TRANSLATION

Translate the sentences below into your native language.

1. I have never seen you so happy!

2.

No one has taken the dog for a walk since breakfast.

3.

I can't imagine why my friend hasn't written.

4.

There have been many good films lately.

5.

How long have you been waiting?

6. Where have you been all day?

7.

I've been looking for this book for over a month.

8.

She's already seen this film four times.

SPOT
~

THE

ERROR

Can you correct the mistakes?

1.

I haven't seen him since before two years.

2.

We have been to the USA last summer.

K
THE PAST PERFECT
EL PRETRITO

SIMPLE

PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

3.

Ronnie is sleeping for three hours.

4.

She has been my friend since we've been little.

5.

We know each other for ten years.

6.

When have you received the letter?

EL PRETRITO

PAST PERFECT CONTlNUOUS

CONTlNUOUS,
PRESENT

7.

How long are you waiting here?

Have you enjoyed the film last night?

9.

He has been calling you three times today.

10.

162

She is learning French since 2001.

/ CONTRAST WITH

PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

PASADO CONTINUO,
PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

8.

COMPUESTO

CONTINUO

PAST

PAST PERFECT / CONTRAST WITH

PERFECT - CONTRASTE

PRETRITO

PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

ENTRE EL
CONTINUO

y EL

Y ENTRE EL PRETRITO
y EL PRETRITO

PERFECTO

rl

__

EXERCISE

.
h
ti ns which happened
underhne t e ac 10

THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE -

1.

~ad you sent all the invitations before you discovered the mistake?
2.

+ had + participio pasado del verbo principal

I had finished my
homework by 9 pm.

After

+ sujeto + participio pasado del verbo principal

By dinner-time

7.

Had you finished your

homework by 9 pm?

EXERCISE

Choose the corred

answer.

1. By the time the police (~,

had arrived), the burglar (had escaped,

escaped).
2. Lifeguards (rescued, had rescued) many of the swimmers by the time the
helicopter (arrived, had arrived).

Para unir la oracin en Past Perfect Simple con la que va en Past Simple se usan
conjunciones y expresiones como when, by the time, before y after, que ya
indican qu accin ocurri en primer lugar.
When I had made dinner, I called everyone to the table.

3. Alan (didn't know, hadn't known) what to do. Someone (Iocked, had locked)
the door and he didn't have a key.
4. Tom (fail, had failed) his driving test twice before he finally (had passed,

By the time we arrived at the party, most of the guests had left.
He had washed his hands before he ate his sandwich.

passed) it.
5. Why (hadn't you remembered,

He ate his sandwich after he had washed his hands.

didn't you remember) that he (had got married,

got married)?
6. He (took, had taken) over 20 driving lessons by the time he (elt, had felt)

Adems de las ya mencionadas, tambin podemos utilizar otras expresiones

temporales, como just, already, until, never, etc.
They had just finished painting when Peter went to help them.

ready to take his test.

7.

He had already cooked the dinner when she arrived.

Because it (snowed, had snowed) all night, we (decided, had decided) to go

skiing.

My mother had never been to a live concert until she went to

see Julio Iglesias.

8. When they (had recruited, recruited) enough volunteers, they (began,

had begun) picking the fruit.

Nota: Si dos acciones ocurren casi simultneamente en el pasado, ambas van en

Past Simple.
When he discovered the body, he began to cry.
Es incorrecto decir: When he had discovered the body, he began to cry.

we were very worried. Our son hadn't come home yet.

8. She apologised to him because she had forgotten to cal\.

EXPRESIONES TEMPORALES

Denise phoned to tell us she had won the lottery.

6.

El Past Perfect Simple (Pretrito Pluscuamperfecto) se emplea para referimos a una

accin que ocurri antes que otra tambin pasada y que suele ir en Past Simple.
When he had finished his homework, he went to bed. (aqu se traduce
como Pretrito anterior: "hubo acabado")
We left the house because they had all gone to bed.

We had finished the job, so we cleaned up.

5.

He had not finished his

homework by 9 pm.

INTERROGATIVA:

Had

I could see from her face that she had already heard the news.

4.

+ participio pasado del verbo

they had visited the Louvre, they took a taxi back to their hote\.

3.

NEGATIVA:

Sujeto + had not

principal

first in the following sentences.

Gina had never seen a carnival until she visited Brazil.

EL PRETRITO PLUSCUAMPERF;:;;;E;:;;;C;:;:;:T=O=======:::-==

AFIRMATIVA:

Sujeto

'1
1

EXERCISE

EXERCISE

FiII in the blanks with the Past Perfect Simple form of the verbs in brackets.
h?4J'!.0

1. Tom

(run) the business alone for years before he took a partne r.

