Grammar. Tenses review
Present simple
We use the present simple when we talk about something that is generally true, facts, routines and our habits. We also use the present simple when we talk about things that happen repeatedly or to say how often something happens.
| Affirmative “+” | Negative “-” | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I look up to | I don’t look up to | Do I look up to? |
| You look up to | You don’t look up to | Do you look up to? |
| We/You/They look up to | We/You/They don’t look up to | Do you/we/they look up to? |
| He/She/It looks up to | He/She/It doesn’t look up to | Does he/she/it look up to? |
Present continuous
We use the present continuous to talk about things that happen at the time of speaking. Sometimes an action or an activity happens not at the exact moment of speaking but around it. We also use the present continuous to talk about temporary activities happening around now.
| Affirmative “+” | Negative “-” | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I am dating | I am not dating | Am I dating? |
| You are dating | You are not dating | Are you dating? |
| We/You/They are dating | We/You/They are not dating | Are you/we/they dating? |
| He/She/It is dating | He/She/It is not dating | Is he/she/it dating? |
I think they are having fun in their relationships. It’s great.
Use the present continuous with periods of time, for example: this year, today, this week, etc.
We also use the present continuous when a situation is changing now or around now.
Past simple
Use the past simple to talk about actions in the past, finished actions and activities. We also use the past simple to talk about finished periods of time, for example: last year, 3 hours ago, yesterday, etc.
| Affirmative “+” | Negative “-” | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I fell out with Jane | I didn’t fall out with Jane | Did I fall out with Jane? |
| You fell out with Jane | You didn’t fall out with Jane | Did you fall out with Jane? |
| We/You/They fell out with Jane | We/You/They didn’t fall out with Jane | Did you/we/they fall out with Jane? |
| He/She/It fell out with Jane | He/She/It didn’t fall out with Jane | Did he/she/it fall out with Jane? |
Past continuous
We use the past continuous to talk about actions or situations in progress in the past. They are not finished at that time. We also use the past continuous when we talk about an action in progress and when something else happened during that action.
| Affirmative “+” | Negative “-” | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I was dating | I was not dating | Was I dating? |
| You were dating | You were not dating | Were you dating? |
| We/You/They were dating | We/You/They were not dating | Were you/we/they dating? |
| He/She/It was dating | He/She/It was not dating | Was he/she/it dating? |
