Review of present and past tenses

PRESENT AND PAST VERB FORMS

On jest złodziejem. Włamuje się do banków.
He’s a robber. He robs banks.

On właśnie w tej chwili włamuje się do banku w Warszawie.
At the moment he’s robbing a bank in Warsaw.

Włamuje się do banków od 15 lat.
He’s been robbing banks for 15 years.

Do tej pory włamał się do 50 banków.
So far he’s robbed 50 banks.

W zeszłym roku włamał się do 5 banków.
Last year he robbed 5 banks.

Wczoraj wieczorem, podczas gdy on włamywał się do banku, ktoś ukradł mu samochód.
Yesterday evening, while he was robbing another bank, someone stole his car.

Skradziono mu samochód, bo zapomniał go zamknąć.
His car was stolen because he had forgotten to lock it.

W roku 2000 minęło 10 lat od kiedy zaczął włamywać się do banków.
By 2000 he had been robbing banks for 10 years.

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER ABOUT PRESENT AND PAST TENSES

I am doing or I do?

I am writing a letter.
I’m very busy at the moment, so I’m getting up early this week.
I’m liking my English course much better this term.
He’s always losing his keys.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS is used for an action now, something we are in the middle of.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS is used for a temporary situation or routine.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS is used for a feeling over a short period of time.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS + ALWAYS is used for annoying things happening too often.

I write home every week.
I always get up late.
I like learning foreign languages.
PRESENT SIMPLE is used for repeated actions, permanent routines, scientific and natural laws.
PRESENT SIMPLE is used for states, feelings, permanent facts.

I have done or I did?

I have lost my keys.
He’s just left.
I have already read that book.
Have you done the shopping yet?
They haven’t bought a new house yet.
Have you ever been to Greece?
I have seen that film four times this year.
I’ve known him for ages/since we met at college.
Have you been to the cinema recently/lately?
I lost my key yesterday/two weeks ago.
When were you in Greece?
PRESENT PERFECT is used for the past and the present, for a state which has gone up to the present.
PRESENT PERFECT is used for actions in a period of time up to the present.

I saw that film four times as a child.
I knew him when we were at college together.
PAST SIMPLE is used for actions in the past.
PAST SIMPLE is used for states in the past.

I have been doing or I have done?

Sue is tired because she’s been running for two hours/since 5 o’clock/all morning.
How long have you been reading this book?
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS is used for an action over a period of time leading up to the present; we are thinking of the action going on.

Sue is tired because she’s run 20 km.
How many pages have you read?
PRESENT PERFECT is used for a complete action; we are thinking of the result.

I was doing or I did?

What were you doing at 6 o’clock yesterday/yesterday at this time?
While I was working in the garden, my mother was preparing dinner.
When we arrived, the others were leaving the party.
PAST CONTINUOUS is used for an action that we were in the middle of.
PAST SIMPLE is used for a complete action in the past or for a past state.
PAST CONTINUOUS + PAST SIMPLE is used when a shorter action (simple) comes in the middle of a longer one (continuous).

I did or I had done?

When we arrived, the others all left.
When the firework went off, the dog ran away.
PAST SIMPLE is used for one action after another.
PAST SIMPLE is used when one short action comes straight after another.

I was exhausted. I had been to a party.
When we arrived, the others had all left.
When we’d paid the bill, we left the restaurant.
PAST PERFECT is used for things before a past situation.
PAST PERFECT is used to say that one thing finished and then something else happened.

I had been doing or I had done?

When they decided to get married, they had been living together for 5 months.
In 2000 he had been directing films for 20 years.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS is used for an action over a period of time.

When they decided to get married, they had known each other for 10 years.
By 2000 he had won 3 Oscars.
PAST PERFECT is used for a state over a period of time.
PAST PERFECT is used for a complete action.

Now, do the test below to check how good you are at present and past tenses and what you have to practice more.

TEST

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