There are present, past and future tenses in both Russian and English. Verbs ( verbs ) change over time ( tense ). But this is where the similarity with Russian times ends, because for each of these three times the British have other varieties. In this article, we will provide a short and simple guide, based on diagrams and tables, to understand tenses in English for dummies ( dummies ).
Table and examples of times:
| Aspect | Time | ||
| Present | Past | Future | |
| Simple | Martha cooks every day.(Martha cooks every day.) | Martha cooked a roast chicken yesterday.(Martha cooked fried chicken yesterday.) | Martha will cook a huge cake for my birthday.(Martha will make a huge cake for my birthday.) |
| Continuous | Martha is cooking fish at the moment.(Martha is cooking fish now.) | Martha was cooking a soup when we came home.(When we returned home, Martha was preparing soup.) | Martha will be cooking a rice pudding soon.(Martha will be making rice pudding soon.) |
| Perfect | Martha has already cooked many dishes.(Martha has already prepared many dishes.) | Martha had cooked for 2 hours by the time I joined her.(Martha had been cooking for 2 hours by the time I joined her.) | Martha will have cooked at least 20 dishes by 10 o’clock.(Martha will have prepared at least 20 dishes by 10 o'clock.) |
All three tenses (past, present and future) have three main aspects: simple ( simple ), long ( continuous ) and perfect ( perfect ). Long-term are used for repeated actions, or those actions that last over time.
Perfect tenses exist to describe actions or states of being that occurred in the past, and it does not matter when. The main thing is that at the time of the conversation they had already ended. These tenses are used whenever we need to connect the past and present.
Simple tenses in English for dummies
Simple times ( Simple tenses ) apply to actions or states in the past, present or future.
The table shows that the form of the verb in the simple past tense does not change depending on the person, so it is very easy to remember the structure of sentences. Well, knowledge of irregular verbs will come with practice of reading and listening.
Simple future tense ()
Talks about events that have not yet happened. Formed the same way for all persons - by adding an auxiliary verb will
+ base verb.
Long tenses in English for dummies.
Long times ( Continuous tenses
) are needed to describe the actions that occur at the time of speech. This can be either in the present period or at a specific period in the past or future.
Present continuous ()
The diagram clearly shows the difference between the continuous and simple forms of the present tense.
Formed using an auxiliary verb to be + ing - form of the semantic verb (Present Participle) .
Past Continuous
Constructed with an auxiliary verb to be in the past tense + semantic verb in the ing form .
Future Continuous
This tense is used to talk about actions that may be interrupted in the future, or to say what will happen at a specific time in the future. Compare the diagram with Future Simple .
The Future Continuous is formed using the following formula: Will be + verb-ing
Perfect or perfect tenses in English for dummies
Express completed actions, the result of which is important at the time of the story. May be accompanied by adverbs already
(already), yet
(Not yet), just
(just now), for
(during), since
(since) ever
(ever) never
(never). Formed using an auxiliary verb have
+ semantic verb in the Past Participle form.
present perfect
From the following diagram you can understand that the main difference between the present perfect and simple past tense is the moment in the past when the action ended. For the Present Perfect it is not important when it happened, but for the Past Simple it is important.
How the present perfect tense is formed:
Example: Has not already paid for the dinner. (He has already paid for dinner.)
This article discusses tenses in English - detailed explanation, what it is, what they are and how they are used.
Actually, there are three of them, as in other modern Indo-European languages: present, past and future. But the use is influenced by the form of the verb to which the tense refers. There are only four such forms (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous).
3x4 = 12, so sometimes they talk about twelve times , which is fundamentally incorrect, although the tables provided for visual understanding actually have 12 fields with different options.
a brief description of
Tenses express the temporal relationship between the current moment and the one being discussed. It doesn’t matter whether a person pronounces words orally, perceives them by ear, writes or reads. You can always distinguish the conditionally present moment, and the one described or pronounced in a sentence. For example, in the phrase “prepare to disembark, the ship is approaching port,” the narration is in the present tense, although these real events described in the old book could have happened a long time ago.
The reader is transported back in time and immersed in another world. The linguistic richness of many literary works is based on such conventions. An educated person gets used to them and perceives them automatically, without thinking about word forms. And he also easily composes phrases with the correct use of temporary structures. But Russian-language phraseology differs from English-language. When translating or constantly switching to someone else's speech, difficulties arise, especially for beginners.
The main difficulty is the development of perfect and continuous forms of verbs in Western European countries. In this regard, Germanic and Romance languages are more complex than Slavic languages. In Russian there is practically no difference between the main and continuous forms. "I live" — an action that by definition continues. A change in meaning often occurs through the addition of prefixes, which essentially transform the word into a completely different lexical unit. "Old" — the action continued in the past, “lived” — has already ended.
English is analytical, which is unlike most Germanic languages. Phrases are composed of relatively short elements that retain their spelling. There are no prefixes, suffixes and endings, as in synthetic ones. Getting used to this and fully understanding the process is the key to success for a translator or person speaking with British people.
It's actually easy to get used to, given the strictness of the language constructs. The word order is constant and predetermined. Having some experience, it is no longer possible to make a mistake; you just need to gain a sufficient vocabulary. It even becomes boring to talk within such strict limits. Slavic languages give more freedom in forming phrases. Almost all words are successfully swapped, many are skipped altogether, although inserting them is also not a mistake.
So, what do times express in relation to the current time interval:
- the present - at least approximately coincides with the current time period;
- past - events developed earlier, or have already occurred;
- future - expresses a forecast, planning of probable events in the future.
