Pasado Perfecto (Past Perfect Tense)

El Pasado Perfecto en el idioma inglés es un tiempo verbal que se utiliza para referirnos a una acción que tuvo lugar en un momento anterior a otra acción, aunque ambas hayan sucedido en el pasado estableciendo un orden entre ellas, por ejemplo:

The film had finished when she arrived at the cinema.La película había terminado cuando ella llegó al cine.(Primera acción: la película había terminadoSegunda acción: ella llegó al cine)Sarah had prepared dinner when her husband got home.Sarah había preparado la cena cuando su esposo llegó a casa.(Primera acción: Sarah había preparado la cenaSegunda acción: su esposo llegó a casa)

Para poder construir la forma afirmativa del Pasado Perfecto debemos utilizar como auxiliar el verbo TO HAVE en Pasado Simple y acompañado por el verbo principal en su Pasado Participio (ya sean verbos regulares o verbos irregulares):

I had bought a new car. Yo había comprado un nuevo auto.

You had cleaned the house. Tú habías limpiado la casa.

He had brought the gifts. Él había traído los regalos.

She had lost the credit card. Ella había perdido la tarjeta de crédito.

Para formar una interrogación deberemos colocar el auxiliar al comienzo de la oración, luego el sujeto y posteriormente el verbo principal también en Pasado Participio:

Had I bought a new car? Había comprado yo un nuevo auto?

Had you cleaned the house? Habías limpiado tú la casa?

Had he brought the gifts? Había traído él los regalos?

Had she lost the credit card? Había perdido ella la tarjeta de crédito?

Por su parte, la forma negativa se construye poniendo la negación NOT entre el auxiliar y el verbo principal, por ejemplo:

I had not bought a new dress. Yo no había comprado un nuevo vestido.

You had not cleaned the house. Tú no habías limpiado la casa.

He had not brought the gifts. Él no había traído los regalos.

She had not lost the credit card. Ella no había perdido la tarjeta de crédito.

También puede utilizarse la forma contraída de la negación colocando HADN’T en vez de HAD NOT.

Ejercicios: Pasado Perfecto (Past Perfect Tense)

Astronauts (fly) …………… through space for hours.

1. The boys (steal) …………… the bicycles.

1. They (have) …………… a long and uncomfortable trip.

1. The beggar (find) …………… five bottles of beer.

1. He (show) …………… me the content of the parcel.

1. My sister Ann (begin) …………… her diet a week ago.

1. She (think) …………… a good idea.

1. The postman (deliver) …………… my letter.

1. He (retire) …………… from political life.

1. Alice (leave) …………… her bag on a chair.

1. She (buy) …………… a new pair of red shoes.

1. We (have) …………… lunch at a village inn.

1. He (drink) …………… whisky before dinner.

1. My sister (lose) …………… U$S 50 in the street.

1. The children (kick) …………… a ball very hard.

1. My mother (receive) …………… a letter from Canada.

1. My father (give) …………… me some money.

1. Jenny (finish) …………… her job at the office.

1. They (enjoy) …………… Roy’s party.

1. Pupils (learn) …………… the English lesson.

1. Astronauts had flown through space for hours.Had astronauts flown through space for hours?Astronauts had not flown through space for hours.

1. The boys had stolen the bicycles.Had the boys stolen the bicycles?The boys had not stolen the bicycles.

1. They had had a long and uncomfortable trip.Had they had a long and uncomfortable trip?They had not had a long and uncomfortable trip.

1. The beggar had found five bottles of beer.Had the beggar found five bottles of beer?The beggar had not found five bottles of beer.

1. He had showed me the content of the parcel.Had he showed me the content of the parcel?He had not showed me the content of the parcel.

1. My sister Ann had begun her diet a week ago.Had my sister Ann begun her diet a week ago?My sister Ann had not begun her diet a week ago.

