1. VERB TENSES
Present Tenses
A QUICK REVIEW

2. PRESENT SIMPLE
FORM: Affirmative.
I/ you / we / they work as (a) teacher(s)
He / She works* in a bank
The third person “s”: work ---- works
1) teaches/ washes / boxes / kisses / does
2) study ---- studies (however: play --- plays)

3. NEGATIVE:
I / you / we / they don’t walk to school
She / he /it doesn’t work (3rd person sing)
INTERROGATIVE:
Where do you/they/we live?
What does she/he do? (third person
singular)

4. USES
1) For habits or repeated actions*:
Students usually walk to school.
Does Paul always do his homework?
I am never late for school
We usually have frequency adverbs or
time expressions indicating frequency:
every day, twice a month, from time to
time, once in a while ….

5. 2) Facts or states:
We live in Córdoba
He works in a bank
3) General truths about a person or the world:
I speak three languages
The sun rises in the east
4) With a future sense: when we talk about
“timetables, programmes..etc for public transport,
cinemas…
The bus leaves Plymouth at 1.30 and arrives in
London at 13.45
What time does the film start?

6. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
FORM: Subject + to be + …ing
I am listening* to music
Are you studying English?
We aren’t learning Greek this year.
-ing adding rules: listen – listening
smoking, coming, writing (we drop the “e”)
We double the last consonant:
- running, stopping,
- permitting, beginning,
- travelling, programming
Be careful: studying, playing!!!!

7. USES:
1) For an activity happening at the moment of
speaking.
What’s that smell? Something is burning.
Why are you wearing that funny hat?.
2) For an activity happening for a limited period of
time at or near the present, but not
necessarily at the moment.
Please don’t take that book. Anne’s reading it.
3) For future plans or arrangements:
We are going to the cinema this evening.

8. STATE VERBS
1- Verbs of mind:
Know, understand, think*, believe, forget,
remember, mean, doubt
2- Verbs of emotion and feeling:
like, love, hate, prefer, want, care
3- Verbs of the five senses: They are used
with “can”
See, smell, taste, hear

9. 4) Verbs of possession:
have, own, belong
That book belongs to me.
5) Certain other verbs:
A newspaper costs about 40p.
Be careful! That bottle contains poison.
depend, consist, seem

10. Pay attention!!!!:
a) Think (= have an opinion)
What do you think of classical music?
I think it’s boring
Think (= have in one’s thought)
You aren’t listening to me. What are you thinking
about?
b) Have (=Posses)
I have brown hair
Have + noun (it implies activity)
I’m having a bath / We are having dinner
c) See can be used in the continuous when it
means “visit”:
I am seeing the doctor tomorrow.

11. PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPE/CONTINUOUS
FORM:
We have lived in Cordoba for ages.
We have been living in Cordoba for ages.
How long have you lived in this town?
How long have you been living in his
town?
We haven’t done much exercise lately.
We haven’t been doing much exercise
lately.

12. USES:
1)Unfinished past: (for an action or state which began
in the past and still continues): usually with for /
since / how long
I’ve been working for this company for ten years.
(I have worked)
How long have you been studying English?
(have you studied)
There is little or no difference between the simple or the
continouos in this use. However, if the continuous
is possible, English has a preference for using it.
Certain verbs are not used in the continous:
I’ve been a teacher for ten years.
He’s had a car since he was 18.
How long have you known Paul?

13. 2) Present result: it refers to a past action and
shows the result of that action in the present.
She has broken her leg.(That’s why she can’t walk)
Look! It has been snowing. (The ground is all white)
In this use, the Present Perfect Simple emphasizes
the completed task:
I have painted the living room. It looks lovely now.
The Present Perfect Continous is interested in the
activity and in the things that happened as the
activity was taking place:
A: You’ve got paint in your hair.
B: Oh! I’ve been painting the living room.

14. IMPORTANT!!
A-As with all continuous tenses, the Present
Perfect Continuous expresses duration.
Certain verbs, by definition, do not suggest
duration:
die / start / begin / finish / stop / lose / break
These verbs are usully found in the simple.
B- If the object of the verbs has a quantity or
number, only the simple is possible:
I’ve eaten five pieces of toast this morning.

15. 3) Experience. The Present Perfect is used to
express an action which happened in the
past and is finished, but we are not
interested in when.
A: Have you ever been in a car crash?
B: Yes, I have
If the time is stated and more details are
given, the tense changes to the Past:
A: When did it happen?
B: In 2001. I was driving down a road when a
car came….

16. What is the difference?
1) I’ve lived/’ve been living in London for
six years.
I lived in London for six years.
2) I’ve written two plays.
Shakespeare wrote about 30.
3) Peter has injured his ankle.
Peter injured his ankle.