Table of English tenses with examples
Only the verbs change depending on time. But even without taking into account the context and other members of the sentence, they provide comprehensive information about duration and completeness. This accuracy is due to the presence of 4 verb word forms:
- Simple - simple;
- Continuous - long;
- Perfect - perfect (without defining duration);
- Perfect Continuous – continuous perfect.
Each overlaps with three temporal categories. This is a radical difference with Slavic linguistics, where the simple form is similar to the continuous form, the perfect form occurs exclusively in the past and future. Non-standard techniques are actively used, such as complete replacement of the verb, when describing a completed or ongoing activity. But expressing tense forms of verbs in English table standardized.
Using the example of the correct verb to live, we will show what such a diagram looks like, filled with specific words.
| Past | Present | Future | |
| Simple | I lived | I live | I'll live |
| Continuous | I was living | I am living | I'll be living |
| Perfect | I had lived | I have lived | I'll have lived |
| Perfect Contintermittent | I had been living | I have been living | I'll have been living |
The example uses the colloquial (and commonly used) abbreviation I'll instead of the full phrase I will. Since regular verbs have the same second and third dictionary forms, we present a similar table for the irregular to know, now in the second person instead of the first.
| Past | Present | Future | |
| Simple | You knew | You know | You'll know |
| Continuous | You were knowing | You are knowing | You'll be knowing |
| Perfect | You had known | You have known | You'll have known |
| Perfect Contintermittent | You had been knowing | You have been knowing | You'll have been knowing |
Of course, not all of the above options are used in practice in everyday speech. The perfect-continuous form refers rather to complicated book phrases, and is rarely used even in scientific or fiction literature. But knowing it is necessary for the completeness of linguistic concepts.
Only a small proportion of such constructions are applicable in Russian vocabulary. I did, I am doing, I will do - the simple form coincides with the long form. The perfect exists only in the past and future - I did, I will do. There is no combination of perfect and continuum at all. The gerund living or going is translated approximately as a verbal adjective “living” or “going”, but is used in a different context. In Russian it is usually only in the third person, and such speech patterns are in any case considered undesirable. Modern phraseology tries to avoid them. For English speakers, these are frequently used parts of speech of direct action. They certainly need to be mastered by beginners studying, how tenses are formed in English.
Signs of tenses in English
Adjacent words may indirectly indicate that a certain time must be used. The need to use the future is indicated by: always - always, often - often, usually - usually, sometimes - sometimes, never - never, everyday - daily, on Mondays (etc.) - on Mondays or other days, at weekends - on weekend. Signs of the present are present in generalized phrases or those conveying the periodic repetition of events. For example, a bus leaves (arrives) on certain days of the week. So detailed explanation of tenses in English will help you express yourself beautifully and accurately.
Signs of the past: yesterday - yesterday, the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday, last week - last week, ago - ago, earlier - earlier, in the past - in the past.
Signs of the future: tomorrow - tomorrow, the day after tomorrow - the day after tomorrow, next week - next week, in an hour - within an hour, in ten hours - for 10 hours, later - later, soon - soon, in the future - in future.
How are they formed
They give in dictionaries three forms of irregular verbs . For regular ones, the second and third are formed in the standard way, by adding the ending -ed to the first (main). For example: stay, remained, stayed. Incorrect pattern: be, was (were), been. Here the second option also differs depending on the number: in the singular was, in the plural were. With the pronoun You, only were is used, but it should not always be translated as “you”. The Russian “you” also has a right to exist. Intonation and the nature of the relationship with the interlocutor help to translate a live conversation. In a literary work there is context, but sometimes it is still difficult to determine what is meant
Simple Present. In the present simple, the formation of phrases occurs as follows: after the pronoun comes the first dictionary form of the verb. It cannot be separated from the pronoun. She looks - she looks. She draw - she draws.
Simple Past. The simple past is formed similarly to the present, but instead of the first verb form given in dictionaries, the second is used. She looked - she looked. She drew - she drew.
Simple Future. The simple future is expressed as follows: after the pronoun comes will (or abbreviated ‘ll) then the first form of the verb. She will look or She’ll look - she will look. She will draw or She’ll draw - she will draw. Implied generalized actions or regularly repeated , without reference to a specific period.
Continuous Present. The continuous present is formed by using to be in the form am, is or were, followed by a gerund formed from the main verb. He is staying - he is standing (right now).
Continuous Past. The continuous past is expressed in a similar way, only changing is (am, are) to was (were). He was staying - he stood (were instead of was in the plural).
Continuous Future. The continuous future is formed as follows: pronoun + will be + gerund. He will be staying - he will stand. They imply specific events that will last for a certain period.
Perfect Present. The perfect present is a specific speech construction that is absent in Russian. This means an event recently completed . The pronoun is followed by have (or has) and the 3rd form of the main verb. For the correct ones, it coincides with the second. We have tried - we tried. We have written - we wrote. It should be noted that in the Russian translation, words are used that differ in prefixes from the main non-prefixed variants “try” or “write”.
Perfect Past. In the past perfect we use had instead of have. Otherwise, the formation of phrases is similar to how perfects are conveyed. tenses in English present. We had tried - we (long ago) made an attempt. We had written - we (long ago) wrote something. This is what they say and write about events that have been completed a long time ago. The choice of Present or Past in the perfect depends on the general logic associated with the context.
If any action is long in nature, the scope of use of the Present Perfect expands. So, for daily exercise in the morning, “yesterday” is quite a long time ago. But for a good feature film, which takes months or years to process, yesterday's presentation to the audience is still relatively recent. If in a text or conversation two completed events of different ages are mentioned close to each other, it is worth mentioning one of them (the earlier one) in the past perfect, and the second (later) in the present. Without disturbing the natural logic of the story too much. A year ago is a long time ago anyway.
