Tema 1 · Use of English · Tenses, conditionals, modals

Los 12 tiempos verbales del inglés, condicionales 0-III, verbos modales y transformaciones gramaticales típicas de la PEvAU.

1. The 12 English tenses

Present
  • Present Simple: rutinas, hechos generales → She works in Madrid.
  • Present Continuous: acción en curso → She is working now.
  • Present Perfect: pasado conectado al presente → She has worked since 2020.
  • Present Perfect Continuous: acción reciente con duración → She has been working all morning.
Past
  • Past Simple: acción cerrada en el pasado → She worked yesterday.
  • Past Continuous: acción en curso en el pasado → She was working at 8pm.
  • Past Perfect: acción anterior a otra pasada → She had worked before lunch.
  • Past Perfect Continuous: acción duradera anterior → She had been working for 2 hours.
Future
  • Future Simple (will): decisión espontánea, predicción → I will help you.
  • Going to: intención previa, predicción con evidencia → It's going to rain.
  • Future Continuous: acción en curso en futuro → I will be working at 5pm.
  • Future Perfect: acción terminada antes de un punto futuro → I will have finished by Friday.

2. Conditionals (0-III)

Zero conditional — verdades universales/leyes físicas If you heat water to 100°C, it boils. (if + present simple, present simple)
First conditional — situación real futura If it rains, we will stay at home. (if + present simple, will + bare infinitive)
Second conditional — hipótesis improbable o irreal en el presente If I were rich, I would travel the world. (if + past simple, would + bare infinitive)
Third conditional — hipótesis sobre el pasado (irreal) If I had studied, I would have passed. (if + past perfect, would have + past participle)

3. Modal verbs

Modales principales
  • Can / Could: habilidad, permiso.
  • May / Might: posibilidad, permiso formal.
  • Must / Have to: obligación (must = subjetiva; have to = externa).
  • Should / Ought to: consejo, recomendación.
  • Mustn't: prohibición. Don't have to: ausencia de obligación.
Modales perfectos (modal + have + p.p.)
  • Must have done: deducción segura sobre el pasado — She must have left already.
  • Might/May have done: posibilidad pasada — He might have missed the bus.
  • Should have done: reproche, consejo no seguido — You should have called.
  • Couldn't have done: imposibilidad — She couldn't have done it alone.

4. Passive voice

Estructura Sujeto + to be (en el tiempo del activo) + past participle (+ by + agente).
Activa: Picasso painted Guernica in 1937.
Pasiva: Guernica was painted by Picasso in 1937.
Tabla de transformación
  • Present Simple: is/are + p.p. → English is spoken here.
  • Past Simple: was/were + p.p. → The letter was written yesterday.
  • Present Perfect: has/have been + p.p. → The book has been published.
  • Will: will be + p.p. → The work will be finished.
  • Modales: must/can/should + be + p.p. → It must be done immediately.

5. Reported speech (introduction)

Backshift de tiempos Cuando se reporta en pasado, los tiempos del estilo directo retroceden un paso:
  • present simple → past simple
  • present continuous → past continuous
  • past simple → past perfect
  • will → would; can → could; must → had to; may → might
Ejemplo Direct: "I am studying English", she said.
Reported: She said (that) she was studying English.

6. Common transformations PEvAU

Rewrite sin cambiar el significado — patrones típicos
  • It is the first time I have… ↔ I have never… before.
  • So + adj + that… ↔ Such a + noun + that…
  • If I were you, I would… ↔ You should/ought to…
  • I wish I knew… ↔ I don't know… (irrealis presente)
  • Despite + ing ↔ Although + clause

7. Common errors in PEvAU writing

1. Confundir since (desde un punto) con for (durante un periodo): since 2020 / for 5 years.
2. Olvidar la -s de 3ª persona del Present Simple: She works.
3. Usar Past Simple con since/for/yet/already: requieren Present Perfect.
4. Doble negación: I don't know nothing (incorrecto) → I don't know anything.
5. Spanglish: actually ≠ "actualmente" (= currently); library ≠ "librería" (= bookshop).

Problemas resueltos paso a paso

PEvAU — Verb tense identification 2025OrientacionesMedio

Sentence: «By the time she arrived at the meeting, everyone had already left the room.»
1
Tiempo verbal de 'had left' (Past Simple / Past Perfect / Present Perfect / Past Continuous).
2
Función gramatical (acción anterior / acción simultánea / hábito pasado / acción en progreso).
Ver solución completa
had left es Past Perfect: indica una acción anterior a otra acción pasada (arrived). Estructura: had + past participle. Se usa para establecer una secuencia clara entre dos eventos del pasado.

