Mastering English Verb Tenses and Key Grammar Points

Past Simple

Formula:

• Positive: Subject + Verb (Past Simple)
• Negative: Subject + didn't + Verb (Infinitive without 'to')
• Question: Did + Subject + Verb (Infinitive without 'to')?

Usage:

• To talk about completed actions or facts in the past.
• To refer to things that happened repeatedly in the past.
• To describe states in the past.

M. started to write music at the age of five. (M. empezó a componer a los cinco años.)
What time did you finish your homework? (¿A qué hora acabaste de hacer los deberes?)
We went to F. every summer in the 1990s. (En los años 90, íbamos a F. todos los veranos.)
She told me that story three times yesterday! (¡Ayer me contó esa historia tres veces!)
I lived in London for five years. (Durante 5 años viví en Londres.)
I was very unhappy at school. (Lo pasé muy mal en el colegio.)
They felt very tired. (Estaban muy cansados.)

Past Continuous

Formula:

• Positive: Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing)
• Negative: Subject + wasn't/weren't + Verb (-ing)
• Question: Was/Were + Subject + Verb (-ing)?

Usage:

• To talk about actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past.
• To refer to a past action that was interrupted by something else.

I was talking to Ana on the phone at twelve o'clock. (A las doce estaba hablando por teléfono con Ana.)
I was walking home when I saw them. (Iba caminando hacia casa cuando los vi.)

Past Perfect

Formula:

• Positive: Subject + had + Past Participle
• Negative: Subject + hadn't + Past Participle
• Question: Had + Subject + Past Participle?

Usage:

• To talk about actions that happened before another past action.
• To refer to actions that happened before a specific moment in the past.
• With the expression it was the first/second/third time...
• With the adverb just, often translated as "acabar de".

I'd already left the office before she arrived. (Para cuando ella llegó, yo ya me había marchado de la oficina.)
By the time he was twelve, M. had composed... (Para cuando cumplió 12 años, M. ya había compuesto...)
It was the first time that I'd visited Cuba. (Era la 1ª vez que visitaba Cuba.)
I told him that I had just heard the news. (Le dije que acababa de oír las noticias.)

Used To

Usage: To talk about past habits or states that no longer happen or exist. (Solías, vivías, teníamos)

Formula:

• Positive: Subject + used to + Verb (Infinitive without 'to')
• Negative: Subject + didn't use to + Verb (Infinitive without 'to')
• Question: Did + Subject + use to + Verb (Infinitive without 'to')?

Present Perfect Simple

Formula:

• Positive: Subject + have/has + Past Participle
• Negative: Subject + haven't/hasn't + Past Participle
• Question: Have/Has + Subject + Past Participle?

Usage:

• To talk about states, actions, or facts that started in the past and continue in the present.
• To describe past experiences without specifying the exact time.
• To refer to past events that have an effect in the present.

Liz has worked as a designer for several years. (Liz ha trabajado durante muchos años como diseñadora.)
Have you ever worn a suit? (¿Alguna vez te has puesto un traje?)
I've lost my towel, so I can't go to the beach! (He perdido mi toalla, así que no puedo ir a la playa!)

Present Perfect Continuous

Formula:

• Positive: Subject + have/has been + Verb (-ing)
• Negative: Subject + haven't/hasn't been + Verb (-ing)
• Question: Have/Has + Subject + been + Verb (-ing)?

Usage:

• To specify the duration of an action that started in the past and continues in the present. (llevar + verbo en gerundio)
• To talk about an action that finished recently and has an effect in the present.

Where have you been? I've been looking for you all morning! (¿Dónde has estado? Llevo toda la mañana buscándote.)
My clothes are wet because I've been washing the car. (Mi ropa está empapada porque he estado lavando el coche.)

Related Concepts and Adverbs

• For: Duration of an action without specifying the start time. I'd been there for three days when J. arrived. (Cuando J. llegó, yo llevaba allí 3 días.)
• Since: Specifies the moment the action started. He'd been at the school since 1994. (Llevaba en el cole desde 1994.)
• Still: Aún, todavía. Used in negative sentences or questions to indicate something hasn't happened yet or is continuing. He still hadn't left. (Aún no se había marchado.)
• Already: Ya. Used in positive sentences and questions to indicate something happened sooner than expected or has happened before now. They'd already made a million dollars. (Ya habían ganado un millón de dólares.)
• Just: Acabar de. Used in the Present Perfect or Past Perfect to indicate a very recent action. I'd just met her boyfriend. (Acabo de conocer a su novio.)
• As soon as: En cuanto.
• As: Cuando (in the context of simultaneous actions).
• Until: Hasta.

Relative Pronouns

• Who, That: For people.
• Whom: For people (formal, object pronoun).
• Which, That: For objects or animals.
• Where: For places.
• When: For time.
• Whose: To express possession (De quién, al que/la que, cuyo/cuya).