What is the Future progressive/continuous tense in english?

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The progressive future (or continuous future) is used to indicate that something will be being done at a specific time in the future. It’s not really a simple time to master at first, but one that English speakers use a lot.

• I will be waiting for you tonight. 
• He will be watching TV at 8pm. 

1/ How to make the Future progressive/continuous

subject + will be + verb-ing

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / he / she / it / we / they	will be playing	will not (= won’t) be playing	Will I / he / we etc. be playing?

Tomorrow afternoon,

• (+) he will be playing tennis. (= He’ll be playing.)
• (-) he will not be playing. (= He won’t be playing.)
• (?) will he be playing tennis ?

2/ Use

We use the progressive future to express:

* An action or event that is happening (or progressing) in the future

• I will be travelling in Japan for the next two weeks.
• Tonight at 10 PM, I will be watching TV.
• Next weekend, what will you be doing?
• In an hour, I will be eating lunch.
• This time next week, I will be relaxing at the beach. 
• ACDC will be performing in Germany for the next three weeks.

* An action in progress in the future interrupted by something

In the following examples you will notice that the interruption is now simple! In addition to using short actions as an interruption, you can use a specific time:

• I will be watching TV when he arrives tonight.
• Will you be waiting for him when his plane arrives tomorrow?
• When Tom gets home, they will not be sleeping (= they won’t be sleeping)
• She’ll be having a bath when I’m back home. 
• I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives. (= I’ll be waiting)
• I will be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to contact me.
• I’ll be watching TV when my mother arrives. 

* Parallel actions in the future

We use the progressive future twice to describe two actions that will happen at the same time in the future. The actions will take place in parallel.

* To make assumptions in the present

• He won’t be coming at the party. He is probably still working at the restaurant.
• She will be getting home at this time. 
• Sarah will be getting married very soon.
• Tom will be working now (= I think Tom is working now, but I’m not 100% sure).

* To ask polite questions about the future

It is a very polite way of asking questions, tactfully, perhaps to ask something indirectly:

• When will you be arriving in Sydney?
• Will you be taking your car to the party? 
• Will you be using your computer tonight? I have to check something on internet.
• Will you be going to the bakery? I need to buy some bread.

👉 No Future progressive/continuous with the expressions: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc.

Like all future times, the progressive future cannot be used with time expressions such as when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using the future progressive, use the continuous present.

👉 Non-progressive verbs

Non-progressive verbs cannot be used with the progressive future.

be / want / seem / cost / need / care / contain / exist / belong / own / like / love / hate / fear / envy

• Kat will be being at my house tonight. WRONG
  
• Kat will be at my house tonight. CORRECT

👉 Place of adverbs

Beware of the place of adverbs such as always, only, never, never, ever, still, just, etc. in the future progressive tense:

How to use the Future tense with ‘be going to’

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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The simple future has two different forms in English: we use either ‘will‘ or ‘be+going to‘. Although they can be used in the same way, they often have a different meaning.

With a little practice their difference will seem clearer to you. Both options refer to a specific time in the future.

In this lesson we will focus on the simple future with be + going to

To see the first part (future with Will) click here.

1/ Construction

Be + going to + verb to the present tense

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I am he / she / it is We / you / they are	I am going to … He is going to … You are going to …	I am not going to … He is not going to … You are not going to …	Am I going to …? He is going to …? Are you going to …?

• (+) You are going to wash the car.
• (?) Are you going to wash the car ?
• (-) You are not going to wash the car.

2/ Use of ‘be going to’

* To express an intention, an activity that you want to achieve or that is already underway:

👉 Adverbs such as always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. are placed before going to: 

• You are never going to ask him.
• Are you ever going to ask him ?

 

©Englishfornoobs.com

What is the Simple Future tense in english?

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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The simple future has two different forms in English:

You can use ‘will‘ or ‘be+going to‘.

Although they can be used in the same way, they often have a different meaning.

With a little practice their difference will seem clearer to you. In both cases both forms refer to a specific time in the future.

In this lesson we will see the simple future tense with’Will’. Click here to see the second part with ‘be+going to’.

1/ How to make the Simple Future with Will

subject + Will + verb at the infinitive form

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they	I will play	I will not (= I won’t) play	Will I play?

• (+) I will take the bus.
• (?) Will I take the bus ?
• (-) I will not take the bus (= I won’t take the bus).

