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illustrated grammar

Understanding tense and aspect

aspect

Three ideas to start with.  It's important to understand the difference:

  1. Time: this refers to when an event happens.
  2. Tense: this refers to the form of the verb.  For example:
    walked and had walked are past tenses
    walks and is walking are present tenses
  3. Aspect: this refers to how the speaker thinks about the event in time.  For example:
    He walked here is finished and in the past
    He has walked here means he is here now and I know how he got here
    She is playing the piano refers to right now (and not finished) or an arrangement for the future and not started
two things

The 2 most important things to understand about English tenses
  1. English has two types of tenses: absolute and relative.
  2. English has only two tenses: past and non-past.  There is no pure future tense in English.

When you understand these two things, life is much easier.

Absolute and Relative / relational tense forms

fixed

Absolute tenses

 These tenses are fixed in time.  For example:
I went to London.
I will be 25 years old.
I am here.		 We can use fixed times and dates with these tenses because they are absolute.
For example:
He arrived yesterday
I will be in Spain next year
She cycled to work last week
I was 31 on 14th March
The train will arrive at six o'clock
link

Relative /relational tenses

 We can only understand the time of these in relation to another time.  For example:
I have done the work and I can go home now.
He had finished the work before he went home.		 We do not use fixed times with these tenses.  We often use words to join two times or dates together.
For example:
Up to now, she has been very kind
I have never eaten this before
Have you finished yet?
She had lived in the same house since she left school
So far, this has worked well
I will not have finished after the deadline
and so on.

Here are some diagrams to help you understand this very important difference.

  1. Absolute tenses: Past simple, Present simple, Future simple.  These are fixed times and stand alone.

relative and absolute

  1. Relative / relational tenses: Present Perfect and Going to.  We can only understand these when they ideas are joined together.

I left Paris is an absolute tense
I have arrived in London means I am here NOW.
I am going to leave London means I have the plan NOW.

relative and absolute

Here is another example.  We understand the past in relation to what happened before:

My car had broken down BEFORE I called a taxi.

relative past perfect 

hourglass

The English tenses

Here is a picture of all the main tenses in English

tenses

Click here for a test to see if you can remember the names of the tenses in English.

past

The past

These are the past tenses in English:

Tense Main uses Examples NOTICE
Past simple
ABSOLUTE		 Finished past action or condition I ate at six, I lived in Brazil, I was happy ALL THESE SENTENCES ARE ABOUT A FIXED TIME
Repeated past action I always ate at six
Past progressive
ABSOLUTE		 Interrupted past action I was eating when he rang
Progressive action at a particular time I was eating at 7
Parallel past actions or events It was raining and the wind was blowing, I was eating while she was watching television
Past perfect
RELATIVE		 Completed actions before others in the past I had already spoken to her before he asked WE CAN ONLY UNDERSTAND THESE TENSES WHEN THEY ARE TOGETHER.  THEY RELATE TO EACH OTHER
Completed long events before actions in the past It had rained for a week before the weather broke
Past perfect progressive
RELATIVE		 (Un)completed long actions before events in the past I had been playing chess for two hours before he arrived
To show a reason He had been working too hard and was exhausted
'used to'
ABSOLUTE		 Past habits (generally only for actions) I used to drink lots of coffee, I used to take my holidays in Spain THESE SENTENCES ARE ABOUT A FIXED TIME

That is all of them.  They are not very difficult to use but many languages do not have all of them.
Does yours language have these tenses?

The past simple is very common and we use it for actions and states that we see as finished and complete.  It is an absolute tense.  Here are some more examples:
He went to university when he was 18 and left when he was 22
He is not at university now and he is older than 22 now.  Both the action (went) and the state (was) are finished.
They broke my windows with stones and I repaired them
Both the actions are finished.  The windows are not broken now.

The past progressive also refers to finished time and finished events or actions.  It is also an absolute tense and can join two finished events together.  For example:
He was cycling to work when he got a telephone call
The cycling and the call are both finished.  He is not cycling now and he is not talking on the telephone.

