El Presente Continuo

Para expresar una actividad To express an activity currently in

actualmente en marcha
Estoy tecleando una carta ...
Nosotros estamos durmiendo ...
Ella está lavando su pelo ...
Él está esperando el autobús ...
progress
I'm typing a letter ...
We are sleeping ...
She's washing her hair ...
He's waiting for the bus ...

Para expresar una actividad

To express a temporary activity
temporal
Él está conduciendo el automóvil de
He's driving his brother's car ...
su hermano ...
I am working as a waiter for the
Estoy trabajando como mozo durante
summer ...
el verano ...
He's staying in the Ritz hotel ...
Está alojando/aloja en el hotel Ritz ...
I am reading "The Bible" ...
Estoy leyendo "La Biblia" ...

Para expresar un evento en el futuro To express a planned future

planeado event
Almorzará/va a almorzar con su novia
mañana ... He's having lunch with his girlfriend
Visitarán/van a visitar el museo de arte tomorrow ...
… They are visiting the art gallery …
El domingo, tendrán/van a tener un On Sunday, they are having a picnic
picnic … …
Jugarán/van a jugar el golf al fin de They are playing golf at the
semana ... weekend ...
Desayunará tarde ... He is having a late breakfast ...
Regresaremos/vamos a regresar el We're coming back next Friday ...
próximo viernes ... They are staying there until 5
Quedarán/van a quedar allí hasta las 5 o'clock ...
...

(En Castellano, normalmente no se utiliza el presente continuo para expresar

un evento en el futuro planeado como hacemos en inglés.)

Verbos de estado:
Hay algunos verbos que no se utilizan normalmente con la forma "ing". Estos
verbos se llaman verbos "estado". Una forma de ver estos verbos es preguntar:
¿Es el verbo un de estado o una acción? ¿Está expresando una emoción? ¿Es
un verbo de pensar o actividad mental?
Verbos de los sentidos: feel, see, hear, smell and taste ...
Verbos de emociónes: admire, love, hate, wish, want ...
Verbos de actividad mental: agree, forget, remember, know, think ...
Verbos de posesión: own, owe, belong, posses ...
Verbos auxiliares: be, have ...

Estado
Veo lo que quieres decir ... (entiendo)
Huele a quemado ... (sentido)
Quiero a Nueva York ... (emoción)
Le admiro ... (sentimiento)
Olvido cosas ... (actividad mental)
Creo que si ... (opinio)
Es Francesa ... (estado)
Tiene un hijo ... (posee)
State
I see what you mean ... [understand]
It smells burnt ... [sense]
I love New York ... [emotion]
I admire him ... [feeling]
I forget things ... [mental activity]
I think so ... [opinion]
She is French ... [state]
She has a son ... [possess, own]

Así de absurdo podría ser: Estas oraciones ya no son correctos o al menos

ya no tienen el mismo sentido:

1 2
Estoy viendo lo que quieres decir ... I'm seeing what you mean ...
Está oliendo a quemado ... It's smelling burnt ...
Estoy queriendo a Nueva York ... I'm loving New York ...
Le estoy admirando ... I'm admiring him ...
Estoy olvidando las cosas ... I'm forgetting things ...
Estoy creyendo que si ... I'm thinking so ...
Está siendo Francesa ... She's being French ...
Está teniendo un hijo ... She's having a son ...

Compara con verbos de acción:

Acción Action
Estoy atendiendo a este paciente en
I'm seeing this patient at the moment
estos momentos ...
...
Estoy oliendo el aroma ...
I'm smelling the aroma ...
Me está encantando aquí ...
I'm loving it here ...
Me estoy olvidando de cada vez más
I'm forgetting more and more ...
...
I'm admiring the painting ...
Estoy admirando a este cuadro ...
I'm thinking about ...
Estoy pensando sobre ...
She is being silly ...
Está haciendo el tonto ...
She's having a baby ... [action]
Está teniendo un bebé ...

Como se forma el presente continuo

 Presente continuo afirmativo:
Subject + am/is/are + (verbo+ing)
I+ am + reading. (Estoy leyendo)

Presente continuo negativo:

Subject + am not/isn´t/aren´t + (verbo+ing)
I am not reading. (No estoy leyendo).

Presente continuo interrogativo

(Question words) am/is/are + subject + (verbo+ing)
Are you reading? (¿Estas leyendo?)

EJERCICIO: Identificar los verbos en presente continuo en el siguiente

texto.