2/ Use

* When we decide to do something, or when we propose to do something… or to refuse to do it (we are making the decision as we speak):

• What would you like to drink ? =>  I’ll have a coffee please.
• I’ll send her an email this afternoon.
• I don’t think I’ll buy that house.
• I will help you to clean up the mess.
• I’ll open the door for you.
• Hold on. I’ll get a pen.
• I’ll pay by credit card.
• I won’t go there alone.
• I forgot to call Phil. I’ll call him now.
• I won’t leave until I’ve seen the manager.
• Are you hungry ? I’ll prepare some sandwiches.
• You look tired. I’ll get you some coffee.

* To express a future prediction or hypothesis (you can also use be+going to):

• If you ask her, she will give you a lift.
• She will be surprised when she will see that.
• Who do you think will win the race ?
• He won’t believe what happened.
• I don’t think Joey will come tonight. 
• It will snow tomorrow. 

* To ask someone to do something (with ‘will you…?):

• Will you please turn the light off ? I’m going to bed.
• Will you come with me to the party ?
• Will you please bring me my wallet ? 
• Will you please listen to me ?
• Will you help me clean up the table ?
• Will you marry me ?

* To express a promise

3/ Notes

👉 We often use ‘I think I’ll…’ and ‘I don’t think I’ll…’.

• I’m hungry. I think I’ll have something to eat.
• I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m too tired.

👉 Shall and Will 

Shall is sometimes used instead of Will to talk to the future, but it is very uncommon in modern English and only in literature, poetry or law texts with he, she, you, they:

• You shall not pass !
• You shall not kill 

If you hear Shall in a sentence, it is mainly used to make an offer or suggestion, or to ask for advice (with I or We).

• Shall we go ?
• Shall I open the window ?

👉 We can use ‘won’t’ to say that someone or something refuses to do what we want:

• The car won’t start.
• I’ve tried to talk to her but she won’t listen to me.

👉 Active / passive form

What is the Past Perfect Continuous tense? (I had been playing…)

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The past perfect continuous is also called past perfect progressive or past perfect with be+ing.

• When I went outside this morning the ground was wet. It had been raining.
• We had been playing football for ten minutes when it started to rain.

1/ Construction

subject + had been + verbal basis + ing

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / he / she / we / you / they	… had been playing	… had not (hadn’t) been playing	Had … been playing?

• (+) She had been travelling for one month when she finally arrived in Mexico.
• (?) Had she been travelling for one month when she finally arrived in Mexico ?
• (-) She had not been travelling for one month when she finally arrived in Mexico.

2/ Use

* Something that started in the past and continued until another past action or event (in combination with the simple past):

3/ Notes

👉 Past Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous ?

With the perfect continuous pastoral, the duration of the action is more important, while with the past continuous, it is the action itself that is most important.

However, if the duration is not specified (for 45 minutes, for one week, since friday…) many English speakers prefer to use the past continuous tense.

The Past Perfect Tense (I had played)

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The perfect past (sometimes called pluperfect) is used when we want to talk about two successive past events, i.e. to talk about an action that took place before another past action.

1/ Construction

subject + had (=have to the past simple) + past participle (worked, been, gone…)

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / we / they	I had played	I had not (hadn’t) played	Had I played ?_
he / she / it	He had played_	He had not (hadn’t) played_	Had he played ?_

_

• (+) She had studied Japanese before she moved to Tokyo.
• (?) Had she studied Japanese before she moved to Tokyo ?
• (-) She had not studied Japanese before she moved to Tokyo.

2/ Use

* When two actions have taken place at different times in the past

The perfect past is used to talk about the action that happens first, and the simple past (= preterit) for the second.

• The bus had already left when Tom arrived at the bus stop.
• We watched a horror movie after the kids had gone to bed.
• By the time Tina finished shopping, John had been at the bar for one hour.
• I had never eaten such a good sushi before I went to Japan.
• I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
• Sarah knew Sydney well because she had visited the city many times.
• Had Paul studied english before he moved to the USA?
• He was not able to get a ticket for the show because he hadn’t booked in advance.
• She checked with the post office and they still hadn’t received her package.
• I had eaten dinner before they arrived.

* To express a hypothetical past, with if (to talk about things that could have happened)

• If John had been able to drive a car, he would have gone home earlier.
• If I hadn’t drunk so much coffee, I would have slept last night.

