Tenses

The English Tense System

 Structure: How do we make the tense?

 Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects,

and most of them finish with a quiz to
check your understanding.

Present
Tense I do Many English learners worry too much about
do, I do tense. If you stopped 100 native English
Present Continuous Tense speakers in the street and asked them about
I am doing, I am doing tense, one of them might give you an
tomorrow Present Perfect intelligent answer—if you were lucky. The
Tense other 99 would know little about terms like
I have done "past perfect" or "present continuous". And
Present Perfect they would know nothing about aspect, voice
or mood. But they can all speak fluent
Continuous Tense I have English and communicate effectively. Of
been doing course, for ESL it helps to know about
tenses, but don't become obsessed with them.
Past Tense Be like those native speakers! Speak
I did do, I did naturally!
Past Continuous
Tense I was
doing
Past Perfect
Tense I had
done
Past Perfect
Continuous Tense I had
been doing

Future
Tense I
will do
Future Continuous
Tense I will be
doing
Future Perfect
Tense I will
have done
Future Perfect
Continuous Tense I will
have been doing
Simple Present Tense

I sing

How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
do base

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.

2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the
auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main

verb like:

subject auxiliary main

verb verb

+ I, you, we, like coffee

they .
He, she, it likes coffee
.

- I, you, we, do not like coffee

they .
He, she, it does not like coffee
.

? Do I, you, we, like coffee

they ?
Does he, she, it like coffee
?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

subject main verb

I am Frenc
+ h.
 You, we, are Frenc
they h.
He, she, it is Frenc
h.
I am not old.
-
You, we, are not old.
they
He, she, it is not old.
? Am I late?
 Are you, we, late?
they
Is he, she, it late?

How do we use the Simple Present Tense?

We use the simple present tense when:

 the action is general

 the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future
 the action is not only happening now
 the statement is always true

John drives a taxi.

past prese futur

nt e

It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past,

present and future.

Look at these examples:

 I live in New York.

 The Moon goes round the Earth.
 John drives a taxi.
 He does not drive a bus.
 We do not work at night.
 Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for
situations that are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk
about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to be" in the simple present
tense—some of them are general, some of them are now:

Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.

past prese future

 nt

The situation is
now.
 I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.

pa present future
st

The situation is general. Past, present

and future.

This page shows the use of the simple present

tense to talk about general events. But note
that there are some other uses for the simple
present tense, for example in conditional or if
sentences, or to talk about the future. You
will learn about those later.
Present Continuous Tense

I am singing

We often use the present continuous tense in English. It is very different from
the simple present tense, both in structure and in use.

In this lesson we look the structure and use of the present continuous tense,
follwed by a quiz to check your understanding:

 Structure: how do we make the present continuous tense?

 Use: when and why do we use the present continuous tense?
 Spelling: how do we spell verbs with -ing for the present continuous tense?
 Present Continuous Tense Quiz

Continuous tenses are also called

progressive tenses. So the present
progressive tense is the same as the present
continuous tense.

How do we make the Present Continuous Tense?

The structure of the present continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

be base + ing

Look at these examples:

subje auxiliary main

ct verb verb
+ I am speaking to you.
+ You are reading this.
- She is not staying in
London.
- We are not playing football.
? Is he watching TV?
? Are they waiting for
John?
How do we use the Present Continuous Tense?

We use the present continuous tense to talk about:

 action happening now

 action in the future

Present continuous tense for action happening now

a)for action happening exactly now

I am eating my lunch.

past present future

The action is
happening now.

Look at these examples. Right now you are looking at this screen and at the same
time...

...the pages are turning. ...the candle is burning.......the numbers are spinning.

b)for action happening around now

The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before
and just after now, and it is not permanent or habitual.

John is going out with Mary.

pa present future
st

The action is happening

around now.

Look at these examples:

 Muriel is learning to drive.
 I am living with my sister until I find an apartment.

Page 6 of 38
Present continuous tense for the future

We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future—if we
add a future word!! We must add (or understand from the context) a future
word. "Future words" include, for example, tomorrow, next year, in June, at
Christmas etc. We only use the present continuous tense to talk about the
future when we have planned to do something before we speak. We have
already made a decision and a plan before speaking.

I am taking my exam next month.

past present future

!!!

A firm plan or
programme The action is in the
exists now. future.

