Past Tenses
We use Past Simple to talk about:
• Single completed actions;
• Repeated habitual actions in the past;
• General truth about the past;
• Permanent situations and states about the past;
• The main events in a story.
We use emphatic past simple (did do) to emphasise contrast or strong feeling in the past.
Past Simple or Present Perfect?
We often announce a piece of news with the present perfect. We can use just to say that something happened very recently. When we give more details, we usually change to the simple past.
Simple past is used to talk about the origin of something present.
To talk about finished actions, we can use the present perfect or the simple past. It often depends on the kind of time expression that is used. We do not normally use the present perfect with expressions that refer to a finished time, like yesterday, last week, three years ago, then, when. We normally use the present perfect with expressions which refer to «any time up to now», like ever, never, before, recently, often, already, yet, etc.
Just now (meaning ’a moment ago) is used with the simple past.
Present perfect is used when the specific time something happened isn’t important or relevant, or when the present result of the past event is important.
Past Continuous refers to actions:
• In progress at a particular moment in the past;
• In progress around a particular moment in the past;
• Temporary actions and series of actions in the past;
• Changing and developing situations in the past;
• Annoying or amusing past habits (usually with always);
• Background information is a story;
• Actions in progress over a period of time;
• Two actions in progress at the same time;
We use Past Perfect Simple in talking about:
• Situations and states before the past;
• Completed actions before a certain moment in the past;
• A series of actions continuing up to a moment in the past;
• Completed actions where the important thing is the result in the moment in the past.
Past Perfect Continuous is used for:
• Actions and situations continuing up to a moment in the past (or just before a moment in the past)
• Single completed actions;
• Repeated habitual actions in the past;
• General truth about the past;
• Permanent situations and states about the past;
• The main events in a story.
We use emphatic past simple (did do) to emphasise contrast or strong feeling in the past.
Past Simple or Present Perfect?
We often announce a piece of news with the present perfect. We can use just to say that something happened very recently. When we give more details, we usually change to the simple past.
Simple past is used to talk about the origin of something present.
To talk about finished actions, we can use the present perfect or the simple past. It often depends on the kind of time expression that is used. We do not normally use the present perfect with expressions that refer to a finished time, like yesterday, last week, three years ago, then, when. We normally use the present perfect with expressions which refer to «any time up to now», like ever, never, before, recently, often, already, yet, etc.
Just now (meaning ’a moment ago) is used with the simple past.
Present perfect is used when the specific time something happened isn’t important or relevant, or when the present result of the past event is important.
Past Continuous refers to actions:
• In progress at a particular moment in the past;
• In progress around a particular moment in the past;
• Temporary actions and series of actions in the past;
• Changing and developing situations in the past;
• Annoying or amusing past habits (usually with always);
• Background information is a story;
• Actions in progress over a period of time;
• Two actions in progress at the same time;
We use Past Perfect Simple in talking about:
• Situations and states before the past;
• Completed actions before a certain moment in the past;
• A series of actions continuing up to a moment in the past;
• Completed actions where the important thing is the result in the moment in the past.
Past Perfect Continuous is used for:
• Actions and situations continuing up to a moment in the past (or just before a moment in the past)