Present Simple Tense

The Present Simple tense is used to express habitual actions, general truths, and scheduled future events. It is formed by using the base form of the verb, adding -s/-es for third-person singular subjects.

Present Simple budowa (structure): Subject + verb in base form (-s/-es for third-person singular)

Present Simple: zastosowanie (usage):

1. Regular, repetitive actions or those lasting for an extended period. Example: She goes to school on Mondays.

2. Actions or states of a permanent nature. Example: I drink a lot of coffee.

3. Expressing feelings, emotions, and preferences. Example: I hate her.

4. Physical phenomena, rules, and regulations. Example: Water boils at 100 degrees.

5. Newspaper headlines. Example: The Key Witness Dies.

6. Narration. Example: She enters the room and shoots him.

7. Event reporting (e.g., TV commentary). Example: Messi wins the match!

8. Future actions that are part of a schedule, plan, or timetable. Example: The bus leaves at 10 p.m.

Highlight: The Present Simple is versatile and can be used to describe various situations, from daily routines to scientific facts.

Present Simple ćwiczenia (exercises): Practice using the Present Simple with frequency adverbs:

• Hardly ever
• Occasionally
• Seldom / Rarely
• Ever
• Never
• Always
• Sometimes
• Usually
• Once/Twice...
• Nowadays
• Every time/morning...
• Frequently / Often
• As a rule
• From time to time
• On a regular basis

Present Simple - pytania (questions):

• Yes/No questions: Do her parents sing to her? / Don't her parents sing to her?
• Wh-questions: What do her parents do? / How often do her parents sing?
• Subject questions: Who sings to her every week?

Example: "She plays tennis every Saturday" demonstrates a regular, habitual action in the Present Simple tense.

Vocabulary:

• FLY - FLIES
• PLAY - PLAYS

These examples show how the -s ending changes for certain verbs in the third person singular form.

Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect tense is used to connect past actions to the present moment. It is formed using 'have/has' plus the past participle of the main verb.

Present Perfect budowa (structure): Subject + have/has + past participle (third form of the verb)

Example: She has just arrived.

Present Perfect -- kiedy używamy (when to use):

1. An action that started in the past and continues to the present. Example: I've learned Spanish for 4 years.

2. A completed action with a connection to or impact on the present. Example: Who has opened the windows? / I've spent 5 years in the UK.

3. A recently completed action. Example: It has just stopped raining.

4. An action performed at an unspecified time. Example: She has seen him lately.

5. An action performed in an unfinished time period (today, this week, this month, this year). Example: I haven't seen him today.

6. After the phrase "It's the first/second/last time..." Example: It's the first time I've been to... / It's the last time I've turned a blind eye to this kind of behavior.

7. Describing experiences and achievements of living people. Example: I have never climbed a mountain.

Highlight: The Present Perfect is crucial for linking past actions to the present, often implying that the effects of these actions are still relevant.

Present Perfect określenia czasu (time expressions):

• For
• Already
• Yet (still / already)
• So far / Thus far
• Never
• Just
• Since
• Always
• This month/year/day...
• Up till now
• Up to the present
• At least
• Ever
• Recently

Present Perfect zdania twierdzące, przeczące i pytające (affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences):

Present Perfect budowa zdania (sentence structure):

• Affirmative: They have sent him 2 letters.
• Negative: They haven't sent him 2 letters.
• Questions:
  • Yes/No questions: Have they sent him 2 letters? / Haven't they sent him 2 letters?
  • Wh-questions: What have they sent him?
  • Subject questions: Who has sent him 2 letters?

Example: "I have visited Paris three times" uses the Present Perfect to describe a life experience without specifying when it occurred.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The Present Perfect Continuous tense emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of an action that started in the past and continues to the present or has recently stopped. It is formed using 'have/has been' plus the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.

Present Perfect Continuous budowa (structure): Subject + have/has + been + verb-ing

Example: She has been living in London for 10 years.

Usage:

1. An action that started in the past and is still ongoing. Example: I've been learning Spanish since 2010.

2. An action that started in the past and has recently ended or is ending at the moment of speaking. Example: I've been thinking about you.

3. When discussing certain effects explained by the continuity or duration of an action. Example: I'm tired - I've been running all morning. (Present Perfect Continuous) Compared to: I'm tired - I've run 10 km. (Present Perfect)

4. An action repeating from a certain time in the past and still continuing. Example: She is happy because he has been sending her flowers every day for the last 2 weeks.

5. When dealing with emotions, usually negative ones. Example: Someone has been using my pen. The nib is broken.

Highlight: The Present Perfect Continuous emphasizes the duration and continuity of actions, often implying that they are ongoing or have recently stopped with visible results.

Characteristic time expressions:

• For
• Since
• All...
• Lately
• Recently

Questions: HAVE/HAS + subject + been + verb-ing + rest of the sentence + ?

• Yes/No questions: Have they been living in...? / Haven't they been living in...?
• Wh-questions: How long have they been...? / Where have they been...?
• Subject questions: Who has been living...?

Negation: They haven't been living in the UK for 5 years.

Example: "She has been studying for her exam all week" uses the Present Perfect Continuous to emphasize the ongoing nature of the studying action leading up to the present moment.

Past Simple Tense

The Past Simple tense is used to describe completed actions or states in the past. It is formed by adding -ed to regular verbs or using the second form of irregular verbs.

Past Simple budowa (structure): Subject + verb in past tense form

For regular verbs, add -d/-ed (e.g., clean - cleaned, travel - travelled, try - tried) For irregular verbs, use the second column form

Past Simple - zastosowanie (usage):

1. Single events, states, or actions that occurred and were completed at a specific time in the past. Example: I read an interesting book yesterday.

2. Habitual or repeated states, actions, or sentences that took place in the past and have ended. Example: I swam every day when I was a child.

Highlight: The Past Simple is often used with specific time expressions that indicate when the action occurred in the past.

Past Simple określenia czasu (time expressions):

• Yesterday
• The other day
• Last (week, month, year)
• In 1995
• The day before yesterday
• Ago

Past Simple zdania (sentences):

• Negative: She didn't go to the park yesterday.
• Questions:
  • Yes/No questions: Did she go to the park? / Didn't she go to the park?
  • Wh-questions: When did she go? / Where did she go?
  • Subject questions: Who went to the park?

Example: The Past Simple tense allows us to talk about completed actions in the past, such as "I visited Paris last summer" or "She learned to play the piano when she was young."