English Verb Tenses, Conditionals, and Reported Speech

Posted on May 12, 2025 in Administration and Management

English Verb Tenses

Present Tenses

Present Simple

  • Affirmative (+): I/you work (trabajo), she/he/it works (trabaja)
  • Negative (-): I/you do not work, she/he/it does not work
  • Interrogative (?): Do I/you work? Does she/he/it work?
  • Usage: Routines, habits, general truths.
  • Time Expressions: Always, usually, generally, occasionally, seldom, sometimes, how often?, at night, in the morning.

Present Continuous

  • Affirmative (+): I am asking (estoy preguntando), you are asking, she/he/it is asking.
  • Usage: Actions happening now.
  • Time Expressions: Now, right now, at the moment, this year, this evening.

Present Perfect Simple

  • Structure: Subject + have/has + Past Participle (V3)
  • Affirmative (+): I/you have talked (Yo he hablado).
  • Usage: Actions started in the past and continuing to the present, or past actions with present relevance.
  • Time Expressions: Ever, never, just, yet, already, since, for, how long?

Present Perfect Continuous

  • Structure: Subject + have/has + been + Verb-ing
  • Affirmative (+): I/you have been sleeping (Yo he estado durmiendo).
  • Negative (-): I/you haven’t been eating.
  • Usage: Emphasizes the duration of an action that started in the past and continues to the present.
  • Time Expressions: For years, since 2002, how long, all night, all week.

Past Tenses

Past Simple

  • Structure: Subject + Past Simple Verb (V2)
  • Affirmative (+): I/you worked (yo trabajé).
  • Negative (-): I/you didn’t work.
  • Usage: Completed actions in the past.
  • Time Expressions: Yesterday, last week, last year, two days ago, when, then.

Past Continuous

  • Structure: Subject + was/were + Verb-ing
  • Affirmative (+): I was running (Yo estaba corriendo).
  • Usage: Actions in progress at a specific time in the past, often interrupted by another action.
  • Time Expressions: Last night, last week, last year, when, while.

Past Perfect Simple

  • Structure: Subject + had + Past Participle (V3)
  • Affirmative (+): I had fallen (Yo había caído).
  • Usage: An action that happened before another action in the past.
  • Time Expressions: Already, by the time, after, before, until, just.

Past Perfect Continuous

  • Structure: Subject + had + been + Verb-ing
  • Affirmative (+): I had been sleeping (Yo había estado durmiendo).
  • Usage: Emphasizes the duration of an action that was happening before another event in the past.
  • Time Expressions: For hours, since last…, when, until, before.

Future Tenses

Future Simple (Will)

  • Structure: Subject + will + Base Verb (V1)
  • Affirmative (+): I will win (Yo ganaré).
  • Usage: Predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises.
  • Time Expressions: This evening, in an hour, at 2 o’clock, later, tomorrow, next month, in a few weeks.

Future Continuous

  • Structure: Subject + will + be + Verb-ing
  • Affirmative (+): I will be swimming (Yo estaré nadando).
  • Usage: Actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
  • Time Expressions: At this time tomorrow, next…, in the next decade.

Future Perfect Simple

  • Structure: Subject + will + have + Past Participle (V3)
  • Affirmative (+): I will have lost (Yo habré perdido).
  • Usage: Actions that will be completed before a specific time or event in the future.
  • Time Expressions: By this time next week, by next year, by 2030.

Future with ‘Be Going To’

  • Structure: Subject + am/is/are + going to + Base Verb (V1)
  • Affirmative (+): I am going to eat (Yo voy a comer).
  • Usage: Plans, intentions, predictions based on present evidence.

Conditional Sentences

First Conditional

  • Structure: If + Present Simple, … Future Simple (will/won’t + V1)
  • Usage: Real or likely situations in the future.
  • Example: If it rains, we won’t go to the park.

Second Conditional

  • Structure: If + Past Simple, … Conditional Simple (would/could + V1)
  • Usage: Improbable or impossible situations in the present or future.
  • Example: If I had wings, I would fly. (Improbable o imposible)

Third Conditional

  • Structure: If + Past Perfect (had + V3), … Conditional Perfect (would/could/might + have + V3)
  • Usage: Unreal situations in the past (regrets, hypothetical past outcomes).
  • Example: If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam. (Irreal, en el pasado)

Simple Conditional (Would)

  • Structure: Subject + would + Base Verb (V1)
  • Usage: Often used in polite requests (e.g., I would like…) or as part of the second/third conditional.

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

  • Present Simple → Past Simple
  • Present Continuous → Past Continuous
  • Past Simple → Past Perfect Simple
  • Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
  • Present Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple
  • Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
  • Past Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple (No change)
  • Past Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous (No change)
  • Future Simple (will + V1) → Simple Conditional (would + V1)
  • Future Continuous (will be + V-ing) → Conditional Continuous (would be + V-ing)
  • Future Perfect (will have + V3) → Conditional Perfect (would have + V3)
  • Future (‘be going to’) → Past (‘was/were going to’)

Modal Verb Changes

  • Must (obligation) → had to
  • Can → could
  • May → might
  • Will → would
  • Note: Would, could, might, should, ought to usually do not change.

Changes in Time and Place Expressions

  • this/these → that/those
  • here → there
  • now → then
  • today → that day
  • tonight → that night
  • tomorrow → the next day / the following day
  • yesterday → the day before / the previous day
  • next week/year → the following week/year
  • last week/year → the week/year before / the previous week/year
  • a month ago → the month before / the previous month