* To express regret (with ‘wish’ or ‘If only’)

• If only I had invited her to the cinema.
• If I had known, I wouldn’t have come.
• I wish he hadn’t failed his driving exam.
• He wishes he hadn’t bought that car.
• She wishes she had stayed in Miami longer.
• I wish I had done scuba diving when I went to Indonesia.

* For indirect speech, when you want to tell what someone said, thought or believed (often with the verbs said, told, thought, explained, asked, wondered, believed…)

• ‘I have seen…  ‘ =>    He said he had seen…
• ‘I lost my wallet’ =>    She said she had lost her wallet.
• She told us that the bus had left.
• I thought we had already decided to go to Paris this summer.
• He explained that he had locked the window because of the thieves.
• I wondered if she had seen this movie before.
• I asked him why he had bought this house.
• They told me they had already paid the bill.

👉 With ‘when’:

• When you were born, the internet hadn’t already been created.
• When I finished high school, I hadn’t learnt to drive a car yet.
• When I went to the bar, they had already been drinking a lot.

👉 With ‘before’ / ‘after’:

If the perfect pastoral action occurred at a specific time and’before’ or’after’ are used in the sentence, it can be replaced by the past simple:

• He had visited Melbourne once in 2011 before he moved there in 2013. 
• = He visited Melbourne once in 2011 before he moved there in 2013.

BUT if the perfect past tense does not correspond to an action passed at a specific time, the simple past tense cannot be used:

• He never saw a kangaroo before he moved to Australia. 
  
• He had never seen a kangaroo before he moved to Australia. 
  

👉 Had + had

• We had had that car for two years before it broke down.
• I wish I had had more girlfriends when I was young.

👉 The active / passive voice:

• Nathan had created many websites before he started his business. (Active)
• Many websites had been created by Nathan before he started his business. (Passive)

👉 A few words often used with the past perfect:

already, just, before, when, by the time, once, twice, three times…

©Englishfornoobs.com

What is the Past Continuous tense? (= Past Progressive)

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The Past Continuous in English is also called past progressive.

The simple present (I do) has its continuous present (I am doing).

The simple past (I did) therefore has its continuous past (I was doing).

In this lesson we will focus on the past continuous tense in English). It is sometimes called progressive past, continuous preterite or progressive preterite but don’t get me wrong, it’s exactly the same thing!

1/ Construction of the Past Continuous tense in English:

‘to be’ in Past Simple (WAS / WERE) + verbal basis + ING

• I / he / she / it   was     playing, having, moving…
• we / you / they   were     doing, reading, writing…

2/ What’s the difference between past simple and past continuous?

Look at the following example:

• Past simple: I had lunch at noon yesterday
• Past continuous: I was having lunch at noon yesterday

3/ What’s the purpose of the past continuous in English?

>> It is used to talk about an action in progress at a past time:

• We were waiting at the café.

>> It is also used to say that an ongoing action has been interrupted (then you can find Simple Past in the sentence):

• I was drinking at the bar when she called me.
• I hurt my leg while I was running in the park.
• He phoned me when we were having lunch.
• It was snowing when I went out.

>> When two actions have occurred at the same time, without having any influence on each other (we often use ‘while‘):

• John was watching TV while Linda was reading a book.
• I was studying while he was making dinner.
• While Dave was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
• What were you doing while you were waiting?
• They were drinking beer, talking about life, and having fun.

>> Past actions that irritate the speaker:

• Bob was always complaining.
• She was constantly repeating the same story.

>> Past actions that were often repeated:

• He was jogging around the lake every day.

>> To describe a person in the past:

• When I saw him he was wearing a hat.
• The thief was wearing a black hood.

4/ The past continuous in a negative sentences:

• I was not talking to you (= I wasn’t talking to you)
• You were not playing football (= You weren’t playing football)
• They were not dancing at the party (= They weren’t dancing at the party)

5/ Ask questions with the past continuous:

• Was I playing football?
• Why were you not watching football?
• What were they doing when the show started?

6/ active / passive form

• The thief was stealing the diamond when the police arrived (Active)
• The diamond was being stolen by the thief when the police arrived (Passive)

👉 Some verbs are not normally used in the past continuous (in the present continuous tense either) with a few exceptions. The list is not complete but here are the main ones:

love / like / know / want / need / seem / mean / prefer / belong / understand / consist / suppose / remember / realise / forget / notice… 

• I needed to go to the doctor (NOT ‘I was needing…‘)
• I loved this movie ! (NOT ‘I was loving this movie‘)
• We wanted to go out but it was raining (NOT ‘we were wanting…‘)

©Englishfornoobs.com

What is the simple past tense? When and how use it?

