Tenses
Neil and Catherine go on on a ‘tense tour’ of six very important English tenses. Listen to their examples and explanations and see if you can get top marks in the quiz!
Neil
Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Neil…
Catherine
And me, Catherine. Hello.
Neil
In this programme we’re looking at six different English tenses.
Catherine
And our first tense is: the present simple. So, Neil, a question: Where do you live?
Neil
I live in London. And the present simple I live tells us that this is a fact, or a permanent situation. London is home.
Catherine
Good – and as well as facts, we use the present simple for regular activities too, with phrases like every day or on Saturdays. For example we bring you 6 Minute Grammar on Tuesdays!
Neil
Indeed, and words like usually, sometimes, always, and often go with the present simple.
Catherine
Here’s Harry with an example.
Harry
6 Minute Grammar usually finishes with a quiz!
Catherine
That’s true, it does. And our second tense is: the present continuous.
Neil
Yes, and one of the uses of the present continuous tense to talk about activities happening now. Here’s Harry, with an example.
Harry
You’re listening to 6 Minute Grammar right now.
Neil
That’s an activity happening now. But here’s a different example.
Harry
I’m from near Bristol, but I’m living in London at the moment.
Catherine
The present continuous I’m living tells us that this is a temporary situation. London isn’t Harry’s permanent home. With this use of the present continuous, look out for time expressions like at the moment, this year, these days.
Neil
And a sentence like I’m studying Russian this month doesn’t mean I’m studying it right this minute. It means I’m doing it off and on, around this time.
Catherine
So far so good. But Neil: if we use the present continuous tense for things happening now, why do we say things like I understand and that coffee smells good? That’s happening now – but we used the present simple.
Neil
Good question! And the answer is, some verbs don’t take a continuous form. They’re often verbs of thinking or feeling like understand or smell, or know, believe, remember, hear, sound, want, need. We keep them in the simple tense.
IDENT
6 Minute Grammar from BBC Learning English.
Catherine
And we’re talking about tenses. Now for tenses three and four: that’s the past simple and the present perfect. And our examples are from a postcard that our colleague Finn sent us – and he’s on holiday in India, the lucky man. So Harry, can you read it for us please?
Harry
Hello from Goa! Have you ever been here? We arrived two days ago. It’s been really hot since then. I’ve already done some sunbathing but we haven’t seen much yet.
Catherine
Lucky Finn. So: let’s look at the tenses. The sentence we arrived two days ago is past simple.
Neil
Yes: use the past simple when something clearly finished in the past. It often goes with phrases like two days ago, yesterday,and last month.
Catherine
But with the present perfect, we don’t usually say when things happened. We just want to know whether something has happened or not.
Neil
So, Finn’s sentences I’ve already done some sunbathing and we haven’t seen much yet are good examples of this.
Catherine
Exactly. And the words already, yet and just often go with the present perfect. Examples please Harry…
Harry
Have you ever been here? It’s been really hot since then.
Neil
With the present perfect, we’re interested in past experiences more than past times or dates. So we use ever and never. Have you ever been to Goa, Catherine?
Catherine
No: I’ve never been to Goa Neil. I’d like to, but I never have. And if we need to talk about when things happened, we can use the words for and since with the present perfect. Finn’s been in Goa for two days; and it’s been really hot since he arrived. Now for our next tense, and here’s Harry with more of Finn’s postcard.
Harry
We’re going to visit the market tomorrow, and we’re coming home next Wednesday.
Neil
We use going to with an infinitive verb for things you plan or expect to happen. Finn has a plan to visit the market tomorrow.
Catherine
Yes, and Finn also says we’re coming home next Wednesday. And that’s tense six, the present continuous for future arrangements.
Neil
Yes. It’s like going to but it’s a definite arrangement. He’s probably got his plane tickets.
Catherine
Right. So that’s our six tenses. And now it’s quiz time!! Question one. Which is correct? Is it a) I’m needing some new shoes or b) I need some new shoes?
Neil
It’s b) I need some new shoes. Question two: which is correct: a) Did you see Luke since Saturday? Or b) Have you seen Luke since Saturday?
Catherine
And it’s b) Have you seen Luke since Saturday. And the last one: which is correct? Is it a) It’s going to rain tomorrow. Or b) It’s raining tomorrow.
Neil
It’s a) It’s going to rain tomorrow.
Catherine
Well done if you got those right. That brings us to the end of the programme.
Neil
There’s more about this on our website at www.bbc-story.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.
Both
Bye!
End of Session 2
That’s it for Session 2. In the next session, find out if Daisy wins the reality TV competition and becomes famous. Plus you can remind yourself how to use ‘going to’ to describe future plans.
Grammar Reference
Mixed tenses
Present simple and present continuous:
We use the present continuous for things that are happening now and for temporary situations. We often use time expressions like at the moment, this week, these days.
We’re staying in a fantastic hotel in Goa this week.
What are you doing these days?
I hope you aren’t working too hard.
We use the present simple for things that we do regularly and for permanent situations. We often use adverbs of frequency and time expressions like every day, on Saturdays.
I swim every day before breakfast.
Jake doesn’t get up that early though.
It usually begins around June.
Past simple and present perfect:
We use the past simple tense when an action or situation happens and finishes in the past. We usually say or know when it happens.
We arrived two days ago.
I didn’t realise before that it usually begins around June.
Did you manage to book that hotel while there was a cheap offer?
We use the present perfect in several ways.
1) to talk about our experiences in the past. We don’t say when these happened because we are interested in the experience, not the time or date. We often use the words ever and never.
Have you ever been here?
I’ve never been to Goa.
2) to talk about situations that started in the past and are continuing now. We sometimes ask a question with how long + the present perfect and we answer it with the words for or since.
How long has Mia been in Goa?
She’s been there for two days. / She’s been there since Wednesday.
It’s been really hot since then.
3) to say whether an action has happened or not at the present time. The words just, already and yet are very common with this use of the present perfect.
I’ve already done some sunbathing.
We haven’t seen much yet.
The sun’s just disappeared!
Present continuous and be going to for future
We use the present continuous to talk about the future when we have made an arrangement to do something. Perhaps we have already booked tickets for something.
We’re coming home next Wednesday.
We use be going to + infinitive for future plans.
We’re going to visit the Saturday Night Market tomorrow.
Are you going to go to Egypt in September?
We also use be going to for something that we expect to happen because we know that it is very likely. We can’t use the present continuous in this way.
They say that the rainy season is going to start soon.
Examples of form
Present simple
• I/We/You/They swim.
• He/She/It swims.
• I/We/You/They do not swim.
• He/She/It does not swim.
Present simple questions
• Do I/we/you/they swim?
• Does he/she/it swim?
Present continuous
• I am swimming.
• He/She/It is swimming.
• We/You/They are swimming.
• I am not swimming.
• He/She/It is not swimming.
• We/You/They are not swimming.
Present continuous questions
• Am I swimming?
• Is he/she/it swimming?
• Are we/you/they swimming?
Past simple
• I/He/She/It/We/You/They started.
• I/He/She/It/We/You/They did not start.
Past simple questions
• Did I/he/she/it/we/you/they start?
Present perfect
• I/We/You/They have started.
• He/She/It has started
• I/We/You/They have not started.
• He/She/It has not started.
Present perfect questions
• Have I/we/you/they started?
Going to + infinitive
• I am going to stay.
• He/She/It is going to stay.
• We/You/They are going to stay.
• I am am not going to stay.
• He/She/It is not going to stay.
• We/You/They are not going to stay.
Going to questions
• Am I going to stay?
• Is he/she/it going to stay?
• Are we/you/they going to stay?