Look at these examples:

 We're eating in a restaurant tonight. We've already booked the table..

 They can play tennis with you tomorrow. They're not working.
 When are you starting your new job?

In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The

decision and plan were made before speaking.

How do we spell the Present Continuous Tense?

We make the present continuous tense by adding -ing to the base verb.
Normally it's simple—we just add -ing. But sometimes we have to change the
word a little. Perhaps we double the last letter, or we drop a letter. Here are
the rules to help you know how to spell the present continuous tense.

Basic Just add -ing to the base verb:

rule
work > working
play > playing
assist > assisting
see > seeing
be > being
Exceptio
n1 If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant,
double the
s last letter: t o Pagep7 of
38
 stressed
consonant
consonant vowel
(vowels = a, e, i, o, u)
stop > stopping
run > running
begin > beginning
Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of
the base verb is not stressed:
open > opening
Exceptio If the base verb ends in ie, change the ie to y:
n2
lie > lying
die > dying
Exceptio If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant + e, omit the e:
n3
come > coming
mistake > mistaking
 Present Perfect Tense

I have sung

The present perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives
speakers of some languages a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or
ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact, the structure of the present
perfect tense is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense. In
addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American
English.

In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the present perfect, followed
by a quiz to check your understanding:

 Structure: how to make the present perfect tense

 Use: when and why to use the present perfect tense
 For and Since with the present perfect tense. What's the difference?
 Present Perfect Quiz

The present perfect tense is really a very

interesting tense, and a very useful one. Try
not to translate the present perfect tense into
your language. Just try to accept the concepts
of this tense and learn to "think" present
perfect! You will soon learn to like the
present perfect tense!

How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?

The structure of the present perfect tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

have past

participle Here are some examples of the

subject auxiliary verb main verb
present perfect tense:
+ I have seen ET.

+ You have eaten mine.

- She has not been to Rome.

- We have not played football.

? Have you finished?
? Have they done it?

Contractions with the present perfect tense

When we use the present perfect tense in speaking, we usually contract the
subject and auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this when we write.

I have I've
He's or he's??? Be careful! The 's
You have You've contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs
have and be. For example, "It's eaten" can
He has He's mean:
She has She's
It has It's  It has eaten. [present perfect tense,
John has John's active voice]
The car has The car's  It is eaten. [present tense, passive
voice]
We have We've
It is usually clear from the context.
They have They've

Here are some examples:

 I've finished my work.

 John's seen ET.
 They've gone home.

How do we use the Present Perfect Tense?

This tense is called the present perfect tense. There is always a connection with the
past and with the
present. There are basically three uses for the present perfect tense:

1. experience
2. change
3. continuing situation

1. Present perfect tense for experience

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about experience from the past. We are
not interested in
when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:

I have seen ET.

 He has lived in Bangkok.
Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.

past present future

!!!

The action or state In my head, I have a

was in the memory
past. now.
Connection with past: the event was in the past.
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I
know something about the event; I have experience of it.

2. Present perfect tense for change

We also use the present perfect tense to talk about a change or new information:

I have bought a car.

past present future

- +

Last week I didn't have a Now I have a car.

car.

John has broken his leg.

past present future

+ -

Yesterday John had a Now he has a bad leg.

good leg.

Has the price gone up?

past present future

+ -
Was the price $1.50 Is the price $1.70
yesterday? today?
 The police have arrested the killer.

past present future

- +

Yesterday the killer was Now he is in prison.

free.
Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present.
Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past.

Americans do not use the present perfect

tense so much as British speakers. Americans
often use the past tense instead. An American
might say "Did you have lunch?", where a
British person would say "Have you had
lunch?"

3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation.
This is a state that started in the past and continues in the present (and will
probably continue into the future). This is a state (not an action). We usually
use for or since with this structure.

I have worked here since June.

He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara?

past present future

(It will probably

The situation started in It continues up to now. continue into
the past. the future.)
Connection with past: the situation started in the past.
Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.

For & Since with Present Perfect Tense

We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

 We use for to talk about a period of time—5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.

 We use since to talk about a point in past time—9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.
 for since

a period of a point in past

time time
x------------
20 minutes 6.15pm
three days Monday
6 months January
4 years 1994
2 centuries 1800
a long time I left school
ever the beginning of
time
etc etc

Here are some examples:

 I have been here for 20 minutes.

