ENGLISH TENSES

PAST CONTINUOUS PRESENT CONTINUOUS FUTURE SIMPLE

PRESENT PERF. FUTURE PERF. CONT.

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

PAST SIMPLE PRESENT SIMPLE FUTURE CONT.

PAST PERF. PRESENT PERF. CONT.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS FUTURE PERFECT

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

A singular subject must always be matched with a singular verb, and a plural subject
must always be matched with a plural verb. See details below for subject verb agreement
rules with examples:
The verb is affected only when in PRESENT tense, for the THIRD person:

Subject (NOUN) Verb (ACTION)

Singular He / she / it learns
Plural They learn

Base form of Verb: learn, walk, like, have (irregular), do, etc.:

Present Simple Singular

First Person I like have do
Second Person You like have do
Third Person He / she / it likes has does
 Present Simple Plural
First Person We like have do
Second Person You like have do
Third Person They like have do

In general, when the subject is third person singular, we use the -s form of the verb:
Ej. He walks / She sleeps / It jumps
NOTE: The third person singular can be sometimes formed by adding -es or -ies too.
In general, when the subject is plural, we use just the base form of the verb:
Ej. They walk / they sleep / they jump
ATTENTION: Watch out for irregular forms, for which the -s rule does not apply:
Ej. He studies / She has / It does / He catches / It flies

TENSE AGREEMENT RULES

When writing a sentence, it is important to think about when the action in your
statement occurred. You should keep the tense uniform throughout the sentence when
discussing things that happened at the same time. When referring to separate events,
the tenses might differ, but it is important to recognize the difference. Below are some
examples of tense agreement and disagreement.

TALKING ABOUT THE SAME EVENT

No TENSE AGREEMENT
Ej. When I went to the coffee house, I bought two cookies
Both 'went' and 'bought' are in past tense.
TENSE DISAGREEMENT
Ej. When I went to the coffee house, I buy two cookies
'Went' is in past tense, but 'buy' is in present tense. They do not match.

DIFFERENT EVENTS AT DIFFERENT TIMES

TENSE AGREEMENT

Ej. I biked to class last Monday, but today I am taking the bus
“Biked” is past tense because it happened in the past. 'Taking' is present or future
because this is happening or will happen today.

TENSE DISAGREEMENT
Ej. I bike to class last Monday, but today I am taking the bus
Because it happened in the past, 'bike' should not be in present tense.

HOW MANY TENSES ARE THERE IN ENGLISH?

English is famous for its extensive system of tenses, including 12 main forms. Each
has its own rules of formation and usage. Understanding these tenses helps you form
grammatically correct sentences and clearly express temporal relationships. Here you
will find a complete explanation of each one:

PRESENT SIMPLE
AFIRMATIVE: Subject + Verb (+ s) / With “BE” – Subject + am/is/are
Ej. I eat ; She eats toast / I am hungry ; She is in a cafe
NEGATIVE: Subject + do/does + not + Verb / With “BE” – Subject + am/is/are + not

Ej. I don’t eat toast ; She doesn’t eat fish / I’m not hungry ; She isn’t happy
QUESTION: (Question Word +) do/does + Subject + Verb ? / With “BE” – (Question
Word +) am/is/are + Subject…?
Ej. When does she eat lunch? ; Do you eat breakfast every day? / Why are you
hungry? ; Is he at home?

USES:
In general, the simple present expresses events or situations that exist always (an
everyday or all the time action), usually, habitually; they exist now, they have existed in
the past, and will probably exist in the future but here we have more uses:
1. To talk about general truth and permanent actions (facts)
Ej. The Earth rotates round its axis ; I speak English and French
 2. To talk about repeated, customary actions or habits
Ej. He gets up at 8 o’clock every morning ; They never listen to their teacher

3. To talk about a planned future action (a timetable or schedule)

Ej. The train leaves at 3 o’clock tomorrow
4. To give instructions, directions
Ej. First, you boil some water and then you add the noodles and cook them for
three minutes
5. To make promises
Ej. I sweat never to let you down ; I promise to be very careful with your digital
camera
6. To tell stories (for immediacy)
Ej. Then she goes to the door and opens it and the monster pops out!
TIME PHRASES: Always, every -day/month/year, habitually, never, often, normally,
seldom, sometimes, usually, twice a week/day, all the time, once, twice, occasionally, on
Sundays, etc.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS
AFIRMATIVE: Subject + am/is/are + Verb + -ing
Ej. She’s eating toast ; They are eating lunch now
NEGATIVE: Subject + am/is/are + not + Verb + -ing
Ej. He isn’t waiting ; We are not eating at home
QUESTION: (Question Word +) am/is/are + Subject + Verb + -ing
Ej. When are they eating? ; Is he eating now?