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The simple past is also called preterite in English, or past simple. No difference then, it’s the same thing.

It’s really an essential tense to know in English, so please be focused!

1/ What is the use of the past simple in English?

The past simple is used to describe an action, or to tell an event that happened before the moment we are talking and that is now over.

Look carefully, the following sentences all use the past simple:

• I went to the cinema yesterday.
• She saw her mother last week.
• He was in Paris last year.
• Where did you go?
• I didn’t like the movie.
• They worked together for two years.

2/ Construction of the past simple in English:

• Affirmative sentence => subject + Verbal basis + ed (or an irregular verb)
• Negative sentence => subject + didn’t + infinitive verb (go, buy, work…)
• Questioning sentence => Did + subject + infinitive verb (go, buy, work…)

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / we / they	I played	I didn’t (= did not) play	Did I play ?
he / she / it	He played	He didn’t (= did not) play	Did he play ?

Examples:

• You played tennis.
• Did you play tennis ?
• You didn’t (= did not) play tennis.

• She went to the supermarket.  
• Did she go to the supermarket ?  
• She didn’t go to the supermarket.

• Did you pay for your train ticket ?
• (+) Yes, I paid for my train ticket. (or= Yes, I did.)
• (-) No, I didn’t pay for my train ticket. (or= No, I didn’t.)

⚠ For a negative question, did is replaced by didn’t:

• Didn’t they have enough money to buy it?

⚠ In the past simple, regular verbs end in -ed:

• She waited for them at the train station.
• He finished work late last friday.
• They decided to go to the cinema last night.
• They played baseball yesterday.
• I lived in London two years ago.

⚠ There are also many irregular verbs in the past simple! They don’t end up in -ed:

• I went to the pub last night.
• He saw his girlfriend a few days ago.
• They said they met him at the club.
• She bought this hat last week.

You have to learn irregular verbs by heart because you can’t invent them (click here for the complete list).

⚠ Be careful, many verbs do not change in the simple past:

• I cuted 
• I cut 
• it costed 
• it cost 
• He leted 
• He let 
• She puted 
• She put 
• We quited 
• We quit 

⚠ ‘read‘ does not change either to past simple writing, but it is pronounced “red” orally (like the colour red!):

‘He read a book last week’ in a text is pronounced orally ‘He red a book…’ 

⚠ In the interrogative form, we can also use when, why, who, what…

• When did you work at the bar ? I worked at the bar last week.
• Why did she go to the train station ? She went to the train station to say goodbye to her parents.
• Who did they meet at the club last night ? They met Tom with his girlfriend.

⚠ “Do” can also be the main verb in the sentence:

• What did you do last week ?
• I didn’t do that !

3/ The verb to be in the past simple:

Be becomes was / were.

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / he / she / it	I was	I was not (= wasn’t)	was I ?
we / you / they	you were	you were not (= weren’t)_	were you ?

• I was tired last night.
• Were you tired last night ?
• He wasn’t tired last night.
• How was the test ? It wasn’t difficult at all !

⚠ Be careful, if you use was / were in an interrogative or negative sentence, you shouldn’t put did !

• Did you were sick last night? 
• Were you sick last night ? 

4/ The verb to have in the past simple:

Have becomes Had to all persons:

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they	I had	I didn’t have	Did I have?

• He had a new car for his birthday.
• They had plenty of time to do it.
• They didn’t have enough time to go there.
• Did you have enough money?
• How many beer did you have ?

⚠ In the negative and interrogative form, it is necessary to use have (and not had or has)

• He didn’t had his keys 
• He didn’t have his keys 
• Did she has a baby ? 
• Did she have a baby ? 

5/ Remember!

⚠ In negative questions and sentences, be careful to put the infinitive after did / didn’t !!!!

• I didn’t eat it 
• I didn’t ate it 
• I didn’t do it 
• I didn’t did it 
• I didn’t push him 
• I didn’t pushed him 
• He didn’t steal your money 
• He didn’t stole your money 
• Did you see her ? 
• Did you saw her ? 
• Did she go there ? 
• Did she went there ? 