 I have been here since 9 o'clock.
 John hasn't called for 6 months.
 John hasn't called since February.
 He has worked in New York for a long time.
 He has worked in New York since he left school.

For can be used with all tenses. Since is

usually used with perfect tenses only.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense

I have been singing

How do we make the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

The structure of the present perfect continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + auxiliary verb + main verb

hav
e been base + ing
ha
s

Here are some examples of the present perfect continuous tense:

subje auxiliary auxiliary main

ct verb verb verb
+ I have been waiting for one hour.

+ You have been talking too much.

- It has not been raining.

- We have not been playing football.

? Have you been seeing her?

? Have they been doing their

homework?

Contractions

When we use the present perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often

contract the subject and the first auxiliary. We also sometimes do this in
informal writing.

I have been I've been

You have You've
been been
He has been He's been
She has She's been
been
It has been It's been
John has John's
been been
The car has The car's
been been
We have We've
been been
They have They've
been been

Here are some examples:

 I've been reading.

 The car's been giving trouble.
 We've been playing tennis for two hours.

How do we use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

This tense is called the present perfect continuous tense. There is usually a connection
with the
present or now. There are basically two uses for the present perfect continuous tense:

1. An action that has just stopped or recently stopped

We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that
started in the past and stopped recently. There is usually a result now.

I'm tired because I've been running.

past present future

!!!

Recent Result
action. now.

 I'm tired [now] because I've been running.

 Why is the grass wet [now]? Has it been raining?
 You don't understand [now] because you haven't been listening.

2. An action continuing up to now

We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that
started in the past and is continuing now. This is often used with for or since.
 I have been reading for 2 hours.

past present future

Action started in Action is continuing

past. now.

 I have been reading for 2 hours. [I am still reading now.]

  We've been studying since 9 o'clock. [We're still studying now.]
 How long have you been learning English? [You are still learning now.]
 We have not been smoking. [And we are not smoking now.]

For and Since with Present Perfect Continuous Tense

We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

 We use for to talk about a period of time—5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.

 We use since to talk about a point in past time—9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.

for since

a period of a point in past

time time
20 minutes 6.15pm
three days Monday
6 months January
4 years 1994
2 centuries 1800
a long time I left school
ever the beginning of
time
etc etc

Here are some examples:

 I have been studying for 3 hours.

 I have been watching TV since 7pm.
 Tara hasn't been feeling well for 2 weeks.
 Tara hasn't been visiting us since March.
 He has been playing football for a long time.
 He has been living in Bangkok since he left school.

For can be used with all tenses. Since is

usually used with perfect tenses only.
Simple Past Tense

I sang

The simple past tense is sometimes called the preterit tense. We can use
several tenses to talk about the past, but the simple past tense is the one we
use most often.

In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the simple past tense,
followed by a quiz to check your understanding:

How do we make the Simple Past Tense?

To make the simple past tense, we use:

 past form
only or
 auxiliary did + base form

Here you can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and
regular verbs:

V1 V2 V3
base past past participle

regular work worked worked The past form for all

verb explo explod exploded regular verbs ends
de ed liked in -ed.
like liked
The past form
irregular go we gon for irregular
verb se nt e verbs is
e sa see variable. You
sin w n need to learn it
g san sun by heart.
g g
You do not need the past
participle form to make the
simple past tense. It is shown
here for completeness only.

The structure for positive sentences in the simple past tense is:
subject + main verb
past

The structure for negative sentences in the simple past tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb

did base
The structure for question sentences in the simple past tense is:

auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

did base

The auxiliary verb did is not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you
did, he did etc). And the base form and past form do not change. Look at these
examples with the main verbs go and work:

subje auxiliary main

ct verb verb

+ I went to school.
You worked very
hard.

- She did not go with me.

We did not work yesterda
y.

? Did you go to
London?
Did they work at home?

Exception! The verb to be is different. We conjugate the verb to be (I was,

you were, he/she/it was, we were, they were); and we do not use an auxiliary
for negative and question sentences. To make a question, we exchange the
subject and verb. Look at these examples:

subject main verb

+ I, he/she/it was here.

You, we, were in
they London.

- I, he/she/it was not there.

You, we, were not happy.
they

? Was I, he/she/it right?

Were you, we, late?
they
How do we use the Simple Past Tense?

We use the simple past tense to talk about an action or a situation—an event
—in the past. The event can be short or long.

