
uninterruptedly going on to the present
- I have been studying for 2 hours.
- She has been looking after the baby since
they went to holiday.

• A repeated action from past to the present
- He has been playing football since he
started to school.
• The verbs used with Ving (requiring a
duration) if used with «since/for»
- I have been working here for 2 years now.
- The baby has been sleeping peacefully
since the morning.

• all day/night
• the whole day
• since + beginning
point
• for + duration
• how long

Simple Past
• Finished action
- I saw a ghost yesterday.
- He didn’t wash his car.
- Leonardo painted Mona Lisa.
• Details of news and events (generally
together with perfect tense)
- I have hurt my leg. I fell of the ladder.

Simple Past
• You can use the present perfect
tense when talking about an experience
you’ve had. But you would never use
the present perfect tense to add details:
- I have been to Quebec. I went there with
my French class in high school. The bus ride
took 18 hours. We all stayed with different
families…

Simple Past
• A series of completed actions
- I finished work, walked to the beach and
found a nice place to swim.
- First I got up and then I had breakfast.
• Habits and duration in the past (=used to)
- She studied Chinese for 3 years.
- When I was young, I watched TV everyday
after school.

Simple Past
• Actions in stories/narratives
- It was raining outside when Sam got out of
bed and looked out of the window. He
picked up his phone and sent a text to his
friend James: 'No football today. How
about going to the cinema?’
* NARRATIVE TENSES: Simple past, past
continous, past perfect, past perfect
continous

Simple Past
• The uses of the present
tense in headlines and past
tense in news reports. The
reason most news reports
are written in the past
tense is because they
describe events that have
already occurred.
Headlines, in contrast,
provide an element of
freshness.

Simple Past
• Unreal/imaginary things (=unreal present)
- If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
- Supposing an elephant and a mouse fell in love.
- If only I had more money, I could go to the
Europe tour, too.
- I wish I had more money. She wishes she was
beautiful.
- I’d rather you went.

Simple Past
• With a definite/specific time expresssion
- I walked to work yesterday.
- Did the employees stay late again last night?
- Sibel started university last year.
• Past facts or generalizations (=used to)
- People made much more to make phone
calls in the past.
- She was shy as a child, but now she is very
outgoing.

Simple Past
• With when, * if both sentences are in
simple past tense, when+clause happens
first. * if one of the sentences is in
progressive, simple past is normally the
most appropriate tense for the dependent
clause.
- I paid her one dollar when she answered
my question.
- Lena was telling a story about her most
recent exploits when a tree
branch broke the living room window.

Simple Past
• When the main clause is in past tense
- Copernicus proved that the sun was the
centre of the universe.
- He said that he wanted to go.
• Historical facts
- Edison invented the light bulb.
- Turk came to Anatolia by Malazgirt War.
• It’s time + sb + did sth
- It’s time you paid that bill.

Simple Past
• As if/ as though
After as if and as though we often use a
past tense with a present meaning. This
shows that the comparison is unreal. A
present tense, on the other hand, shows
that we are talking about real and possible
situations.
- He looked as if he knew the answer.

Simple Past
- She talks as if / as though she knows
eveything. (Perhaps she knows
everything.)
- She talks as if / as though she knew
evethough she knew everything. (But she
doesn’t.
- They look as if / as though they know each
other. (Perhaps they know each other.)
- They look as if / as though they knew each
other. (But they don’t know each other.)

Simple Past
• Were instead of was
• In an informal style, were is used instead
of was in an unreal comparison. This is
normal in American English.
- He looks as if he was rich. OR He looks as
if he were rich.

Simple Past

Past Continous/Progressive
• Paralel actions
- While I was washing the dishes, I heard a
loud noise.
• To describe what someone is doing at a
particular point in time
- I was working in the garden all day
yesterday.
• Interrupted actions in the past
- I was driving to work when I crashed my car.

• A continous past action
- You are asking why I didn’t call you
yesterday, I was working very hard.
• While talking a past actions happening
gradually.
- She was gettting fatter and fatter.
• A planned action that didn’t occur
- My sister is coming to see me on Sunday.
She was coming on Wednesday but she
couldn’t leave her job.

