Learn English Tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, or Present Perfect?

Are you sure which past tense to use and when? Do you understand why? Save years of English mistakes by watching this important lesson in which I teach you about past tenses. Discover your strengths and weaknesses in a few minutes. Then, follow my suggestions to master the grammar tenses you'll need to use more than any other in English.
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TRANSCRIPT
Hi. I'm Rebecca from engVid, and this lesson is going to save you years of English mistakes. Why? Because it's a diagnostic lesson. In just a few minutes you'll find out what you know and don't know regarding the past tenses in English. And why is that important? For two reasons. First, you can focus on what you don't know and improve those areas and improve quickly, and second because the past tenses are among the most important tenses that we use in English. Okay? And at the end of the lesson after you've done the exercise and you find out what you might get wrong or right, I'll show you exactly how to improve, what you can do. Some simple steps. Okay? Let's get started.
So, number one: "It rains all day yesterday." Okay? So these are all sentences in the past tense. Okay? There are four tenses we're covering: Past simple, past continuous, present perfect, and past perfect. Okay? So, all of these sentences have some mistakes. You try to find out: What's the mistake? If you know, then you know that part. If you don't, we'll see what to do. So: "It rains all day yesterday." What's wrong with that sentence? Okay. So, we're talking about yesterday so we know it's in the past, so what's wrong is here, this verb is right now in the present simple. It should be... It should be in the past. So then this sentence should be in the past simple. So if you didn't know that, then... Then you need to review the past simple. Okay?
Number two: "Have you seen Maria last week? Have you seen Maria last week?" What's wrong with that sentence? Or that question, rather. Can you find the mistake? Okay, so the mistake is this: When we say: "Have you seen", that's which tense? Present perfect. But then we go on to say: "Have you seen Maria last week?" That's a problem, because when we use the present perfect tense, we cannot use a finished time with it. If you use a finished time, like last week, then you have to change this question and make it into past simple. For example: "Did you see Maria last week?" That's one way to fix that question. And the other way, if we wanted to keep it present perfect-right?-we would say: "Have you seen Maria this week?" for example. Okay? That... Of course, that has a different meaning, but if you're going to use this tense then if you have a timeframe you can only talk about time which is either still going on, like this week, today, this month, this year, and so on. Okay? So if you made a mistake here, remember to review present perfect. Okay? Just make a note of that.
Next: "Gary studied when I arrived. Gary studied when I arrived." What's wrong there? There is a little mistake there, and it's here. Okay? This should be: "Gary was studying"-right?-"when I arrived". Now, "was studying" is past continuous. So, why do we need past continuous there? Because the action of studying takes some time. Right? It doesn't happen in one second. So he was studying, and studying, and studying, and then in the middle of this studying I arrived. "Arrived" doesn't take time, so "arrived" can be in the past simple tense. That's fine. I arrived, it's finished, it's over. But Gary was studying, and studying, and studying, and studying, and I came in the middle of that. Okay? So these are the kinds of things you have to know about these tenses in order to use them correctly. So, if you made a mistake here, remember to review past continuous. Remember at the end of the lesson I'll tell you exactly how you can review these. Okay?
Next, number four: "When have you sent the email?" Okay? "When have you sent the email?" Okay. So, the problem here, again, is that the tense that's used is present perfect. But with present perfect we cannot use the word "when". If you use the question word "when", then you need to change this entire question to past simple. "When did you send the email?" Okay? "When did you send the email?" Because when I ask you that question you're going to tell me sometime in the past that's finished and over. So that's past simple, and not present perfect. So if you made a mistake here, you should really review past simple, but more importantly also, again, present perfect. Okay? A little bit of both. If you just said here: "Have you sent the email?" then it's fine and it's present perfect. Okay? But if you need to use the question word "when", remember to change it to past simple. Good.
Number five: "Did you ever see this movie? Did you ever see this movie?"

