The Ultimate Guide to English Tenses for Intermediate and Advanced Learners

In this grammar guide for intermediate and advanced learners, we go through some of the most common mistakes our students make with English tenses and give you the tools to avoid them. We start with a full overview of the twelve tenses, then take a closer look at the comparisons that trip people up most: Past Simple vs Present Perfect, for vs since, and Past Simple vs Past Continuous.

The 12 English tenses at a glance

Part 1: The Past Simple

The Past Simple is formed using the past form of a verb, which is either a regular verb (+ed): WORK → WORKED, or an irregular verb: EAT → ATE. For negatives and questions, we use the auxiliary DID + the base form of the verb.

This is a tense we learn early, and the idea is simple: it is all about the past. We use it for something that happened, started, and finished. It is completely over. We tend to be describing a specific event or a certain time (when I was at school, last year, when I went on holiday, last summer), and we are emphasising the action, what we did.

In short, we use the Past Simple for finished actions, states, or habits in the past, when we have a finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 8 o’clock, in 2019) or we know the time period has finished.

Part 2: Past Simple vs Present Perfect

English tenses are tricky because they do not map neatly onto the tenses in other languages, and the Present Perfect in particular is unique. It is formed with the auxiliary HAVE + past participle: WORK → HAVE WORKED, EAT → HAVE EATEN. For negatives and questions we keep HAVE + the past participle (I haven’t eaten anything yet. Where have you been?).

We use the Present Perfect in two main ways: for something that started in the past and continues now, and for experiences in our life up to now. Here is how it compares to the Past Simple.

So if you can point to a finished moment, use the Past Simple (I rode a camel when I visited Egypt in 1995). If you are talking about an experience up to now, or something still going on, use the Present Perfect (I have never written a novel. I have visited Rome).

Here is an extract on the topic from the Live English Club with our teacher Mary-Ann:

Part 3: For vs Since

Knowing when to use for and when to use since is a small detail that makes a big difference. For describes a period (a duration) of time. Since describes the starting point of a period that continues to now.

Because for marks a duration, it works with any tense: Mary goes to sewing class for three hours every Monday (present simple); they are studying for two hours today (present continuous); he has lived in Milan for a long time (present perfect); he has been living in Paris for three months (present perfect continuous). Since marks a starting point, so it pairs with perfect tenses: he has been here since 9 am; it has been raining since Tuesday.

Part 4: Past Simple vs Past Continuous

The Past Continuous is formed with WAS/WERE + verb(-ing): I was eating my dinner at 8 pm last night. For negatives and questions we use WAS/WERE (+ not) + verb(-ing): I was not eating dinner at 8 pm last night; what were you doing at 8 pm last night?

We use the Past Continuous for an action that was already in progress when something shorter happened or at a particular time, for the background of a story, and for temporary or repeated past habits (often with always, constantly, or forever). We usually use the Past Simple for the shorter, completed actions.

Frequently asked questions

Master these comparisons and you have covered the tense choices that cause most intermediate and advanced learners trouble. The next step is practice: use them, get feedback, and they will soon feel automatic.