2.1 Grammar Review — Verb Tenses
Master English verb tenses from simple to perfect, with Norwegian-specific pitfalls.
Grammar Review — Verb Tenses
Verb tenses are one of the most important building blocks of English. Choosing the right tense helps your reader understand when something happens, how long it lasts, and whether it is finished or still going on.
Norwegian and English handle tenses differently in several key areas, which is why tense errors are among the most common mistakes Norwegian students make on exams.
In this chapter you will learn to:
1. Distinguish between the main English tenses and when to use them
2. Recognise the difference between simple, continuous, and perfect aspects
3. Avoid typical Norwegian-to-English tense errors
4. Use tenses consistently in longer texts
Overview of the English tense system:
| Aspect | Past | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I walked | I walk | I will walk |
| Continuous | I was walking | I am walking | I will be walking |
| Perfect | I had walked | I have walked | I will have walked |
| Perfect continuous | I had been walking | I have been walking | I will have been walking |
That gives us twelve core tenses. Do not worry — you do not need to memorise the whole table at once. We will work through them step by step.
The simple tenses describe actions as complete facts or habits. They do not emphasise duration or connection to another point in time.
1. Simple Present
Used for habits, general truths, and permanent situations.
- "She speaks three languages." (permanent ability)
- "Water boils at 100 °C." (general truth)
- "I usually walk to school." (habit)
Signal words: always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day
2. Simple Past
Used for completed actions at a specific time in the past.
- "We visited London last summer."
- "He scored two goals in the match yesterday."
Signal words: yesterday, last week, in 2019, ago, when I was young
3. Simple Future (will / going to)
Used for predictions, spontaneous decisions, and planned intentions.
- "It will rain tomorrow." (prediction)
- "I'll help you with that." (spontaneous decision)
- "We are going to move to Bergen next year." (planned intention)
Common Norwegian mistake: Using present tense where English requires will.
- Wrong: "I call you later."
- Correct: "I will call you later."
Fill in the correct simple tense of the verb in brackets:
1. She _____ (live) in Oslo since she was born.
2. Yesterday we ____ (go) to the cinema.
3. The sun ____ (rise) in the east.
4. I think it _____ (snow) tomorrow.
1. lives — Simple present, because it describes a permanent situation that is still true now. (Note: "since she was born" might tempt you to use present perfect — has lived — which is also correct and arguably better here. Both are acceptable.)
2. went — Simple past, because "yesterday" tells us the action is completed at a specific past time.
3. rises — Simple present, because this is a general, scientific truth.
4. will snow — Simple future, because we are making a prediction about the future.
Key takeaway: Signal words like yesterday, every day, and tomorrow are strong clues, but always think about the meaning — is the action finished, habitual, or upcoming?
Which sentence uses the simple past correctly?
Complete each sentence with the correct simple tense of the verb in brackets.
"The train ______ (leave) at 8:15 every morning."
"I ______ (not understand) the homework yesterday."
"She ______ (travel) to Japan next summer."
The continuous tenses (also called progressive) emphasise that an action is in progress at a particular moment. They are formed with a form of be + verb-ing.
1. Present Continuous
An action happening right now or around this time.
- "She is reading a book." (right now)
- "I am studying harder this term." (around this period)
2. Past Continuous
An action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past. Often used as background for another event.
- "I was watching TV when the phone rang."
- "They were playing football at 3 pm yesterday."
3. Future Continuous
An action that will be in progress at a specific future moment.
- "This time tomorrow, I will be sitting on the plane."
- "At 8 pm tonight, we will be eating dinner."
Simple vs. Continuous — the key difference:
| Simple | Continuous |
|---|---|
| Completed or habitual action | Action in progress |
| "I read two books last week." (finished) | "I was reading when you called." (in progress) |
| "She works at a hospital." (permanent) | "She is working late tonight." (temporary) |
Stative verbs (know, believe, love, want, own, seem, etc.) are normally not used in continuous form.
- Wrong: "I am knowing the answer."
- Correct: "I know the answer."
Choose the correct form:
"When the teacher _____ (enter) the classroom, the students _____ (talk) loudly."
"When the teacher entered the classroom, the students were talking loudly."
Why?
- entered — simple past. This is a short, completed action that interrupts the other.