1. She had thought a good idea.Had she thought a good idea?She had not thought a good idea.

1. The postman had delivered my letter.Had the postman delivered my letter?The postman had not delivered my letter?

1. He had retired from political life.Had he retired from political life?He had not retired from political life.

1. Alice had left her bag on a chair.Had Alice left her bag on a chair?Alice had not left her bag on a chair.

1. She had bought a new pair of red shoes.Had she bought a new pair of red shoes?She had not bought a new pair of red shoes.

1. We had had lunch at a village inn.Had we had lunch at a village inn?We had not had lunch at a village inn.

1. He had drunk whisky before dinner.Had he drunk whisky before dinner?He had not drunk whisky before dinner.

1. My sister had lost U$S 50 in the street.Had my sister lost U$S 50 in the street?My sister had not lost U$S 50 in the street.

1. The children had kicked a ball very hard.Had the children kicked a ball very hard?The children had not kicked a ball very hard.

1. My mother had received a letter from Canada.Had my mother received a letter from Canada?My mother had not received a letter from Canada.

1. My father had given me some money.Had my father given me some money?My father had not given me some money.

1. Jenny had finished her job at the office.Had Jenny finished her job at the office?Jenny had not finished her job at the office.

1. They had enjoyed Roy’s party.Had they enjoyed Roy’s party?They had not enjoyed Roy’s party.

1. Pupils had learnt the English lesson.Had pupils learnt the English lesson?The pupils had not learnt the English lesson.

Past Perfect

FORM

[had + past participle]

Examples:

You had studied English before you moved to New York.

Had you studied English before you moved to New York?

You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

Complete List of Past Perfect Forms

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.

I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.

Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

She only understood the movie because she had read the book.

Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.

We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.

A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

Examples:

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.

By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.

They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.

Example:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.

Examples:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.

Examples:

She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct

She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.

Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. ACTIVE

Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. PASSIVE

Direct and Reported Speech (El estilo directo y indirecto)

Cuando queremos comunicar o informar de lo que otra persona ha dicho, hay dos maneras de hacerlo: utilizando el estilo directo o el estilo indirecto.

Direct Speech (El estilo directo)

Cuando queremos informar exactamente de lo que otra persona ha dicho, utilizamos el estilo directo. Con este estilo lo que la persona ha dicho se coloca entre comillas ("...") y deberá ser palabra por palabra.

Ejemplos:

 "I am going to London next week," she said. ("Voy a Londres la semana que viene," ella dijo.)

"Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked. ("¿Tienes un bolígrafo que puedas prestarme?," él preguntó.)

Alice said, "I love to dance." (Alice dijo, "Me encanta bailar.")

Chris asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" (Chris preguntó, "¿Te gustaría cenar conmigo mañana por la noche?")

Reported Speech (El estilo indirecto)

El estilo indirecto, a diferencia del estilo directo, no utiliza las comillas y no necesita ser palabra por palabra. En general, cuando se usa el estilo indirecto, el tiempo verbal cambia. A continuación tienes un explicación de los cambios que sufren los tiempos verbales.A veces se usa "that" en las frases afirmativas y negativas para introducir lo que ha dicho la otra persona. Por otro lado, en las frases interrogativas se puede usar "if" o "whether".Nota: Ten en cuenta también que las expresiones de tiempo cambian en el estilo indirecto. Fijate en los cambios de tiempo en los ejemplos más abajo y después, encontrarás una tabla con más explicaciones de los cambios de tiempo en el estilo indirecto.Direct Speech Reported Speech

Present Simple Past Simple

"He's American," she said. She said he was American.

"I'm happy to see you," Mary said. Mary said that she was happy to see me.

He asked, "Are you busy tonight?" He asked me if I was busy that night.

Present Continuous Past Continuous

Dan is living in San Francisco," she said. She said Dan was living in San Francisco.

He said, "I'm making dinner." He told me that he was making dinner.

"Why are you working so hard?" they asked. They asked me why I was working so hard.

Past Simple Past Perfect Simple

"We went to the movies last night," he said. He told me they had gone to the movies the night before.

"Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday." Greg said that he hadn't gone to work the day before.

"Did you buy a new car?" she asked. She asked me if I had bought a new car.

Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

"I was working late last night," Vicki said. Vicki told me she'd been working late the night before.

They said, "we weren't waiting long." They said that they hadn't been waitinglong.

" He asked, "were you sleeping when I called?" He asked if I'd been sleeping when he called.

Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple

"Heather said, "I've already eaten." Heather told me that she'd already eaten.

"We haven't been to China," they said. They said they hadn't been to China.

"Have you worked here before?" I asked. I asked her whether she'd worked therebefore.

Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

"I've been studying English for two years,"he said. He said he'd been studying English for two years.

" Steve said, "we've been dating for over a year now." Steve told me that they'd been dating for over a year.

"Have you been waiting long?" they asked. They asked whether I'd been waiting long.

Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple (*NO CHANGE)

"I'd been to Chicago before for work," he said. He said that he'd been to Chicago before for work.

Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous (*NO CHANGE)

She said, "I'd been dancing for years before the accident." She said she'd been dancing for years before the accident.

Nota: Cuando hablamos de algo que no ha cambiado (que sigue siendo cierto) o de algo en el futuro, no es necesario cambiar el tiempo verbal.

Ejemplos:

"I'm 30 years old," she said. → She said she is 30 years old.

Dave said, "Kelly is sick." → Dave said Kelly is sick.

"We are going to Tokyo next week," they said. → They said they are going to Tokyo next week.

"I'll cut my hair tomorrow," Nina said. → Nina said she is cutting her hair tomorrow.

Modal Verbs (Los verbos modales)

El tiempo verbal cambia en el estilo indirecto también con algunos de los verbos modales.

Nota: Con "would", "could", "should", "might" y "ought to", el tiempo no cambia.Direct Speech Indirect Speech

Will Would

"I'll go to the movies tomorrow," John said. John said he would go to the moviesthe next day.

"Will you help me move?" she asked. She asked me if I would help her move.

Can Could

Debra said, "Allen can work tomorrow." Debra said Allen could work the next day.

"Can you open the window, please?", he asked.

He asked me if I could open the window.

Must Had to

"You must wear your seatbelt," mom said. My mom said I had to wear my seatbelt.

She said, "You must work tomorrow." She said I had to work the next day.

Shall Should

"Shall we go to the beach today?" Tom asked. Tom asked if we should go to the beach that day.

"What shall we do tonight?" she asked. She asked me what we should dothat night.

May Might/Could

Jane said, "I may not be in class tomorrow." Jane said she might not be in classthe next day.

the boy asked. "May I use the bathroom, please?" the boy asked.

The boy asked if he could use the bathroom.

Nota: A continuación tienes una tabla donde puedes observar los cambios que sufren las expresiones de tiempo cuando usamos el estilo indirecto.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

today that day

tonight that night

this week/month/year that week/month/year

tomorrow the next day

next week/month/year the following week/month/year

yesterday the day before/the previous day

last week/month/year the day/month/year before o the previous day/month/year

now then/at that moment

Otros cambios

here there

Reported Speech: Lenguaje Indirecto

Hablaremos en esta oportunidad de una estructura gramatical muy utilizada en el idioma inglés que se emplea cuando queremos contar o hacer referencia sobre algo que otra persona a dicho con anticipación.

Este recurso recibe el nombre de Reported Speech (Lenguaje Indirecto) y veremos a continuación un ejemplo:

“I go to school everyday”, Alice said. (Lenguaje Directo)“Yo voy a la escuela todos los días”, dijo Alicia.

Alice said that she went to school everyday.(Lenguaje Indirecto)Alicia dijo que ella fue a la escuela todos los días.

Para poder convertir una oración de Lenguaje Directo a Indirecto podemos introducir la frase utilizando diferentes verbos como por ejemplo: answer (responder), suggest (sugerir), explain (explicar), say (decir),tell (contar), promise (prometer).