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[@user-yh3kw7jw3o]

No 😢

[@samsondebbarma5133]

Yes

[@samsondebbarma5133]

Yes

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This teacher is amazing, i wish i had teachers like that before.

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U

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[@lionlions8042]

who else is here before an exam? :DDD

[@camijoestar16]

Me! xd

[@vildannalci6726]

@@camijoestar16 Me :)) I'm from Turkey and I have my school Englisch exam yesterday :'(

[@davidkovac4080]

Lol 😂

[@zumraygn]

Me! Nalcı NALCI Ooo türk bulduum

[@sunshinecreole1319]

I'm reviewing as well before I take my English exam for teacher certification.

[@donotwater]

My goodness, I was at this level almost 40 years ago. I was so confused and frustrated with all the simple present, past participle, future tense, irregular verbs, and so on, it was a nightmare for a 15 year old girl from the Philippines. I had butterflies in my stomach each time I rode the bus since I had to verbally ask for a bus transfer and always stumbled on those two words, "Transfer please." Practice, practice, practice! Watching your tutorials, I am laughing and cringing at the same time because those sentences came out of my mouth! Believe it or not, I also credit watching many hours of sitcoms (Barney Miller, Hawaii Five O, Perry Mason, etc. and even the Looney Tunes) to practice. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@sreeniala4603]

Evelyn J Thank you for sharing this sweet and amazing story . Reiterates the point that hard work never fails anybody . All we need is the desire to learn and willingness to learn. Kudos to you ma'am

[@rrgaming1390]

Ok

[@maurocastagnera8949]

Great video! In a few simple examples, you have explained very well very important and fundamental concepts to understand the English language. Thanks a lot!

[@natitt6780]

Thank you so much, Rebecca! You changed my life.

[@arabindachakrabarti4883]

Madam, you are the most efficient teacher I have ever come across in my life. You can teach even the difficult things in English in a very simple and lucid manner and the way you teach us is quite interesting and attractive too. I am greatly indebted to you for teaching us so many things in English. I have learnt many things from your English lessons. I simply do not know how to express gratitude to you for teaching us so many things. I wish I could know and speak English like you. I wish I could attend your live English classes.

[@mrrock3679]

One more amazing lesson from Rebecca! Thank you!

[@Gab0000]

You are for sure one of the best teachers out there!

[@mrrock3679]

Ever

[@hinaiqbal1122]

Ma'am, you politely make us understand the grammar... I wish I had been a teacher like you in my school.. ❤

[@engvidneo530]

From Mongolia. I like your lesson. I learned ‘ finished time ‘. Before I just remember automatically if sentences include last ... it should be perfect tense

[@ritawidjana76]

Thank you, Rebecca. I like the way you explain everything to make it even clearer!

[@vaanyaakallur1427]

Thankyou so much!! You’re an awesome teacher,thankyou for taking out time from your life and helping all of us learn!❤️

[@younglee4666]

Thank you so much Rebecca. This lesson is very helpful for me. I usually do these mistakes all the time. I hope that I can speak proper English as soon as I can. Thanks again for your help and have a wonderful holiday for you and your family!

[@dianamachado2415]

this lesson was so wonderful! i love listening to you. your explanation is always fantastic and really clear. i wish you all the happiness!

[@samuelcordeiro2700]

Thank you so much, Rebeca! I’ve been studying the tenses with you for a while, rewatching many times your videos and now I’m feeling much better to use past perfect and others sentences. Thank you so much, you’re shining light in this world! Keep going! 🙏🏻

[@sergiojacobovitz9587]

Nice and clear explanation! Great and concise lesson. Thank you, teacher Rebecca! I've just subscribed!

[@rajenranv7936]

Sharing Knowledge is Virtue. Heartiest Thanks and appreciations, Ma'am (Ravi)

[@engin7787]

When one sees your writing style and the way using the blackboard ,that You are a very experienced teacher .It brings my memories from my high school years! Thank you. It is a pleasant feeling to be one your students.

