PAST SIMPLE, PAST CONTINUOUS AND PAST
PERFECT SIMPLE
-
PAST SIMPLE: To talk about activities or situations in the past, things we
did yesterday, last week, two years ago etc... (Acción que ocurrió y terminó
con una referencia de tiempo específica, en el pasado) Or when we talk about several actions that happened one after the other in the past.
§
Pej: I did a ski
monitor´s course in 2002.
§
Pej: We had
dinner when Liz got home.
-
PAST CONTINUOUS:
o
To talk about an
action that was in progress
around a particular time in the past. (Acción
que estaba en progreso)
§
Pej: It was one o´clock
and I was waiting for the instructor to arrive.
o
To talk about two
actions that were in progress
simultaneously in the past.
§
Pej: The students were
taking notes while the teacher was talking.
o
To talk about an
action in progress in the past when something else happened.
§
Pej: We were watching
the match on TV when Anne arrived.
-
Past Simple
and Past Continuous:
o
When we talk about
two actions in the past, one in progress and another that interrupts
it, we use the Past Continuous for the action in progress and the Past
Simple for the action that interrupts it.
o
JOINED BY: when, while or as
§
Pej: I was
having a bath when the telephone rang.
§
Pej: The
burglars came in while we were sleeping.
-
PAST PERFECT
SIMPLE: To talk about
an activity that happened before another activity or situation in the
past. (Acción que
ocurrió antes que otra en el pasado, en un momento anterior). We use
the Past Perfect to talk about the
action that happened first and
the Past Simple for the
action that happened after it. (puede intercalarse el orden, no altera el
producto!!)
§
Pej: When I
arrived at the cinema, the film had started.
§
Pej: My
parents had heard the
news before I phoned.
o
USE WITH: for or since
to talk about the duration of activities or situations in the past.
§
Pej: When I retired,
I had been a police oficcer for twenty-five years.
§
Pej: When I joined
the club, I had not played golf since I was a child.
-
EJEMPLO CON LOS TRES TIEMPOS VERBALES:
§
I
was studying English when my friend told me that Real
Madrid lost but when I arrived home it had won.
PRESENT PERFECT AND PAST
PERFECT TENSES
-
PRESENT
PERFECT SIMPLE:
o
To talk about general
experiences in the past (sin una referencia de cuándo sucedieron), and have
happened up to the present. We often use ever and never
when talking about general experiences. Or to talk about recent
past events that have consequences in the present.
§
Pej: Have
you ever been to France?- Yes, I have been to Paris.
§
Pej: I have
travelled a lot in my country. (experiencia general)
§
Pej: I have
never eaten Japanese food.
§
Pej: I have lost my keys!
(consecuencia)
o
To talk about things
we have or have not done within a specific time period.
(today, this week, this month...)
§
Pej: I haven´t
done any homework this week.
o
In interrogatives
(Have) and “Have not” for the negative sentences : With yet to ask if something
has happened before now. Pej: “Have you read The
Order of the Phoenix yet?” “ I haven´t finished my lunch yet”
o
With Already: To
indicate that something has happened before now. Pej:
“ Are you hungry?- No, I have already had lunch.”
o
With Just: To
indicate that something happened a moment ago. Pej:
“ Tom has just arrived”
o
With For or
Since: To talk about the duration of situations
from the past until the present time. We use “for” to indicate
periods of time (ten minutes, a week, three months) Pej:
“I have known Jane for over twenty years.” We use “since”
to indicate points of time (Monday, January, Christmas). Pej:
“She is been in Alicante since Monday”.
-
Past Simple
and Present Perfect Simple: We use Present
Perfect to ask about a general experience and the
Past Simple to talk about the details of that experience.
§
Pej: A. Have you seen
Spielberg´s latest film?
§
B. Yes, I saw
it on Sunday.
§
C. Did you like
it?
§
D. Well, I thought
it was ok.
-
PRESENT
PERFECT CONTINUOUS:
o
To talk about something
that started in the past and has continued until the
present.
§
Pej: You have
been crying, your eyes are red.
o
With for
and since: To talk about the duration of activities
that started in the past and are still happening.
§
Pej: Ian has
been waiting for Charles for an hour.
§
Pej: She´s
only been staying here since Monday.
-
Present
Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous:
o
Activities that started in
the Past and have happened
up to the present. We use
the Present Perfect Continuous to emphasise the
activity and the Present Perfect Simple to
emphasise the result.
o
We can use for or since
with these two tenses to talk about the duration
of activities from the past until the present.
§
Pej: I have
written (participio del verbo) 20 e-mails. (enfatiza el resultado).= PRESENT
PERFECT SIMPLE.
§
Pej: I have
been writting e-mails. (enfatiza
la actividad realizada)= PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.
§
Pej: I have
lived in this house for five years. (P.P. SIMPLE)
§
Pej: She has
been playing tennis since 1989. (P.P.
CONTINUOUS)
-
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE (explicado más arriba)
-
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS:
o
To talk about something
that happened continously in the past.
§
Pej: When
Jack phoned, I was tired because I had been working all night.
o
With for
and since: To talk about the duration of the activities
that started and finished in the past and were still happening
at a later moment in the past.
§
Pej: When I
met Rose, I had been living (or “I had lived”) in London for
two months.
§
Pej: Brenda had
been learning English since she was six.
-
Past Perfect
Simple and Past Perfect Continuous:
o
Activities that happened
in the past. We use the Past
Perfect Continuous to emphasise the activity and
the Past Perfect Simple to emphasise the
result.
§
Pej: When
Lorna´s parents arrived, I was dirty because I had been
repairing my car. (enfatiza
la actividad realizada)= PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS.
§
Pej: When
Lorna´s parents arrived, I was happy because I had repaired my
car. (enfatiza el resultado).=
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE.
o
We can use for or since
with these two tenses to talk about the duration
of activities between two points in the past.
GRAMMAR (Exercises)
(past perfect simple, past perfect continuous )
(present perfect simple and present perfect continuous)