The past perfect tenses are relational tenses which connect two events together.  For example:
She had invited me so I went to the party
The inviting came before the going but they are both finished.  She is not talking to me now and the party is over.
She had been running and needed a rest
The running was a long action and that is why she needed a rest.

'used to' is an absolute tense.  It always means that the subject is not doing it now.  For example:
I used to smoke
and don't now
I used to be impatient
but I'm not impatient now
There used to be a shop on the corner
but it isn't there now
In all cases, the action or state is finished.

future

The future

English has many ways to talk about the future:

Tense Main uses Examples NOTICE
Future simple
ABSOLUTE		 Certain futures and predictions This will be difficult
I will be 35 tomorrow		 ALL THESE SENTENCES ARE ABOUT A FIXED TIME
Future progressive
ABSOLUTE		 Interrupted action He'll be working when you come
Progressive future event at a specific time I'll be working at 7
Future perfect
RELATIVE		 Completed action before another He'll have finished the book by the time I want it WE CAN ONLY UNDERSTAND THESE TENSES WHEN THEY ARE TOGETHER.  THEY RELATE TO EACH OTHER
To show reasons He'll have repaired the car and then we can use it
Events occurring before future actions (certain verbs only) I'll have been at the hotel for a day or two before I can call you
Future perfect progressive
RELATIVE		 Future progressive actions or events before other actions I will have been working for over two hours before you get here
To show reasons He'll have been travelling for ten hours and will be tired

The future simple is used to talk about a fixed future.  It is not the same as using will to say that you are happy to do something (that is a present tense).  For more, see below.
Here are some more examples:
The train will leave at 18:22
I hope the sun will shine tomorrow
I will arrive by bus

The future progressive is used in the same absolute way to talk about something in the future that is certain and fixed.
Here are some more examples:
The train will be travelling at 100 kilometres an hour
She is very busy so will be working late
I'll be waiting for you at the airport from 6 o'clock

The future perfect is a relational tense and joins two future things together.
Here are some more examples:
The train will have left before I get there
It will have rained for over 6 hours everyday
He'll have finished soon and then he will go home

The future perfect progressive is not very common but it works in the same way.
Here are some more examples:
I will have been reading for two hours soon
She will have been sleeping for over 9 hours so she'll feel better

now

Now

English has lots of ways to talk about now.  We refer to the past when we talk about now and we talk about the future in relation to now.  Most tenses for talking about now are relational not absolute.

Tense Main uses Examples NOTICE
Present simple
ABSOLUTE		 Repeated or habitual actions I play tennis every Thursday ALL THESE SENTENCES ARE ABOUT A FIXED TIME
Generalisations (something always true) Flamingos eat fish
Schedules and timetables The train arrives at 8
Present states I am here
He needs money
Present progressive
ABSOLUTE		 Current actions He is writing a letter
Longer actions which may not be occurring now He is writing a book
He is studying French
Arranged future I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow
Present perfect
RELATIVE		 Talking about the present based on the past I have spoken to him WE CAN ONLY UNDERSTAND THESE TENSES WHEN THEY ARE TOGETHER.  THEY RELATE TO EACH OTHER
I have been to America
I have learnt French (so now I can speak it)
He has broken the pump (so now we can't use it)
Present perfect progressive
RELATIVE		 Talking about the present based on the past I've been waiting for hours
She's been looking unwell for some time
He's been working too hard (so is now exhausted)
Future simple
RELATIVE		 Voluntary actions or promises (a present promise or offer) I'll write soon, I'll do the washing up
There's no butter!
I'll go and get some.
'going to'
RELATIVE		 To express current intention I'm not going to put up with it
To express prediction based on current evidence or experience Look at those clouds.  It's going to rain any minute

The present simple and present progressive are used to talk about now.
Here are some more examples:
She is waiting for a train
I am at home now so come for a coffee
We are now arriving in Manchester

All the other present tenses are relational tenses.
Here are some more examples:
He has just arrived at the station but the train is late (this is talking about where he is now, not where he was)
She has been having a rest so looks a bit better (this is talking about how she is now and why she is better)
I will cook the dinner for us (this is not the same as the future simple: it means I am happy now to do something)
I am taking the train tomorrow (the is the plan I have NOW)
I am going to talk to the boss (I have the idea in my head NOW)

aspect eye

Understanding aspect

Look at this:

running

She has finished!
readthink Task 1: Now answer these questions.
Click here when you have three answers.