⚠ In many examples in this lesson you will have noticed that there is a time indication (date or duration):

before / last week end / last night / last friday / yesterday / before yesterday / a few days ago / two years ago / three month ago / for one year / for four months …

It is not necessarily mandatory:

• I enjoyed the show.
• He prefered that movie.
• She waited at the bus stop.
• We loved it !

⚠ We can use the simple past to talk about habits, tastes or routines in the past:

• When I was a kid, I loved pizzas.
• He smoked cigarettes when he was young.
• I ran every day when I was in High School.

©Englishfornoobs.com

What is the Present Perfect Continuous tense?

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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Unlike the present perfect which is very difficult to control, the present perfect continuous (or present perfect ing) is quite simple to use.

It is used to talk about an action that began in the past and continues in the present. It is often used to focus on the duration of an action (with ‘for’,’since’ and ‘how long…?‘).

• Bob started playing guitar when he was a child.
  = He has been playing guitar since he was a child (and he is still playing guitar.)

1/ Formation

Have/has + been + verb -ing

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / we / they	I have been playing	I have not been playing	Have I been playing ?_
he / she / it	He has been playing_	He has not been playing_	Has he been playing ?_

_

The contracted form of I have can also be used = I’ve, He has = He’s…

2/ Usage

When you want to insist on the duration (not the result) of an action that has recently been completed or is still ongoing:

• I’ve been watching TV for 3 hours.
• She has been living in London since 2010.
• She has been writing for two hours.
• How long have you been learning English ? => I’ve been learning English since a few weeks.
• James has been teaching at the university since June.
• I’ve been looking for you for one hour !
• how long has it been raining? => It has been raining the whole day.
• He’s been waiting for the train since 3pm.
• How long have you been travelling in Australia ? => I’ve been traveling for about a year.
• How long have you been studying japanese ? => I’ve been studying japanese for years.

• She has been working all afternoon, that’s why she is so tired.
• You’re out of breath, where have you been running?
• Why do you look so tired ? => I haven’t been sleeping well.
• Recently, I’ve been feeling really tired.
• What have you been doing ? => I’ve been cleaning the house.
• It has been raining, the ground is wet.
• My hands are dirty, I’ve been fixing the car.
• Matt has not been practicing his English lately.
• Guess what he’s been doing !

3/ Notes

👉 State verbs such as believe, love, have, know… do not have a progressive form (with -ing). The only exceptions to the present perfect continuous are want and mean (ex: I’ve been meaning to tell Sarah, but I keep forgetting).

• Tom has been having his car for two years. 
• Tom has had his car for two years. 

👉For or Since?

• I’ve been waiting since 2pm. (date/time)
• I’ve been waiting for 2 hours. (duration)

• He has been living in China since 1997. (date/time)
• He has been living in China for 18 years. (duration)

👉 By using the continuous perfect present in a question, it implies that you can see, feel, hear or feel the result of an action. If you say ‘Have you been feeling alright ?‘, it means that the person seems sick or in poor health. If you say ‘Have you been smoking ?‘ it can mean that the person smells cigarette.

Be careful, we can insult someone by using this time incorrectly. Similarly, if you say ‘You’ve been watching television again !‘ or ‘You’ve been eating chocolate‘ you accuse the person you’re talking to.

©Englishfornoobs.com

Present perfect tense (I have been, she has played…)

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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The simple present perfect is despite its name one of the most difficult times to master but this lesson should enlighten you a little. The best way to remember how to use the perfect present is to practice making sentences and repeating them.

1/ Construction

Has / Have + past participle

• Affirmative sentence:   subject + has / have + past participle
• Negative sentence:   subject + has / have + NOT + past participle
• Questioning sentence:   has / have + subject + past participle

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
I / you / we / they	I have played	I have not played	Have I played ?_
he / she / it	He has played_	He has not played_	Has he played ?_

_

* have and has are often contracted (I’ve been, he’s been…). In the negative form, it gives: He’s not been / He hasn’t been  and  You’ve not been / You haven’t been

* The past participle of regular English verbs ends with -ed (canceled, worked…), as in the past simple/prétérit.

But there are many irregular verbs to learn by heart that do not end in -ed!

2/ Use of the present perfect in English

We use the present perfect tense to talk about an action that happened before an unspecified time but that is related to the present.

