Các thì và cách dùng các thì trong Tiếng Anh

I. PRESENT SIMPLE:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Present habits Marsha goes to dance lessons every Saturday.
2. Permanent situations Angie teaches French at a local adult education
centre.
3. States I like the new James Bond film.
4. General truths and facts Poland is in the European Union.
5. How often things happen Angela doesn’t visit us very often.
6. Newspaper headlines HAWKING WINS NOBEL PRIZE
7. Live sport commentary Adam passes to Kareshi. It’s a goal!
8. Reviews and summaries The film ends with us not knowing whether
they have been successful or not.
9. Instructions and directions You turn left at the end of the road and the
school is up ahead.
10. Proverbs and sayings Too many cooks spoil the broth.
11. Schedule (of buses, ferries, trains, …) The train leaves the station at 5pm.
12. The future ( for fixed events) Term ends on 21
st
December.
13. The future ( in time clauses) I’ll be so relieved when I finish this crossword.
14. Emphasize contrast Adam doesn’t know much about psychiatry but
he does know know quite a lot about
psychology.
15. Emphasize strong feeling I do like going by bus for short distances.
16. In the IF clause of the 1
st
conditional
II. PRESENT CONTINUOUS:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Actions happening now Jan is watching a DVD upstairs.
2. Actions happening around now What book are you doing in English at the

moment?
3. Temporary situations She is working at the museum until the end of
this month.
4. Temporary series of actions Taxi drivers aren’t stopping at the train station
because of roadworks.
5. Changing and developing situations Holidays abroad are becoming increasingly
popular.
6. Annoying habits Dad is always cleaning the car when I want to
use it!
7. Background information in jokes and other
informal stories
A man goes to see his psychiatrist. He’s
carrying a bag full of honey…
8. The future ( for arrangements) When are you taking your driving test?
9. The future ( in time clauses) I’ll probably be a bit scared when I’m waiting
outside for the exam to start.
Loc Huu Le – Pedagogic English 35A, FLD, QNU Page 1
STATIVE VERBS: Stative verbs do not usually describe actions, they express states (thoughts, feelings,
…). They are not usually used in continuous tenses.
Uses (Stative verbs often refer to) Examples
Thinking Believe, imagine, know, mean, think, understand
Existence Be, exist
Emotions Hate, like, love, need, prefer, satisfy, want
The human senses Hear, see, smell, sound, taste
Appearance Appear, look, resemble, seem
Possessions and relationships between things Belong to, consist of, have, include, involve, own
III. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Situations or sates that started in the past and
are still true

I’ve been a member of MENSA for over five
years.
2. A series of actions continuing up to now She’s done a BA, an MA and a PhD so far.
3. Completed actions at a time in the past which is
not mentioned
Have you ever read any books by Edward De
Bono?
4. Completed actions where the important thing is
the present result
She’s been awarded a scholarship to study at
Harvard.
5. Actions completed recently I’ve just received my exam result.
6. The future ( in time clauses) Tell me when you’ve finished the report?
In American English, the past simple is often used instead of present perfect simple:
US: Did you find the answer yet? UK: Have you found the answer yet?
US: I already found the answer. UK: I’ve already found the answer.
In informal American English, gotten is sometimes used as a past participle instead of got when it means
‘obtain’, ‘become’ or ‘move’
US: I haven’t gotten the books yet. (= I haven’t bought the books yet.)
UK: I haven’t got the books yet.
IV. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Actions continuing up to the present We’ve been driving for hours. Can’t we have
a break soon?
2. Actions stopping just before the present
moment
I’m out of breath because I’ve been running
to get here in time.
3. The future ( in time clauses) I won’t take my driving test until I’ve been
having lessons for at least two months.