[@albaponce2398]

Rebecca: Thank you for all your videos, I am learning a lot from them. I have been living in Canada for two years and I need to improve my English.

[@bibian2523]

Thank you soooo much!! All of your videos are amazing, it's like have a teacher with me all the time 👍🏼

[@carloscesarcastano5833]

Bibiana Delgado you're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful it's true. Hi Bibiana. ! where are you from.??

[@carloscesarcastano5833]

Biswajit Banik my problem is not your problem, So be quiet.!!

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Bibiana Delgado hhhhgghhhtrrr

[@firassahib9365]

Thanks for your teaching

[@user-vf6yk3sk4y]

Your thought is very nice

[@user-wx6di3do6f]

Your explanation is very easy to understand. Really, you are a great teacher!

[@ajaykharat8689]

*Rebecca* is a great teacher! Hope every corner of world has teacher like rebecca. *Quality* of *Rebecaa:* 1) She trust her audience. 2) Her smile encourages to do more. 3) She is natural. Thanks Rebecca. Thanks KZbin.

[@walelaiouattara4882]

Thank you so much. I love your courses. Your courses are short and clear. Anytime I watch, I learn something new. Thanks.

[@bukhoriabdul]

Thanks so much, you are great teacher. 非常感谢

[@aandres666]

Thank you for all the video. Now can i say, i can learn more faster than in the last 10 years. Thx.

[@ems617]

Thanks Ms. Rebecca, your lesson is so helpful. You explained it simple and clear. Now I know and understand clearly how to use "Past Perfect Tense" in a sentence.

[@sabidzaki]

That's why you are my favourite teacher on engvid.. Great ..Thanks Rebecca.

[@patralipradhan1709]

I simply love your videos. Thank you ma'am❤️

[@vantran4178]

Thank you for being such a great teacher!

[@freemanjeon]

Wow. You are an amazing English Teacher. I can tell every single word you say is already connected to another lesson.

[@MrHeat48]

I love your lesson. It saved me a lot of time searching the Internet for the differences. Thank you so much.

[@2elliejavorek53]

Omg thank you very much for these videos, i have an exam tomorrow and you helped me so much. Your nice voice is calming me cuz our teacher is really rude on us. So thank you for being also nice on your videos❤️ and never stop doing these kind of videos please

[@BRUNO36185]

Thank you teacher! Awesome teaching

[@cebecyanki]

Thanks a lot for this video! I've almost never studied grammar for several months but I can find mistakes quickly. However, I've some difficulty to find tenses.

[@miguelsilfa1603]

Thanks Reecca you are a great teacher. From Dominican Republic.

[@anee7163]

I got 09. I love you Rebecca. You are my friend, you are my best teacher, you are my everything. I love to watch your lesson not just by gaining knowledge about English but also wants to listen your words as you speak so gracefully ☺ .Enough thanks rebecca .❤

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Jas e miN k balit

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Very useful video, thank you !!! :)

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Zuzana Gmitrová Yeah ; A great platform to gain knowledge from here !!!

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Nice

[@muluetay3005]

Thank you! for devoted your time. GOD BLESS YOU!!""!!

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Thanks for your splendid style of teaching English ... Really I caught the light...

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The smile she makes is out of the universe

[@faheedalwadaany373]

Thank you lovely teacher

[@mesutgelenler714]

thanky you rebecca for your effort, your class helped me improve my English a lot.

[@user-qx3tz4ws9f]

Thank you so much! I love you an explanation. Finally, I understand tenses better, than before.

[@sabanazir9844]

Thanks Ma'am! You lessons are superb

[@facts9420]

It was so helpful and interesting Thanks a lot Rebecca 👍👍👍👍

[@taibihamza2575]

good day i like your kind of teaching because it quiet easy .i have 64 years old and for me it is a pleasure watching in youtub your vidios all are interesting and educated. i wonder myself and i say perhaps one day i will speak fluenty.english. thanks a lot.