The present perfect can be used in the following situations:

* To talk about an action recently carried out:

• I’ve lost my keys.
• I have bought a new car.
• I’ve prepared dinner. 
• Have you seen my pen ? No, I haven’t seen it.
• We’ve missed the bus. 
• He’s hurt his finger.

* We can also add’just’ or’already’, to talk about something that has just happened:

• Something has just happened.
• They’ve just arrived.
• We’ve already met.

* To talk about our experiences. We don’t say when exactly it happened but we can use non-specific time expressions like:

before / so far / until now / up to now / ever (?) / never (-) / once / twice / many times / several times 

• Have you ever been to China ? => No, I’ve never been to China before. But I’ve been to India three times.

* With since, to talk about changes that have occurred since a specific time:

• Paris has changed a lot since the last time I’ve been there.
• My japanese has improved since I moved to Tokyo.

* With for, to talk about a certain period or duration (two hours, three years, five months…):

• I’ve known Sam for seven years.
• I’ve been thirsty for hours.

* With yet, to talk about an incomplete action (only in negative sentences or questions):

• Have you read the book yet?
• I haven’t paid my rent yet.
• She hasn’t arrived yet.

* With so far, until now or up to now to tell how something has happened so far:

• I’ve just visited Sydney and Melbourne so far.
• Until now I’ve lived in two countries. 

* With an unfinished period of time (recently, today, this week, this month, in the last year)

• I haven’t seen him this week.
• She has drunk three cups of coffee today.
• Have you heard from Tina recently ?
• I’ve visited a lot of places in the last few days.

3/ Notes

👉 We can’t use the perfect present with a finished period of time (three hours ago, friday 13th, last year, 2013, yesterday…):

• I’ve seen her yesterday.
• I’ve been to Japan last year.

👉 I didn’t or I haven’t?

• I didn’t eat breakfast this morning (= the morning is over and I haven’t had breakfast)
• I haven’t eaten breakfast this morning (= It’s still morning and I might have breakfast later.)

👉 Been to

We use been to that the person we are talking about has visited and returned from a place (a life experience):

• He has been to school today.
• I’ve been to South Korea.
• They’ve never been to India.

👉 has gone to and has been to have different meanings! been to is used to describe the experience, gone to means that the person has already left or is currently at the place we are talking about:

• Bob has gone to London (= Bob is in London or he’s going to London.)
• Bob has been to London (= Bob went to London, and he came back from there)

👉 Have + Had:

• They’ve had (= they have had) many problems with the car this month.
• I’ve had (= I have had) three cups of coffee today.
• He’s had (= He has had) a cold for a week.

©Englishfornoobs.com

Present simple or Present continuous lesson pdf

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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You have seen in the first two lessons the simple present and the continuous present (or Be+ing present). But how to distinguish them? Which one to use in which situation? I go or I am going?

Explanations:

We use the simple present for things that happen in general and not really in time, or that happen frequently or permanently:

• It rains a lot in autumn.
• They learn mathematics in college.
• He works in a factory.
• My brother lives in Spain.
• He usually eats pizzas at the restaurant.
• She sleeps late at night.

BUT we use the continuous present (be+ing) to talk about something that is happening around the moment we are talking and that is not yet finished, but also to talk about temporary situations:

• It’s raining a lot this afternoon.
• I am learning french now.
• He is working late today.
• My brother is living in Spain until next month.
• He is eating a pizza for lunch.
• She’s sleeping in the living room.

Note: there are verbs that are not normally conjugated to the continuous present tense (no be+ing here) !

love / like / hate / understand / need /believe /  want / prefer / contain / mean / suppose / consist / seem / belong / know / remember / see / hear / smell / taste / guess / agree

• He always wants to eat sandwiches. (NOT ‘He’s always wanting to eat sandwiches’)
• What do you need ? (NOT ‘What are you needing ?’)
• The room smells bad. (NOT ‘The room is smelling bad’)
• They like this movie. (NOT ‘They are liking this movie’)
• She understand spanish very well. (NOT ‘She is understanding spanish very well’)
• He seems very happy. (NOT ‘He is seeming very happy’)
• This cake tastes really good. (NOT ‘This cake is tasting really good’)

There are some exceptions like think…

• I’m thinking.
• I think it’s very bad.

… but also feel and look, only with -ing as we speak:

• How do you feel now ?   OR   How are you feeling now?
• You look good tonight !   OR   You’re looking good tonight!

©Englishfornoobs.com