Here are some short events with the simple past tense:
 The car exploded at 9.30am yesterday.
She went to the door.
We did not hear the telephone.
Did you see that car?

past present future

The action is in the past.

Here are some long events with the simple past tense:

I lived in Bangkok for 10 years.

The Jurassic period lasted about 62 million years.
We did not sing at the concert. Did
you watch TV last night?

past present future

The action is in the past.

Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes
or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past. Also it does not matter
how long the event is. It can be a few milliseconds (car explosion) or millions of
years (Jurassic period). We use the simple past tense when:

 the event is in the past

 the event is completely finished
 we say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event

In general, if we say the time or place of the

event, we must use the simple past tense; we
cannot use the present perfect.

Here are some more examples:

 I lived in that house when I was young.

 He didn't like the movie.
 What did you eat for dinner?
 John drove to London on Monday.
 Mary did not go to work yesterday.
  Did you play tennis last week?
 I was at work yesterday.
 We were not late (for the train).
 Were you angry?

Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the simple past tense. We may
use the past continuous tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use
the simple past tense for the action. Look at this example of the beginning of a
story:

"The wind was howling around the hotel and the rain was pouring down. It was
cold. The door opened and James Bond entered. He took off his coat, which
was very wet, and ordered a drink at the bar. He sat down in the corner of the
lounge and quietly drank his..."
This page shows the use of the simple past
tense to talk about past events. But note that
there are some other uses for the simple past
tense, for example in conditional or if
sentences.
Past Continuous Tense

I was singing

The past continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to

say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.

In this lesson we look at the structure and the use of the past continuous tense,
followed by a quiz to check your understanding:

How do we make the Past Continuous Tense?

The structure of the past continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb BE + main verb

conjugated in simple present

past tense participle
wa
s base + ing
wer
e

For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert not between the
auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject
and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past continuous
tense:

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ I was watching TV.
+ You were working hard.
- He, she, it was not helping Mary.
- We were not joking.
? Were you being silly?
? Were they playing football
 ?
The spelling rules for adding ing to make the past continuous tense are the same as
for the present continuous tense.

How do we use the Past Continuous Tense?

The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the
past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that
moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at
7pm and finished at 9pm.

At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.

past present future

8pm
At 8pm, I was in the
middle of
watching TV.

When we use the past continuous tense, our listener usually knows or
understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:

 I was working at 10pm last night.

 They were not playing football at 9am this morning.
 What were you doing at 10pm last night?
 What were you doing when he arrived?
 She was cooking when I telephoned her.
 We were having dinner when it started to rain.
 Ram went home early because it was snowing.

Some verbs cannot be used in

continuous/progressive tenses.

We often use the past continuous tense to "set the scene" in stories. We use it
to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins.
Often, the story starts with the past continuous tense and then moves into the
simple past tense. Here is an example:

" James Bond was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was
blowing hard. Nobody was walking in the streets. Suddenly, Bond saw the
killer in a telephone box..."

Past Continuous Tense + Simple Past Tense

We often use the past continuous tense with the simple past tense. We use the
past continuous tense to express a long action. And we use the simple past
tense to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action.
We can join the two ideas with when or while.

In the following example, we have two actions:

1. long action (watching TV), expressed with past continuous tense

2. short action (telephoned), expressed with simple past tense
 past present future
Long action.
I was watching TV at
8pm.
8pm

You telephoned at
8pm.
Short action.

We can join these two actions with when:

 I was watching TV when you telephoned.

(Notice that "when you telephoned" is also a way of defining

the time [8pm].) We use:

 when + short action (simple past tense)

 while + long action (past

continuous tense) There are four basic

combinations:

I was walking past whe it exploded.

the car n
Whe the car exploded I was walking
n past it.
The car exploded whil I was walking
e past it.
Whil I was walking past it exploded.
e the car

Notice that the long action and short action are relative.

 "Watching TV" took a few hours. "Telephoned" took a few seconds.

 "Walking past the car" took a few seconds. "Exploded" took a few milliseconds.
Past Perfect Tense

I had sung

The past perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and to use. This
tense talks about the "past in the past".

In this lesson we look at:

How do we make the Past Perfect Tense?