USES:

1. To talk about actions that are happening now, at the moment of speaking
Ej. Look! The boys are playing football ; Hurry up! The train is coming
 Ej. He is sleeping right now - He is asleep at the moment. His sleep is in
progress at the present time, and will probably continue (at least for a while)
2. To talk about actions that are happening around now, but not exactly at the
moment of speaking
Ej. We are studying very hard these days because we have to prepare for our
exams
3. To speak about what you have already arranged to do
Ej. What are you doing on Saturday? ; I’m meeting my friend at the station at
8 pm
4. To talk about ongoing changes
Ej. You are getting fatter and fatter ; He is becoming a responsible young man
5. To talk about repeated actions
Ej. That boy is kicking the back of my chair ; The cat is scratching that sofa to
pieces again
6. To talk about background events in a story
Ej. Then she goes to the door and opens it and the monster is standing there!
TIME PHRASES: Now, at the moment, at present, Look!, Listen!, these days, this morning,
today, etc.

QUICK RESUME: PRESENT SIMPLE VS PRESENT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

For permanent Ej. She lives in For temporary Ej. She is staying in
situations Quarry Bay situations the Kowloon Hotel
For repeated actions Ej. She takes For repeated Ej. She is taking
not connected to dancing lessons actions connected dancing lessons now
the moment of on Monday to the moment of but before she took
speaking evening speaking Putonghua lessons
For future events in Ej. We arrive In For planned future Ej. We are going to
an itinerary Shanghai at events Shanghai next week
2.30 p.m.
For illnesses or Ej. My head For physical states Ej. My head is
physical states aches only aching
For preferences, Ej. I love pizza For feelings we are Ej. I am enjoying
promises and experiencing now every bite of this
opinions delicious pizza
 To tell stories (for Ej. She finishes To talk about Ej. She is doing her
inmmediacy) her homework background events homework and the
and then the in a story phone rings
phone rings

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

AFIRMATIVE: Subjec t + have/has + Past Participle/V-ed
Ej. I’ve eaten breakfast ; He has eaten lunch
NEGATIVE: Subject + have/has + not + Past Participle/V-ed
Ej. We haven’t eaten yet ; She hasn’t eaten the chocolate
QUESTION: (Question Word +) have/has + Subject + Past Participle/V-ed
Ej. What have you eaten today? ; Has she eaten lunch?
NOTE: The Question Word WHEN is only used with Past Simple, we cannot use it with
Present Perfect Simple – Ej. When did you arrive? ; When have you arrived?

USES:
The Present Perfect Simple expresses actions or events that began in the past and are
still true or appropriate in the present time, or are now finished. Present Perfect is also
used to tell about something which happened in the past but the exact time of the
action isn’t known. This tense is always connected with the present and the only thing
which matters here is the result, so the time of the action is less important:
Ej. I have lost my keys, I can’t open the door

1. To talk about a completed action connected with the present

Ej. I have seen this film and I can discuss it with you now
2. Questions in the Present Perfect never start with WHEN
Ej. When did you see this film?
3. With this morning/evening, today, this week, this year (when the time periods
are not finished at the time of speaking)
 Ej. Have you called your mother today?
TIME PHRASES: Already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, until (till) now, up to now, of
late, lately, recently, with for and since, whit This is the first time…, this morning/evening,
today, this week, this year, etc.
SINCE AND FOR
We can use the Present Perfect tense with FOR and SINCE to talk about actions and
events that take place in a period of time from the past until now:

A day
Ten months
Three weeks
FOR Six years
Two hours
A long time
Several hours

1990
May
Last year
Christmas
SINCE Yesterday
My wedding day
She left you
Then
I was born

JUST/YET/ALREADY
JUST: The adverb JUST is used with the present perfect tense to tell a recently completed
action. JUST comes after the auxiliary verb HAVE/HAS. This combination is used chiefly
in the affirmative, though the interrogative from is possible. It isn’t normally used in the
negative.
Ej. The teacher has just gone out (She went out a few minutes ago) ; The bus
has just arrived ; Has he just gone out? ; Mr.Trick has just finished the cake
ALREADY: The adverb ALREADY is used when something has happened before we
expected. ALREADY comes after the auxiliary verb HAVE/HAS. We use ALREADY in
affirmative.
 Ej. I’ve already written a letter to my friend ; She’s already finished her
homework ; The policemen have already arrested the thief

YET: The adverb YET is used when we are expecting something to happen but it hasn’t
happened. YET comes to the end of the clause. We use YET in the negative sentences
and in questions.
Ej. Mrs. Roberts hasn’t replied to my letter yet (She hasn’t replied but she will)
BEEN VS GONE
Look at the difference between these two sentences:

Ej. George has been to Spain - He’s now at home again

Ej. George has gone to Spain - He’s in Spain now

a. He has been: Ej. He has finished his trip and turned back home
b. He has gone: Ej. He has begun his trip

Look at this example in order to see the difference more clearly:

a. Julie has gone to Paris - She is in Paris now

Ej. A: Where’s Julie? B: She’s away. She’s gone to Paris

b. Julie has been to Paris - She went to Paris but now she’s back
Ej. Two weeks later: Adam: Hello, Julie! ; Julie: Hello, I’ve been to Paris on
Holidays
BEEN TO
We use been to to say that we went somewhere and came back and that we are not
there anymore.

Ej. I have been to Paris before, and I can tell you that it’s an amazing city (I
am back now)

EJ. My brother has been to Venice ; I’m sure he can give us some advice about
where to eat or where to stay
NOTE: We don’t always use TO – Ej. You have never been abroad
GONE TO

We use gone to to say that we went somewhere and we are still there.
Ej. A: Where is your sister Sam? B: She has gone to the market, she will be
home soon
NOTE: As you can understand, we cannot use subject pronouns (I and WE) with GONE
TO as it wouldn't make sense to ask someone if he / she is somewhere else or in front
of us – Ej. I have been to London ; I have gone to London (I am in London?)
BEEN IN

We use been in to give information about how long we have been somewhere.
Ej. A: How long have you been in California? B: I have been in San Francisco
for six years and never thought of going back to my homeland

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

AFIRMATIVE: Subject + have/has + been + Verb + -ing
Ej. I’ve been eating ; She’s been eating biscuits all day
NEGATIVE: Subject + have/has + not + been + Verb + -ing
Ej. They haven’t been eating ; He has not been eating toast
QUESTION: (Question Word +) have/has + Subject + been + Verb + -ing?
Ej. What has she been eating? ; Have they been eating breakfast?

USES:
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to describe an action that began in the past,
progress and may also continue in the future:
Ej. The poor man has been waiting at the corner for an hour
1. To say how long things have been continuing up to now
Ej. I’ve been learning English for six years ; It’s been raining all day
2. To say how we have been filling our time up to now
Ej. Your hands are dirty ; I’ve been painting the walls
NOTE: We don’t use Present Perfect Continuous with be and other non-progressive or
stative verbs = verbs that describe a state rather than an action, no change involved
(appear, care, exist, forget, heat, include, look, need, realize, seem, taste, believe, cost,
expect, have, hope, know, love, own, remember, smell, understand, belong, dislike, feel,
hate, imagine, like, mind, prefer, see, suppose, want. etc.):
Ej. How long have you had your car? (Present Perfect)
Some of the non continuous verbs are used in progressive tense but their meaning
changes:.

Ej. I see there is a man in front of the door (Sense of vision)

The doctor is seeing a patient (Dating a patient)
Ej. What do you think he will do? (Your opinion?)
What is he thinking about? (What's in his mind?)
Ej. They don't have a car (Don't possess)
We are having our breakfast right now (Eating)
TIME PHRASES: Since, lately, up to now, for, so far, how long?, for a long time, recently,
all day, all week, etc.