Victor

Monday to Friday Victor wakes up at seven o’ clock, he stays in bed until a

quarter past seven, and then he gets up. After having a shower he gets dressed
and goes downstairs to have breakfast.

At exactly eight o’clock he leaves his house and drives to work, before arriving
to the office he stops to buy his daily newspaper. He turns on his computer at
eight-forty-five and works “non-stop” until ten-thirty.

At ten-thirty, he usually has a coffee until ten forty-five, unfortunately, today is

Friday, the busiest day of the week. Victor is having his coffee at his desk.
Normally, he finishes at three o’ clock on Fridays; however, Victor believes he is
not leaving the office until five or six o’ clock today. To cheer himself up, Victor
starts thinking about the weekend.

Tomorrow is Saturday and Victor has some plans, he is getting up very late,
about ten o’clock. He is having a late breakfast with his girlfriend in the café.
Then they are visiting the art gallery, Carol Ashe, the famous artist, is exhibiting
her latest sculpture.

After visiting the art gallery they are having lunch in a new restaurant in the
centre of town. After lunch, they are going for a walk and then in the evening
they are going to the cinema.
On Sunday, they normally stay in bed reading the newspapers, but this Sunday
they are going for a walk in the mountains with some friends, three hours to
reach the top and two and a half hours to come down. They are having a picnic
at the top of the mountain and Victor is looking forward to enjoying the view, the
peace and of course not being in the office.

Suddenly, the telephone rings and Victor is once again back in reality. His boss
says “Victor you are working until five or six o’ clock today.” Victor looks at the
clock and it is still only eleven o’ clock.
 El pasado continuo

Como se forma el pasado continuo

Pasado continuo afirmativo:

Subject + was/were + (verbo+ing)
I+ was + reading. (Estaba leyendo)

Pasado continuo negativo:

Subject + wasn´t/weren´t + (verbo+ing)
I wasn´t reading. (No estaba leyendo).
Pasado continuo interrogativo

Questions was/were + subject + (verbo+ing)

Were you reading? (¿Estabas leyendo?)

Se usa el pasado continuo:

• Para hablar sobre una acción no terminada en un punto del pasado

He was playing football at half past four yesterday. (El estaba jugando
fútbol a las cuatro y media ayer).
• Para hablar de 2 acciones -una siendo más larga que la otra que
interrumpe la acción anterior
I was cooking when the doorbell rang. (Estaba cocinando cuando
alguien llamó a la puerta).

Hay que recordar que se puede usar when + pasado simple para hablar de 2
acciones consecutivas en el pasado:
I bought my ticket when the train arrived. (Compré mi billete cuando el tren
llego).

Cuando se usa la palabra while (mientras) normalmente se usa el pasado

continuo.

I listened to the news while I was driving. (Escuché las noticias mientras
estaba conduciendo).
 El pasado del verbo to be
Pronombre Presente Pasado
I am was
You are were
He is was
She is was
It is was
We are were
You are were
They are were

Importante:
Hay algunos verbos en ingles que no se pueden usar en la forma continua
A continuación una pequeña lista:

• Believe (creer)
• Hear (escuchar)
• See (ver)
• sound (sonar)
• understand (entender)
• want (querer)
• like (gustar)

EJERCICIO: Identificar los verbos en presente continuo en el siguiente

texto.

The Grasshopper

Aesop

A grasshopper spent the summer hopping about in the sun and singing to his
heart's content. One day, an ant went hurrying by, looking very hot and weary.

"Why are you working on such a lovely day?" said the grasshopper.

"I'm collecting food for the winter," said the ant, "and I suggest you do the
same." And off she went, helping the other ants to carry food to their store. The
grasshopper carried on hopping and singing. When winter came the ground
was covered with snow. The grasshopper had no food and was hungry. So he
went to the ants and asked for food.

"What did you do all summer when we were working to collect our food?" said
one of the ants.

"I was busy hopping and singing," said the grasshopper.

"Well," said the ant, "if you hop and sing all summer, and do no work, then you
must starve in the winter."
 El Pasado Simple

Se usa el pasado simple para referirse a algo que sucedió en el pasado.

ej: I lived in Paris for 1 year.

Vivía en Paris durante un año

-----|- 1 year in Paris-|---------- Now I live in London

-----|- 1 año en Paris-|---------- Ahora vivo en Londres

Notas: En inglés no se diferencia entre vivía y viví.

