Tense Chart

TENSE CHART

 I- THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

1- Form: We simply add "S" or "ES" to the verb at the 3^rd person singular.

• If the verb ends in "O, SH, CH, S, X, Z, or Y" we add es Ex. He misses, he does, he touches, he rushes. He buzzes, he relaxes.
• For verbs ending in Y, it becomes I. Note: Y should be followed by a consonant. If it's followed by a vowel, then we simply add 'S'. Compare: Play: He plays, but Cry, he cries.
• For others verbs, we only add 'S'. He takes, Anna eats, mum walks with difficulties....

• Negative and Interrogative forms: For the Negative form (we use do + the negation: never, not, no) Eg: He never misses a class, we do not live in the village. She doesn't love birds.  NOTE: When you use the auxiliary 'DO' the verb remains in the base form Eg Hanna does not like apples.
• For the interrogative form: we use 'DO' Ex. Do you go to school every day? Does she like birds? Note: When we use the auxiliary "DO", the verbs remains in the main form. Eg. He does not go to school.
• Clue: Some adverbs of frequency are often combined with the simple present. They tell us how often something happens or the frequency we do something. These adverbs are: Every (chaque), often (souvent) twice (deux fois), once (une fois), always, always (toujours), usually (d'habitude), sometimes (de temps en temps, quelque fois), rarely (rarement), seldom, hardly ever, never
• 1. Always (toujours), ex. I always get up at 7.00
  2. Every (chaque) I watch TV every monday
  3. Often (souvent), I often go on holidays in April
  4. Usually (d’habitude, d’ordinaire) it usually rains in the afternoon Sometimes (parfois) we sometimes eat pizza for lunch
  5. Rarely (rarement) Mad rarely listens to Jazz
  6. Never (jamais) Benga never arrives late to school
  7. Once/Twice a (une fois, deux fois par) My father travels to Nigeria twice (or once) a week.

2- USE: We use the simple present in the following cases:

1. Ce qui est toujours vrai (présent de vérité générale ou scientifique): The sun rises in the east. Le soleil se lève à l'est; Water boils at 100°C. L'eau bout à 100°C.
2. Ce qu’on a l’habitude de faire (présent d’habitude, actions habituelles, répétitives, il est alors associé à des adverbes tels every, always) : I wake up every day a t 6 :30
3. Donner des instructions, des recettes: You turn right, then left and reach a corner….
4. Un événement futur programmé (dans un horaire, etc.): Our plane leaves at 10 PM on Thursday. Notre avion part jeudi à 22h00.
5. Faire le portrait de quelqu’un, dire ce qui le caractérise (goûts, apparence, ses habitudes) He looks like his father, he likes big cars...
6. Annoncer un fait nouveau: This is our new teacher, Here comes the new headmaster
7. Lorsqu’on fait un reportage: Etoo gets the balls, dribbles two players, shoots and scores…

II- THE PRESENT PROGRESSIVE OR CONTINUOUS

1- Form: To be (simple present (i am, you are he/she/it is, we are, you are, they are) + the verb in the - ING form. Ex. I am eating, she is playing, the baby is crawling, they are swimming, Jane is cooking. Certains verbes monosyllabiques doublent la consonne: swim= swimming, dig = digging, sit= sitting. Les verbes qui se terminent par une voyelle comme "e" perdent celle ci. To dance= dancing
2- Indicateurs: Les adverbes suivants sont toujours associés au present progressive: while, at the moment, now ,right, when,  now, these days...
3- Utilisation: Ce temps s'utilise de manière générale pour :

• Décrire des actions dont on est témoin, c'est à dire celles qui se déroulement devant nous (on voit alors ces actions se dérouler) Ex Jane is eating bread (je vois Jane manger) Mum is cooking, Dady  is watching TV. On est alors témoin de ces différentes actions

• Exprimer une intention, un réfus: Ex. I am not going anywhere with her,

• Exprimer un agacement, une indignation, l'irritation devant une situation qui se repète. On utilise alors des adverbes tels que always, constantly, forever: Ex. You are  always complaining

• Indiquer la position de quelqu'un. She is sitting in the garden, Dad is sleeping in the sofa

• Décrire des actions qu'on accomplit exceptionnellement. Ex. You are working too much these day. Prices are rising these days
• • Ce que l'on a prévu de faire dans un futur proche (expressions du futur : il existe alors des adverbes de temps): I'm visiting my parents next Sunday. Je rends visite à mes parents dimanche prochain.Sali is leaving early tomorrow morning

III- THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

1- Forme : On ajoute «ed » à la forme de base pour les verbes réguliers. E.x : To Form= Formed,  To play = Played, To enjoy = enjoyed. Pour les verbes se terminant en y, celui change en “i’’ et on ajoute  eg. cry = cried, dry = dried but play= Played. Les verbes irréguliers ont un past tense irrégulier: Eat = ate, fly = flew, bear= bore etc.