PAST SIMPLE
AFIRMATIVE: Subject + Past Simple (2nd colomn/Verb +ed) / With “BE” – Subject +
was/were
Ej. I ate an apple ; She ate some rice / I was hungry ; They were in a
restaurant
NEGATIVE: Subject + did + not + Verb / With “BE” - Subject + was/were + not
Ej. She didn’t eat anything ; They did not eat breakfast / We weren’t hungry ;
She wasn’t at home
QUESTION: (Question Word +) did + Subject + Verb? / With “BE” – (Question Word
+) was/were + Subject...?
Ej. Did you eat the chocolate? ; What did they eat for lunch? / Why was she
hungry? ; Were you hungry?

USES:

When we want to indicate that something happened at a specific time in the past, we
use the simple past tense but in some cases simple past doesn't refer to past actions.
Ej. It is high (about) time, somebody did something (It has a present meaning)
1. To talk about actions performed in the past (with finished time expressions)
Ej. I met my friend yesterday ; Did you go to the seaside last summer?
 2. To talk about a succession of past actions (stories)
Ej. He opened the door, switched on the light and fed his cat

3. To talk about an action taking place in the middle of another action

Ej. He fell asleep while the teacher was explaining new grammar rules
TIME PHRASES: Yesterday, 2 minutes/hours/days/years ago, in 1970, the other day, last
month/year/week/Sunday, for, while, when, after, as, before, etc.
OTHER USES:
1. IF CLAUSE
Ej. If someone did something / someone could do something (present
meaning)(would) ; If I went shopping, I would buy some bread ; Even if I knew
the answer, I wouldn't tell you
2. WISH CLAUSE
Ej. I wish you worked with us (but you don’t) ; I wish we were in Miami lying
on the beach
3. AS IF / AS THOUGH (PRETEND TO BE)
Ej. She speaks as if she was an expert (she is not) ; I feel as though the world
turned round me (it doesn’t) ; She speaks as if she is an expert (I believe she
is)
4. WOULD RATHER SOMEBODY DID SOMETHING = WISH CLAUSE
Ej. I would rather you smoked less ; I wish you smoked less

PAST CONTINUOUS
AFIRMATIVE: Subject + was/were + Verb + -ing
Ej. I was eating ; They were eating lunch
NEGATIVE: Subject + was/were + not + Verb + -ing
Ej. You weren’t eating ; She wasn’t eating a sandwich
QUESTION: (Question Word +) was/were + Subject + Verb + -ing?
Ej. Where were you eating? ; Was she eating an apple?
PUNCTUATION AND ORDER:

We can change the order of the two parts of a sentence containing a continuous action
(main clause). When we begin with the main clause, we do not use a comma (,) between
the two parts. When we begin with the time clause, we add a comma (,) between the
two parts:
Ej. I was walking along the beach when it started to rain

Ej. When it started to rain, I was walking along the beach

USES:

1. To talk about a temporary action taking place at a given moment in the past
Ej. What were you doing at 6 o’clock yesterday?
2. Two or more actions happening at the same time in the past
Ej. She was cooking dinner and her kids were watching TV
3. Action interrupted by another shorter action in the past
Ej. I was working on computer when the telephone rang
4. Background information in a story
Ej. The sun was shining and the birds were singing

Ej. He was sleeping when I arrived - He went to sleep at 10:00 last night. I
arrived at 11:00. He was still asleep. His sleep began before and was in progress
at a particular time in the past. It probably continued (at least for a while)
TIME PHRASES: at 6 o’clock yesterday, from 3 to 6, on Monday, when Mum came, this
time yesterday, all last night, yesterday evening, as…, while… , etc.
NOTE: AS/WHILE can be used with Past Simple too.

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

AFIRMATIVE: Subject + had + Past Participle (irregular verbs: 3rd colomn / regular
verbs: V + ed)
Ej. I had eaten ; She’d eaten lunch
NEGATIVE: Subject + had + not + Past Participle
Ej. We hadn’t eaten ; He had not eaten an apple

QUESTION: (Question Word +) had + Subject + Past Participle?

Ej. Why had you eaten? ; Had they eaten fish before?