Si quieres enfatizar de que algo sucedía con cierta regularidad o de forma

permanente en el pasado se puede usar. "used to + verbo"

"used to" = "solía"

Por ejemplo:

I used to live in London = Solía vivir en Londres o vivía en Londres.

En inglés hay verbos regulares y verbos irregulares. Para formar el pasado

vamos a tomar en cuenta esa clasificación.

Un verbo irregular es un verbo que no sigue las reglas normalmente usadas

para formar verbos en el pasado. (ver lista de verbos irregulares)

Se forma los verbos regulares en la siguiente manera:

Hay que añadir -ed a los verbos ej. work worked worked

Si el verbo termina en "e" solo ej. love loved loved

hay que añadir -d

Si el verbo termina en consonante + "y" ej. study studied

se quita el "y" y se añade "-ied" studied

Con verbos de una sílaba terminando en ej. stop stopped stopped

consonante + vocal + consonante
se dobla la última letra.
Nota: para una definición completa de los
verbos con dos sílabas:
consulta un libro de gramática.

Como se forma una oración afirmativa en pasado simple.

Verb
Subject (past Adverbial
form)

I
you
he
she
to the beach
it went
yesterday.
we
you
they
John

Como se forma una oración negativa en pasado simple.

Verb
Subject Auxiliary +not Adverbial
(infinitive)

I
you
he
she did not to the
it go beach
we didn't yesterday.
you
they
John

Como se forma una oración interrogativa en pasado simple.

Question Verb
Auxiliary Subject Adverbial
Word (infinitive)

When I
Why you to the
How did he go beach
Where she yesterday?
etc. it
 we
you
they
John

EJERCICIO: Identificar los verbos en pasado simple en el siguiente texto.

CINDERELLA

Cinderella lived in a small village in the north of England. She had two sisters;
they were very ugly. She got up every morning at six o'clock, then she made
breakfast for her sisters, and afterwards she cleaned the house. She worked all
day. Her two ugly sisters were very lazy; they never did any work because
Cinderella did everything. Cinderella was very unhappy.

One day, the postman came to the house. He gave Cinderella's sister an
envelope. In the envelope there were three invitations to a party at the Prince's
house. She said to her sisters, "Fantastic! There is a party at the Prince's
house. I can wear my new red dress and Esmerelda can wear her new blue
dress, but Cinderella can't go because her dress is old and dirty and she hasn't
got any shoes."

On Saturday at 8 o'clock, the ugly sisters went to the party. Cinderella sat in the
kitchen. She was very sad. There was a ring at the door. Cinderella opened the
door. There was a woman. She said, "Hello! I am your Fairy Godmother. Why
are you sad?" Cinderella said, "I want to go to the party but I haven't got any
beautiful clothes." The Fairy Godmother said, "No problem, here is a new dress
and some glass shoes. There is a golden bicycle in the street. Now you can go
to the party, but you must return before 12 o'clock." Cinderella said, "Thank
you." She put on the glass shoes and the red dress. She looked very pretty.
Then she went to the party by bicycle.

The party was very good. At first, Cinderella was very shy but after an hour, the
Prince asked Cinderella to dance. They danced for a long time. The Prince said
to Cinderella, "I like your dress and you are very pretty." Cinderella was very
happy. She forgot what time it was. Suddenly the clock rang. Cinderella said,
"Oh no! I must go. It is 12 o'clock." She ran home, at the door of the Prince's
house she lost her shoe.

The next day, the Prince was very sad because he was in love with Cinderella
but he didn't know where she lived. He went to all the houses in the village and
said, "Do you know whose shoe this is?" Finally, he went to Cinderella's house.
Cinderella opened the door. The Prince said, "I love you. Do you want to marry
me?" Cinderella said, "Yes." The wedding was the week after. Cinderella and
the Prince were never unhappy again.

THE END
Ejercicios:

• Usar el pasado simple o el pasado continuo.

1. I ................(read) a magazine when it ................(start) to rain.

2. Some friends ……………..(arrive) while we …………….(watch)
television.
3. He …………….(cook) dinner when he ………….. (receive) a text
message from his girlfriend.
4. They …………….(play) football when the storm …………….(begin).
5. What ……………………..(you/do) yesterday at 3 pm?
6. ………………(you/study) when I ………………..(ring) you last night?
7. He …………….(can) sleep because the baby …………..(cry).
8. She……………(arrive) as the train was ……………….(leave) the station.
9. The children ………..(listen) while the teacher ………..(explain) the
answers.
10. I…………….(listen) to the radio when I…………..(receive) your email.