Perfect Future. Expresses the intention to do something. Formation scheme: pronoun + will have + 3rd form of the verb. We will have tried - we will try. We will have written - we will write. We can talk about things that are certain to come true, or about things that are speculative, but very probable. Sometimes such a perfect construction expresses self-confidence, a desire to impress the interlocutor, to promise something.
Perfect Continuous Present. The pronoun is followed by have (has) been and a gerund. They have been listening - they listened. Expressions in such a complicated format are absolutely uncharacteristic of Russian speech, which tends to simplify and shorten. But often in fact they correspond more to completed events than the usual perfect. Listening is, by definition, a long-term activity. In this case they mean recently completed , compared to its usual duration or frequency. For a meal, “recently” means that people sat at the table no more than an hour ago. But a trip to the resort a week later will still be a relatively fresh fact.
Perfect Continuous Past. The only difference from the present above is had instead of have (has). They have been listening - they listened. What happened here ended so long ago that it no longer fits within the time frame of the presentation.
Perfect Continuous Future. Formation scheme: pronoun + will have been + gerund. They will have been listening - they will listen. Only continuous actions are expressed this way.
Examples
When considered all tenses in English, it is worth giving more options using different pronouns.
Correct verb to warm:
| Past | Present | Future | |
| Simple | He warmed | He warms | He'll be warm |
| Continuous | He was warming | He is warming | He'll be warming |
| Perfect | He had warmed | He has warmed | He'll have warmed |
| Perf. Cont. | He had been warming | He has been warming | He'll has been warming |
The perfect translates to “heat”, “warm up”, “warm up”. Subtle nuances conveyed in Russian by numerous prefixes are often expressed by the prepositions in, on, at, to, out, off, above, under. But this goes beyond the scope of what is being discussed, and demonstrates the skill of an experienced translator.
Irregular verb to break:
| Past | Present | Future | |
| Simple | You broke | You break | You'll break |
| Continuous | You were breaking | You are breaking | You'll be breaking |
| Perfect | You had broken | You have broken | You'll have broken |
| Perf. Cont. | You had been breaking | You have been breaking | You'll have been breaking |
Clearly visible here difference between br oke and br oken .
Using Present Indefinite (Simple) Tense
Present Indefinite used to express a repeated or constant action relative to the present:
I go to school. (I am going to school)
He works. (He works)
She comes here at six o'clock. (She comes here at 6 o'clock)
Present Indefinite used to express an action that characterizes the subject constantly or throughout the present period of time:
You read very well. (You read very well)
He dances very badly. (He dances very badly)
Present Indefinite is used to express an action or state that is not limited by time and occurs regardless of a person’s desire:
Sugar dissolves in water. (Sugar dissolves in water)
Present Indefinite is used to express an action occurring at the moment of speech:
- with verbs that are not used in the Continuous form: to see, to hear, to know, to feel, to like to hate, to love, to understand.
I don't see anything. (I can not see anything)
I don't understand it. (I do not understand this)
- if the one who speaks only states a fact, and does not convey the action as an ongoing process.
Here she comes. (Here she comes)
Present Indefinite used to express future action in subordinate clauses of time and condition, which are introduced by conjunctions when(When); after(after); before(before, before); till, untill(Bye); as soon as(as soon as); if(If); unless(if not) etc:
I'll be here till you come. (I'll be here while you come)
Wait until I get my coat. (Wait while I get my coat)
Present Indefinite used to express a planned future action (in most cases with verbs denoting movement). Such sentences usually use adverbial words that indicate the time of action. The present tense can also be used in the corresponding Russian sentences:
I leave Moscow tomorrow. (I'm leaving Moscow tomorrow)
When does the doctor come? (When does the doctor come?)
Present Indefinite used in a coherent narrative to express an action or a series of successive actions in the past. This usage Present Indefinite brings the story to life, events seem to happen at the moment of speech.
All of a sudden, one evening comes little Emily from her work and him with her. (Suddenly one evening little Emily comes home from work and he is with her)
Use of Past Indefinite (Simple) Tense.
Past Indefinite is a tense form of a verb that expresses an action that has passed or occurred in the past. Past Indefinite regular verbs are formed by adding to the infinitive without the particle to ending -ed:
Verbs in the Past Indefinite have the same form in all persons singular and plural:
- -e, then it is not written in Past Indefinite:
- if the infinitive ends with a letter -y, which is preceded by a consonant, then before the ending -ed it changes to -i:
to study - studied
- if the infinitive ends with one consonant preceded by a short stressed vowel sound, then the final one is before -ed doubles:
to stop - stopped
- final letter -r doubles if the last syllable is stressed:
prefer - preferred
- final letter -l doubles if preceded by a short vowel sound (stressed or unstressed):
to travel - travelled
In Past Indefinite, irregular verbs are used in the second form.
to speak - spoke
to write - wrote
The past indefinite interrogative form of regular and irregular verbs is formed using an auxiliary verb to do and the infinitive of the main verb without a particle to:
Did you study at this university? (Did you study at this university?)
Did she go to a park? (Did she go to the park?)
The negative form Past Indefinite is formed using a negative particle not after the auxiliary verb:
I didn't like that party. (I didn't like that party)
In oral speech it is usually abbreviated: I didn't like that party.
In the interrogative-negative form Past Indefinite auxiliary verb did is placed before the subject, and the particle not after him:
Why didn't you tell me it? (Why didn't you tell me this?)
but if an abbreviation is used, then didn’t is placed before the subject:
Why didn't you go there? (Why didn't you go there?)
