Verb
(to play) |
Tense |
Use |
Example |
| I play |
Present simple
more... |
▪ Regular activities - routine - habits |
▪ Anne and Sophie play tennis
on Saturday afternoons. |
| I
am playing |
Present continuous
more... |
▪ Continuous action now or at the present
time. |
▪ Anne and Sophie are playing at the
moment. |
| I
have played |
Present Perfect Simple
more... |
▪ Finished part of a continuous action
▪ Completed actions in an unfinished period of time
▪ Recent events (no time mentioned)
▪ Past action with a result in the present.
▪ Experiences (no time mentioned) |
▪ So
far they have played two sets.
▪ They have played several other matches this month.
▪ Their parents have just arrived.
▪ Sophie has broken her racket so she's got to
change it.
▪ They have played in many tournaments. |
| I
have been playing |
Present Perfect Continuous
more... |
▪ Actions begun in the past which
continue today. |
▪ They have been playing tennis
since 2 pm. |
| I played |
Past Simple
more... |
▪ Finished actions at a specific
time in the past. |
▪ Last Saturday Sophie played in another
tournament. |
| I
was playing |
Past Continuous
more... |
▪ Continuous actions at a
specific time in the past. |
▪ At 2.30 pm they were starting the
second set. |
| I had played |
Past Perfect Simple
more... |
▪ Actions before a specific time in the past. |
▪ Before they arrived, two other people
had played a match. |
| I
had been playing |
Past Perfect Continuous
more... |
▪ Past continuous actions |
▪ When their parents arrived, they were
already playing. |
| I will play |
Future
simple more... |
▪ Predictions
▪ Spontaneous decisions or offers |
▪ Sophie will win the match today.
▪ I'll lend you my tennis racket! |
| I will be
playing |
Future
continuous |
▪ Future continuous actions |
▪ Next Saturday they will be playing
in another town. |
| I will have played |
Future
perfect |
▪ Completed future action. |
▪ By September, they will have played
12 matches. |
| I will have been playing |
Future
perfect continuous |
▪ Continuous future action completed at a given time. |
▪ At 4 pm Anne and Sophie will have been
playing for 2 hours. |
| I would play |
Conditional
Simple more... |
▪ Probable
action in an imaginary situation |
▪ I would play tennis if
I had a racket. |
| I would be playing |
Conditional
Continuous |
▪ Continuous action in an
imaginary situation. |
▪ Anne would be playing tennis
if you came on a Saturday afternoon. |
| I would
have played |
Conditional
Perfect |
▪ Speculating about
hypothetical situations in the past. |
▪ I would have played
yesterday if you had asked me. |
| I would have been playing |
Cond. Perfect Continuous |
▪ Continuous hypothetical
situations. |
▪ I would have been playing
with Anne if I had won my last match. |
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See also :
present-past revision
present perfect-past
simple use
past tense revision
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