The structure of the past perfect tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb HAVE + main verb

conjugated in simple past

past tense participle
had V3

For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the
auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the
subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past
perfect tense:

subje auxiliary main

ct verb verb
+ I had finished my work.
+ You had stopped before
me.
- She had not gone to
school.
- We had not left.
? Had you arrived?
? Had they eaten dinner?

When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and auxiliary
verb:

I had I'd
you you'd
had
he he'd
had she'd
she it'd
had it
had
we we'd
had
they they'
had d

The 'd contraction is also used for the

auxiliary verb would. For example, we'd can
mean:

 We had
or
 We would

But usually the main verb is in a different

form, for example:

 We had arrived (past participle)

 We would arrive (base)

It is always clear from the context.

How do we use the Past Perfect Tense?

The past perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in the
past. This is the past in the past. For example:

 The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When we arrived, the train had left.

The train had left when we arrived.

past present future

Train leaves in past at
9am.
 We arrive in past at
9.15am.

Look at some more examples:

 I wasn't hungry. I had just eaten.

 They were hungry. They had not eaten for five hours.
 I didn't know who he was. I had never seen him before.
  "Mary wasn't at home when I
arrived." "Really? Where had
she gone?"

You can sometimes think of the past perfect tense like the present perfect
tense, but instead of the time being now the time is past.

past perfect tense present perfect

tense hav
ha e|
d| don
don e|
e| >|
>|

past now future past now future

For example, imagine that you arrive at the station at 9.15am. The stationmaster says
to you:

 "You are too late. The train

has left." Later, you tell your

friends:

 "We were too late. The train had left."

We often use the past perfect tense in reported speech after verbs like
said, told, asked, thought, wondered:

Look at these examples:

 He told us that the train had left.

 I thought I had met her before, but I was wrong.
 He explained that he had closed the window because of the rain.
 I wondered if I had been there before.
 I asked them why they had not finished.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense

I had been singing

How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

The structure of the past perfect continuous tense is:

auxiliary verb HAVE auxiliary verb BE

subject + + + main verb

conjugated in simple present

past tense past participle
participle
ha been base + ing
d

For negative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense, we insert not after
the first auxiliary verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and
first auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past perfect
continuous tense:

subje auxiliary auxiliary main

ct verb verb verb
+ I had been working.
+ You had been playing tenni
s.
- It had not been working well.
- We had not been expectin her.
g
? Had you been drinking?
? Had they been waiting long?

When speaking with the past perfect continuous tense, we often contract the
subject and first auxiliary verb:
I had been I'd been
you had you'd
been been
he had he'd
she had been
been she'd
been
it had been it'd been
we had we'd
been been
they had they'd
been been

How do we use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

The past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses longer
actions in the
past before another action in the past. For example:

 Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had
been waiting for two hours.

Ram had been waiting for two hours when I arrived.

past present future

Ram starts waiting in
past at 9am.
9 11

I arrive in past at 11am.

Here are some more examples:

 John was very tired. He had been running.

 I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
 Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been
running well for a long time.
 Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?

You can sometimes think of the past perfect continuous tense like the present
perfect continuous tense, but instead of the time being now the time is past.

past perfect continuous tense present perfect continuous tense

had | | | have |
bee | | bee
n| | | n|
 doin doin
g| g|
>>>> | | | >>>> |

past now futur past now

e
future

For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:
  "I am angry. I have been waiting for

two hours." Later, you tell your friends:

 "Ram was angry. He had been waiting for two hours."

Simple Future Tense

I will sing

The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple
future tense with the modal auxiliary will.

How do we make the Simple Future Tense?

The structure of the simple future tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL + main verb

invariable base
will V1

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the
auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the
subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the simple
future tense:

subje auxiliary main

ct verb verb
+ I will open the door.
+ You will finish before me.
- She will not be at school
tomorrow.
- We will not leave yet.
? Will you arrive on time?
? Will they want dinner?

When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and
auxiliary verb:
I will I'll
you will you'll
 he he'll
will she'll
she it'll
will it
will
we will we'll
they they'l
will l

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not I won't

you will you
not won't
he will he
not she won't
will not it she
will not won't it
won't
we will not we won't
they will they
not won't

How do we use the Simple Future Tense?

No Plan

We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do

something before we speak. We make the decision spontaneously at the time of
speaking. Look at these examples:

 Hold on. I'll get a pen.

 We will see what we can do to help you.
 Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.