V. PAST SIMPLE:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Single completed actions Sony and Philips invented the CD in the early
1980s.
2. Habitual or repeated actions in the past We moved house a lot when I was a kid.
3. General truths and facts about the past Crosswords didn’t become popular until the
1930s.
4. Permanent situations and states in the past A famous footballer lived in our house before
we bought it.
5. Main events in the story John pushed the door open and looked inside
the room.
6. The present (in conditional sentences) If we didn’t have computers, what would the
Loc Huu Le – Pedagogic English 35A, FLD, QNU Page 2
world be like?
7. The present (after wish, it’s time, would rather) I’d rather Michael didn’t waste so much time
playing video games.
Emphatic past simple:
Emphasize contrast in the past Perhaps our grandparents didn’t have e-mail, but
they did have telephone and telegram.
Emphasize strong feeling in the past I did enjoy our visit to the Science Museum last
summer.
Past simple vs present perfect simple:
Past simple Periods of time or moments which are
finished
The nineteenth century saw many
technological advances, such as
the camera and the light bulb.
Present perfect simple Periods of time which continue up to the
present
There have been many

technological advances in recent
years, the most important being
the spread of the Internet.
Past simple Events at a specific time in the past I first sent my e-mail six months
ago.
Present perfect simple The specific time something happened
isn’t important or relevant, or the present
result of a past event is important
Have you ever sent an e-mail
before?
VI. PAST CONTINUOUS:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Actions in progress at a particular moment in
the past
Were you chatting to Matt online at midnight
last night?
2. Action in progress around a particular moment
in the past
At the turn of the twentieth century, many
discoveries were being made in physics and
other sciences.
3. Temporary situations in the past Greg was living in London at the time.
4. Annoying or amusing past habits When we were young, my brother always
borrowing my toys.
5. Actions in progress over a period of time Daniel was playing video games all morning
yesterday.
6. Two actions in progress at the same time While I was playing computer game, my
brother was doing his homework.
7. Background information in a story The sun was shinning and the birds were
singing. Lisa opened the window and looked

out.
8. Changing and developing situations in the past I was getting frustrated with my internet
provider so I decided to change.
9. The present and the future (in conditional
sentences)
Would you be happier if you were studying
computer science?
10. The present and the future (after wish, it’s time,
would rather, etc)
I wish we were going to the computer fair next
weekend.
Past continuous vs past simple
Past continuous Background events in progress We were talking about MP3s
when Andrea mentioned her new
music website.
Past simple The main events
We normally use the past simple to describe regular or repeated actions
in the past, not the past continuous
When I was a child, I visited my
grandmother every week.
Past continuous vs present perfect continuous
Loc Huu Le – Pedagogic English 35A, FLD, QNU Page 3
Past continuous Actions in progress during periods of time or
at moments which are finished
We were working on my
computer for four hours
yesterday.
Present perfect
continuous
Actions in progress during periods of time

which continue up to the present
We have been working on my
computer for four hours so far.
VII. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Situations and states before the past We’d lived next to the gym for a couple of
months before I decided to join.
2. Completed actions before a moment in the past When talking films appeared, the cinema had
already become a popular form of
entertainment.
3. A series of actions continuing up to a moment
the past
By the time of his death, Thomas Edison had
invented a number of things that changed
everyday life.
4. Completed actions where the important thing is
the result at a moment in the past
I beat Jason at the International Captain as I’d
played it a lot with my brother.
VIII. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS:
USAGES EXAMPLES
1. Actions continuing up to a moment in the past When you saw us, we had been running for six
miles – and we still had a mile to go.
2. Actions stopping just before a moment in the
past
Sarah looked tired because she had been
exercising all morning.
IX. FUTURE TIME :
Expressing the future: WILL
USAGES OF WILL EXAMPLES

