English Grammar Essentials: Tenses, Modals, and Conditionals

English Grammar Essentials

English Verb Tenses

Present Tenses

• Present Simple: I work, I don't work.
• Present Continuous: I am working, I am not working.
• Present Perfect: I have worked, I haven't worked.
• Present Perfect Continuous: I have been working, I haven't been working.

Past Tenses

• Past Simple: I worked, I didn't work. Common time expressions: last week, yesterday, ago.
• Past Continuous: I was working, I wasn't working. Common time expressions: at that moment, while, when.
• Past Perfect: I had worked, I hadn't worked. Common time expressions: never, since, for, already, just, still, yet, before.
• Past Perfect Continuous: I had been working, I hadn't been working.

Future & Conditional Tenses

• Future Simple (Will): I will work, I won't work.
• Future Simple (Going to): I am going to work, I am not going to work.
• Future Perfect: I will have worked, I won't have worked.
• Future Continuous: I will be working, I won't be working.
• Conditional Simple: I would work, I wouldn't work.

Modal Verbs

Modal Verbs + Infinitive

• Ability: can (pot), could (podria), will be able to (futur podria).
• Prohibition: mustn't (prohibit).
• Obligation: must (he de), have to (he de).
• Lack of Obligation/Necessity: don't have to, don't need to (no cal).
• Advice: should (hauria de), ought to (hauria de), had better (seria millor).
• Permission: can (pot, informal), could (podria, standard), may (puc, formal).
• Possibility: may (pot), might (podria), could (podria).
• Deduction: must (he de, positiu), can't (he de, negatiu).

Modal Perfects

Structure: modal + have + past participle (pp)

Relative Clauses

• Defining Relative Clauses: No commas, essential information.
• Non-Defining Relative Clauses: Use commas, provide extra information.

Relative Pronouns & Adverbs

• Who: For people.
• Which: For things.
• That: For things and people (in defining clauses).
• Where: For places.
• When: For time.
• Why: For reasons.
• Whose: For possession.
• Whom: For people, especially after a preposition.
• What: El que (what, the thing that).

Passive Voice

The passive voice is formed with the verb "to be" (conjugated in the appropriate tense) + the past participle (pp) of the main verb.

• Examples: is spoken, is being spoken, has been spoken, was spoken, was being spoken, had been spoken.
• With Modals: Modal + be + past participle (pp) (e.g., can be spoken, should be spoken).

Reported Speech

Reporting Verbs

• Said: Used without an object (e.g., She said.).
• Told: Used with an object (e.g., He told me.).
• Questions:
  • Wh-questions: Use the Wh-word (e.g., He asked where I was going.).
  • Yes/No questions: Use if or whether (e.g., She asked if I was ready.).

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

• Present Simple → Past Simple
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous
• Past Simple → Past Perfect
• Present Perfect → Past Perfect
• Past Perfect → Past Perfect (no change)
• Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
• Will → Would
• Can → Could
• Must → Had to
• May → Might
• Could, Would, Might, Should, Ought to → (Generally no change)

Time & Place Expressions Changes

• Today → That day
• Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
• Yesterday → The day before / The previous day
• Tonight → That night
• Last week → The week before / The previous week
• Now → Then
• Here → There
• This → That
• Next day → The following day
• Ago → Before

Common Reporting Verbs & Structures

• Accuse (acusar): accuse someone of + -ing (e.g., He accused me of lying.)
• Admit (aceptar): admit + -ing (e.g., She admitted stealing the money.)
• Apologise (disculpar-se): apologise for + -ing (e.g., I apologised for being late.)
• Claim (afirmar) & Explain (explicar): claim/explain + that + clause (e.g., He claimed that he was innocent.)
• Invite (invitar): invite someone to + infinitive (e.g., They invited me to join them.)
• Offer (oferir) & Threaten (amenaçar): offer/threaten to + infinitive (e.g., He offered to help. She threatened to leave.)
• Promise (prometre): promise someone to + infinitive (e.g., I promised her to be on time.)
• Warn (advertir): warn someone not to + infinitive (e.g., He warned me not to touch it.)

Conditionals

Conditional Types

• Zero Conditional: If + Present Simple, Present Simple (for general truths).
• First Conditional: If + Present Simple, Will/Won't + Infinitive (for real possibilities in the future).
• Second Conditional: If + Past Simple, Would/Wouldn't + Infinitive (for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present/future).
• Third Conditional: If + Past Perfect, Would + Have + Past Participle (for hypothetical situations in the past, expressing regret).

"I Wish" Constructions

• I wish + Past Perfect: Expressing regret about a past situation that cannot be changed (e.g., I wish I hadn't said that.).
• I wish + Past Simple: Expressing a desire for a present or future situation to be different (e.g., I wish I had more time.).
• I wish + Would + Infinitive: Expressing annoyance or a desire for someone/something to change their behavior (e.g., I wish he would stop making so much noise.).