English Grammar: Present Continuous vs Simple

A grammatical tense used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to have an effect in the present. It is formed with 'have/has' + past participle.

The past participle of a verb is its third form (e.g. 'done', 'seen', 'written'). It is often formed by adding '-ed' to the base form, but many verbs are irregular.

A verb that does not follow the standard rule for forming past participles (adding '-ed'). It has its own unique past participle form (e.g. 'gone', 'seen', 'written').

Used to describe actions that have been happening for a specific period of time.

Used to describe actions that started at a specific point in time.

Used to ask about the length of an action.

Used to ask about the time when an action started.

Use 'for' to describe how long something has been happening. Example: 'I've lived in Chicago for 5 years.'

Use 'since' to describe when something started. Example: 'I've lived in Chicago since 2018.'

Use 'How long' to ask about the duration of an action. Example: 'How long have you lived in Chicago?'

Use 'When' to ask about the starting point of an action. Example: 'When did you move to Chicago?'

A verb tense used to talk about actions or states that happened in the past.

A verb tense used to indicate ongoing or continuous actions in the past. These actions were happening at a specific time in the past.

The past tense form of the verb 'be' (am/is/are), used to express states of being in the past.

Used to refer to an action or a state that started in the past and continues up to the present.

Used to ask about the duration of an action or state that started in the past and continues up to the present.

Used to indicate that an action or a state started in the past and is still ongoing.

Used to indicate a completed action in the past.

Used to express the time difference between a past event and now.

The past continuous tense describes an action that was happening at a specific point in the past. It's used when the event wasn't completed, but was in progress.

The past continuous is formed with 'was/were' and the -ing form of the verb.

We use the past continuous to describe an action happening in the past that was interrupted by another action (past simple).

The past continuous is often used with conjunctions like 'when' or 'while' to show the relationship between two actions.

We use the past continuous to describe a background action that was happening while another action took place.

To describe an action that was happening at a specific point in the past, we use the past continuous with an expression of time.

We use the past continuous to show that an action was incomplete or unfinished at a specific time.

The past continuous is used to describe a situation or action that was ongoing in the past.

The present perfect tense is used to talk about actions or states that began in the past and continue up to the present moment.

The phrase "since" indicates a starting point in the past, and the present perfect tense is used to describe an action or state that began at that point and continues until now.

The phrase "for" indicates a duration of time, and the present perfect tense is used to describe an action or state that has lasted for that specific duration.

The present perfect is used with time expressions that refer to unfinished periods, like today, this week, or this year, to indicate that the action or state began in the past and continues up to now.

The phrase "It's the first (second, third) time" indicates that something is happening for the first (second, third) time in a sequence. The present perfect tense is used to describe the action.

The present perfect tense is used to express an experience or action that happened at an unspecified time in the past. The focus is on the result or impact of the experience.

The present perfect tense can be used to ask questions about past experiences or events. These questions usually involve an action that has happened at least once before.

The present perfect tense can be used to emphasize that something happened in the past and is no longer happening.