• Repetition and irritation with «always»
- She was always coming late for meetings.
No wonder she was never promoted.
• To describe a mood or atmosphere
- When I walked into the bar, Danny and
Fred were arguing again. Chris was
chatting to the barman with his usual pint.
Peter and Sarah were flirting with each
other.

while/as vs when/just as
• 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.«
- I was studying when she called.
- While I was studyding, she called.

Non-Continous Verbs
• These verbs cannot be used in any
continous tenses. Instead of using past
continous with these verbs, we must use
simple past.
- Jane was being at my house when you
arrived.
- Jane was at my house….

Past Progressive
when yesterday at 9am
as last week on
sunday
while 3 years ago in May

Past Perfect
• An action finished before another past
action
- I noticed that he had left his books
behind.
- When we arrived, the film had started.
• An action that happened before a
specific time in the past
- She had never been to an opera before
last night.

Past Perfect
• The emphasize the result of an activity in
the past
- I had been to London twice by the time I
got a job in NY.
• To describe cause and effect (combine
with simple past)
- I got stuck in the traffic because there
had been an accident.

Past Perfect
• How long to a point in the past
- When he graduated, he had been in
London for 6 years.
• Unreal/imaginary things in the past
- I would have believed you if you hadn’t
lied to me before.
• Wishes in the past
- I wish I hadn’t eaten so much.

Past Perfect
• Before/after
- Did the students go home after they had
visited the library?
• By the time (future/past perfect)
- By the time I went there, my friends had
already arrived.
• Generally preferred in written language
- I hadn’t made any plans until I got your
message.

Past Perfect
• This/This was first/second…..This/that
was only…this/that was the
+superlative…
- This was the only book she had ever
read.
- This was the first time I had met my
teacher.
- He was the most charismatic man I had
ever known.

Past Perfect
• Just' is used with the past perfect to
refer to an event that was only a short
time earlier than before now, e.g.
- The train had just left when I arrived at
the station.
- She had just left the room when the
police arrived.

Past Perfect

Past Perfect Progressive
• Duration before something in the past
- She had been working in the bank for 10
years before it closed forever.
• Cause of something in the past
- The roads were slippery because it had
been snowing.
- He started exercising because he had
been gaining weight.

Past Perfect Progressive
• Third conditional
- If I had been paying attention in the
class, I would have gotten A.
• Reported speech
- He said that Emily had been helping him
study for the final exam.
- You told me that you’d been saving
money.

Past Perfect Progressive vs. Past Progressive
• Past continuous emphasizes interrupted
actions, whereas past perfect
continuous emphasizes a duration of
time before something in the past.
- He was tired because he was
exercising so hard.
This sentence emphasizes that he was
tired because he was exercising at that
exact moment.

Past Perfect Progressive vs. Past Progressive
• 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.

Simple Future
• Predictions
- I think the Conservatives will win the
next elections.
• Promises/Requests/Refusals/Offers/Orde
rs/threathens
- I’ll help you with your homework.
- I will always love you.
- Will you open the door, please?

Simple Future
- I’ll take a fish dish.
- I’ll finish him when this game is over.
• Future conditionals
- When I arrive home, I’ll call you.
• For actions decided at the moment of
speech (generally with ‘I’ or ‘We’)
• I will come with you to the party.
• Unplanned future actions
- Winter will come soon.

Simple Future
• Time and purpose clauses
- When I arrive home, I’ll call you.
- As soon as everthing is settled, I’ll let you
know.
• Thoughts, assumptions, sureness, fears
about future
- I hope everything will turn out fine.
- I am sure King Larry will not give up his
kingdom.

Simple Future
- I am afraid this money won’t cover the
bills.
• In the negative form, to express
unwillingness.
- I won’t leave until I’ve seen the manager.
- The baby won’t eat his soup.
• With ‘you’ to give orders
- You will do exatcly as I say.

Simple Future
• With ‘shall I___?’, to make an offer or ask
for advice or instructions
- Shall I turn off the lights?
- What shall I tell the boss about the
money?
Note: In modern English will is preferred
to shall. Shall is mainly used with I and We
to make an offer or suggestion, or to ask
for advice (see examples above).

Simple Future
With the other persons (you, he, she, they)
shall is only used in literary or poetic
situations, e.g. "With rings on her fingers
and bells on her toes, She shall have music
wherever she goes.«
• Unpreventable actions in future
- I am afraid we will get wet.
- Summer will come soon.

