Present Continuous vs Will (Future Plans)
What’s the difference in meaning between "I'm meeting him at 5" and "I'll meet him at 5"?
"I'm meeting him at 5" = it's a planned arrangement (probably already agreed with the other person).
"I'll meet him at 5" = it's a decision made now, or simply stating a future fact (less focus on planning).
What are some signal words for the past simple?
What are some signal words for the present perfect?
Past simple: yesterday / last week / in 1991 / in April
Present perfect: just / already / yet
Fill in the gaps:
If it rains, we ______ (stay) inside.
If I were you, I ______ (talk) to the manager.
If they had told me, I ______ (help) them.
If it rains, we WILL STAY inside.
If I were you, I WOULD TALK to the manager.
If they had told me, I WOULD HAVE them.
Which tense is used for plans or arrangements?
Which tense do we use for spontaneous decisions?
the will future
Why do we say "I’ve lost my keys" instead of "I lost my keys" if we're still looking for them?
We say “I’ve lost my keys” (present perfect) because the action has a present result — you still don’t have your keys now. The focus is on the current situation caused by the past action.
“I lost my keys” (past simple) is used when you're just talking about the past event, with no direct connection to now.
Which conditional talks about regrets or past situations that didn’t happen?
Which conditional do we use for real future possibilities?
third conditional
Fill in the gaps with the correct form:
We ______ (haven’t received / didn’t receive) any feedback since last week’s pitch.
Our revenue ______ (grew / has grown) steadily over the last three quarters.
We HAVEN'T RECEIVED any feedback since last week’s pitch.
Our revenue HAS GROWN steadily over the last three quarters.
Complete the sentences with the correct verb tense (focus on 1st, 2nd, or 3rd conditional):
If we ______ (not reply) to the complaint quickly, we’ll lose the client.
If I were the CEO, I ______ (invest) more in employee training.
If we ______ (prepare) properly, the presentation would have gone much better.
If we DON'T REPLY to the complaint quickly, we’ll lose the client.
If I were the CEO, I WOULD INVEST more in employee training.
If we HAD PREPARED properly, the presentation would have gone much better.
Choose the correct option:
We (are meeting / will meet) the client at 3pm tomorrow.
I’m not free now, I (am calling / will call) you back in 10 minutes.
They (are flying / will fly) to London next week for the conference.
We ARE MEETING the client at 3pm tomorrow.
I’m not free now, I WILL CALL you back in 10 minutes.
They ARE FLYING to London next week for the conference.
Find and correct the incorrect tense use:
We didn’t speak to the CEO yet – he’s still in meetings.
I have checked the figures yesterday, and everything looked fine.
We HAVEN'T SPOKEN to the CEO yet – he’s still in meetings.
I CHECKED the figures yesterday, and everything looked fine.
Explain the difference in meaning:
If I study, I’ll pass the exam.
If I studied more, I’d pass.
If I had studied, I would have passed.
✅ 1. If I study, I’ll pass the exam.
→ 1st conditional: real and possible future.
Meaning: You haven’t taken the exam yet. If you study, there's a good chance you’ll pass.
✅ 2. If I studied more, I’d pass.
→ 2nd conditional: unreal or unlikely present/future.
Meaning: You’re probably not studying enough now, so it’s unlikely you’ll pass. It’s a hypothetical situation.
✅ 3. If I had studied, I would have passed.
→ 3rd conditional: unreal past.
Meaning: The exam is already over, and you didn’t study, so you didn’t pass. This is a regret or reflection.
Each sentence contains an error. Identify and correct them.
We’re launching the updated product next year, but the exact date isn’t set yet.
We’re probably not attending the trade fair in Barcelona this time.
❌ Error: Present continuous implies a fixed plan, but "the date isn’t set yet" contradicts that.
✅ Correction: We’ll launch the updated product next year, but the exact date isn’t set yet.
Why: Use “will” when the plan is not yet confirmed.
❌ Error: “Probably” doesn’t sit naturally with a planned arrangement.
✅ Correction: We probably won’t attend the trade fair in Barcelona this time.
Why: “Probably” fits better with “will” for predictions, not fixed plans.
What’s the difference?
A: We’ve already discussed this issue.
B: We discussed this issue at yesterday’s meeting.
A (We’ve already discussed this issue) uses the present perfect to show the action is relevant now – maybe the issue is being repeated or brought up again. No time is mentioned, because the exact time isn’t important, just the fact that it happened.
B (We discussed this issue at yesterday’s meeting) uses the past simple with a specific, finished time (“yesterday’s meeting”), so the action is placed clearly in the past.
Each sentence has one error in the conditional form. Correct it.
If you will attend the webinar, you’ll learn some useful tips.
We would reduce costs if we would renegotiate the supplier contracts.
If we didn’t miss the deadline, the client wouldn’t be angry.
1. If you will attend the webinar, you’ll learn some useful tips.
❌ Error: "will" in the if-clause
✅ Corrected: If you attend the webinar, you’ll learn some useful tips.
👉 Use present simple in the if-clause for 1st conditional.
2. We would reduce costs if we would renegotiate the supplier contracts.
❌ Error: "would" in both clauses
✅ Corrected: We would reduce costs if we renegotiated the supplier contracts.
👉 In 2nd conditional, use past simple in the if-clause, would in the result clause.
3. If we didn’t miss the deadline, the client wouldn’t be angry.
❌ Error: Mixing real past with unreal result
✅ Corrected:
If it's a real past: If we didn’t miss the deadline, the client wouldn’t be angry now.
(This implies we did miss it, and the result is present.)
If it's about a hypothetical past: If we hadn’t missed the deadline, the client wouldn’t have been angry.
👉 Choose based on time reference and reality.