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'Greg is going to fly the plane!'

We use am / is / are + going to + base verb to talk about the future when:

1. We already decided or planned something.
2. We can see evidence that something is going to happen.

Think: “I have a plan!” 🗓️

Subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb

• I am going to visit my grandma this weekend. 👵
• She is going to study medicine at university. 📚
• They are going to play football after school. ⚽

(Short forms: I’m, He’s, We’re going to …)

Structure: Subject + am not / isn’t / aren’t + going to + base verb

• I am not going to eat dessert tonight. 🍰
• He isn’t going to come to the party. 🎉
• We aren’t going to watch TV later.

Structure: Am / Is / Are + Subject + going to + base verb?

• Am I going to pass the exam? 😅
• Is she going to travel to Spain? 🇪🇸
• Are they going to help us? 🤝

(Answer: “Yes, I am / No, I’m not” etc.)

1. Plans and intentions (decided before speaking)

• I’m going to start a new hobby. 🎨

2. Predictions with evidence (you can see it!)

• Look at those clouds! It’s going to rain. ☁️🌧️

• tomorrow, next week, later, soon, in 2025

• WILL = quick decisions, promises, predictions without evidence
  • I’m tired. I will go to bed. (deciding now)

• GOING TO = plans made before now, or evidence
  • I’m going to visit my cousin next month. (planned)
  • Look! He’s going to fall! (evidence)

• Use am/is/are + going to for things that are already planned or certain.
• If it’s just decided now, or a promise, use will.

'Danielle was grabbing the light saver' 

The past continuous talks about actions that were happening at a certain moment in the past.
Think: “I was in the middle of doing something.” ⏳🎬

Subject + was / were + verb-ing

• I was watching TV at 8 o’clock last night. 📺
• She was reading a book all evening. 📖
• They were playing football in the park. ⚽

Structure: Subject + was not (wasn’t) / were not (weren’t) + verb-ing

• I wasn’t listening in class. 🙉
• He wasn’t working yesterday afternoon.
• We weren’t studying at 5pm.

Structure: Was / Were + Subject + verb-ing?

• Was she sleeping at 10 pm? 😴
• Were you watching TV when I called? ☎️
• Were they dancing at the party? 💃

(Answer: “Yes, I was / No, I wasn’t” etc.)

1. Actions in progress at a specific time in the past
   • At 7 pm yesterday, I was having dinner. 🍽️

2. Background actions (setting the scene)

• The birds were singing, the sun was shining… ☀️

3. Longer actions interrupted by shorter actions (Past Simple + Past Continuous)

• I was watching TV when the phone rang. 📺☎️
• She was walking home when it started to rain. 🌧️

This is a very important combination!

• Past Continuous = long action (background)
• Past Simple = short action (interrupts)

Structure:

Past Continuous when Past Simple
OR
Past Simple while Past Continuous

Examples:

• I was cooking dinner when my friend arrived. 🍳🚪
• While I was driving, I saw a rainbow. 🌈
• He was reading a book when someone knocked at the door. 📖🚪

• while, when, at that time, all day, at 8 o’clock yesterday

• Past Simple: Completed actions (one after another)
  • I got up, I had breakfast, and I went to work.
• Past Continuous: Actions that were in progress or interrupted
  • I was having breakfast when the phone rang.

If you can draw a line on a timeline, use Past Continuous for the action in progress, and Past Simple for the event that interrupts!

'Usain Bolt had won his race before he took the photo.'

The past perfect talks about something that happened BEFORE another action or time in the past.

Think: “Past of the past!” ⏳🔙

Subject + had + past participle (3rd form)

(Short form: I’d, You’d, He’d, etc.)

• I had finished my homework before dinner. ✏️🍽️
• She had left when I arrived. 🚪
• They had never travelled by plane before last year. ✈️

Structure: Subject + had not (hadn’t) + past participle

• I hadn’t seen the film before. 🎬
• He hadn’t eaten breakfast when he went to school.
• We hadn’t studied for the test.

Structure: Had + Subject + past participle?

• Had you ever tried sushi before that trip? 🍣
• Had she finished her work before the meeting?
• Had they visited London before 2020? 🇬🇧

(Answer with: “Yes, I had / No, I hadn’t.”)

• By the time I got to the station, the train had left. 🚉

• She was tired because she had worked all day. 💤

• Before 2019, I had never studied English.