2. After he

His bicycle was no longer in the shed. Burglars

4.

..

5.

Mary was wealthy. She

ks with the Past Perfect Continuous form of the verbs in brackets.

an
When she finally called, I ..... 0~r:J..?~~r:..~~!~!r:g
.... (wait) for several hours.

1.

(steal) it.

Because he

8.

By the time he phoned us, we

(sell) the caro

9.

He was able to travel when he

(save) enough money.

10.

The building was destroyed. It

(burn) down.

(the driver / drink) before he got into his car?

He

(sleep) for an hour when he heard the alarm ring.

4.

(inherit) everything from her parents.

7.

We

5.

(not book) a ticket, he couldn't see the play.

(not speak) for very long when the phone line

went dead.
I

6.

(look) everywhere when I finally found my purse.

He

7.

(study) for hours when he fell asleep over his book.

She

8.

(stand) in a queue all night to buy tickets for the

show.
EXERCISE
Write sentences

THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUSEL PRETRITO

PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

CONTINUO

in the Past Perfect Continuous

5
using the words given below.

1. The medical students took their final exams last week.

(They / study / for them / all year long)

AFIRMATIVA:

Sujeto + had been

del verbo principal

(try) to sell his car, but he changed his mind.

(play) in London, he went to Paris for a holiday.

l
r2

h bl

t e

2.

(she / not moved) by the time she got married?

6. After the pianist

He

(write) the cheque, he cashed it.

3.