The verb to do in Past Indefinite can also be used to strengthen the expressed thought:
I did love you! (I really loved you!)
The verb to be in Past Indefinite has two forms: was for first and third person singular and were for everyone else.
Verb in interrogative form to be placed before the subject:
Were you at home? (Were you at home?)
In the negative form, the particle is used after was/were not:
I was not in Great Britain. (I haven't been to the UK)
They weren't there. (They weren't there)
Usually the abbreviation is used: I wasn’t…You weren’t…
The verb to have in Past Indefinite has the form - had.
I had a friend. (I had a friend)
She had a good car. (She had a nice car)
He had a house. (He had a house)
The interrogative form of the verb to have in Past Indefinite is: did+have. To formulate a question did used before the subject, have after him.
Did you have books? (Did you have books?)
The negative form, as a rule, is formed without the auxiliary verb to do, and is used as in with negative particles not or no.
I hadn't problems. (I had no problems)
I had no choice. (I had no choice)
Past Indefinite expresses a single or continuous action in the past. The time of a past action is often specified with the words: yesterday, last week, last year, etc. :
I was there yesterday. (I was there yesterday)
He were at the hospital last week. (He was in the hospital last week)
She was here this morning. (She was here this morning)
Past Indefinite is used to express a series of sequential actions in the past:
I woke up, washed myself and went out of home. (I woke up, washed my face and left the house)
Past Indefinite is used to express a repeated action in the past:
I saw him every day. (I saw him every day)
She came many times to our house. (She came to us many times)
Use of Future Indefinite (Simple) Tense.
Future Indefinite used to express a single, constant or repeated action in the future:
I'll go over with you tomorrow morning.
(I'll go with you tomorrow morning)
I'll always come back.
(I'll always come back)
He'll work at the factory next year.
(Next year he will work in a factory)
Future Indefinite is not used in subordinate clauses of time and condition! To express future action in such sentences we use !
I’ll message you know when I come home.
(I'll text you when I get home)
I'll ask him when he arives.
(I'll ask him when he arrives)
Using Present Continuous Tense
Present Continuous Tense expresses action as a process, that is, an action that continues at the moment of speech or in the present period of time.
Present Continuous is formed from an auxiliary verb to be in and present participle of the main verb.
Present Participle is formed by adding an ending -ing to the infinitive of the main verb without a particle to.
read+ing - reading
work+ing - working
I'm working (I'm working)
(I am working)
He is working (He’s working)
(He works)
She is working (She's working)
(She works)
It is working (It's working)
(It works)
In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.
Are the boys playing football?
(Boys are playing football?)
Is he working in the garden?
(Is he working in the garden now?)
The girls are not singing.
(Girls don't sing now)
In interrogative-negative sentences, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, and the particle not is placed after the subject.
Am I now preparing for my examinations?
(Aren't I studying for exams?)
Actions taking place in moment of speech:
Why are you crying?
(Why are you crying?)
You are not listening to me.
(You're not listening to me)
Present Continuous is used to express for a long time, although not necessarily at the time of speech:
What are you doing here in Paris?
(What are you doing here in Paris?)
I'm studying at the Sorbonne.
(I study at the Sorbonne)
Present Continuous is used to express a long-term action taking place simultaneously with another action in the present tense:
I’m only happy when I’m working.
(I'm only happy when I'm working)
Present Continuous is used to express planned future action, especially with verbs denoting movement. In this case, the circumstance of time must be used:
We're flying to Paris in the morning.
(We're leaving for Paris in the morning)
Is he coming tonight?
(Is he coming tonight?)
Verb to go V Present Continuous with the infinitive of another verb means the intention to perform an action in the very near future and gives it a tint mandatory, the inevitability of performing an action indicated by the infinitive:
I'm going to speak.
(I will speak)
He’s going to be a teacher.
(He's going to be a teacher)
Using Past Continuous Tense
Past Continuous formed from an auxiliary verb to be V and the present participle of the main verb:
I was working. (I worked)
He was working. (He worked)
She was working. (She worked)
It was working. (It worked)
We were working. (We worked)
They were working. (They worked)
You were working. (You were working)
What were you telling him?
(What did you tell him)
In the negative form, a particle is used after the auxiliary verb not:
I was not working in the evening.
(I didn't work in the evening)
In oral speech in negative and interrogative-negative forms, instead of was not and were not, abbreviations are mainly used:
He wasn't working.
(He did not work)
They weren't working.
(They didn't work)
Wasn't he working?
(Didn't he work?)
Weren't they working?
(Didn't they work?)
Past Continuous used to express an action that occurred or lasted at a certain moment in the past. The time of action is usually also indicated by adverbial words like at two o’clock, at midnight, at that moment, at 5 o’clock or subordinate clauses with a predicate verb in Past Indefinite:
He was working on his English at that time.
(He was working on his English at the time)
Jack was sitting by the window when she came in.
(Jack was sitting near the window when she came in)
Past Conyinuous is used to express action, which lasted for some period of time in the past:
I the spring of the year 1881 he was visiting his old schoolfellow.
(In the spring of 1881 he was visiting his old school friend)
In subordinate clauses, if the predicate verb of the main sentence is used in the past tense, the Past Continuous is often used with verbs with the meaning of movement (to go, to come, etc.) to denote an action that was future relative to the past:
She said she was coming to see you after supper.
(She said she would come to you after dinner)
Verb to go V Past Continuous with the infinitive of another verb expresses an action that was future relative to the past tense. Often this combination expresses the intention to perform an action:
He was going to be an engineer.
