Grammar in focus
What each tense means
| Tense | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | routines, facts, timetables | I get up at 7. Water boils at 100°C. |
| Present continuous | now, temporary, arranged future | I'm eating now. I'm meeting Ana tomorrow. |
| Past simple | finished past action | I visited Paris in 2019. |
| Past continuous | action in progress in the past | I was cooking when you called. |
| Present perfect | past → present link: experience, result, unfinished time | I've lost my keys. I've lived here for ten years. |
| Present perfect continuous | activity up to now | I've been working all day. |
| Past perfect | earlier of two past actions | He had left before I arrived. |
| Will / be going to | future: decision now / plan | I'll call you. I'm going to study tonight. |
| Future perfect | completed before a future time | By next year I'll have graduated. |
Time words
always, every day → present simple · now, at the moment → present continuous · yesterday, in 2019 → past simple · while → past continuous · already, just, ever, since, for → present perfect · tomorrow → future.
Watch out
Choose the tense by meaning, not by the English name. I'm meeting Ana tomorrow uses a present form to talk about the future. He's being silly (behavior now) ≠ He's silly (character).
En español
Cada tiempo verbal tiene un significado: presente simple = hábitos y hechos; presente continuo = ahora; pasado simple = acción terminada; presente perfecto = conexión pasado-presente; will / going to = futuro.
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
Americans often use the past simple with already/just/yet.
En EE. UU. se usa a menudo el pasado simple con already/just/yet.
Same future idea, different words (store/shops).
Misma idea de futuro, distintas palabras.
Same tense; different preposition.
Mismo tiempo; distinta preposición.
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.