Past Perfect = the earlier action
Past Simple = the later action

Examples:

• I had eaten before my friends arrived. 🍽️
• When I arrived, she had already gone.
• He had studied hard, so he passed the exam. 📚

Time words that often show Past Perfect:

• before, after, by the time, already, never, just, because, so

• Past Simple: Events in the past (in the order they happened)
  • I arrived at 8 pm. The film started at 7 pm.
• Past Perfect: Shows which action happened first, even if you say it second
  • When I arrived at 8 pm, the film had already started.

If you talk about two past actions, use Past Perfect for the first one and Past Simple for the second one.
Draw a timeline: Past Perfect goes further back!

'Greg and Danielle have been having fun all day.'

We use have/has + been + verb-ing to talk about actions that started in the past and continue now, or have been happening recently.

Think: “How long has it been happening?” ⏳➡️📅

Subject + have/has + been + verb-ing

• I have been studying English for two years. 📚
• She has been running since 7 o’clock. 🏃‍♀️
• They have been watching TV all afternoon. 📺

(Short forms: I’ve been…, She’s been…, We’ve been…)

Structure: Subject + haven’t / hasn’t been + verb-ing

• I haven’t been feeling well. 🤒
• He hasn’t been sleeping much this week. 😴
• We haven’t been working on that project.

Structure: Have / Has + Subject + been + verb-ing?

• Have you been waiting long? ⏳
• Has she been practising the piano? 🎹
• Have they been working here for a long time?

(Answer: “Yes, I have / No, I haven’t.” or “Yes, she has / No, she hasn’t.”)

1. To show how long something has been happening (from past until now)
   • I’ve been learning English since 2021. 🗓️

2. For recent actions when you can see the result

• You’re tired because you have been running. 🥵

3. To focus on the activity itself (not just the result)

• She has been painting the house. 🎨

• for (2 hours, 3 years)
• since (Monday, 2020)
• all day, recently, lately

• Present Perfect Simple = focus on what has been done
  • I’ve read 3 books this week. (number of books)
• Present Perfect Continuous = focus on the action and how long
  • I’ve been reading all week. (focus on the activity)

Use have/has been + -ing when you want to say:

“It started in the past and is STILL happening or has just finished – and we can SEE the result!”

'I would have a lot of fun in Danielle's classes 😃 We used to laugh so much and I learnt a lot.'

We use would + base verb to talk about things we did regularly in the past (but NOT now).

Think: “In the past, I always did this…” ⏳➡️🚫

Subject + would + base verb

• When I was a child, I would play outside every day. ⚽
• My grandma would tell us stories before bed. 📖
• We would go to the beach every summer. 🏖️

(Short form: I’d, He’d, We’d)

In practice, we don’t usually use “wouldn’t” for past habits – we normally just say “didn’t”.

• As a kid, I didn’t play video games (instead of “wouldn’t play”).

(“Wouldn’t” in the past usually shows refusal: “He wouldn’t help me” = He refused.)

We usually ask about past habits using “Did you use to…?” rather than “Would you…?”
Example:

• Did you use to visit your grandparents?
• (NOT “Would you visit your grandparents?” – that sounds like a polite offer in the present.)

So for questions, “used to” is preferred!

1. Repeated actions in the past
   
   • Every summer, we would go camping in the mountains. 🏕️

2. Things that were typical in the past (but NOT now)

• On Sundays, Dad would make pancakes for breakfast. 🥞

• WOULD: Only for actions (things you did many times).
• USED TO: For actions AND states.

Example:

• I used to be shy. (You can’t say “I would be shy” – states don’t work.)
• I used to play football. = I would play football. (Both OK for actions)

“Would” in the past is not for one-time events – it’s only for habits/repeated actions.

• when I was a child / when we were young
• every summer, every weekend
• in those days

If you’re talking about past habits:

• You can use used to for actions and states.
• You can use would (or used to) for repeated actions.

When I was little…
I would ride my bike to school every day 🚴
I would eat sweets after school 🍬
I used to be scared of the dark 🌙 (state – only “used to” works here!)

'I will be renovating my house all summer.'