(He was going to become an engineer)
What were they going to do.
(What were they going to do)
Using Future Continuous Tense
The Future Continuous is formed using an auxiliary verb to be in and present participles of the main verb:
I will be working.
He will not be working.
She will be working.
It will be working.
We will be working.
You will be working.
They will be working.
In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb will placed before the subject:
Will they be working?
In the negative form after an auxiliary verb will a negative particle is used not:
They will not be working.
The Future Continuous is used to express a long-term action that will occur at some point or period of time in the future:
Meet me at two o'clock. I'll be waiting for you.
We'll be playing all morning.
In modern English Future Continuous often used in the same meaning as Future Indefinite, i.e. expresses future action:
You won't be coming back here anymore.
(You won't come back here again)
From now I’ll be asking thousands of questions.
(From now on I will ask thousands of questions)
He'll be going to school soon.
(He will go to school soon)
Using Present Perfect Tense.
Perfect (perfect) tenses express an action that occurred before a certain moment or period in the present tense (Present Perfect), past (Past Perfect), future (Future Perfect) and future relative to the past (Future in the Past).
Perfect tenses usually express the presence of some result of an action associated with subsequent events.
Periject tenses are formed from the corresponding forms of the indefinite tenses of the auxiliary verb to have and the past participle of the main verb.
The Present Perfect is formed from the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle of the main verb.
The Past Participle of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending -ed to the infinitive, that is, the form of the Past Participle of regular verbs does not differ from
Use of Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect is formed from the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle of the main verb. Verbs in the Past Perfect do not change for persons and numbers:
I (he, she, it, we, you, they) had worked.
In oral speech, instead of had the abbreviated form is predominantly used ‘d, which in writing is attached to the subject:
I’d (he’d, she’d, it’d, we’d, you’d, they’d) worked.
In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject:
In the negative form, a negative particle is used after the auxiliary verb not:
I had not worked.
In oral speech, the abbreviated form hadn’t is also used in negative and interrogative-negative forms:
It hadn't worked
Hadn't he worked?
an action that took place earlier than another action in the past expressed by a verb in Past Indefinite:
I told you I had met her.
(I told you I met her)
When she had closed the suitcase, she put on her coat.
(Closing the suitcase, she put on her coat)
In the darkness he couldn’t see the man who had spoken.
(In the darkness he could not see the person who said it)
The sun had set and it was becoming dark.
(The sun had already set. It was getting dark)
Form was becoming dark expresses an action that took place at a certain time period in the past (the sun had set by that time period)
Notes
- When listing past actions in the sequence in which they occurred, verbs are used in:
I opened the door, closed it and went into the bedroom.
(I opened the door, closed it and went to the bedroom)
- In a complex sentence with conjunctions after after and before before. When there is no need to specifically note that one action precedes another, Past Indefinite is used in both the main and subordinate clauses:
He stood motionless after she disappeared.
(He stood motionless after she was out of sight)
I was a school teacher before I got into the army.
(I was a school teacher before I joined the army)
Past Perfect is used to express past action, which has already ended at a certain point in the past. This moment can be indicated by the following phrases: by two o’clock by two o’clock, by that time by that time, by the 1st of September by the first of September, etc.:
I had done my homework by eight o’clock.
(By eight o'clock I had already completed my homework)
The negative form of the Past Perfect indicates that at a certain point in the past the action did not end:
I had not read the book by Saturday.
(I hadn't read the book yet until Saturday)
Past Perfect is used to express action, began before a certain moment in the past and lasted up to that moment. In this meaning, the Past Perfect is used mainly with verbs that do not have the Continuous form:
When he came, I had been there for half an hour.
(When he arrived, I had already been there for half an hour)
After she had worked, he went to her side and watched her.
(After she had worked a little, he came over and watched her)
In subordinate clauses of time and condition, the Past Perfect is used to express a pre-past action that was future relative to the past:
She said that she would go home as soon as she had passed all her exams.
(She said that she would go home as soon as she passed all her exams)
In this case Past Perfect is translated into Russian by the form of the future tense.
Using Future Perfect Tense.
Future Perfect Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle of the main verb:
I will have done.
He (She, It) will have done.
We (You, They) will have done.
In the interrogative form, the first auxiliary verb will is placed before the subject:
Will he have done?
In the negative form, the particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb will:
He will not have done.
In oral speech the same abbreviations are used as in Future Indefinite:
I'll have done; I won't have done.
The Future Perfect is used to express a future action that will end at a certain moment or at the beginning of another action in the future:
You'll have forgotten me by then.
(By then you'll have forgotten me)
You'll have read the story by the time you come back.
(I'll read the story while you get back)
In subordinate clauses of time and condition, instead of the Future Perfect, the following is used:
Her room will be ready before she has finished her tea.
(Her room will be ready before she finishes drinking tea)
We will get a new flat when they have built the house.
(We will get a new apartment when this house is built)
Using Future Indefinite (Simple) in the Past Tense
In English, a future action, which is considered from the point of view of some moment in the past, is expressed by a separate form of the verb, which is called Future Indefinite in the Past.
This tense is used in stories about past events when retelling in indirect speech or the thoughts of another person regarding the future tense:
In his letter Peter wrote that he would go to Warsaw in January.
(In his letter, Peter wrote that he would go to Warsaw in January)
Future Indefinite in the past is formed using the auxiliary verbs should and would and the infinitive of the main verb without the particle to:
I should work (I'd work)
He would work (He'd work)
She would work (She'd work)
We should work (We'd work)
You would work (You'd work)
They would work (They'd work)
The abbreviated forms that are used in oral speech are presented in brackets.
