hi I'm Martin welcome to Oxford online
English in this lesson you can learn
about English verb tenses are you
confused about simple perfect and
continuous tenses do you know how many
verb tenses there are in English in this
lesson you can get a big picture
understanding of English verb tenses
you'll learn what connects English verb
forms which will make it easier for you
to learn understand verb tenses in
English let's start with an overview of
the topic so that you understand what
you're dealing with every English verb
form has two parts the first part is the
time past present or future the second
part is the aspect simple continuous
perfect or perfect continuous so there
are three times and four aspects you can
combine them in 12 different ways
pause the video if you want more time to
look at the table let's do a quick test
can you recognize these three verb forms
I was having dinner this time yesterday
he's been sitting there for hours where
will you be next week do you know the
answers let's check in the first
sentence the time is past and the aspect
is continuous its past continuous in the
second sentence the time is present and
the aspect is perfect continuous its
present perfect continuous in the third
sentence the time its future and the
aspect is simple its future simple you
don't need to remember all of this now
what you should remember all English
verb forms are made of these two parts
time plus aspect one more point
different teachers books and courses
sometimes use different words for these
things for example some books use the
word progressive instead of continuous
so instead of present continuous they
say
present progressive other words have the
same problem for example the words tense
and aspect are used in different ways by
different people
our advice don't think too much about
the words focus on the ideas understand
it can be confusing but this is really
not your problem that people don't use
these words consistently next let's talk
more about time I said we're going to
talk about past present and future but
really we're mostly going to talk about
the future why why is the future
different English verbs have past and
present
forms for example be was do did want
wanted so to make a present form past
just change the present perp to the past
verb like this I go shopping once a week
I went shopping once a week she's
running in the park she was running in
the park we haven't seen it yet we
haven't seen it yet it doesn't matter if
the aspect is simple continuous perfect
or perfect continuous using a present or
a past verb decides whether the meaning
is present or past that's almost too
simple right but what about the future
there are no future verb forms you can't
change the verb to make it future so you
have to add something before the verb
for example I'll be waiting for you
outside the station when are you going
to tell her he might join us later now
you can see why the future is more
complicated there are many things you
can add before the verb to give it a
future meaning you saw examples with
will be going to and might but there are
other possibilities it's also very
common to use present verb forms with a
future meaning like this what are you
doing this weekend class starts at 10:00
so talking about the future is more
complex
there isn't one way to give a verb a
future meaning in English and there's
also a large overlap between the present
and the future what should you remember
from always remember that every verb has
only one past form and only one
form but there are many possible future
forms there isn't one future tense in
English now let's talk about aspect look
at three sentences I went to Rome last
year I go to work by bus I'll go with
you
where are these three verb forms they're
all simple past simple present simple
and future simple you can see that the
past and present simple you just use the
present or past form of the verb without
adding anything for the future simple
you need to add something like will or
going to in general simple verb forms
describe two things one single actions
two repeated actions or states so I went
to Rome or I'll go with you describe
single actions in the past or the future
I go to work by bus describes a repeated
action in the present the present simple
can generally be used to talk about
single actions the present simple
generally expresses repeated actions or
states the past and future simple can be
used to talk about single actions
repeated actions or states for example I
went to Rome every year until 2012 I'll
go with you on Tuesday or Wednesday but
I can't on Thursday so what about
continuous verb forms let's start with
three examples I was eating dinner at
seven o'clock last night I'm eating a
tuna sandwich this time next week I'll
be eating fresh seafood on an island
these three sentences are all continuous
fast continue
as present continuous and future
continuous can you see what connects
them first all continuous forms use the
verb be together with an ING verb so to
make a continuous form take the verb be
in the past present or future then add
your main verb with ing on the end for
example she was telling me a really
interesting story
they aren't helping at all it'll be
getting dark at 5 o'clock what about the
meaning of continuous forms can you see
what connects these examples continuous
forms describe things which are
incomplete generally continuous forms
are used to talk about one moment in
time
so you say I was eating dinner at seven
o'clock last night because you're
talking about a moment in time 7 o'clock
and something incomplete you hadn't
finished your dinner at that moment in
the sentence she was telling me a really
interesting story you're talking about a
moment in time when she was in the
middle of her story you use a continuous
form because at that moment she hasn't
finished her story okay but what about
perfect verb forms again let's start
with some examples he hadn't finished
speaking
she has finished all her homework will
have finished everything by Friday what
do you notice all perfect tenses use the
verb have in the past present or future
form after have you use a past
participle to make the perfect form so
for example to make the past perfect you
take the past form of have which has had
and add a past participle
for example we hadn't thought about it I
had never tried miso soup before for the
future perfect take the future form of
have which could be will have and add a
past participle like this I'll have
finished all my exams by this time next
year what about the meaning of perfect
forms can you see anything which
connects these three sentences perfect
verb forms connect two points in time
for example he haven't finished speaking
is past perfect this connect to
different times or actions in the past
to understand this you need a longer
sentence with more information for
example he hadn't finished speaking when
everybody started to leave the perfect
form connect the two different actions
this is the best way to think about
perfect verb forms perfect verb forms
connect two points in time how does this
work in the present this is present
perfect what two points in time does
this connect it connects the present and
the past she's finished her homework in
the past before now and now her homework
is done and ready to be checked in the
present what about the future this is
the future perfect in this case it
connects the present to a point in the
future when you say we'll have finished
everything by Friday
you mean that you will finish everything
sometime between now and Friday you
don't know exactly when you'll finish
everything but you know that it will be
somewhere in this period between now and
the future finally let's look at perfect
continuous forms here are three examples
to begin she's been feeling much better
we've been waiting for ages by the end
of the day we will have been working
without a break for 14 hours what do you
notice you can see that perfect
continuous forms are a mix of the
perfect and the continuous which is
logical right they're perfect forms
because they use a form of 1/2
plus a past participle which in a
perfect continuous verb form is always
the same beam their continuous forms
because they use B plus a main verb with
ing how do you set the time of a perfect
continuous form you set the time by
changing the form of have you the past
present or future form of have plus bin
plus verb with ing let's practice here's
a sentence in the present simple I walk
through the forest can you change the
sentence into the three perfect
continuous forms past present and future
pause the video and try it ready let's
check your answers I had been walking
through the forest I've been walking
through the forest I will have been
walking through the forest did you get
the right next let's talk about the
meaning of perfect continuous forms
again the meaning is a combination of
the two aspects perfect and continuous
so the meaning is perfect because these
forms connect two points in time I had
been walking through the forest when
something else happened for example I'd
been walking through the forest for
hours
before I realized I was lost like it's
all before the perfect aspect is used to
connect two points in the past what
about the
continuous sign what meaning the bad
it adds the idea of something incomplete
or temporary if you say she'd been
feeling much better
this suggests she was feeling ill either
before or after she was feeling better
if you say we've been waiting for ages
you mean that your still hasn't got what
you came for the action waiting isn't
complete if you say by the end of the
day we will have been working without a
break for 14 hours you mean that your
work still won't be finished at the end
of the day the past and future perfect
continuous forms are rare but you still
need them sometimes okay so now you've
seen an overview of all the English verb
forms first of all remember that this
lesson is meant to give you the big
picture you've seen what connects
different English verb tenses and how
verb forms are different from each other
however you've seen the most general
connections and differences this can
help you to understand English verb
forms but remember that every English
verb has its own specific uses and
meanings
well more practice with this topic make
sure you check out the full version of
this lesson on our website it includes a
quiz to help you review and practice
what you've learned in this class that's
all from us thanks for watching see you
next time