USES:
We use The Past Perfect Tense to express a past action that occurred either before
another activity or before a point of time in the past:
Ej. The train had just left when I got to the station (the train left and a few
minutes later I got to the station)
1. Denotes an action completed before a certain moment in the past; It is not
used to denotate a succession of actions (Past Simple)

Ej. She had already finished her work when we came

BUT: When I wrote the letter, I posted it (Past Simple – Succession of actions)
Ej. By the time the police arrived, he had already disappeared
2. With the conjunctions (hardly/scarcely/nearly/barely + when/than. . .)
Ej. I had hardly done it when they came ; No sooner had they arrived than it
started to rain
NOTE: The past perfect can rarely be used without the past simple because by nature,
it needs to have another action with which to be compared. If I describe actions in order,
I can simply use the past simple:

Ej. I arrived at the office. I had a coffee, and then I went to a meeting

If I want to start my story with the last action then refer to the previous ones, I need
to use the past perfect:

Ej. I went to the meeting after I’d had a coffee

TIME PHRASES: when I entered, by 5 o’clock yesterday; (with the same adverbs as
Present Perfect but in the past context); no sooner. . . than. . . , etc.
NOTE: Use the Past Perfect Simple after AFTER and before BEFORE:
Ej. She had cooked dinner before I got home ; I got home after she had cooked
dinner

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

AFIRMATIVE: Subject + had + been + Verb + -ing
Ej. I had been eating chocolate all day ; She’d been eating breakfast
NEGATIVE: Subject + had + not + been + Verb + -ing
Ej. I hadn`t been eating; She hadn’t been eating an apple
QUESTION: (Question Word +) had + Subject + been + Verb + -ing?
Ej. Why had he been eating enough fruit? ; Why had he been eating?

USES:
We use the Past Perfect Continuous to talk about duration of an action in the past:
Ej. I had been practicing the violin before my dad arrived
1. Denotes an action which began before a definite moment in the past,
continued up to that moment and was still going on at the moment
Ej. We could not go out because it had been raining for two hours
2. Denotes an action which was no longer going on at a definite moment in the
past, but which had been in progress not long before
Ej. The baby’s face was red and wet because he had been crying
TIME PHRASES: Since, for

FUTURE SIMPLE
AFIRMATIVE: Subject + will/shall + Verb
Ej. I will eat later ; She will eat at home
NEGATIVE: Subject + will + not + Verb
 Ej. We won’t eat anything tonight ; He will not eat fish
QUESTION: (Question Word +) will + Subject + Verb?

Ej. What will you eat for lunch? ; Will she eat meat?

NOTE: SHALL (possible used in all future tenses) is used mostly in questions
(shallI…?/shall we…?) but in spoken English we normally use WILL (I will…/We will…)
USES:
At one particular time in the future, this will happen.
1. To talk about future actions or future predictions
Ej. I will call you tomorrow ; Mary will get a present next month
2. To predict the future (with probably, I expect, I’m sure, (I) think/don’t think, I
wonder, perhaps)

Ej. I think it will rain tomorrow ; Perhaps she’ll be late ; I don’t think the exam
will be very difficult
3. To express intention at the moment of decision or to express willingness or
unwillingness to carry out a future action
Ej. Do you like these shoes? Yes, I’ll buy them ; He won’t drive in snow or fog
4. In the 1st type of conditional sentences
Ej. If the weather is fine, we’ll go to the beach one of these days
5. In requests and to tell people what to do
Ej. Will you pass me the salt, please?
6. In newspaper and news broadcast for announcements of future plans
Ej. The Prime Minister will open the new hospital on Monday
7. Promises, offers or actions that we decide to do now, at the moment of
speaking
Ej. I will come home before nine, dad ; Your luggage looks very heavy, I’ll help
you with it ; A. The phone is ringing B. I’ll answer it
TIME PHRASES: Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, one of these days, next
week/month/year, soon, in the near future, someday, in 2 days/5 minutes/a month, etc.

NOTE: WON’T and WILL not have two meanings:

Ej. Sarah will not/won't be at home today (negative future) ; Sarah won’t/will
not eat her dinner (Refusal) ; This machine won't/will not work (It refuses to
work)

FUTURE CONTINUOUS
AFIRMATIVE: Subject + will/shall + be + Verb + -ing
Ej. I will be eating at 8pm ; She will be eating a sandwich
NEGATIVE: Subject + will + not + be + Verb + -ing
Ej. They won’t be eating ; He will not be eating anything
QUESTION: (Question Word +) will + Subject + be + Verb + -ing?
Ej. What will you be eating? ; Will they be eating at 6pm?