In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject:
Would they work?
In the negative form, a particle is used after the auxiliary verb not:
She wouldn't work (She wouldn't work)
Future Indefinite in the Past is used mainly in subordinate clauses if the verb of the main clause expresses a past action:
We are arranged to start the following Saturday from Kingstone.
Harris and I would go down in the morning, and take the boat Chertsey.
George would meet us there.
(We agreed that we would set off next Saturday from Kingston.
Hariss and I will leave there in the morning and take a boat to Chartsey.
And George will meet us there)
In subordinate clauses of time and condition in English, none of the forms of the future tense are used, including Future Indefinite in the Past. An action that was future from the point of view of the past is expressed in such sentences by the form
I hope that before we parted, he would tell me what it was.
(I was hoping he would tell me what it was before we parted ways)
I wrote down to you to ask you not to see anyone till I came.
(I wrote to you and asked you not to meet anyone until I arrive)
Using the Future Continuous in the Past Tense
is formed in the same way as , but would is used instead of will:
He would be working.
She would be working, etc.
Future Continuous in the Past is used instead of the Future Continuous mainly in subordinate clauses, if the verb predicate is used in the past tense:
He said that at sunset he would be waiting for you.
(He said he'll be waiting for you at sunset)
Verbs that are not used in the Continuous form.
A verb in the Continuous form expresses an action as a process that lasts at the moment of speech or for a certain period of time. Verbs whose meaning does not express action as a process are, as a rule, not used in the Continuous form. These include:
a) verbs that express relationships between objects: to be be; to have have; to possess, to own have; to consist consist; to contain, to hold contain; to belong belong; to depend depend, etc.
b) verbs with the meaning of sensation: to see see; to hear hear; to smell smell, smell;
c) verbs that express desire, feeling, expression of will: to want; to wish, to desire wish, want; to love, to like love, like; to hate hate; to refuse refuse; to object mind; to agree agree; to prefer prefer;
d) verbs with the meaning of mental activity: to know know: to believe believe; to suppose assume; to recognize learn; to remember remember, recollect; to understand understand.
But in oral speech there are cases of using these verbs in the form Continuous.
Using the Future Perfect in the Past Tense
Future Perfect in the Past is formed in the same way as, but instead of the auxiliary verb will, the verb should or would is used:
I should have done.
He/She/It would have done
We should have done.
You/They would have done.
Future Perfect in the past is used instead of the Future Perfect mainly in subordinate clauses, if the verb of the main clause expresses a past action:
I thought you would have gone by now.
(I thought that I would never find you again)
In subordinate clauses of time and condition, instead of Future Perfect in the Past, we use
Using Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Perfect Continuous tenses express an action that began before the moment of speech (Present Perfect Continuous Tense) or before the moment of speech in the past or future (Past Perfect Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous) and continues / continued up to this moment.
Using Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Continuous formed using an auxiliary verb to be in and present participles of the main verb. The verb in the Past Perfect Continuous does not change according to persons:
I (he, she, it, we, you, they) had been working.
The interrogative, negative and interrogative-negative forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are formed according to the same rules as the corresponding forms.
Interrogative form: Had you been working?
Negative form: I had not been working; I hadn't been working.
Interrogative-negative form: Had he not been working? Hadn't he been working?
Past Perfect Continuous can also be called Beforepast Continuous. This tense expresses a continuous action that began before some point in the past, or continued at that moment, or ended immediately before it. The duration of an action or its beginning is indicated in the same way as in sentences with a verb in the Present Perfect Continuous. But in most cases, the duration of action is not indicated:
I explained that I had been loking for it for the last two hours.
(I explained that I had been looking for him for two hours)
There sat her father. The newspaper he had been reading had dropped on the carpet.
(Her father was sitting there. The newspaper he was reading fell on the carpet)
With verbs that have no form Continuous, instead of Past Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect is used.
When we came to see Kate, she had been ill for three days.
(When we came to visit Katya, she had been ill for three days)
After consideration tenses in English with examples It remains to sum up.
Bottom line
The previous sections discussed in detail tenses in English - how they are formed and what they mean. When familiarizing yourself with them, there seem to be many different options, it is difficult to get used to the perception of complex language structures and quickly recognize what is said or written. Moreover, you can speak or write independently. Simple rules will help you navigate:
- The 3rd form of an irregular verb (for example, spoken) occurs only in the regular perfect. Since the 2nd appears only in the Simple Past, it is also quite easy for correct ones to distinguish between them.
- A gerund (for example, speaking) is used only when describing long-term actions, be it a regular Continuous or, in addition, with a perfect.
- The word been occurs only in Perfect Cont
Having recognized the continuum and perfect forms, it is already quite easy to understand the attitude towards the present moment. Will ('ll) happens exclusively in the future. The 2nd form of the verb, was (were) and had - only in the past. But you need to get used to the correct word order. After some training, it is impossible to make a mistake; standard schemes are firmly ingrained in the memory. A person automatically recognizes speech with the words “been” and long modal sequences as “abstruse”, which is better not to copy in everyday life.
» Tenses in English: detailed explanation
Hello guys! Many will agree that the topic of this article evokes fear. Tenses in English - This combination of words can scare even an experienced English student, let alone a beginner.
Just about English times
- It is worth understanding that in English there are 3 pillars on which all grammar rests - “ to be», « to have" And " to do».
- Each of these whales can swim in three times: Present,Past And Future.
- In turn, Present, Past and Future will flow into the seas Simple,Continuous, Perfect And Perfect Continuous.
