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Grammatical basic structures

 Quick abbreviations: S = subject | V = base verb | V-ing = verb + -ing | V2 = past | PP = past participle

1) Simple Present

Main uses: habits/routines, facts, general truths, schedules/timetables, statements (like know, like, believe).

Form

Structure

Example

Affirmative

S + V (+ s/es with he/she/it)

She works on Mondays. / I work on Mondays.

Negative

S + don’t/doesn’t + V

She doesn’t work on Mondays. / I don’t work on Mondays.

Question

Do/Does + S + V …?

Does she work on Mondays? / Do you work on Mondays?

Answers (long & short)

Yes, S + do/does. / No, S + don’t/doesn’t.

Yes, she does. / Yes, she works on Mondays. — No, she doesn’t. / No, she doesn’t work on Mondays.
Common time words: always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day/week, on Mondays.

2) Present Continuous

Main uses: happening now, temporary situations, current trends, “around now”, annoying repeated actions (always), future arrangements.

Form

Structure

Example

Affirmative

S + am/is/are + V-ing

I am studying now. / They are studying now.

Negative

S + am not / isn’t / aren’t + V-ing

I am not studying now. / He isn’t studying now.

Question

Am/Is/Are + S + V-ing …?

Are you studying now? / Is he studying now?

Answers (long & short)

Yes, S + am/is/are. / No, S + ’m not / isn’t / aren’t.

Yes, I am. / Yes, I am studying now. — No, I’m not. / No, I’m not studying now.

Common time words: now, right now, at the moment, these days, currently, today.
Note: Many stative verbs don’t usually take -ing (know, want, believe, need, love, hate, etc.).

3) Simple Past

Main uses: finished actions in a finished time, sequence of past events, past habits (often with used to).

Form

Structure

Example

Affirmative

S + V2

They visited Bogotá last year.

Negative

S + didn’t + V

They didn’t visit Bogotá last year.

Question

Did + S + V …?

Did they visit Bogotá last year?

Answers (long & short)

Yes, S + did. / No, S + didn’t.

Yes, they did. / Yes, they visited Bogotá last year. — No, they didn’t. / No, they didn’t visit Bogotá last year.

Common time words: yesterday, last week/year, in 2022, two days ago, when I was a kid.

4) Past Continuous

Main uses: action in progress at a specific past time; background action; interrupted action (often with Simple Past); two actions happening simultaneously.

Form

Structure

Example

Affirmative

S + was/were + V-ing

I was reading at 8 pm. / We were reading at 8 pm.

Negative

S + wasn’t/weren’t + V-ing

I wasn’t reading at 8 pm. / We weren’t reading at 8 pm.

Question

Was/Were + S + V-ing …?

Were you reading at 8 pm? / Was she reading at 8 pm?

Answers (long & short)

Yes, S + was/were. / No, S + wasn’t/weren’t.

Yes, I was. / Yes, I was reading at 8 pm. — No, I wasn’t. / No, I wasn’t reading at 8 pm.

Common time words: at 8 pm, while, when, as.

5) Present Perfect

Main uses: life experience (no specific time), unfinished time period (today/this week), recent past with present result, news/updates.

Form

Structure

Example

Affirmative

S + have/has + PP

I have finished my homework. / She has finished her homework.

Negative

S + haven’t/hasn’t + PP

I haven’t finished my homework. / She hasn’t finished her homework.

Question

Have/Has + S + PP …?

Have you finished your homework? / Has she finished her homework?

Answers (long & short)

Yes, S + have/has. / No, S + haven’t/hasn’t.

Yes, I have. / Yes, I have finished my homework. — No, I haven’t. / No, I haven’t finished my homework.

Common time words: ever, never, already, just, yet, recently, so far, this week, today.
Key contrast:

  • I visited Bogotá last year. (finished time → Simple Past)

  • I’ve visited Bogotá many times. (experience → Present Perfect)

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