USES:
1. To talk about an action at a particular moment in the future (The action will
start before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment)
Ej. I will be playing tennis at 10 am tomorrow ; This time on Sunday I’ll be
bathing in the sea ; When you arrive, he will be waiting for you
Ej. He will be sleeping when we arrive - He will go to sleep at 10:00 tomorrow
night. We will arrive around 11:00. The action of sleeping will begin before we
arrive, and it will be in progress at a particular time in the future. His sleep will
probably continue (at least for a while)
TIME PHRASES: At 5 o’clock tomorrow, this time on Sunday, when I come, later, soon,
next (week/month/year), again, in…, etc.

FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE

AFIRMATIVE: Subject + will/shall + have + Past Participle
 Ej. I will have eaten lunch by 3 o’clock ; She’ll have eaten all the chocolate
NEGATIVE: Subject + will + not + have + Past Participle

Ej. He won’t have eaten lunch yet ; They will not have eaten their sandwiches
QUESTION: (Question Word +) will + Subject + have + Past Participle?
Ej. When will you have eaten? ; Will she have eaten dinner by nine?

USES:
We use the future tense to show that an action will take place or will be completed
before another action or time in the future:
Ej. By this time next week, I will have received my diploma
1. Denotes an action completed before a definite moment in the future
Ej. She will have finished this work by 2 o’clock tomorrow ; Hurry up! The film
will have already started by the time we come
TIME PHRASES: By this time tomorrow, by then, by 2 o’clock tomorrow, later on today,
when you come back, etc.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

AFIRMATIVE: Subject + will + have + been + Verb + -ing
Ej. They will have been eating fruit ; We’ll have been eating all day
NEGATIVE: Subject + will + not + have + been + Verb + -ing
Ej. I won’t have been eating fish ; They will not have been eating lunch
QUESTION: (Question Word +) will + Subject + have + been + Verb + -ing?
Ej. What will she have been eating? ; Will you have been eating chocolate?
USES:
We use the Future Perfect Continuous to describe continuity of an action or a situation
that will go on till the beginning of another future event:
Ej. How long will you have been learning English by 2010?
1. Denotes an action which will begin before a definite moment in the future, will
continue up to the moment and will be going on at that moment.
Ej. You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane
finally arrives ; In the fall I will have been studying here for 2 years ; He
will be tired when he arrives because he will have been travelling for 24
hours
TIME PHRASES: For

DIRECT OR REPORTED SPEECH

When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence such a as Ej.
I'm going to the cinema tonight. Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the
first person said. Usually we don't need to change the tense, though probably we do
need to change the PERSON from I to SHE or we also may need to change words like
MY and YOUR
NOTE: As I'm sure you know, often, we can choose if we want to use THAT or not in
English. I've put it in brackets (…) to show that it's optional. It's exactly the same if you
use THAT or if you don't use THAT.

REPORTED SPEECH
DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH
Present Simple Past Simple
Present Continuous Past Continuous
Past Simple Past Perfect Simple
Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Past Present Simple Past Perfect Simple
Past Present Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
Future Simple Conditional
 Future Perfect Perfect Condiitonal
Can Could
May Might
Must Had to

Here’s how it works:

SAY AND TELL

In reported statements, we can use either of these verbs. The meaning is the same, but
the grammar is different. We use a reporting verb like SAY or TELL. If this verb is in the
present tense, it's easy. We just put SHE SAYS and then the sentence:
Ej. Direct speech: I like ice cream ; Reported speech: She says (that) she likes ice
cream

Furthermore, with TELL we need the object (ej. me, you, her) but with SAY we can’t use
the object (ej. them, us)

Ej. John told that he would be late ; John said me that he would be late

Ej. Julie said (that) she’d come to the party ; He told me (that) he loved living
in London

NOTE: We can use TELL in reported orders. In this case, TELL is followed by a direct
object and TO + INFINITIVE. Ej. She told me to sit down

PAST AND PRESENT TENSES

But, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change the tenses in the
reported speech:

Ej.I like ice cream ; She said (that) she liked ice cream

TENSE DIRECT SPEECH REPORTED SPEECH

Present Simple I like ice cream She said (that) she liked
ice cream

Present Continuous I am living in London She said (that) she was

living in London
 Past Simple I bought a car She said (that) she had
bought a car OR She said
(that) she bought a car

Past Continuous I was walking along the She said (that) she had
street been walking along the
street

Present Perfect I haven’t seen Julie She said (that) she hadn’t
seen Julie

Past Perfect* I had taken English lessons She said (that) she had
before taken English lessons
before

Will I will see you later She said (that) she would
see me later

Would* I would help, but… She said (that) she would

help but…

Can I can speak perfect English She said (that) she could
speak perfect English

Could* I could swim when I was She said (that) she could
four swim when she was four

Shall I shall come later She said (that) she would

come later

Should* I should call my mother She said (that) she should

call her mother

Might* I might be late She said (that) she might

be late

Must I must study at the She said (that) she must

weekend study at the weekend OR
She said she had to study
at the weekend

*doesn’t change
Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information
in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even
then usually we like to change the tense) Ej. The sky is blue

REPORTED QUESTIONS

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative
sentences. But how about questions?

In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same,
and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell
the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the
grammar to a normal positive sentence. A bit confusing? Maybe this example will help:

Ej. Where do you live? ; She asked me where I lived - Do you see how I made
it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple
question with DO or DOES so I need to take that away. Then I need to change
the verb to the past simple.

Another way to do it:

Ej. Where is Julie? ; She asked me where Julie was - The direct question is the
present simple of BE. We make the question form of the present simple of BE by
changing the position of the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back
before putting the verb into the past simple.

Here are some more examples:

DIRECT QUESTION REPORTED QUESTION

Where is the Post Office, please? She asked me where the Post Office was
What are you doing? She asked me what I was doing
Who was that fantastic man? She asked me who that fantastic man
had been

So much for WH questions. But, what if you need to report a YES/NO question? We
don’t have any question words to help us. Instead, we use IF. Ej. Do you like
chocolate? ; She asked me if I liked chocolate
Here are a few more examples:

DIRECT QUESTION REPORTED QUESTION

Do you love me? He asked me if I loved him
Have you ever been to Mexico? She asked me if I had ever been to
Mexico
 Are you living here? She asked me if I was living here

REPORTED REQUESTS
There’s more! What if someone asks you to do something in a polite way?

Ej. Close the window please / Could you close te window please? / Would you
mind closing the window please?

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don’t need to report every word
when we tell another person about it. We simply use ASK ME + TO + INFINITIVE.

Ej. She asked me to close the window

Here are a few more examples:

DIRECT REQUEST REPORTED REQUEST

Please help me She asked me to help me
Please don’t smoke She asked me not to smoke
Could you bring my book tonight? She asked me to bring her book that
night
Could you pass the milk, please? She asked me to pass the milk
Would you mind coming early tomorrow? She asked me to come early the next
day

To report a negative request we use NOT. Ej. Please don’t be late ; She asked us not to
be late

REPORTED ORDERS
And finally, how about if someone doesn’t ask so politely? We can call this an order in
English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. Ej. Sit down!
In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use
TELL instead of ASK. Ej. She told me to sit down
Here are a few more examples:

DIRECT ORDER REPORTED ORDER

Go to bed! He told the child to go to bed
Don’t worry! He told her not to worry
Be on time! He told me to be on time
Don’t smoke! He told us not to smoke

TIME EXPRESSIONS WITH REPORTED SPEECH

Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change
time expressions too. We don’t always have to do this, however. It depends on when
we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech.

Ej. It’s Monday, Julie says “I’m leaving today”

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today"
If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday"
If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday"
If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day"
So, there’s no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech
was said. But, here’s a table of some possible conversions:

Now Then / at that time

Today Yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June
Yesterday The day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5 th of
December
Last The night before ; Thursday night
night
Last week The week before / the previous week
Tomorrow Today / the next day / the following day / Friday

CONDITIONALS

What are conditionals in English grammar? Sometimes we call them “if clauses”. They
describe the result of something that might happen (in the present or future) or might
have happened but didn't (in the past). They are made using different English verb
tenses. There are four main kinds of conditionals:

TYPE FORMULA USE EXAMPLE

Ej. If you add two
ZERO If + Present Simple General truths and
and two, you get
CONDITIONAL , Present Simple general habits
four
Ej. If it rains later,
FIRST If + Present Simple Possible or likely
we will stay at
CONDITIONAL , Will + Infinitive things in the future
home
Impossible things in Ej. If I won the
SECOND If + Past Simple ,
the present / unlikely lottery, I would sail
CONDITIONAL would + infinitive
things in the future round the world
Things that didn’t
If + Past Perfect , Ej. If I had studied
THIRD happen in the past
would + have + harder, I would have
CONDITIONAL and their imaginary
Past Participle passed the exam
results
 NOTE: Notice we can put IF at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. It
doesn't change the meaning but when IF is at the beginning of the sentence, we
put a comma at the end of the IF CLAUSE and a when IF is in the middle of the
sentence we don’t do it normally.

ZERO CONDITIONAL

We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in the if
clause and one in the main clause). This conditional is used when the result will always
happen. So, if water reaches 100 degrees, it always boils. It's a fact. I'm talking in
general, not about one particular situation. The result of the if clause' is always the main
clause. The IF in this conditional can usually be replaced by WHEN without changing the
meaning

Ej. If water reaches 100 degrees, it boils (It is always true, there can't be a
different result sometimes) ; If I eat peanuts, I am sick (This is true only for me,
maybe, not for everyone, but it's still true that I'm sick every time I eat peanuts)

Here are some more examples:

Ej. If people eat too much, they get fat ; If you touch a fire, you get burned ;
People die if they don’t eat ; You get water if you mix hydrogen and oxygen

FIRST CONDITIONAL
The first conditional has the present simple after IF, then the future simple in the other
clause. It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we
can't know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could
easily come true.
Ej. If it rains, I won't go to the park ; If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight
; If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes ; She'll miss the bus if
she doesn't leave soon ; If I see her, I'll tell her

FIRST VS ZERO CONDITIONAL

The first conditional describes a particular situation, whereas the zero

conditional describes what happens in general.

Ej. (zero conditional): if you sit in the sun, you get burned (here I'm talking about
every time a person sits in the sun - the burning is a natural consequence of the
sitting). But (first conditional): if you sit in the sun, you'll get burned (here I'm
talking about what will happen today, another day might be different)
SECOND CONDITIONAL
The second conditional uses the past simple after IF, then would and the infinitive. We
can also use WERE instead of WAS with I and HE/SHE/IT but this is mostly done in
formal writing. It has two uses:
1. We can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to
be true. Maybe I'm imagining some dream.
Ej. If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house (I probably won't win the lottery)
; She would pass the exam if she ever studied (She never studies, so this won't
happen)
2. We can use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible, because
it's not true. Is that clear? Have a look at the examples:
Ej. If I had his number, I would call him (I don't have his number now, so it's
impossible for me to call him) ; If I were you, I wouldn't go out with that man

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST CONSITIONAL?

This kind of conditional sentence is different from the first conditional because this is
a lot more unlikely.

For example (second conditional): If I had enough money I would buy a house with
twenty bedrooms and a swimming pool (I'm probably not going to have this much
money, it's just a dream, not very real)

But (first conditional): If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes (It's much
more likely that I'll have enough money for the shoes)

FIRST VS SECOND CONDITIONAL

The first conditional describes things that I think are likely to happen in the future,
whereas the second conditional talks about things that I don't think will really happen.
It's subjective; it depends on my point of view.
Ej. (first conditional) If she studies harder, she'll pass the exam (I think it's
possible she will study harder and so she'll pass) ; (second conditional) If she
studied harder, she would pass the exam (I think that she won't study harder,
or it's very unlikely, and so she won't pass)

THIRD CONDITIONAL
We make the third conditional by using the past perfect after IF and then would have
and the past participle in the second part of the sentence. It talks about the past. It's
used to describe a situation that didn't happen, and to imagine the result of this situation.

Ej. If she had studied, she would have passed the exam (but, really we know
she didn't study and so she didn't pass) ; If I hadn't eaten so much, I wouldn't
have felt sick (but I did eat a lot, and so I did feel sick) ; If we had taken a
taxi, we wouldn't have missed the plane