- In the meantime, whales (or whales) swim in these seas, they have babies, or rather, new forms are formed.
Are you confused? Let's take a closer look.
How to learn all tenses in English
You just need to sort everything out and systematize your learning until it becomes automatic. You will know how much you have studied and how much is still to come, then the study of times will not seem like something limitless and endless.
- Present Simple used to express a common, regularly repeated action.
- Past Simple used to express an action that happened in the past.
- Future Simple used to express an action that will happen in the future.
- Present Continuous used to express an action taking place at the moment.
- Past Continuous used to express an action that occurred at a certain point in time in the past.
- Future Continuous used to express an action that will occur at a certain point in time in the future.
- Present Perfect used to express a completed (or still ongoing) action, the result of which is associated with the present.
- Past Perfect used to express an action that ended earlier than another action or a specific moment in the past.
- Future Perfect used to express an action that will be completed by a specific point in time in the future.
Important! There is also the time Future in the Past, which we talked about in the corresponding article.
- Present Perfect Continuous used to express an action that began in the past and continues in the present, or the duration of the action is important.
- Past Perfect Continuous used to express an action that began at a certain point in the past and continued for some time before the beginning of another action.
- Future Perfect Continuous used to express an action that, having begun at a certain moment, will still continue at some point in time in the future.
How not to be afraid of tenses in English?
- Be prepared for the fact that you should have a good feel for the difference between times, from a logical point of view. The tenses in English and Russian are not 100% similar, so it is not always possible to draw a parallel.
- After getting acquainted with each new tense, you must practice it well by completing various grammatical exercises in order to remember the construction and, of course, the situation where we use this tense.
- It is important to learn irregular verbs. For this purpose, there are now special songs that consist of all irregular verbs. Give it a try. This is a very effective method for learning irregular verbs. Especially for music lovers.
- Study English tenses systematically, without trying to learn everything in one day. As soon as you begin to navigate one time, you can move on to the next. Then be sure to practice the mixed exercises where the tasks will be collected in order to check if you are not confused about these tenses.
- It is advisable to practice English every day for 15 minutes. In this case, the new store of knowledge will be stored in your memory for a long time and you will use it automatically.
- If you are studying English tenses on your own, look for useful videos on the Internet. On our website you will find many useful grammar video lessons. This is much more interesting and reliable than looking for rules anywhere on the Internet.
- Don't overwork yourself! It's important to give yourself rest. If you turn English into daily hard labor, it will not benefit you, but will only discourage you from learning it.
- When learning tenses in English, pay attention to whether your memory is visual or auditory. Based on this, you can understand which tasks are best to give preference to achieve the most effective result.
- Don't try to learn all tenses in English at once. To start, learn 5-6 basic tenses. This will be quite enough to communicate in English competently.
- As a result, it is important to be able to use these tenses in a conversation. This is quite difficult to do on your own. Suppose you can find rules, exercises and answers to them on your own, but understanding whether you use English tenses in your speech is not an easy task.
Conclusion
With English tenses there are usually 3 scenarios:
- The student decides that he doesn’t need tenses in English because he just wants to improve his conversational skills.
- The student finds a popular grammar textbook and slowly studies each tense on his own.
- The student turns to the teacher and trusts him on his path to mastery at times in full.
Which one do you choose?
Definitely the second and third! It is impossible to communicate in a language like a native speaker without knowing the tenses. Definitely, if you want to know English, tenses are very important. So which side should you approach them from?
The EnglishDom online school employs many experienced teachers who have already proven to many students that learning tenses is not a disaster.
Many students come to a free introductory lesson with the request “just not grammar,” and after a few lessons with the teacher, they take grammar tests and other interactive tasks with great pleasure. So don't be afraid! U can do it! Times are waiting for you :)
Big and friendly EnglishDom family
The main difficulty of the English language for beginners is tenses. There are only 12 tenses in the English language, but due to the specifics of some tenses, confusion occurs. In this article I will tell you in detail about the tenses of the English language with an example of use.
From the article you will learn:
English tenses with examples and translation into Russian
In English, there are traditionally 12 tenses. English tenses are divided into 3 groups:
- Simple (Indefinite),
- Continuous (Progressive),
- Perfect.
They, in turn, in combination with the basic tense forms Present, Past and Future, form the corresponding tenses. Let's start with the group Indefinite.
Present Simple (Presen Indefinite) - Present Simple
How is it formed:
I form of the verb. This form is used in all persons and numbers, except for the third person singular: then the endings – s, -es – are added.
When to use:
1. The action occurs with a certain frequency. Used with such adverbs as always (always), rarely (rarely), often (often), usually (usually), never (ever), etc., in addition, with the word every (every day, every month, every year etc.)
She never listens to me.- She never listens to me.
I always go abroad in summer.— In the summer I always go abroad.
He goes to the theater every weekend.— He goes to the theater every weekend.
2. The effect is scientifically proven.
Water boils at 100 degrees.— Water boils at 100 degrees.
3. The sequence of actions is described.
I get up, wash my hands and face, have breakfast etc.— I get up, wash, have breakfast, etc.
Present Continuous - Present Continuous
It should be noted that some English present tenses can indicate the future.
How is it formed:
verb to be + I form of the verb + ing ending.
When used: 1. the action is happening at the moment.
I am watching TV now.- I'm watching TV now.
2. the action will take place in the near future, which is planned (!).
I am flying to New York next month.— Next month I'm flying to New York.
Present Perfect - Present Perfect
The peculiarity is that the English tenses of the Perfect group can denote the past, although they are called present.
Formation: have / has + III form of the verb.