PEvAU — Conditional transformation 2024OrientacionesAlta

Original: «I didn't study, so I failed the exam.»
Rewrite using a third conditional starting with 'If'.
1
Verbo en la cláusula 'if' (had study / had studied / would study / studied).
2
Verbo en la cláusula principal (would pass / would have passed / pass / had passed).
Ver solución completa
Third conditional para hipótesis irreales en el pasado: If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.
Estructura: If + Past Perfect, would + have + past participle. Tanto el estudio como el aprobado son contrafácticos.

3. Tense · Present Perfect vs Past Simple

«I ___ in this city for 5 years now.»
1
Forma correcta (1=lived, 2=have lived, 3=am living, 4=was living).
2
Justificación (1=acción puntual cerrada, 2=acción que conecta con el presente, 3=hábito presente, 4=futuro programado).

4. Tense · Future plans

«— Look at those clouds! It ___ rain.»
1
Forma más natural (1=will, 2=is going to, 3=is, 4=rains).
2
Razón (1=decisión espontánea, 2=predicción con evidencia, 3=horario fijo, 4=hábito).

5. Conditional · Type II

«If I ___ you, I would accept the offer.»
1
Verbo correcto (1=am, 2=was, 3=were, 4=had been).
2
Tipo de condicional (1=zero, 2=first, 3=second, 4=third).

6. Conditional · Type III

«If she ___ harder, she would have passed.»
1
Forma correcta (1=studied, 2=had studied, 3=would have studied, 4=studies).
2
Tipo de condicional (1=zero, 2=first, 3=second, 4=third).

7. Modal · Deduction past

«The lights are off. They ___ already gone home.»
1
Modal correcto (1=should have, 2=must have, 3=can't have, 4=would have).
2
Significado (1=consejo no seguido, 2=deducción segura, 3=imposibilidad, 4=hipótesis irreal).

8. Modal · Obligation vs prohibition

«You ___ smoke in this hospital — it's strictly forbidden.»
1
Modal correcto (1=mustn't, 2=don't have to, 3=needn't, 4=shouldn't).
2
Diferencia entre 'mustn't' y 'don't have to' (1=ambas son prohibición, 2=mustn't=prohibición / don't have to=no obligación, 3=ambas son ausencia de obligación, 4=mustn't=consejo).

9. Passive voice transformation

«Shakespeare wrote Hamlet around 1600.» → Pasiva.
1
Verbo pasivo correcto (1=is written, 2=was written, 3=has been written, 4=had been written).
2
Sujeto de la pasiva (1=Shakespeare, 2=Hamlet, 3=1600, 4=writing).

10. Reported speech · Statement

«'I will help you tomorrow', she said.» → Estilo indirecto en pasado.
1
Verbo principal (1=will help, 2=would help, 3=helps, 4=has helped).
2
Adverbio temporal correcto (1=tomorrow, 2=the next day, 3=yesterday, 4=today).

11. Reported speech · Question

«'Where do you live?', he asked.» → Estilo indirecto.
1
Forma correcta (1=where do I live, 2=where I lived, 3=where did I live, 4=where I am living).
2
Cambio principal (1=orden inverso, 2=orden directo de sujeto-verbo, 3=eliminación de auxiliar 'do', 4=ambas 2 y 3).

12. Transformation · So/Such

«The film was so boring that we left.» → Reescribe con 'such'.
1
Estructura (1=such boring film, 2=such a boring film, 3=so boring a film, 4=such boring).
2
Regla (1=so + adj; such + a/an + adj + noun, 2=so + noun; such + verb, 3=intercambiables, 4=such solo con plurales).

13. Wish · Present unreal

«I wish I ___ Chinese.»
1
Forma correcta (1=know, 2=knew, 3=would know, 4=had known).
2
Significado (1=lo sé, 2=ojalá lo supiera, ahora, 3=esperaba saberlo, 4=lo supe).

14. Used to · Past habits

«When I was a child, I ___ play in the park every afternoon.»
1
Forma correcta (1=used to, 2=use to, 3=am used to, 4=would have).
2
Diferencia 'used to' vs 'would' para hábitos pasados (1=ambas valen para acciones y estados, 2='used to' vale para acciones y estados; 'would' solo para acciones, 3='would' solo para estados, 4=ninguna).

15. Relative clauses · Defining vs non-defining

«My brother ___ lives in London is a doctor.» (varios hermanos, especifico cuál).
1
Pronombre relativo correcto (1=, who, 2=who, 3=which, 4=that no).
2
Tipo de oración (1=defining, sin comas, 2=non-defining, con comas, 3=interrogativa, 4=condicional).

Test de autoevaluación

1. Which sentence is correct?

2. Choose the third conditional:

3. The passive of 'Someone stole my bike' is:

4. Reported speech of 'I work in Madrid', she said:

5. Choose the correct modal:

Simuladores

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