Tiempos verbales en inglés: reglas, ejemplos y cuadro de referencia

Tiempos verbales en inglés

Presente

Present Simple (PS): como (1º), always, every day, PC.

Present Continuous (PC): estoy comiendo (is, are + -ing), at the moment, this year, now, tonight, next, today, tomorrow.

Pasado

Past Simple (PAST): comí (2º), yesterday, last, ago.

Past Continuous (PAST C): estaba comiendo (was, were + -ing), at 8 o'clock, as, at.

Past Perfect (PAST P): había comido (had + 3º), by the time, after, before.

Present Perfect (P.P): he comido (have, has + 3º), ever, just, yet, recently, already, for, since, how long?

Present Perfect Continuous (P.PC): he estado comiendo (have been + -ing), for, since, all day.

Past Perfect Continuous (PAST PC): había estado comiendo (had been + -ing), all morning, when, for, since, by the time.

Futuro

Future Simple (FUTU): comeré (will + 1º), this evening, later, next week, soon, at ten o'clock, in the future, tomorrow, in an hour.

Future Continuous (FUTUR C): estaré comiendo (will be + -ing), at this time tomorrow, by 7 o'clock, by the end of..., at this time next...

Future Perfect (FUTUR P): habré comido (will have + 3º), by this time next week, by ten o'clock, by then.

Be going to: va a comer (is, are going to + 1º). Look! Tonight.

Otras estructuras temporales

past s. / past s. WHILE past c.

Voz pasiva

• sell → are sold (son vendidos)
• are selling → are being sold (están siendo vendidos)
• sold → were sold (estaban vendidos)
• will sell → will be sold (serán vendidos)
• have sold → have been sold (han sido vendidos)
• can sell → can be sold (puede ser vendido)
• were selling → were being sold (estaban siendo vendidos)
• had sold → had been sold (habían sido vendidos)
• must have sold → must have been sold (deben haber sido vendidos)
• have to sell → have to be sold (tienen que ser vendidos)
• are going to sell → are going to be sold (van a ser vendidos)

Estilo indirecto

• works → worked
• worked → had worked
• will work → would work
• is working → was working
• was working → had been working
• has worked → had worked
• has been working → had been working
• had worked → had worked
• had been working → had been working
• can → could
• may → might
• now → then
• today → that day
• tonight → that night
• yesterday → the day before
• last week → the week before
• a month ago → the month before
• tomorrow → the day after
• next week → the week after
• here → there
• this/these → that/those

Causativo

get / have + something + 3º. Ejemplo: he will paint his house → he will get his house painted.

Wish / Wishes

1. Past simple (infelicidad presente)
2. Past perfect (arrepentimiento pasado)
3. Would + base form (deseo futuro, ilusiones)

Condicionales

1. If + present simple, will / present / imperative
2. If + past simple, would / could + base form
3. If + past perfect, would have / could have + 3º

Modales

• Can / could: know how to, possible (saber hacer algo), knew how to
• May / might: perhaps, maybe, possible, probably
• Must / have to: essential, necessary, to be sure / certain
• Needn't / don't have to: it isn't necessary
• Should: advise, advisable, it's important, it's convenient
• Could have + 3º: posibilidad en el pasado
• Can't have + 3º: deducción negativa
• May have + 3º: suposición en el pasado
• Must have + 3º: conclusiones lógicas
• Should have + 3º: debería haber
• Would have + 3º: acciones en el pasado
• Needn't have + 3º: no era necesario y se hizo

Relativos y cláusulas

We ordered a book. It was very expensive → We ordered a book, which / that was very expensive (distintas cosas).

A midwife is a woman. He assists other women in childbirth → A midwife, who assists other women in childbirth, is a woman (misma cosa).

Posesivos: my, her, his. WHOSE, WHEN (tiempo), WHERE (lugar).

I wish (deseo)

• Past simple: ojalá mi casa fuera... (no va a pasar)
• Past perfect: ojalá hubiera estudiado (arrepentimiento)
• Would + base form: ojalá mejorara mis notas (puede pasar)

Estar acostumbrado

is / are + used to + -ing

Proceso de acostumbrarse: get / getting used to + -ing

Otros recursos

few: pocos / a few: unos cuantos. For example: por ejemplo. Moreover / in addition to / apart from: además, aparte de.

Orden de ideas

1. First of all
2. Secondly
3. Finally, in conclusion

Conectores

• therefore: por ello
• but: pero
• in spite of: a pesar de
• although: aunque
• however: sin embargo
• while: mientras
• because of: a causa de
• according to the text: según el texto
• after all: al fin y al cabo
• after that: después de eso
• and another thing: y otra cosa
• and last of all: y por último
• and then: y entonces
• and so: y así
• anyway: de todos modos
• as / as soon as: mientras, ya que, como / tan pronto como
• at first: al principio
• before: antes que
• consequently: consecuentemente
• due to: debido a
• even more: todavía más
• for one reason: por una razón
• hardly anyone: casi nadie
• hardly ever: casi nunca
• such as: tales como
• for this reason: por eso

Expresiones de opinión

• I'm convinced that: estoy convencido de que
• I don't think that: no me gusta mucho que
• I hope that: espero que
• I strongly believe that: creo firmemente que
• I suppose (that): supongo que