También debemos tener en cuenta que si la oración en Lenguaje Directo se encuentra en Presente Simple, al pasarla a Lenguaje Indirecto no es necesario cambiar el tiempo verbal. En otros casos, al convertir una oración a Reported Speech el verbo principal retrocede un tiempo verbal como muestra el siguiente cuadro:

Lenguaje Directo Lenguaje Indirecto

Presente SimpleI go to the school

Presente Simple /Pasado SimpleHe said that he goes to the schoolHe said that he went to the school

Presente ContinuoI am going to the school

Pasado ContinuoHe said that he was going to the school

Pasado SimpleI went to the school

Pasado PerfectoHe said that he had gone to the school

Presente PerfectoI have gone to the school

Pasado PerfectoHe said that he has gone to the school

Presente Perfecto ContinuoI have been going to the school

Pasado Perfecto ContinuoHe said that he had been going to the school

Futuro SimpleI will go to the school

Condicional SimpleHe said that he would go to the school

Futuro PerfectoI will have gone to the school

Condicional PerfectoHe said that he would have gone to the school

En el caso de utilizar verbos modales los cambios a realizar son los siguientes:

Lenguaje Directo Lenguaje Indirecto

CANI can study the lesson

COULDHe said that he could study the lesson

MAYI may study the lesson

MIGHTHe said that he might study the lesson

WILLI will study thelesson

WOULDHe said that he would study the lesson

MUSTI must study the lesson

HAD TOHe said that he had to study the lesson

Algo que debemos tener en cuenta es que cuando utilizamos algunas palabras indicadoras de lugar y de tiempo es necesario que se cambien adecuándolas al sentido y al tiempo de la oración como por ejemplo:

Lenguaje Directo Lenguaje Indirecto

now at that moment / then

today that day

last night the night before

tonight that night

this afternoon that afternoon

this month that month

next week the following week

here there

next year the year after

Reported Speech: Oraciones Interrogativas

Ya hemos visto como se convierte una oración afirmativa de Lenguaje Directo a Lenguaje Indirecto y ahora te proponemos que observes como se pasa una oración interrogativa a Reported Speech.

Para ello debemos utilizar el mismo orden gramatical, es decir que se coloca el sujeto después del verbo, pero sin la necesidad de utilizar los auxiliares DO o DID. También vale la pena aclarar que para introducir el lenguaje indirecto emplearemos el verbo ask (preguntar). Vemos ahora algunos ejemplos:

Where does Peter study?, my sister asked me.(Lenguaje Directo)¿Dónde estudia Peter?, mi hermana me preguntó.

My sister asked me where Peter studied.(Lenguaje Indirecto)Mi hermana me preguntó donde estudiaba Peter.

When did you travel to Europe?, my neighbour asked me.(Lenguaje Directo)¿Cuándo viajaste a Europa?, mi vecina me preguntó.

My neighbour asked me when I had travelled to Europe.(Lenguaje Indirecto)Mi vecina me preguntó cuando yo había viajado a Europa.

Ejercicios: Reported Speech V (Lenguaje Indirecto)

1. “What did the dentist tell you to do?”, my husband asked me.

1. “Did you take photographs during your trip?”, my friend asked me.

1. “What do the bags contain?”, Alice’s brother asked.

1. “Will you visit your mother?”, my wife asked me.

1. “Where have you been hiding?”, Brian’s father asked him impatiently.

1. “When will the results be announced?”, the pupils asked.

1. “Did he give you the money at once?”, my friend asked me.

1. “Where has Mrs. Hawkins opened her third bakery?”, Susan’s mother asked me.

1. “Where is your father now?”, I asked Peter.

1. “What will you do next year?”, the teacher asked Tom.

1. “Who damaged the piano?”, my grandfather asked my brother.

1. “When will the workers go on strike?”, the journalist asked the leader.

1. “Where did you go on Christmas’ Eve?”, the neighbour asked my mother.

1. “What is the lady’s name?”, Mr. James asked the secretary.

1. “How far away is your house?”, the taxidriver asked me.

1. “Have you finished the exercises?”, the teacher asked the pupils.

1. “How many miles did you walk yesterday?”, the coach asked me.

1. “What did the secretary asked you?”, Peter asked John.

1. “Why did you say that you was busy?”, Jenifer asked Susan.

