Unidad 1 Verb to be explanation and the simple tenses

The verb “To be” most frequently works in conjunction with another verb for example: “He is playing the piano,” “She will be arriving this afternoon.” Occasionally, though, the verb will stand by itself, alone, in a sentence. This is especially true in simple, brief answers to questions.

 

“Who's going to the movies with me?”
“I am”

“Who's responsible for this mess in the bathroom?”
“She is.”

In sentences such as these, the subject usually receives the intonation stress and the voice falls off on the verb.

An auxiliary can be combined with the base form of “To be” to provide simple answers to questions that use forms of “to be.”

“Is Heitor in class this morning?”
“Well, he might be.”

“Is anyone helping Heitor with his homework?”
“I'm not sure. Suzanne could be.”

The verb “To be” also acts as a linking verb, joining the sentence subject with a subject complement or adjective complement. A linking verb provides no action to a sentence: the subject complement re-identifies the subject; the adjective complement modifies it. (For further information and additional vocabulary in dealing with linking verbs, visit the hyperlinks in this paragraph.)

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Simple present tense

The simple present tense is used in English for the following purposes:
- Repeated actions
- Simple statements of fact
- World truths
- With verbs of the senses and mental processes
- In jokes and story telling
- To refer to the future
How to form the present simple

Present Tense
I am	We are
You are	You are
He/She/It is	They are

REPEATED ACTIONS

The present simple tense is very often used with adverbs of repeated time. Look at these examples (the adverbs are shown in bold):

• I always come to school by car.
• She frequently arrives here before me.
• He never forgets to do his homework.
• I often catch the late bus home.
• I play football on Saturdays.
• Once a year I fly back to visit my family in Korea.
• The classrooms are cleaned every evening after school.
• She sometimes loses her temper, but it doesn't happen veryoften.
• Do you ever eat in the cafeteria?
• Does your father speak English every day?

Simple statements of fact

When we want to state a fact or ask a question without any time reference, we use the present simple tense.

• I live in Frankfurt.
• She plays football but she doesn't play tennis.
• For breakfast he eats rice and drinks cold milk.
• She works very hard.
• My friend speaks four languages.
• It rains a lot in Germany.
• I don't like horror films!
• Do you smoke?
• Does your sister have any children?
• How much does it cost to buy an apartment in Frankfurt?

World truths

Statements about rules of nature and the way the world is are in the present simple tense.

• The sun sets in the West.
• Most babies learn to speak when they are about two years old.
• Water boils at 100° Celsius.
• Trees lose their leaves in the fall.
• Few people live to be 100 years old.
• Wood floats on water.
• Does it snow in the Sahara desert?
• Do elephants live longer than humans?
• Money doesn't guarantee happiness.
• Flowers don't grow in the winter.

Verbs of the senses and mental processes

The present simple tense is used for many verbs of thinking, feeling and sensing. The most common words are:

like	love	prefer	know	understand
hate	need	want	believe	remember
see	hear	taste	smell	look

• She likes it in Germany.
• I love lying in bed late on Sunday mornings.
• I need to know right now.
• She says she doesn't know who did it, but I don't believe her.
• He doesn't want to speak to you again.
• This doesn't taste very good, does it?
• Do you remember the first time we met?
• Do you smell something funny?
• Does he understand which way to go?

In jokes, anecdotes and film or book summaries

The present simple tense is very often used in jokes and when telling a story to make the joke or story seem more immediate. This use of the present tense is sometimes called the graphic present.
The present simple is also used to retell what happens in a book or film.

• So in he walks with a parrot on his shoulder.
• In his new film Robert Redford plays the part of a brave cowboy.

To refer to the future

The present simple is often used to refer to future events that are scheduled (and outside of our control).

• Hurry up! The train departs in 10 minutes.
• I leave Frankfurt at 5 o'clock in the morning and arrive in New York
at midnight the next day.
• She has a piano lesson after school today.
• There's no need to hurry. The train doesn't leave for another 30 minutes.
• When does the meeting begin?

 

Simple past tense

 

The simple past tense is used to talk about finished actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You state when it happened using a time adverb.
You form the simple past of a verb by adding -ed onto the end of a regular verb but, irregular verb forms have to be learned.

To be Statements +	To be Statements -	Questions ?
I was.	I wasn't.	Was I?
He was.	He wasn't.	Was he?
She was.	She wasn't.	Was she?
It was.	It wasn't.	Was it?
You were.	You weren't.	Were you?
We were.	We weren't.	Were we?
They were.	They weren't.	Were they?

Regular Verb (to work) Statements +	Regular Verb (to work) Statements -	Questions	Short answer +	Short answer -
I worked.	I didn't work.	Did I work?	Yes, I did.	No, I didn't.
He worked.	He didn't work.	Did he work?	Yes, he did.	No, he didn't.
She worked.	She didn't work.	Did she work?	Yes, she did.	No, she didn't.
It worked.	It didn't work.	Did it work?	Yes, it did.	No, it didn't.
You worked.	You didn't work.	Did you work?	Yes you did.	No, you didn't.
We worked.	We didn't work.	Did we work?	Yes we did.	No, we didn't.
They worked.	They didn't work.	Did they work?	Yes they did.	No, they didn't.

Simple Past Timeline

Future tense


When you mention a time in the past:-
For example:
"Last year I took my exams."
"I got married in 1992."
It can be used to describe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now.
For example:
"I lived in South Africa for two years."
The simple past tense is also used to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past.
For example:
"When I was a child we always went to the seaside on bank holidays."
It can sometimes be confusing.
For example:
"She had a baby last year." (She hasn't lost the baby, but here you are talking about the actual process of giving birth.)

We say something is going to happen when it has already been planned.
For example:-
Q) Are you going to fly to Germansy?
A) No, we're going to drive.
We also use it to show something has already been decided.
For example:-
"We're going to buy a new car next year."
We also use going to when we can see something is about to happen.
For example:-

"Look at that cloud. I think it's going to rain."
 "Watch out! He's going to crash into that tree!"
You can also use going to to predict the future based upon the evidence now.
For example:-
"It looks as though Manchester United are going to win the European cup.
"I think my friend Louise is going to have a baby."

Note!

"I'm going to Germany." isn't really the future tense. You would have to say "I'm going to go to Germany."

Discussing the future using shall/will

When we give information about the future or predict future events that are not certain we usually use shall/will.
For example:
Q) Who do you think will win the election?" A) "I'm not sure but I think the current party will win."
We can also use shall/will to make promises for the future.
When leaving work I would say - "Goodnight, I'll (I will) see you tomorrow."
Shall/Will is often used when we just decide to do something.
For example:-
The phone is ringing - If I decide to answer the phone I would say - "I'll (I will) get it."
It can also be used in formal situations to express planned events and is preferred in formal written English.
For example:-
The party will start at 10.00pm.