Essential English Grammar Concepts Explained

English Grammar Essentials

Tenses and Time Expressions

Simple Present

Example: I go

Time expressions: always, usually, rarely, seldom, never, once a month, every week, in the morning, at three o'clock, on Mondays, at night, how often?

Present Continuous

Example: I am going

Time expressions: now, right now, at the moment, today, these days, this month/year, at present, tonight, tomorrow, this afternoon, next Sunday/week/month.

Stative verbs: (emociones y sentimientos, pensamiento y opinión, percepción y sentidos, precios y medidas, posesión)

Past Simple

Example: I finished

Time expressions: yesterday, last year, two days ago, in 2004, when, then.

Past Continuous

Time expressions/Conjunctions: last night/week/year, at nine o'clock, when, and, while, as.

Past Perfect Simple

Example: I had stopped

Time expressions/Conjunctions: already, by the time, after, before, until, never, just.

Present Perfect Simple

Time expressions/Adverbs: ever, never, yet, just, already, recently, lately, how long...?, since, for.

Future Simple (Will)

Example: I will work

Time expressions: this evening, later, next month, soon, at eleven o'clock, in an hour, tomorrow, in a few weeks, on the 8th of May, in the future.

Future Simple (Be Going To)

Example: I am going to work

Time expressions: this evening, later, next month, soon, at eleven o'clock, in an hour, tomorrow, in a few weeks, on the 8th of May.

Future Perfect

Time expressions: by this time next week, by ten o'clock, by the end of..., by then, by August, in two months.

Future Continuous

Example: I will be working

Time expressions: at this time tomorrow, at this time next..., in the next decades.

Relative Pronouns

• Who: (que, cual) personas.
• Which: (que) cosas o animales.
• That: (que) persona o cosa.
• Whose: (cuyo, cuyas) no hace de sujeto y no se puede omitir.
• When: (cuando, en que) tiempo, se puede sustituir u omitir por that.
• Where: (donde, en que) no se puede ni omitir ni sustituir.

Modal Verbs

Basic Modals

• Can: (poder) habilidad, peticiones, dar y pedir permiso, posibilidad.
• Could: pedir algo de forma educada, sugerencias, posibilidad remota.
• Be able to: igual que can pero para los tiempos que este no puede.
• May/Might: (quizá, puede, podría ser que) may para pedir algo de forma educada.
• Must/Have to: (obligación o necesidad) must solo en presente.
• Need to: (obligación o necesidad) necesita el do en afirmativa y negativa.
• Should/Ought to: (consejo) should afirmativa.

Perfect Modals

• Must have + participle: (conclusión lógica sobre un hecho pasado).
• May/Might have + participle: (suposición hecho pasado).
• Could have + participle: (indica que pudo haber hecho algo pasado pero al final no se hizo).
• Would have + participle: (se pudo hacer algo en el pasado pero no pudo ser por factores externos).
• Should/Ought to have + participle: (quejarnos de un hecho pasado o lamentarnos de que no se cumpla).
• Needn't have + participle: (no había necesidad de hacer lo hecho).

Conditionals

First Conditional

(Situaciones reales) if/unless + Present Simple, Future Simple + base form.

Second Conditional

(Situaciones imaginarias) if/unless + Past Simple, would + base form.

Third Conditional

(Situaciones imposibles) if/unless + Past Perfect, would have + past participle.