1. “Where did the plane from Paris arrive?”, the lady asked the stewardess.

Solución del ejercicio de Reported Speech

1. My husband asked me what the dentist had told me to do.1. My friend asked me if I had taken photographs during my trip.

1. Alice’s brother asked what the bags contained.

1. My wife asked me if I would visit my mother.

1. Brian’s father asked him impatiently where he had been hiding.

1. The pupils asked when the results would be announced.

1. My friend asked me if he had given me the money at once.

1. Susan’s mother asked me where Mrs. Hawkins had opened her third bakery.

1. I asked Peter where his father was at that moment.

1. The teacher asked Tom what he would do the following year.

1. My grandfather asked my brother who had damaged the piano.

1. The journalist asked the leader when the workers would go on strike.

1. The neighbour asked my mother where she had gone on Christmas’ Eve.

1. Mr. James asked the secretary what the lady’s name was.

1. The taxidriver asked me how far away my house was.

1. The teacher asked the pupils if they had finished the exercises.

1. The coach asked me how many miles I had walked the day before.

1. Peter asked John what the secretary had asked him.

1. Jenifer asked Susan why she had said that she was busy.

1. The lady asked the stewardess where the plane from Paris had arrived.

Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is

performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence

the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)

the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive

Tense Subject Verb Object

Simple Present Active: Ritawrites a letter.

Passive: A letter is written by Rita.

Simple Past Active: Rita wrote a letter.

Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Present Perfect Active: Rita has written a letter.

Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.

Future I Active: Rita will write a letter.

Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Hilfsverben Active: Rita can write a letter.

Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.

Examples of Passive

Tense Subject Verb Object

Present Progressive Active: Ritais writing a letter.

Passive: A letter is being written by Rita.

Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter.

Passive: A letter was being written by Rita.

Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter.

Passive: A letter had been written by Rita.

Future II Active: Rita will have written a letter.

Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.

Conditional I Active: Rita would write a letter.

Passive: A letter would be written by Rita.

Conditional II Active: Rita would have written a letter.

Passive: A letter would have been written by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject,

the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus

on.

Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2

Active: Ritawrote a letter to me.

Passive: A letter was written to me by Rita.

Passive: I was written a letter by Rita.

.

As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So

every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that

can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an

impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says – it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal 

Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into

passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs

and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become

the subject of the passive sentence.

Passive Form

In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

Examples:

Active / Passive Overview

Active Passive

Simple Present Once a week, Tom cleans the house. Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.

Present Continuous

Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah.

Simple Past Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.

Past Continuous The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.

The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.

Present Perfect Many tourists have visited that castle. That castle has been visited by many tourists.

Present Perfect Continuous

Recently, John has been doing the work. Recently, the work has been being done by John.

Past Perfect George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.

Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.

Past Perfect Continuous

Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.

The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.

Simple FutureWILL

Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM. The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.

Simple FutureBE GOING TO

Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.

A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.

Future At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being

ContinuousWILL

dishes. washed by John.

Future ContinuousBE GOING TO

At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes.

At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John.

Future PerfectWILL

They will have completed the project before the deadline.

The project will have been completed before the deadline.

Future PerfectBE GOING TO

They are going to have completed the project before the deadline.

The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.

Future Perfect ContinuousWILL

The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.

The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.

Future Perfect ContinuousBE GOING TO

The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.

The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.

Used to Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by Jerry.

Would Always My mother would always make the pies. The pies would always be made by my mother.

Future in the PastWOULD

I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.

Future in the PastWAS GOING TO

I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.

I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight.

Presente Simple – (Simple Present Tense)

El Presente Simple es un tiempo verbal que se utiliza para describir acciones habituales que suceden con cierta frecuencia y no hace referencia a si está ocurriendo en el momento actual.

I play tennis. Yo juego al tenis.(Hace mención de un deporte que realizo cotidianamente y que no necesariamente lo estoy jugando en este momento).He works in an office. Él trabaja en una oficina.