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You are such a splendid teacher who I've ever seen. I really appreciate You

[@pearlexi]

You’re a great teacher! Thank you!

[@user-mx4me5xt3o]

5:56 I' m sorry, but why you wrote here Present Perfect. I think that there will be Past Simple." When did you send the email?" Am I not wrong?

[@shaheenbegam2436]

Thank you so much mam.:-) You have explained in such an easy manner that i have topped in my test. Thanks a lot

[@orhanbaki3803]

Mrs. Rebecca can teach English very clearly, simply, and didactically. She is surely one of the best English teachers in the world. I appreciate her and like her very much and I am thanking her very much. Orhan Baki from Germany.

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This is the first time I watch a video of you and I liked a lot the way you explain so clear and direct .

[@mouhcine8459]

great lesson thanks

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Thanks u soooo much!!!all of are your video are amazing it's like have teacher with me all the time

[@engvidRebecca]

Thank you so much for your warm words, Gamila. I am so glad you find the lessons helpful. I wish you all the best, my friend.

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я члушаю и смотрю Ребеку, душа отдыхает! легко-доступно и приятно возобновлять забытые знания! 👍 perfect! thanks!

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Rebecca Madam is a great teacher I have ever seen in my life. All your lessons are so insightful and impressive... Billal from Bangladesh.

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Thank you teacher! You've helped me a lot.

[@HarpreetKaur-do6de]

your teaching is best mam☺☺

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I loveee your vidéos and with you Im improve my english like never before, thanks you for your help and God bless you. !!

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Thank you so much for teaching! You made them seemed so easy

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I like your warming smile, always important in a teacher :)

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We mama mo panot bubo TANGA inutul

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The best English teacher

[@ruudrule]

The best part of this video: When I was struggling with all these then I heard Rebecca said [you're doing fine you're doing great]

[@tamilatchi4271]

The way you teach the lesson is great...concise... Thank u teacher..

[@11RIHAM]

Dear Rebbeca. Why didn’t we use the past continuous in the first sentence? Such as ‘’ It was raining all day yesterday’’, i thought it was the right answer since we had ‘’All day’’ which referred to a continued action not a specific point in time,

[@camilliusdongsal214]

Hi, I know it’s too late to answer this but I hope this still helps. Since there’s “Yesterday” on the sentence and it stops right there, no explanation on what happened next, we should use past simple. But if there is a continuation like: “When I arrived in the office yesterday, it *had been raining all day.” Since there’s “All day” in the sentence, we have to use the Past Perfect Continuous. We can use Past Continuous if the sentence is like this: “It was raining yesterday when I arrived in the office.” Sounds much better right?

[@ahmedhossamsoliman4550]

@@camilliusdongsal214 😂😂 after 2 years bro

[@luoyong498]

thank you teacher !

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OMG I'm learning!! thank you miss Rebecca!

[@srimathgebrial1018]

It"s very helpful. Your teaching is perfect. I understood properly.Thanks Rebecca.

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You are brillient, the method of your teaching is very good. In addition your smile is very beautiful😀

[@linajohn557]

its really very useful can you please post more lessons just like that thank you.

[@jennalynpettis7615]

Thank you Rebecca, you are a great teacher. I understand your lesson clearly. More power to you!

[@IrisMdz18]

Thanks, you are an excellent teacher, I improve my english with your videos. This is an excellent lesson!

[@bluuzee1739]

Привет. Покровск, Школа №2, 8-Б))

[@camilalonghini8134]

Could I change example number 3 to: "Gary had been studying when I arrived."? What's the difference between Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous?

[@ajmd3655]

This is great English lessons to learn and very clear understanding. Thanks.

[@RajeshKumar-rk1nn]

Nice to see you again.i'm learning alot.Thank you for your way of teaching and speaking

[@loopwater5366]

Q: When use the “have “? A: Two action in one tense ,the “had” add in first action.