- were talking — past continuous. This is the longer, background action that was already in progress.
The pattern: When a short action interrupts a longer one, use:
- Past continuous for the background (longer action)
- Simple past for the interruption (shorter action)
More examples:
- "I was cooking dinner when the fire alarm went off."
- "She was walking home when it started to rain."
- "They were sleeping when the earthquake hit."
Which sentence correctly uses the past continuous?
The perfect tenses connect two points in time. They show that an action is relevant to — or completed before — another moment.
1. Present Perfect (have/has + past participle)
Links past to present. Used when the exact time does not matter, or the action has current relevance.
- "I have visited Paris three times." (experience up to now)
- "She has lost her keys." (the result matters now — she cannot get in)
- "We have lived here since 2018." (started in the past, still true)
Signal words: already, yet, ever, never, just, since, for, so far, recently
2. Past Perfect (had + past participle)
Shows that one past action happened before another past action.
- "When we arrived, the film had already started."
- "She was tired because she had not slept well."
Think of it as "the past of the past".
3. Future Perfect (will have + past participle)
An action that will be completed before a specific future moment.
- "By next Friday, I will have finished the project."
- "They will have left by the time you get here."
The most important rule for Norwegian students:
English uses present perfect where Norwegian uses simple past when no specific time is mentioned.
- Norwegian thinking: "Jeg har sett den filmen." → "I have seen that film." (correct)
- But with a time: "Jeg så den filmen i går." → "I saw that film yesterday." (NOT have seen)
Never combine present perfect with a finished, specific time expression (yesterday, last week, in 2019, etc.).
Decide whether to use present perfect or simple past:
1. I _____ (be) to London. (no specific time)
2. I ____ (be) to London last year. (specific time)
3. She ____ (work) here for five years. (still works here)
4. She _____ (work) here for five years, then she quit. (no longer works here)
1. have been — Present perfect. No time is mentioned; the experience is what matters.
2. was — Simple past. "Last year" is a specific, completed past time.
3. has worked — Present perfect. She started five years ago and still works here (the action connects past to present).
4. worked — Simple past. The entire five-year period is finished and she no longer works here.
Key insight: The same phrase ("for five years") can appear with either tense. The deciding factor is whether the situation is still true now (present perfect) or entirely finished (simple past).
Choose present perfect or simple past for each sentence. Explain your choice.
"I ______ (never / eat) sushi before."
"We ______ (move) to this town in 2020."
"She ______ (already / finish) her homework."
"They ______ (play) three matches so far this season."
Which sentence uses the past perfect correctly?
Correct the tense errors in these sentences. Some sentences may have more than one error.
"I have visited my grandmother last Sunday."
"She is living in Bergen since 2015."
"When I came home, my brother already ate all the pizza."
"I am knowing the answer to this question."
Summary — Verb Tenses
Simple tenses — describe completed or habitual actions
- Present: I walk (habit / truth)
- Past: I walked (finished action at a specific time)
- Future: I will walk (prediction / decision)
Continuous tenses — emphasise that an action is in progress
- Present continuous: I am walking (right now)
- Past continuous: I was walking (background action in the past)
- Stative verbs (know, love, believe, want, own) are not used in continuous form.
Perfect tenses — connect two points in time
- Present perfect: I have walked (past action with present relevance; no specific time)
- Past perfect: I had walked (the "past of the past")
- Future perfect: I will have walked (completed before a future moment)
Golden rules for Norwegian students:
1. Never use present perfect with a specific finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2019).
2. Do use present perfect with since, for, ever, never, already, yet, so far.
3. When a short action interrupts a longer one, use simple past + past continuous.
4. Past perfect is only needed when two past events must be clearly ordered.
Fill in the correct tense of the verb in brackets. The paragraph uses several different tenses — think carefully about each one.
"My family _____ (live) in Tromsø for ten years now. Before that, we ____ (live) in Stavanger. We ____ (move) because my mother ____ (get) a new job. Right now, my sister ____ (study) for her exams, and I ____ (just / finish) mine. Next summer, we ____ (travel) to Iceland — we _____ (never / be) there before."
Write a short paragraph (80-120 words) about a memorable trip or experience. Use at least four different tenses and underline each verb, labelling the tense you used.
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