(Se refiere al trabajo que desarrolla una persona frecuentemente). They travel to Madrid. Ellos viajan a Madrid.(Habla de un viaje que se repite a diario, aunque el sujeto no lo esté realizando ahora).

A continuación se muestran las formas afirmativa, interrogativa y negativa de este tiempo verbal:

En el cuadro superior se ha tomado como ejemplo el verbo PLAY (jugar). Observe que en el modo afirmativo, en la 3º persona del singular, se le añade una “S” al verbo.

He eats vegetables. Él come vegetales.Alice dances at the theatre. Alice baila en el teatro.The dog breaks the fence. El perro rompe la cerca.

En el modo interrogativo y negativo se utiliza el auxiliar DO, aunque en la 3º persona del singular se coloca como auxiliar DOES y se le quita la “S” al verbo.

Existen algunos casos particulares como por ejemplo, si el verbo empleado termina en “SS”, “SH”, “CH”, “O” y “X” al formar la 3º persona del singular en la forma afirmativa se le agrega “ES”. Aquí vemos algunos ejemplos:

Si el verbo es FISH (pescar), se conjugará: He fishes at the sea. Él pesca en el mar.Si el verbo es KISS (besar), se conjugará: She kisses to her boyfriend. Ella besa a su novio.Si el verbo es WATCH (observar), se conjugará: He watches the mountain. Él observa la montaña.Si el verbo es FIX (arreglar), se conjugará: He fixes his car. Él arregla su coche.Si el verbo es GO (ir), se conjugará: She goes to the office. Ella va a la oficina.

Otra excepción se presenta si el verbo termina en “Y” tras consonante. Para formar la 3º persona del singular se sustituye esta “Y” por una “i” acompañada de la terminación “ES”. Por ejemplo:

Si el verbo es STUDY (estudiar) se conjugará: She studies the lesson. Ella estudia la lección.

Para la forma negativa se puede emplear la forma contraída de DON’T en lugar de DO NOT o DOESN’T en vez de DOES NOT.

I don’t play tennis. Yo no juego al tenis.He doesn’t work in an office. Él no trabaja en una oficina.They don’t travel to Madrid. Ellos no viajan a Madrid.

Los verb patterns son otro tema muy importante cuando se aprende inglés. En este artículo veremos qué son, cómo se

forman y te daremos algunas reglas o pistas para que aprendas a usarlos correctamente.

Verb Patterns: Reglas

Los verbs patterns se forman cuando un verbo va seguido por otro en una oración. Por ejemplo en la frase “I want to eat

pizza (Quiero comer pizza)”, el primer verbo es to want y el segundo verbo es to eat. Cuando esto pasa es que

utilizamos los verb patterns, para saber cuál es la forma correcta del segundo verbo. Observa los ejemplos.

I would like to go to Rome – Me gustaría ir a Roma

I hate cooking – Odio cocinar

En la primera frase, el Segundo verbo está en su forma infinitiva, en el segundo ejemplo, el verbo está en la forma de

gerundio con la terminación ING.

Los verb patterns dependen directamente del primer verbo que aparece en la oración, el segundo verbo puede estar

formado por un infinitivo o un gerundio, entre otras posibilidades, y en algunos casos, los verb patterns son ambiguos

porque con el cambio de significado del verbo dentro del contexto, puede cambiar también el patrón que se usa. Es

decir, el mismo verbo puede ir seguido por un verbo en infinitivo o en gerundio dependiendo del significado del verbo.

Ahora veremos algunas posibilidades de verb patterns dependiendo de cada uno de los verbos:

1. Verbo + to + verb

I want to buy a new laptop – Quiero comprar una nueva computadora

I hope to visit Germany son – Espero visitar Alemania pronto

She decided to quit her job – Ella decidió renunciar a su trabajo

They agree to move to London – Ellos están de acuerdo en mudarse a Londres

2. Verb + Verb (ending in ING)

I enjoy eating healthy food – Disfruto comer alimentos sanos

She doesn’t mind taking care of your children – A ella no le importa cuidar de tus hijos

He is considering changing his habits – El está considerando cambiar sus actos.