Negative Form: ex. I played football= I did not (didn’t) play football   

Interrogative Form: Did you play football? Note: Lorsqu'on utilise "DO" au past tense avec un verbe seul "do" est conjugué, le verbe garde sa forme de base. Did you play football yesterday?
2- Use:

3- Marqueurs ou indicateurs : Après les mots exprimant la succession dans le temps : first, then, expressions renvoyant au passé : ago, last (year, night, day, month), when, later,  in 1966, in September, at 6.00 ou exprimant la durée: for

• In 1966, I went to London
• We started school in September
• When I came, she was eating
• Helen lived in London for six years (she doesn’t live there anymore)
• Helen has lived in London for six years (she’s still living there)
• It happened two days ago.

IV-      THE PAST PROGRESSIVE OR CONTINUOUS

1-  Form: to be in past tense (was, were) + verb in the –ING form. Ex. I was playing, you were sleeping, they were cutting, he was flying.
 Negative form: I was not (wasn’t) eating, you were not (weren’t) running. Interrogative form: were you crying?  Was he playing?

2- Use:

•  Décrire des actions qui étaient en cours de déroulement à un certain moment du passé.  I was working with Sue at 9.00 last night.

Marqueurs: while (pendant que), when (meaning during the time that) Different from at the time that)While we were waiting for the train, it started to rain I cut my finger when I was peeling the potatoes.

V- THE PRESENT PERFECT

1- Forme: To have in the simple present (i have, you have, he/she/it has, we have, you have, they have) + the past participle of the verb. Eg. I have eaten, She has taken, they have made, We have cut. Forme négative: I have not eaten snails, he has not (hasn't) seen the pastor. Forme interrogative: Have you seen my childhood? Has she gone?

2- Utilisation: De manière générale, ce temps permet de montrer le lien entre une action qui a eu lieu dans le passé, et son résultat présent.

• Résultat présent d'une action passée: I have painted my car (on n'était pas là quand j'étais entrain de peindre ma voiture, mais on voit seulement le résultat ma voiture brille)
• Action qui vient juste de se produire ou d'avoir lieu: on utlise alors 'Just'. Eg. The car has just gone.
• Montre le lien entre une action passée et son résultat présent (une action qui a commencé dans le passé et qui se poursuit dans le présent) I have lived here for 10 years (ca fait dix ans que j'habite ici: j'ai habité ici par le passé, j'y habite présentement et je continuerai à y habiter dans le futur) i have lived here since 2002.

3- Adverbes associés au present perfect:  Les adverbes suivant sont toujours associés au prrésent perfect: For (durée écoulée depuis le début d'une action: après for, ce sont des durées: heures, années, minutes, jours, mois) Since (point de départ d'une action après since vous avez un évènement qui marque un point de départ: since monday, january, 1990, my birth...), Already (déjà), yet, just, so far, not yet,

Look at the following sentences:

• Passé révolu (used to) + verb in the infinitive.  I used to play when I was young, I used to love you. Il s'agit d'un passé révolu qui n'existe plus, ce qu'on avait l'habitude de faire et qu'on ne fait plus d'où l'expression i used to....

  Exercise: Mixed tenses exercises: Put each verb in the brackets into either the present perfect, past simple or present simple

 a) Last week I (to lose)……………………….my scarf, now I (just lose)…………………………… my gloves

 b) I (to work)………………………………….for Blue Bank at the moment but I (to decide)…………………………………………….. to change jobs

 c)  We (to be)……………………………………………here for hours. Are you short we (to come)……………………………………………at the right place?

 d) (You see)…………………………………………….my calculator? I’m sure (I leave)……………………………………………here earlier.

 e)  We (have)………………………………………..some coffee then (catch)…………………………..the bus home.

 f)   I(never eat)………………………………………….octopus, but once on holiday, I (to eat)……………………………..some squid

 g) I (to hope)……………………….you aren’t a vegetarian. I (cook)………………………………………..you some lamb chops

 h) Recently a lot of young people (take up)……………………………………….kite surfing

 i)  When we (to reach)…………………………………the cinema, there (not be)…………………………….any tickets left.

 j)   Please come quickly! Nick (to have)…………………………………………..an accident, and he (to go)………………………………..to hospital.