1. Predictions It looks as if Jake will lose his job.
2. Future facts The factory will open in July.
3. Decisions made at the moment of speaking I know! I’ll ask for a pay rise tomorrow.
4. Offers I’ll help you with the advertising campaign.
5. Promises I promise you won’t lose your job.
6. Requests Will you give a presentation on the sales
figures?
7. Refusals No, I won’t give a presentation on the sales
figures.
For questions and offers in the question form, with
I and We, we use shall not will
Shall I help you with the advertising campaign?
(Offer)
Shall we discuss this in the morning?(Suggest)
For requests, we also use could, would or can.
Would, could are more polite.
Would/Could you give a presentation on the sales
figures?
For refusals, we also use couldn’t or can’t.
Couldn’t is more polite than won’t and can’t.
No, I couldn’t give a presentation on the sales
figures.
Expressing the future: BE GOING TO
1. Predictions based on present evidence Look at that wall! It looks as if it’s going to
fall down.
2. Plans and intentions (which you already have
when you speak)
I’m going to get my degree, then get a well-
paid job.
Loc Huu Le – Pedagogic English 35A, FLD, QNU Page 4

Expressing the future: PRESENT CONTINUOUS
1. Arrangements I’m meeting Fiona on Friday to discuss the
advertising campaign.
2. Intentions (NOT in the distant future) I’m asking for a pay rise tomorrow.
(NOT I’m working for a multinational
company one day.)
Expressing the future: PRESENT SIMPLE
1. Timetables, arrangements and fixed events
(which the speaker cannot change)
The bus to the Science Museum leaves at 8
o’clock tomorrow morning.
2. After if in first conditional and zero
conditional sentences
If technology continues to advance so quickly,
what will life be like in a hundred years?
3. After certain time expressions We’ll find out as soon as we get to the lab.
Expressing the future: FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE
1. Completed situations before a certain time It looks as if Jake will have lost his job by the
end of next week.
2. Continuing situations up to a certain time This time next month, I’ll have worked the
company for exactly 25 years.
3. Completed actions at some time between now
and a point in the future
I’ll have finished my chemistry homework by
the time you come here.
Expressing the future: FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1. Actions in progress up to a certain point in the
future (Emphasises duration)
This time next month, I’ll have been working
at the company for exactly 25 years.

Expressing the future: FUTURE CONTINUOUS
1. Actions in progress at a point in the future This time next week, I’ll be travelling round
Russia on business.
2. Habits or repeated actions at a point in the
future
I think that, in the future, more and more
people will be commuting to work by plane.
3. Situations which happen in the future in the
normal course of events
The company Chairperson will be arriving on
Thursday.
TIME CLAUSES
1. Present simple I’ll give you a pay rise when you start working
here.
2. Present continuous I’ll give you a pay rise once you’re bringing in
three new customers a week.
3. Present perfect simple I’ll give you a pay rise as soon as you’ve
proved you’re a hard worker.
4. Present perfect continuous I won’t give you a pay rise until you’ve been
working here for three years.
OTHER WAYS TO EXPRESS THE FUTURE
Be just (about) to For the (very) near future I’m just about to ask for my pay rise.
Be (just) on the point/verge
of
For the (very) near future I’m just on the point/verge of asking for my
pay rise.
Be due to For formal arrangements I’m due to meet my boss at eleven o’clock.
Be to do For obligations You’re to get these reports written before
Loc Huu Le – Pedagogic English 35A, FLD, QNU Page 5
For formal announcements

Friday
The factory is to open in July.
Other modals To express certainty,
possibility, etc
I might ask for a pay rise tomorrow.
REFERENCES:
1. Destination B1, Grammar & Vocabulary with Answer Key, by Malcom Mann and Steve Taylore-
Knowles, Macmillan Publishing 2008;
2. Destination B2, Grammar & Vocabulary with Answer Key, by Malcom Mann and Steve Taylore-
Knowles, Macmillan Publishing 2008;
3. Destination C1, C2, Grammar & Vocabulary with Answer Key, by Malcom Mann and Steve
Taylore-Knowles, Macmillan Publishing 2008.
Loc Huu Le – Pedagogic English 35A, FLD, QNU Page 6