In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision

is made at the time of speaking.
We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:

 I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.

 I think I will have a holiday next year.
 I don't think I'll buy that car.

Prediction

We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future.
Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here
are some examples:

 It will rain tomorrow.

  People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
 Who do you think will get the job?

Be

When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have
a firm plan or decision before speaking. Examples:

 I'll be in London tomorrow.

 I'm going shopping. I won't be very long.
 Will you be at work tomorrow?

Note that when we have a plan or intention to

do something in the future, we usually use
other tenses or expressions, such as the
present continuous tense or going to.
Future Continuous Tense

I will be singing

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future continuous tense is:

auxiliary verb WILL auxiliary verb BE

subject + + + main verb

present
invariab invariab participle
le le
will be base + ing

For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between
will and be. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look
at these example sentences with the future continuous tense:

subje auxiliary auxiliary main

ct verb verb verb
+ I will be working at 10am.
+ You will be lying on a beach
tomorrow.
- She will not be using the car.
- We will not be having dinner at home.
? Will you be playing football?
? Will they be watching TV?

When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject
and will:

I will I'll
you will you'll
he he'll
will she'll
she it'll
will it
will
we will we'll
they they'l
will l

For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't,
like this:

I will not I won't

you will you
not won't
he will he
not she won't
will not it she
will not won't it
won't
we will not we won't
they will they
not won't

We sometimes use shall instead of will,

especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Continuous Tense?

The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the

future. The action will start before that moment but it will not have finished at
that moment. For example, tomorrow I will start work at 2pm and stop work
at 6pm:

At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.

past present future

4pm
At 4pm, I will be in the
middle of
working.
When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or
understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:

 I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.

 They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
 What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?
 What will you be doing when I arrive?
 She will not be sleeping when you telephone her.
 We 'll be having dinner when the film starts.
 Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return.
Future Perfect Tense

I will have sung

The future perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The
future perfect tense talks about the past in the future.

How do we make the Future Perfect Tense?

The structure of the future perfect tense is:

auxiliary verb WILL auxiliary verb HAVE main

subject + + + verb

invariab invariab past

le le participle
will have V3

Look at these example sentences in the future perfect tense:

subje auxiliary auxiliary main

ct verb verb verb
+ I will have finished by 10am.
+ You will have forgotten me by
then.
- She will not have gone to school.
- We will not have left.
? Will you have arrived?
? Will they have received it?

In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject
and will. Sometimes, we contract the subject, will and have all together:

I will have I'll have I'll've

you will you'll you'll'v
have have e
he will he'll have he'll've
have
she will she'll she'll'v
have it will have it'll e it'll've
have have
we will we'll we'll've
have have
they will they'll they'll'v
have have e

We sometimes use shall instead of will,

especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Perfect Tense?

The future perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the
future. This is the
past in the future. For example:

 The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at
9.15am. When you arrive, the train will have left.

The train will have left when you arrive.

past present future

Train leaves in future at
9am.
9 9.15

You arrive in future at

9.15am.

Look at some more examples:

 You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
 They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
 "Mary won't be at home when
you arrive." "Really? Where will
she have gone?"
You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect
tense, but instead of your viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:

present perfect tense future perfect

tense will
| |
hav hav
e | e |
don don
e| e|
>| >|

past now future past now future

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

I will have been singing

How do we make the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future perfect continuous tense is:

auxiliary auxiliary auxiliary main

subject + verb WILL + verb HAVE + verb BE + verb

present
invariab invariab past participl
le le participle e
will have been base +
ing

For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we insert not
between will and have. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and
will. Look at these example sentences with the future perfect continuous tense:

subje auxiliary auxiliary auxiliary main

ct verb verb verb verb
+ I will have been working for four
hours.
+ You will have been travelling for two
days.
- She will not have been using the car.
- We will not have been waiting long.
? Will you have been playing football?
? Will they have been watching TV?

When we use the future perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract
the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will I'll
you will you'll
he he'll
will she'll
she
will
it will it'll
we will we'll
they they'l
will l

For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we contract with won't,
like this:

I will not I won't

you will you
not won't
he will he
not she won't
will not it she
will not won't it
won't
we will not we won't
they will they
not won't

How do we use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before
some point in the future. Look at these examples:

 I will have been working here for ten years next week.
 He will be tired when he arrives. He will have been traveling for 24 hours.