TRANSLATION COURSE
TRANSLATING ENGLISH TENSES:
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

PAST (Unit 6/7 My Grammar Lab - p. 89)

PRESENT (Unit 5 My Grammar Lab I - p. 75)

FUTURE (Unit 8 My Grammar Lab - p. 121)

COMMON PROBLEMS

SUBJECT

è una brava studentessa

STRUCTURE

le piace il calcio

vogliono che resti a casa

l'ho vista cadere

TENSES

SIMPLE PRESENT

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

adverbs of frequency

historical present

an action happening now

a future program

PRESENT PERFECT

SIMPLE PAST

INDEFINITE TIME

FREQUENCIES OR ADVERBS

PAST ACTION WITH PRESENT EFFECT

DEFINITE TIME

COMPLETED ACTION

FOR/SINCE

they have been married since 2010

PAST PROGRESSIVE

AN ACTION HAPPENING IN THE PAST WHILE A SHORTER ONE
WAS TAKING PLACE

I was sleeping when the phone rang

PAST PERFECT

When they arrived, she had already eaten

USED TO / WOULD + INFINITIVE

she used to eat alone /
he would wear sunglasses

verb table

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE FUTURE

GOING TO FUTURE

SIMPLE PRESENT FUTURE

WILL FUTURE

trains/university/airports

What do we eat tonight?

plans

family/friends/scheduled event

intentions

action which is not scheduled

consequence of a sudden action

forecast/option (perhaps-maybe-probably)

promise/threats/offers

immediate decisions

future actions

Verb table

WILL BE +ING

forecast in the future

WILL HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

past action in a future time

request

conditionals

Translation: Dear Jennifer

Translation: James Cook (p. 26+5)

She's a good student

She likes football

They want you to stay at home

I saw her falling

hopes