Past Tenses and Present Perfect
This page covers the past simple, past continuous, and present perfect tenses, explaining their structures and uses.
Past Simple
The past simple is used for completed actions in the past.
Structure:
- Positive: Subject + Verb-ed (regular) / Verb (2nd column for irregulars)
- Negative: Subject + didn't + Verb (base form)
- Question: Did + Subject + Verb (base form)?
Example: "I worked" (regular), "I went" (irregular), "She didn't play" (negative), "Did you play?" (question)
Highlight: Key words like "yesterday" and "last (week/month/year)" often indicate past simple usage.
Past Continuous
The past continuous expresses actions in progress at a specific time in the past.
Structure:
- Positive: Subject + was/were + Verb-ing
- Negative: Subject + wasn't/weren't + Verb-ing
- Question: Was/Were + Subject + Verb-ing?
Example: "I was working" (positive), "I wasn't working" (negative), "Was I working?" (question)
Highlight: "While" is often used with past continuous to indicate simultaneous actions.
Present Perfect Simple
The present perfect simple connects past actions to the present.
Structure:
- Positive: Subject + have/has + Verb (3rd column) / Verb-ed (regular)
- Negative: Subject + haven't/hasn't + Verb (3rd column) / Verb-ed (regular)
- Question: Have/Has + Subject + Verb (3rd column) / Verb-ed (regular)?
Example: "I have worked" (positive), "I haven't worked" (negative), "Have I worked?" (question)
Vocabulary: Key words used with present perfect include never, already, just, yet, ever, since, and for.
Example: "You have never finished" (nunca), "You have already finished" (ya), "You have just finished" (acabar de), "Have you finished yet?" (ya), "Have you ever visited London?" (alguna vez)
Highlight: "Since" is used for a point in time (e.g., "I have studied English since 1999"), while "for" is used for a duration (e.g., "I have studied English for 20 years").