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Verbs

  • tense: put the verb in the present/past/future
  • aspect: the action is completed or not
  • Simple --> evento nella sua interezza
  • Continuos --> evento in corso di svolgimento
  • Perfect --> evento concluso di cui si analizza la frequenza/quantità
  • Perfect continuos --> evento in corso in tutto il tempo precedente il momento indicato

Present time

  • present simple:

    • look(s)
    • usual actions
    • events that happens always
    • feelings, brain activities

      This ops takes a lot of time
      I usually go to home at 5:00 p.m.
      I don't understand
      Do you belive me?

  • present continuos:

    • be + "ing" suffix
    • actions that happens while speaking

      I'm watching the television.
      Quiet! I'm thinking.
      We are having a terrible day!

  • present perfect:

    • have + pp
    • event and action that are just done
    • to indicate how much times something happens
    • to indicate since how much time something happens
    • with how much/how many (quantities)

      I've finished my homework now.
      I've already joined in the meeting.
      I've lived in Prague for two months. All the people that have looked at this code say that it's ok How many emails have you written?

  • present perfect continuos:

    • have + been + "ing" suffix
    • as the present perfect it describe an action in the past that is not specified
    • with "How long" and with since/for
    • plus it not indicates that the action is done or not
    • should be used for temporal expressions as lately, for a long time and so on

      I've been reading books lately. (Sto leggendo libri recentemente - non indicato se è conclusa)
      It's been raining all day. (E' tutto il giorno che piove) How long have you been executing the test? I've been cooking for many hours.

NOTE: Present Perfect vs Past Simple

  • when is indicated that an action is done IN THE PAST is necessary use the past simple:

    I phoned Michael yesterday
    ~~I have phoned Michael yesterday~~

NOTE: Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuos

  • when the attention is dedicated on the result of an action it's used the present perferct:

    I've bought a lot of chocolate for the cake

  • when the attention is targered on the action itself it's used the present perfect continuos:

    I've been writing emails for a couple of hours