fill

+ forma ing

!~.~y.
.~.~~.
~~~0.
?t.~.~Y.~~S.
(?~.~~~.r:!.
~!I.y.~~:
..'~~g

He had been waiting for an hour when

she appeared.

2. Shelly was tired at work.

NEGATIVA:

Sujeto + hadn't been

del verbo principal

+ forma ing

(She / drive / for hours)

He hadn't been waiting for an hour

when she appeared.

.
3. When we got home, there were five messages on the answering machine.

INTERROGA TlVA:

Had + sujeto + been

del verbo principal

+ forma ing

Had he been waiting for an hour

when she appeared?

(My mother / try / to contact us all day)

......................................................................................................................

El Past Perfect Continuous (Pretrito Pluscuamperfecto Continuo) se usa:

A

4.

Para expresar acciones prolongadas que estaban ocurriendo en el pasado antes

de otra accin breve.

(He / work / the night before)

......................................................................................................................

They had been playing for several minutes when the bell rango
B

Para resaltar la accin que estaba en proceso antes que otra ms reciente,
ambas en el pasado.
The passengers were afraid because their driver had been drinking.

Nota: Las expresiones temporales que lo acompaan son: when, for, since, etc.

He slept all day yesterday.

5. Cail won a running race last week.

(She / train / for it / for several months)

........ ~

16

EXERCISE

I~

Fill in the blanks with the Past Perfect Simple,

Past Perfect Continuous or Past Simple form
of the verbs in brackets.

PAST

PERFECT

CONTINUOUS

PAST

PERFECT

I CONTRAST

CONTRASTE
CONTINUO

ENTRE

I CONTRAST
WITH

EL PRETRITO

y EL PASADO

PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

WITH

PRESENT

PAST

CONTINUOUS,

PERFECT

PLUSCUAMPERFECTO

CONTINUO,

Y ENTRE

y EL PRETRITO

EL PRETRITO

PERFECTO

COMPUESTO

El Past Perfect Continuous se refiere a acciones que estaban ocurriendo antes

de un momento en el pasado que marca su fin. Sin embargo, en el Past
Continuous la accin contina despus de ese momento.
My books were on the desk because 1 had been studying. (ya haba

acabado de estudiar)

My books were on the desk because 1was studying.

El Past Perfect se refiere slo a acontecimientos pasados, mientras que el

Present Perfect tiene relacin con el presente.
1 hadn't been to Geneva until rny visit last April. (hasta ese momento)

1.

Th ey

had been welkuw(:1

realised
.................................
2.

(shine) all day when

Tom and Sharon

5.

he

She

Siempre que una frase empieza en pasado, contina en Past Perfect, no en

Present Perfect.

1 realised that we had stayed too long.

We wondered who had been living in that old house.

to publish

them.

EXERCISE

(sing) many times as a teenager,

(not record)

anything

FiIJin the Past Perfect Continuous

he

until he was in his 20s.

(walk) for several hours when suddenly

she

1.

We looked

outside,

2.

3.

I could see she

4.

Five minutes

10.

The baby
..............

or Past Continuous
heavy rain

of the verbs in hrackets.

.'<:YiJ,!i.$U/!.(q.!!iQg.

(le) on the sofa when suddenly

(travel) for several weeks

(become)

, he

used to hotel food.

(still fall).
the doorbell

rango

(be) ill for a week before

he

her mother

6.

John got a phone-call.

By two o'clock

he

(talk) on the phone for over an hour.

The woman

was standing

(wait) for someone

(cry) for an hour before

(cry) because her eyes were red.

after we arrived,

.
He
(go) to see the doctor.

where

(faint).

Because he
.................................

9.

(todava est en ello)

(write) short stories for nearly ten years before

(decide)

.................................
8.

(dej de

to stop for a rneal.

.................................

7.

She has been learning English for the last year.

(drive) all day before we

The man

Although

it suddenly

(get married).

he
6.

1 haven't been to Geneva yet. (no conozco Ginebra an)

She had been learning English before she went to London.
estudiar ingls cuando fue a Londres)

(love) each other for years before they

We
(decide)

when they suddenly

(begin) to rain.

finally
4.

.
10 rninutes

(reali
'.
"
rea ise) t hat t h e stadiurn
was In the other direction.

The sun
..................................

3.

lk) f or a b out

(wa

(segua estudiando)

By the time a doctor

impatiently

at the corner.

She

for 20 minutes.
came, the child

(scream) for an hour .

(take) her to the doctor.

7. We could see he
8.

The

painters

(rest) so we didn't

disturb

him.

(still paint) the walls when [im came home.

1.E,Q

EXERCISE

EXERCISE

, FiIJ in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Do not use future
tenses. There may be more than one correct answer.

fill in
~

the

blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. There may be more

than one correct answer.

1.

Everything

was ready for the surprise

d
.. J:.;!Q.p.'!.~~J:.!?E!

(purchase)

party. Three days before,

the balloons

signs. The day before, we

.........................
through

2.

(make) the

(bake) the cake. We

(just finish) decorating

it when Andy

understand

.........................

(walk)

(yell), "5urprise!"

the door. Then we all

Bella couldn't

we

and

why her car

(stop). Then she

(realise) that she

(forget) to buy petrol the

night before.

3. Gary's mother was surprised to find him at his desk late at night. 5he
.........................

(think) that he

"What
1

Recently

doctors

have been wemirw (

) us
......... 0.. warn

not to spend too much

.
time

report for school,"

in

the sun.
2.

After we

(walk) back to the youth

After engineers
..............................

(develop)
(stop) producing records.

6.

Over the last 10 years, communications

(begin) painting

7. When the headmaster

..............................

12.

me. When

CDs, most companies

(explain)

(insult) her the day before,

(improve)

a lot.

B y th e tirrne t hei
err parents
..............................
(learn) how to swim.
Tom and Diane seem very happy together.
.....
each other? (know)
How long

Choose the correct answer.

the perfect crime.

King's jewels.

(5 quick,

in our town for the last

country
trouble).

.
(arrive)
at the pool, the children

But they (3 forgot,

quite,

They didn't

waits) for them.

they .

quickly)

While

have forgotten,

know that a member

they (9 are buying,

about the Ace Team,

solved every case. The thieves drove

in a queue

to (6 live, left, leave) the

to buy their (7 tickets,

of the Ace Team (8 waited,

were buying,

who arrived

to jail. The two thieves

have committed)

who, why) had stolen the

had forgotten)

They wanted

They waited

