
1 | Basic uses of the Present Simple
Use it for facts, or things that always happen.
- Cell phones are a great advancement of the modern age.
- Technology helps us make our lives easier.
Use it for routines and habits.
- Whales return to Baja California every year.
- Mexicans always celebrate their Independence Day on September 15th.
Remember that the verb to be in present tense can also be used to talk about: age, occupation, price, time, feelings and states, nationality, and color.
- Kary is 25 and her children are 8.
- Gabriel is a famous writer.
- A subway ticket is 5 pesos.
- It is 7 o’clock.
- My nephews are always hungry and sleepy.
- Alejandra is Argentinian. She was born in Avellaneda.
- My girlfriend’s eyes are blue.
Do you remember the spelling for he, she, it in present? If you don’t remember, take a look at this!
Most verbs: add -s live - lives / buy - buys
Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -ss: add -es miss - misses / search - searches
Verbs ending in a consonant followed by -y: change the -y to -ie and add -s carry - carries / study - studies
Verbs such as: be and have are irregular have - has / be - is (am-are depending on the subject)
2 | Basic uses of the Past Simple
Use it for finished states, events, and actions.
- We needed coins to make phone calls a long time ago.
- Dr. Martin Cooper made the first public mobile phone in 1973.
Remember that there are irregular and regular verbs. So, how is the past simple formed? Study the following chart!
Regular Verbs | Irregular Verbs | Verb to be | |
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There is no rule and you have to learn their past by heart.
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The past simple of the verb to be has two forms and depends on the subjects.
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It's very important to underline that with most verbs, an auxiliary verb is used to make negative and interrogative sentences; however, when the verb to be is used, that auxiliary verb is not needed. Take a look at these examples:
Regular verbs | Verb to be | ||
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Negative | Interrogative | Negative | Interrogative |
The marathon did not become an Olympic sport until 1896. | Did you pay the debts last month? | She was not at home a week ago. | Were they at the movies yesterday afternoon? |
We didn't agree on the price. | Did he run a marathon a month ago? | We weren't angry with you. | Was Motorola the first company to mass produce the first handheld cell phone? |
3 | Time expressions. Present and Past.
Present Tense | Past Tense | |
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Adverbs of frequency | Other expressions | Expressions |
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4 | Past Simple vs Past Continuous
Past Simple | Past Continuous |
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We use it to:
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It is used to:
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When vs While
When we use the Past Continuous and the Past Simple together, we often use WHILE or WHEN. In this case, the Past Continuous describes background events, and the Past Simple describes interruptions.
Example:
While we were doing our English exam, an earthquake took place.
When her brother broke her window, she was making an important call.
Use while with the past continuous for the time the event was happening.
Use when with the past simple for actions.
Let's make this clearer!
When | While |
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We use WHEN in sentences written in the Past Simple. | We use WHILE in sentences written in the Past Continuous. |
For example,
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For example,
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WHILE can be used to express that two activities were in progress at a specific time in the past. | |
For example,
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IMPORTANT: If when or while is written at the beginning of a sentence, a comma is used to separate the two sentences. | |
REMEMBER! | |
We often use the Past Simple and the Past Continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of something else: | But we use the Past Simple to say that one thing happened after another: |
For example,
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For example,
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COMPARE! | |
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5 | Be going to vs Will
To talk about future actions we use mainly two structures: be going to and will, but they are not used for the same purposes.
Uses | ||
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Be going to | Will | |
To talk about plans in the future (Prior Plans)
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To talk about predictions based on personal opinions or experiences, usually with the verbs think, believe, I’m sure, I guess and as far as I can see.
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To talk about predictions based on evidence
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To talk about that something is about to happen
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6 | Time expressions. Future.
- Today, tonight.
- Tomorrow, tomorrow morning/afternoon, evening.
- The day after tomorrow.
- Next day, next week, month, year.
- In an hour, in a /week/month/year.
- This morning/afternoon, evening.
- This week/weekend/month/year
- In the near future.
- On Monday, in August, in 2025.
Read carefully the following sentences and tick the best option.
Daily Activities | Past events/actions | Plans or Predictions | |
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My brother plays basketball on the weekends. |
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Their cousins ran marathons every six months. |
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Kary's sister is going to attend Bad Bunny’s concert in Mexico City. She already has the tickets. |
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Iker thinks he will fail Maths and Chemistry. He doesn’t understand the main concepts. |
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When Andy's family traveled to Oaxaca, they always ate grasshoppers. |
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Saray's best friend often goes to church on Sundays. |
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Read carefully the following sentences and choose the correct option.
1 | I heard a weird noise, I was studying in my bedroom.
2 | he was studying in his bedroom, he heard a weird noise.
3 | They were cooking their sister was watching TV.
4 | I was watching my favorite TV show the electricity went off.
5 | A parade was taking place in the town I was visiting it.
6 | my family visited Xcaret, I was working at home.
Now that you have completed the previous exercise. Read the sentences again and write the correct answer.
Now that you have completed the previous exercise. Read the sentences again and write the correct answer.