3. Verb + Preposition ´+ verb (ending in ING).

They specialize in selling cars – Ellos se especializan en vender carros

They are thinking about watching a movie tonight – Ellos están pensando en ver una película esta noche.

4. Verb + Object + Verb

The boss didn’t let me go home early – El jefe no me dejó ir a casa temprano

The story of the movie made me feel sad – La historia de la película me hizo sentir triste.

Como lo dijimos anteriormente, hay algunos verbos que pueden funcionar con varios verb patterns dependiendo del

significado, pon atención de los que usan con más frecuencia:

I remember to locking the window – Recuerdo haber cerrado la ventana (En este caso, el verbo se refiere a recordar algo

que ya se hizo)

I remember to lock the window before living home– Recuerdo cerrar la ventana antes de salir de casa (El significado del

verbo en el ejemplo anterior sugiere que se recuerda realizar determinada acción, antes de hacerla).

You should try taking a nap – Deberías intentarlo tomando una siesta (El significado del verbo determina un ensayo, una

prueba par aver si algo funciona).

I am trying to get my Visa – Estoy tratanto de obtener mi visa (El verbo significa hacer un esfuerzo para lograr algo)

I stopped drinking alcohol last year– Dejé de beber alcohol el año pasado (Dejar un hábito, parar de hacer algo).

I was driving in my car and stopped to answer my cellphone –Estaba conduciendo mi auto y paré para contester mi

celular. (El verbo, en este caso, significa dejar de hacer algo por un momento para empezar otra acción).

My house needs painting – Mi casa necesita ser pintada (La necesidad no es personal, es una acción que necesita ser

hecha por otra persona y el receptor no es el sujeto).

I need to take a shower – Necesito tomar una ducha. (En este caso, el verbo sugiere que el sujeto necesita que la acción

se realice, es necesario hacerlo).

Contrario al caso anterior, hay otros verbos que pueden usarse con varios verb patterns independientemente de la

connotación de la frase.

It began to rain when I left home – Empezó a llover cuando salí de casa

It began raining when I left home – Empezó a llover cuando salí de casa

My children will start to study English – Mis hijos empezarán a estudiar inglés

My children will start studying English – Mis hijos empezarán a estudiar inglés

Ahora veremos algunas listas para que te guíes en la forma correcta que debes utilizar los verb patterns.

Verb + Ing

Love

Finish

Like

Enjoy

Hate

Stop

Eating

Verb + to + Infinitive

Choose

Decide

Forget

Promise

Manage

Need

Help

Hope

Try

To

To

To

To

To

To

To

To

To

Go

Want

Would like

Would love

To

To

To

Verb ING or To

Begin

Start

Raining

To Rain

Verb +

Object

Infinitive

Let

Make

Me

MeDo

Modal verbs

Can

Could

Might

Shall

Will

Would

Go

Verb + Preposition + Ing

Look

Think

Think

Forward to

Of

About

Traveling

Verb Patterns: Verb + Ing

Admit

Adore

Allow

Avoid

Can´t stand

Carry on

Consider

Deny

Delay

(Don´t) mind

Enjoy

Fancy

Finish

Give up

Imagine

Involve

Keep

Keep on

Postpone

Practice

Put off

Recommend

Risk

Suggest

Verb Patterns: Verb + To + Infinitive

Afford

Agree

Allow (passive)

Appear

Arrange

Ask

Attempt

Choose

Dare

Decide

Expect

Fail

Forget

Help

Hope

Learn

Manage

Offer

Plan

Pretend

Promise

Refuse

Seem

Tend

Threaten

Want

Would like to

Verb + Object + to + Infinitive

Advise

Allow

Ask

Beg

Encourage

Expect

Force

Invite

Order

Permit

Persuade

Recommend

Remind

Teach

Tell

Want

Warn

Would like

Verb + ing or infinitive

Begin

Continue

Intend

Start

Verb + Object + Infinitive

Help

Let

Make

Ten muy presente las anteriores listas de verb patterns para usar correctamente dos verbos en una oración.