I tempi verbali indicano quando avviene un’azione e come viene presentata: abitudine, processo, risultato o collegamento tra momenti. Grammar guide.
Tempo e aspetto
Individua il tempo di riferimento e stabilisci se l’azione è un fatto, un processo, un risultato o una durata. Il simple presenta fatti, il continuous azioni in corso, il perfect collega tempi e il perfect continuous evidenzia la durata.
Presente, passato e futuro
Present simple: "I study English every weekday." Present continuous: "I am reviewing verb tenses now." Present perfect: "I have studied English since January." Il past simple indica un passato concluso; il past continuous un’azione in corso nel passato.

Parlare del futuro
Usa "will" per decisioni immediate, promesse e opinioni; "going to" per piani o prove presenti: "I will help you." / "I am going to study tonight.".

Errori comuni
Di’ "I am studying now." per un’azione attuale, "I have lived here since January." per una situazione continua e "I visited the museum yesterday." per un tempo concluso.
Come esercitarsi
Use personal timelines and practise with grammar exercises and a grammar test. At CWC, Grammar connects with Speaking and Reading & Writing. ESS offers a daily 80-minute Speaking class with 6 times more practice than a typical class.
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Uso nel parlato e nello scritto
Record yourself describing yesterday, today and next week, then review the verbs. See the speaking practice guide.

I tempi verbali del passato
Il past simple presenta un evento concluso; il past continuous un’azione in corso in un momento passato; il past perfect chiarisce quale evento è avvenuto prima; il past perfect continuous evidenzia la durata fino a un punto nel passato.
- "I studied last night."
- "She moved to Los Angeles in 2025."
- "We gave a presentation on Friday."
- "Did you study?"
- "I did not study."
- "was/were + verb-ing."
- "I was studying at 8:00 p.m."
- "They were speaking when the teacher entered."
- "I was walking home when it started to rain."
- "had + past participle."
- "The class had started before I arrived."
- "She had never spoken in public before that week."
- "had been + verb-ing."
- "I had been studying for two hours before I took a break."
- "They had been practicing for weeks before the presentation."
Scegliere con le espressioni di tempo
"usually" e "every day" suggeriscono un’abitudine, "now" un’azione in corso, "yesterday" un passato concluso, mentre "since" e "for" indicano durata. La prospettiva temporale del parlante determina comunque la scelta finale.
- "I lived in Los Angeles for two years."
- "I have lived in Los Angeles for two years."
Domande frequenti
Which tenses should beginners learn first?
Start with present simple, present continuous, past simple, "will" and "going to".
Verb tenses support clear stories, experiences and plans. Contact Columbia West College to practise through CWC’s integrated curriculum.

