Mastering English Verb Tenses and Irregular Verbs
English Verb Tenses: Usage and Structure
Present Tenses
Present Simple
- Uso 1: Hechos generales y estados (General facts and states). Example: The library doesn’t close until 10 p.m.
- Uso 2: Hábitos y acciones que se repiten (Habits and repeated actions). Example: I usually get up early.
- Estructura: (talk/talks/don’t/doesn’t)
Present Continuous
- Uso 1: Acciones en progreso (Actions in progress). Example: She’s going to the library.
- Uso 2: Situaciones temporales (Temporary situations). Keywords: At the moment.
- Estructura: (am + -ing / isn’t / aren’t)
Present Perfect Simple
- Uso 1: Estados, acciones o acontecimientos que empezaron en el pasado y continúan en el presente.
- Uso 2: Referirse a hechos del pasado que tienen consecuencias presentes. Example: She’s passed her exams, so she’s going to university.
- Uso 3: Para describir experiencias del pasado sin especificar cuándo se produjeron.
- Estructura: (have lived / haven’t lived)
Past Tenses
Past Simple
- Uso 1: Hechos o acciones del pasado que han concluido.
- Uso 2: Cosas que ocurrían repentinamente en el pasado.
- Uso 3: Estados en el pasado.
- Estructura: (finished / didn’t finish)
Past Continuous
- Uso 1: Una acción en un momento determinado del pasado.
- Uso 2: Una acción en progreso en el pasado, a menudo interrumpida o simultánea a otra. Example: While I was working, my sister was watching TV.
Past Perfect Simple
- Uso: Hablar de acciones o situaciones del pasado que ocurrieron antes que otras acciones pasadas. Para acciones más recientes se usa el Past Simple. Example: I got to the station at 7:30, but the train had already left.
- Estructura: (had arrived / hadn’t arrived)
Future Forms
Will (Future Simple)
- Uso 1: Predicciones o dar opiniones acerca del futuro.
- Uso 2: Expresar decisiones tomadas en ese momento.
- Estructura: (will start / won’t)
Going To (Future Plans)
- Uso 1: Hablar sobre planes e intenciones.
- Uso 2: Predicciones basadas en la evidencia del momento en que se habla.
- Estructura: (am going to / aren’t)
Future Continuous (Will Be + -ing)
- Uso: Acciones que estarán ocurriendo durante un periodo de tiempo o acciones planeadas de antemano.
- Estructura: (will be traveling / won’t)
Future Perfect (Will Have + P.P.)
- Uso: Acciones que habrán concluido en un determinado momento del futuro, a menudo marcado por by.
- Estructura: (will have eaten / won’t)
Essential Irregular Verbs List
(Infinitive – Past Simple – Past Participle = Significado en español)
- be – was/were – been = Ser, Estar
- begin – began – begun = Empezar
- bite – bit – bitten = Morder
- break – broke – broken = Romper(se)
- bring – brought – brought = Traer
- buy – bought – bought = Comprar
- catch – caught – caught = Atrapar, Coger
- choose – chose – chosen = Escoger
- come – came – come = Venir
- cost – cost – cost = Costar
- cut – cut – cut = Cortar
- do – did – done = Hacer
- draw – drew – drawn = Dibujar
- drink – drank – drunk = Beber
- drive – drove – driven = Conducir
- eat – ate – eaten = Comer
- fall – fell – fallen = Caerse
- feel – felt – felt = Sentir
- find – found – found = Encontrar
- fly – flew – flown = Volar
- forget – forgot – forgotten = Olvidar
- get – got – got = Conseguir
- get up – got up – got up = Levantarse
- give – gave – given = Dar
- go – went – gone = Ir
- grow – grew – grown = Crecer
- have – had – had = Haber, Tener
- hear – heard – heard = Oír