We use will + be + verb-ing to talk about actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

Think: “I will be in the middle of doing something!” ⏳➡️🕒

Subject + will + be + verb-ing

• I will be studying at 8 pm tonight. 📚
• She will be travelling to Spain next week. ✈️
• They will be working all day tomorrow. 💼

(Short form: I’ll be…, She’ll be…, They’ll be…)

Structure: Subject + will not (won’t) be + verb-ing

• I won’t be working this weekend.
• He won’t be sleeping at that time.
• We won’t be waiting long.

Structure: Will + Subject + be + verb-ing?

• Will you be working at 10 am?
• Will she be staying at the hotel? 🏨
• Will they be joining us for dinner? 🍽️

(Answer: “Yes, I will / No, I won’t.”)

• This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Italy. 🇮🇹

• They will be working on the project all week.

• Will you be using your car tonight? 🚗

• this time tomorrow / next week / tonight
• at 5 pm / at midnight
• in 2030, soon

• Future Simple (will): Focus on a fact or decision
  • I will watch a film tonight. (simple decision)
• Future Continuous: Focus on the action at a certain moment
  • At 9 pm, I will be watching a film. (I’ll be in the middle of it!)

If you want to picture yourself in the middle of doing something in the future, use will be + verb-ing.

Timeline:

• (Future time) ⏰ 8 pm tomorrow → I will be studying 📖

'By the time he performs at Glastonbury, he will have been break dancing for 20 years'.

We use will + have + been + verb-ing to talk about how long an action will continue up to a point in the future.

Think: “By that time, I will have been doing this for …” ⏳➡️🕒➡️

Subject + will + have + been + verb-ing

• By next June, I will have been working here for 10 years. 👷‍♂️
• She will have been studying English for 5 years by the time she takes the exam. 📚
• They will have been travelling for a month by then. ✈️

Structure: Subject + will not (won’t) have been + verb-ing

• By 2026, I won’t have been living here for long.
• He won’t have been studying enough before the test.

Structure: Will + Subject + have + been + verb-ing?

• Will you have been working here for long by next year?
• Will she have been practising long enough before the concert? 🎹
• Will they have been travelling for two weeks by then?

(Answer: “Yes, I will / No, I won’t.”)

• By 8 pm, I will have been studying for three hours. 📖

• By 2025, she will have been living in London for 10 years.

• by the time …
• by [date/time]
• for [duration]
• by then

• Future Perfect (will have + past participle):
  • Focus on the result
  • By next month, I will have finished the project. ✅
• Future Perfect Continuous (will have been + verb-ing):
  • Focus on the duration/activity
  • By next month, I will have been working on the project for a year. 🕒

Use will have been + verb-ing to answer:
“For how long will you have been doing something by that future time?”

Timeline:

• (Now) 📍
• (Future ongoing) 🔄 working… working…
• (Future time) ⏰ “By 2030, I will have been working here for 20 years!”

'She was supposed to put her clothes away'

We use these structures to talk about rules, expectations, instructions, or things that should happen (but might not).

Think: “This is the plan, rule or expectation – but reality might be different!”

Subject + am/is/are/was/were + supposed/meant to + base verb

(You choose “supposed to” or “meant to” – the meaning is almost the same.)

• You are supposed to wear a seatbelt in the car. 🚗
• She is meant to start work at 9 a.m. ⏰
• We are supposed to be on a diet! 🥗

Structure: Subject + am not / isn’t / aren’t + supposed/meant to + base verb

• I am not supposed to park here. (It’s not allowed.) 🚫
• He isn’t meant to tell anyone the secret. 🤫
• They aren’t supposed to arrive late.

Structure: Am / Is / Are + Subject + supposed/meant to + base verb?

• Am I supposed to bring my homework? ✏️
• Is she meant to meet us here?
• Are they supposed to finish today?

(Answer: “Yes, you are / No, you aren’t” etc.)

• You are supposed to turn off your phone during class. 📵

• She is meant to call you later. (Expected plan)

• I was supposed to meet him, but he didn’t come.
• They were meant to finish the work yesterday.

• Supposed to = more common, especially for rules/obligations.
• Meant to = often about intentions and expectations.
• In many cases, you can use either and the meaning is the same.

• These forms are passive – they describe expectations, not personal decisions.
• They often carry the idea that what should happen might be different from reality.

If you want to say “That’s the plan or rule, but maybe it won’t happen or isn’t happening”, use be supposed to or be meant to.

More examples:

• “I was supposed to be studying… but I watched Netflix instead.” 📚➡️📺
• “You are meant to be quiet in the library.” 🤫