Simple Future
• With ‘you’ in question form, to make an
invitation
- Will you come to the dance with me?
- Will you marry me?
• For news and at newspapers, will is used
to talk about a planned action which is
part of a program.
- Livaneli will have concert in Antalya next
week .

Simple Future
Tomorro
w
next +
noun
Thursday

Future Progressive
• Overlapping actions
- I’ll be waiting when you arrive.
(when + present simple, will be ving)
• Future as a matter of course
- The government will be taking a
statement later.
• Interrupted actions in future
- When you come tomorrow, they will be
playing tennis.

Future Progressive
• To express actions in progress at a
specific time in future
- At 12 o’clock tomorrow, we’ll be having
lunch at school.
• To ask questions politely about the
future
- Will you be bringing your friend to the
party tonight?
• To emphasize future plans and intentions
- He’ll be coming to visit us next week.

Future Progressive
• To describe atmosphere in future
- When I arrive at the party everybody will
be celebrating, some will be dancing,
some will be drinking.
• To express paralel actions or series of
paralel actions in the future
- She will be watching TV and he will be
cooking dinner.

Future Progressive
• When/while/as/by the time
- She will be waiting for you by the time
you ring the bell.
• I’ll be listening to the radio when you are
washing up.

Future Perfect
• How long to a point in the future
- When we get married, I’ll have known
Robert for 4 years.
• Action finished before a point in the
future
- By 10 o’clock, I’ll have finished my
homework.

Future Perfect
• An action that will be completed before
another event takes place
- She will have learnt Chinese before she
moves to China.
• To express conviction (idea) that
something happened in the near past
- The guests will have arrived at the hotel
by now.

Future Perfect
• Probability
- It’s 5 o’clock, we’ll have arrived Cyprus by
now.
• When/by the time/before/until
- I will have finished my homework before
the deadline.
P.S: We use by for actions occurring or
being completed no later than a future time
point.

by vs. until
We use until for actions continuing up to a
future time point.
So, "by" only refers to the deadline, but
"until" refers to all the time between now
and the end of something.
• By the end of this year he will have been
giving private courses for ten years.
Until the end of this year he will have been
giving private courses for ten years.

Future Perfect
by + noun by this time +
noun

Future Perfect Progressive
• To show that something will continue up
until a particular event or time in the
future
- He will have been teaching at the
university for more than a year by the
time he leaves for Asia.
• To talk about something that finishes just
before another time or action
- I’ll be tired when I get home because I will
have been working for more than 7 hours.

Going to
• Something about to happen
- Get back! The bomb is going to explode.
• Prior plan
- I’m going to the beach next weekend
with my friends.
• Evidence and signs
- My stomach hurts a lot and I think I’m
going to throw up.

Going to
• To express emotions such as pity and love
- My friend is very ill. I’m afraid she is going
to die.
• In conditionals when there is a certainty of
a future action
- If the weather is nice, she is going to walk
to work.
- I am going to read if there is nothing on
TV.

was/ were going to
• Past : was/were + going to
(events that were supposed happen in the
past but did not) = was/were supposed to
- I was going to bring your book but I
totally forgot, I’m sorry.
- We were going to the movies with you
last night but we had too much work to
do.

Going to
• Note: be going to can also be used with a
past participle:
• They are going to have finished by
tomorrow afternoon. = They will have
finished by tomorrow afternoon.
(however, will is used much more
frequently in this type of
construction: They will have finished...)

would
• Past intented actions but didn’t occur
- I would go on a holiday with them.
• Predicted actions in the past
- She didn’t go to school regularly it was
certain that she would fail.
• With past perfect tense
- We would finish this work by now if we
had started earlier.

would
• Indirect speech past of ‘will’
- My friends said that he would go to
England after graduation.
• Past habits (more formal than used to)
• (Not about past states)
- We would go to the beach every summer.

was/were about to (past)
am/is/are about to (present)
• Informing someone that you were going
to do something, but another event
prevented you from doing it.
- I didn’t have time to call you when I
arrived at the airport. My plane was about
to leave.
- I was about to go to bed when the phone
rang.

was/were due to (past)
am/is/are due to (present/future)
• Be due to expresses a future action which
is expected or scheduled to happen.
- The train is due to arrive at 10:54 PM. The
train is expected to arrive at 10.54 PM.
- The train was due to come when we
arrived. So we hadn’t waited for you for
long.

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