Aspect is the name we give to HOW we see something (not when or where).

aspect

The main aspects in English

This is not the same in many languages.  Think about how your language does things as we go.

perfect

The perfect aspect

The perfect aspect joins two times together.  For example:

Joining the present to the past
John has arrived so now we can start.
This is talking about the present (now we can start) but relating it to the past (John arriving).  It is a present tense and it's called the present perfect (present for now, perfect for aspect).
Joining the past to the past
He had broken his leg so didn't go on holiday
This is talking about the past (didn't go on holiday) but relating it to another past that came before (breaking his leg).  It is a past tense and it's called the past perfect (past for then, perfect for aspect).
Joining the future to the future
I'll have finished very soon you I'll be home before 5.
This is talking about the future (I'll be home) but relating it to another future before it (I'll finish).  It is a future tense and it's called the future perfect (future for time after now, perfect for aspect).

Some pictures will help.  The eye tells you how we see the actions.

The present perfect connecting NOW to the PAST:

perfect aspect

The past perfect connecting the PAST to BEFORE THE PAST:

perfect aspect

The future perfect connecting the FUTURE to an EARLIER FUTURE:

future perfect 

aspects

3 other aspects

running

progressive aspect

She was running for hours
canal

continuous aspect

The canal runs through Amsterdam
drums

repeated aspect

They were banging the drums
They banged the drums for hours

These three aspects tell us about the type of action.

Progressive
This aspect shows us that the action takes time and goes on.
For example:
She was running for the bus when she fell (a longer action stopped by a short action)
I was reading a book when the telephone rang (a long action interrupted by a short action)
He is sleeping at the moment (a long action, happening now)
With these actions, we do not know the time when they began or when they stop.
Continuous
This aspect tells us about a state, not an action.
For example:
She knows my brother
He sings beautifully (it is his ability, not what he is doing now)
He works in a shop
These actions can sometimes not be happening now.  For example:
He works in a shop but today is Sunday so he is walking in the park
Repeated
These are short actions which happen again and again.  For example:
Someone is knocking at the door
She is taking photographs
In the past (but not in the present) we can use the simple form of the verb for the repeated aspect.  For example:
They banged the drums or They were banging the drums
She was taking lots of photographs or She took lots of photographs
prospective

The prospective aspect

This aspect looks forward from the present to the future.  For example:
I am having dinner with John tomorrow (I know this now because John and I arranged this)
She is going to see her mother tomorrow (she has a plan in her head now)
It's going to rain (I can see the black clouds now)
The train leaves at 10:18 (the timetable is the same every week)

You can see that in English we have three main ways to talk about the future based on the present:

  1. With be + -ing
    I am working in London tomorrow
    We use this when something is arranged now
  2. With going to + the base verb
    I am going to visit my mother tomorrow
    We use this when we have a plan now
  3. With the present simple form
    The TV news starts at 6
    We use this when there is a schedule or timetable which is always true
volunteer

Using will

The word will is used to make a future in English (see above) in, for example:
The train will arrive in 5 minutes
This is a future form in English.

The word will is also used (only for people) to say that someone is happy to do something.  They are volunteering.  For example:
    A: Oh, I've left my tea in the kitchen
    B: It's OK.  I'll bring it to you
The sentence I'll bring it to you is not a future tense.  It is a way to show that you want, or are happy, to do something now.
You can see this because only people can make offers or promises:
I'll give you the money is an offer, not a future tense
The train will be late is a future – trains do not make promises or offers!