called her colleagues,

them, themselves)

had committed,

ever know (2 what,

to the airport.

as soon as possible.

team member
How long

No one would

a team of experts who (4 never, always, didn't)

for over ayear.

centre

10

The two thieves were sure that they (1 committed,

(manage) to prove that the wife

murder

to me that I

I immediately

(take) a

(arrive), the pupils

(plan) her husband's

(be) angry with

(apologise) .

early in the 20th century.

They
(build) the new youth
four years and it still isn't finished.

You look exhausted.

(work)

why Linda

Linda finally

.........................

(sit) at their desks, working.

the lawyers

..............................

11.

(not understand)

EXERCISE

Picasso

10.

one.

5.

9.

hostel.

(visit) one island, we

boat to another

Yesterday,

4.

(spend) the day at the beach, we

4. After we

8.

(finish) a
(forget) that I have to

hand it in tomorrow."

..............................

3.

(go) to bed hours before.

(you / do)?" she asked. "1

he explained. "1

hadn't

tourists,

was waiting,

bought) their tickets,

immediately
committed

the

and took (10 her,

the perfect

crime,

after all.
you

170
171

-:;:.._._----

"

EXERCISE

TRANSLATION
~

Choose

Translate the sentences below into your native language.

corred

answer.

Oid yOu know that people (1 had rode, had been riding, have been riding, rode)

1.

I had read the book by the time I saw the film.

2.

I had thought my English was terrible until I went to England.

3.

When I saw her, I realised that she had been crying.

4.

She couldn't

find her book because the children

the

bicycl

for a long time? Well, by the time cycling (2 became, has become, had
es
be
, have become) an Olympic event in 1896, people (3 rode, have been
come
riding, have ridden, had been riding) bicycles for over a hundred years. In recent
years, however,

had taken it.

increasing, has increased,

(5

5.

The play had begun by the time we got to the theatre.

6.

As soon as she had passed her driving test, she bought a caro

the popularity

of cycling as a sport (4 had increased,

increased).

had been

One of the reasons is the changes that

nave taken place, had taken place, took place, had been taking place) in the

design of bicycles. (6 In the last 30 years, In the 19705, Since the 19705, Already)
scientists developed

stronger, lighter materials for building bicycles. As a result,

people began to ride their bikes over difficult tracks that they (7 haven't
7. They had been playing football for an hour when one of their players was injured.

use, haven't been using, hadn't

8.

named Patrick Carn (8 has invented,

She had been working for 27 years by the time she retired.

used) before. Some years ago, a French cyclist

a bicycle known as the Caterpillar,

SPOT
~

THE

ERROR

used, didri't

has been inventing,

invented,

had invented)

which can be ridden on snow and sand. Since

then, cyclists (9 have used, have been using, had been using, had used) the
Caterpillar successfully in a number of major sporting events.

Can you correct the mistakes?

1.

We had finished our work and we're going home now.

2.

After he was playing with the children,

3.

I was excited because

4.

When he had seen the thief, he shouted for help.

he put them to bed.

EXERCISE
Choose the more appropriate

1.
I have just won the lottery.

5. When you finally called, I have been waiting for two hours.

sentence.

Mary has been thinking of looking for a part-time job.

a. Mary thought for a long time before she looked for a job.
b. Mary still thinks she would like to find a part-time job.

2. John had left the party by the time we arrived.

a. [ohn left the party when we arrived.

6.

The song was familiar. I heard it before.

7.

I wondered

8.

He was tired because

who has recommended

this film.

b. [ohn wasn't at the party when we got there.

3. They've had their car for seven years now.
a. They got their car seven years ago.

he has been cooking all day.

b. They once owned a car for seven years.

4.

Iake has just been to China.

a. [ake is in China now.
b. lake is no longer in China.

5.

It's the third time he has failed his driving test.

a. He has failed three times.
b. He finally passed the test.
173

EXERCISE

FiIJ in the blanks with the correct form of the words in brackets.
Mother:
Katie:

Katie, (1)

(you Ido) your maths homework yet?

No, Mum. I (2)

(not

(3)
Mother:

I have) time. I

(work) on my English composition al! evening.

But yesterday, when I (4)

(ask) you about your histo-,

homework, you said that you (5)

your English composition.
Katie:

(work) al! evening

I know, but when I (6)

0r

(Iook) at it again earlier this

morning, I wasn't satisfied with what I (7)

write).

(already

Mother: Are you satisfied with it now?

Katie:

Ves, I amo I think it's the best composition I (8)

(ever I write)!

EXERCISE

THE FUTURE

SIMPLE-

EL FUTURO SIMPLE

4
BE GOING TO

Rewrite the sentence using the words in brackets. Do not change the original meaning.
1.

He left only a few moments ago. (just)

......................................................................................................................

2.

We arrived an hour after Dan. (wait for)

THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS

EL FUTURO CONTINUO

......................................................................................................................

3.

The last time her boss paid her was over a month ago. (this month)

FUTURE

......................................................................................................................

CONTINUOUS

4. Jane broke her leg once before. (second)

......................................................................................................................

5.

Wil! this be your first trip abroad? (ever)

......................................................................................................................

6.

They started arguing two hours ago and they're stil! arguing. (for)
....................................................................................................................

7.

I know you moved to London in 1990, but when did you leave? (How long ago)
....................................................................................................................

8.

Today, I had my second meeting with my new boss. (so far)

......................................................................................................................

774

PERFECT SIMPLE / FUTURE

CONTRASTE

PERFECT

ENTRE EL FUTURO PERFECTO

COMPUESTO Y EL FUTURO PERFECTO COMPUESTO

CONTINUO