[@angelrussell750]

There's has, hasn't, hadn't as well.

[@angelrussell750]

Didn't, did, do, done, doing.

[@abdelnour4220]

Can i say it was raining all day yesterday ?

[@kenmorley2339]

Yes you can .

[@angelmandal5332]

Hi , I need to know more about this type of video lesson .It helps me to improve my english grammar . THANK YOU ☺ (My children's arrived home , when i had already completed my work . )

[@Sasha-vk2gd]

OMG, your channel is awesome. I had had a bad marks at the school before but now i can writing the test with any problems) Thank you so much

[@TheKevbe]

So basically I need to reveiw all of them and history repeats itslef :D

[@michailb2563]

The forth is past simple

[@jojobenyamin2443]

That's right. 👍🏻

[@andriypf8434]

and 7th too

[@saunakpatel8836]

Yes sir, you are right but Rebecca has written the names of the tenses that are to be reviewed to make out the mistakes even quite clearly ...

[@oykum8714]

yes your right ı had already realised that

[@lovegonzalez3343]

Looking who to learn ....I found this video! THE BEST❤ Thank you for teach.

[@luishernandorojasguzman799]

Hi there teacher rebeca it's very important I've ever studing english every day it's awesome all this teaching and lesson like past simple past continuos, present perfect and past perfect at the moment of start of conversations by english.

[@liangjiezhao296]

First one. When it’s all day it emphasizes that the time was continuous, it should be in past continuous???!!!

[@01Natalcia01]

Why in 1 sentence should be "rained" not "was raining"?

[@kdavid9228]

I think "all day" means from time to time - non continuous. "the whole day" is continuous.

[@tommytruth7595]

I can tell you that a native speaker would use both of them.

[@user-fb5fk7ly2c]

01Natalcia01 you can use both of them but, in my opinion, "was raining" sounds more grammatically correct.

[@sammyangelov3285]

My be I can give you an example: It was raining yesterday when I left home. So it means that something happened in the past during the other action in the past ...

[@riziaprado-greengoinglesagro]

The action "rained" is finished that's all. Finished action finished is in the context. I believe the other form is a possiblity but not in the context she has said

[@user-si7bf7yr9g]

Your lessons are very useful for me! Thank you so much!

[@waibinghong8715]

Thank you for your clear explanation!

[@bilahn1198]

I'm a native speaker and I don't know what she's talking about in number 7. "Didn't understand" is the usual way, but "wasn't understanding" could be said. It would have a different connotation or "feel" to it. Most of these kinds of videos are very good but I see questionable things from time to time.

[@StoryTime-jo6ij]

grammar isn't the same as the common language

[@bilahn1198]

@@StoryTime-jo6ij I've never heard of the grammar rule she cited, and it doesn't make intuitive sense.

[@MENDOZZZO]

Why I can't say: It was raining all day yesterday?

[@sashaershova4551]

Igor Frąckowiak the same question

[@christianeokelly7668]

Sasha Latess because Yesterday is an expression of time that is finished. So you have to use the past simple.

[@sashiliyana463]

A perfect lesson for everyone who is thinking that they know everything. Thanks teacher.

[@AnastassiaMichaeli]

Thanks a lot for your professional work!!!Really useful video.

[@walterjunior2361]

Thank you for the class!! Very interesting content!!

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You’re amazing teacher! Thank you so much for you help!

[@fsiserir]

I would like to thank you for all these lessons you have made easy to learn English.

[@SIMS6]

Thank you so much for the video! Much love and peace!

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I knew your video long time before this channel..and I feel like had such a great teacher. i've just subscribed this channel, Rebecca... thank you for the share 😍

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Thank you for this very useful information!

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What a kind teacher you are. thanks alot.

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I am from tamilnadu India your video is very helpful for learning English