tenses overview

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Write down which tenses you already know.

All tenses in English can be.......
Finish the sentence!

Present Simple tense (OTT)

Form:

1. with:  I , you (singular) &  we, you, they (plural):

complete verb without to: eat, kiss, sit

e.g. I eat an apple, we kiss a frog 

2. with: she, he,  it (SHIT-rule)

verb without to + -s or -es 

e.g.

He eats and apple, she kisses the frog

(She does not eat an apple;Do you eat apples?)

Present Simple tense (OTT)

1. Repeated or regular actions or habits:

I always cycle to school; She never eats chocolate.

(signal words: always, never, seldom , every etc.);

2. For facts or permanent situations:

Water boils at a 100 degrees Celsius. I live in The Hague.

3. For future actions or facts set by a time table:

The train leaves at 8.15.; The shop opens at 10 o'clock.

(4. To express things that happen inside our heads: 

I love you.; He does not believe that I am right.)

I never do my homework.

1. rule 1
2. rule 2
3. rule 3
4. rule 4

He doubts about the sincerity of my emotions.

1. rule 1
2. rule 2
3. rule 3
4. rule 4

Ice melts at 0 degrees.

1. rule 1
2. rule 2
3. rule 3
4. rule 4

He always opens his shop at 12 o'clock.

1. rule 1
2. rule 2
3. rule 3
4. rule 4

Present Continuous tense (OTT)

Form:

am / is / are + verb + -ing

I am eating a sandwich; 

He is kissing a girl.

(We are not  sitting on the couch. Are you eating an apple?)

Present Continuous Tense (OTT)

Use:

1. Something is happening right now. (now, at the moment, Look!)

Look! She is swimming a world record!

2. Something takes time.

The children are swimming in the lake.

3. A plan in the future:

We are planning to go to Greece in May 2022.

4. A changing or developing situation:

The weather is becoming better and better.

5. There is some form of irritation:

The students are constantly talking and the terrible teacher does not like that.

I .............. the dog every evening.

1. am walking, rule 1
2. am walking, rule 3
3. am walking, rule 2
4. walk, present simple

My mother cannot come to the phone right now, she ......... a bath

1. is taking, rule 1
2. takes, rule 4
3. is taking, rule 3
4. takes, rule 1

The sun ........ brighter and brighter each day

1. shines, rule 1
2. is shining, rule 1
3. shines, rule 4
4. is shining, rule 4

Past Simple tense (OVT)

Form:

regular: verb + -ed: kiss - kissed (- kissed)

irregular: 2nd form (row): eat - ate (- eaten)/ go - went (- gone)

(She did not kiss the frog; Did she go home?)

Past Simple tense (OVT)

Use:

1. Actions or events in the past which are completely finished:

Yesterday he cycled to school.

She went skiing last week.

 Past Simple tense (OVT)

2. Actions or events that happened in the past one after another:

He kissed her last night and then he left her alone so she walked home on her own and arrived at her house at 1 o'clock.

3. Things which happened for a long time in the past.

She waited for him for 10 years from 2009 to 2019

The little girl .... an apple yesterday

1. eated, rule 1
2. ate, rule 2
3. ate, rule 1
4. eated, rule 3

The festival ..... for 5 days from July 5 until July 9.

1. lasted, rule 1
2. last, rule 3
3. lasted, rule 3
4. last, rule 2

Past Continuous Tense (OVT)

Form:

was / were + verb + -ing: was eating / were playing 

John was eating a sandwich when the phone rang.  (He was not listening.; Was he  talking in class?)

Use:

1.Something was happening in the past and it took some time.  

She was taking a bath when she heard the burglar.

They were playing soccer last week. 

We were walking the dog when we saw PM Rutte in the park.

We ..... TV when the terrible news ........

1. was watching were announced
2. were watching were announced
3. were watching was announced
4. was watching was announced

He ...... to work when his car ....

1. is driving breaks down
2. was driving broke down
3. is driving broke down
4. was driving breaks down

Present Perfect Simple (VTT)

Form:

Has / have  + past participle (= voltooid deelwoord):

I have finished the job. (She has not finished; Has she finished?)

Use:

1. Something started in the past and is connected with the present time. Time is not a specific moment but a period.

I have lived in this city for 20 years/ since 2002.

Present Perfect Simple (VTT)

2. Something started in the past and only the result is present in the present time. (The Resultative!)

Columbus has discovered the Americas. (we still know them)

The teacher has opened the windows. (the windows are open and it is freezingly cold )

Give the answer to the question.
Where is John?

1. he will be at home
2. he has gone to bed
3. he is eating an apple

Answer the question.
Can I take your book?

1. Have you finished it?
2. Can you finished it?

Fill in the correct form.
They ...... arrived yet.

1. are not
2. will not be
3. have not
4. have not been

Fill in the correct form.
Jane ..... in Ireland ...... Monday

1. was, since
2. was, for
3. has been, for
4. has been , since

That author ...... many books. I love them all.

1. wrote
2. is writing
3. has written
4. writes

We ..... many beautiful countries. Last year we .... Greece.

1. have visited, visited
2. visited, visited
3. visited, have visited
4. have visited, have visited

Past Perfect Simple (VVT)

Form:

Had + past participle (=voltooid deelwoord)

past participle: 

regular verd + -ed or -d: arrive - arrived - arrived

irregular: 3rd row forget - forgot - forgotten

He had stayed at that hotel before he moved to an appartment.

They had forgotten their workbooks.

Past Perfect Simple (VVT)

Use: 

2 points in the past:

To indicate that something happened before something which is described in the past simple.

e.g.

When he entered the station the train had left.

He said that he had forgotten his workbook.