Language/English/Grammar/Express-Past

Here is a quick article on how to express the past tenses in English.

The simple past.

Talk about past events in a historic context using yesterday, or a date or time.

• He died in 1920.

The Present Perfect

Situate past events in relation to the present situation.

• I have just ordered a new TV

The Past perfect

When one past event has to be situated in a more distant past than another past event.

• You had studied French before you moved to Paris.

The past continuous

When something is happening before and after another action in the past.

• She saw her as he was driving away.

Links

More information about Perfect Tenses