When to use the present perfect tense:
1. the action happened today, this year, this week, etc., i.e. the period has not yet ended.
Has not written 10 books and he is just twenty!- He wrote 10 books, and he’s only twenty! (Life is going)
We have met this month.— We saw each other this month (the month has not ended)
He has met me today.- Today he met me.
2. with adverbs yet (yet), just (only), recently (recently), ever (always), never (never), already (already), etc.
I have just found out about this.- I just found out about this.
I've never been to England.- I have never been to England.
She has already done this work.- She has already done this work.
3. Action in the past affects the present state
We have gone to the forest and now he has a cold.— We went to the forest, and he caught a cold.
Past Simple - Past Simple
How to form the past simple tense:
II form of the verb, i.e. verb + ending –ed (regular verbs), or II form of an irregular verb.
When to use:
1. The presence of a time marker yesterday (yesterday), last (past, last) or other.
He visited doctor last week.— Last week he visited the doctor.
I met him when I studied at the University.— I met him when I was at university.
2. The action happened in the past without any conditions.
I knew you would come.- I knew you would come.
3. Sequence of actions.
He took the taxi, asked to stop at the Time Square, looked through the window etc.— He took a taxi, asked to stop at Time Square, looked out the window, etc.
Past Continuous - Past Continuous
How to form the past continuous tense:
Verb to be in 2nd form + verb+ ing ending.
When to use:
1. The process lasted for a long time without interruption.
For example.
He was playing the piano the whole evening.— He played the piano all evening.
2. The process was interrupted by another activity.
They came in when she was speaking by the phone.— They came in while she was talking on the phone.
Past Perfect - Past Perfect
How is it formed:
2nd form of the verb have + 3rd form of the verb.
When to use:
1. When agreeing on times.
He said that he had not noticed you.- He said he didn't notice you.
2. One action happened before the other.
Example: He had left before I could figure out something.“He left before I could understand anything.”
3. There is a temporary excuse by.
He had made his decision by summer.— By the summer he made a decision.
Future Simple - Future Simple
How is it formed:
Shall (used only with 1st person) will+I form of the verb.
When to use:
The action will take place in the future. Used with time markers tomorrow, next, or a deadline is indicated.
I will call you tomorrow.- I'll call you tomorrow.
He will visit us in 3 weeks.— He will visit us in 3 weeks.
Future Continuous - Future Continuous
How it is formed.
Auxiliary verb will/shall+be+1 verb form+ing
When used. The process continues into the future.
She will be dancing the whole day tomorrow.- Tomorrow she will dance all day.
Present Perfect Continuous - Present Perfect Continuous
How is it formed:
Have/has + been + verb+ing
When to use:
1. The action lasts from a moment in the past to a moment in the present (translated by the present)
I have been waiting for this moment all my life.“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”
2. with the preposition since (s).
Their family has been owning this castle since 17th century.— Their family has owned this castle since the 17th century.
Past Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous
How is it formed:
Had + been + verb+ing
When to use:
One action is interrupted by another or is its cause.
I had been working hard the whole year, so I was exhausted. “I worked hard all year and was just exhausted.
Future Perfect Continuous - Future Perfect Continuous
English tenses such as Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous are used extremely rarely.
How is it formed:
Will/shall + have + been + verb+ ing
When to use:
The period of past and future is affected, the preposition of time by.
For example: I will have been working in this company for 10 years by 1st May.— By May 1, it will be 10 years that I have been working in this company.
Thus, we looked at 10 tenses of the English language (all based on 3 main ones).
Oh, the times! Oh, morals! Tenses in the English language are considered to be the most difficult section of grammar. But this is one of the most common misconceptions. Along with the fact that the majority distinguishes a dozen tenses in English, and three in Russian. So: don’t trust anyone :) In the English language, experts will highlight more than 12 tenses (take at least Future-in-the-Past for warming up). And in Russian, in theory, there are also more than three. Need proof? Yes please.
Times in the Great and Mighty
Only a first grader thinks that we have past, present and future tense. But at the same time, everyone will feel the difference in these proposals:
I was walking home through the park yesterday.
I walked home through the park yesterday
Immediately a quick question: what is the tense in the sentences? Yeah, past. What verb did “went” come from? Well, yes, from the verb “to go.”
The English language also has tricky irregular verbs, which in the past tense take on such a form that you can try to guess the original one. So the myths that camouflage is practiced only in the English language can already be safely considered debunked.
Let's go back to "went" and "went". Can we smell the difference? In the first case, we are talking about some long time: I walked to myself and walked through the park, without touching anyone. And in the second - about what has already happened. The questions answered by “went” and “went” are also different: “what did you do?” and “what did you do?” Such forms of verb tenses in Russian are usually called imperfect/non-perfect form (what to do) and perfect/perfect (what to do).
And that is not all. For example, when we want to emphasize the duration of an action, we become more sophisticated and use synonyms of verbs that are very close in meaning. For example:
Yesterday I walked around the park in a great mood.
Now you can imagine how difficult it is for a foreigner when he wants to convey a long action using the verb “go”. Surely he will come up with something like “Yesterday I walked... mmm... walked... walked... through the park in a great mood.” And try to explain to him that to convey a long-term action, it is better to take the verb “to walk” and put it in the past tense in the non-perfect form.
Whose tense system is easier?
This is ours:
| Imperfect form (Indefinite) |
Perfect form ( Perfect) | ||
| long-term | regular | ||
| Present | I'm playing | — | — |
| Past (Past) | played | played | played |
| Future (Future) | I will play | I'll play | I'll play |
Moreover, in order to denote the present continuous or past imperfect tense, we will have to explain this further. Compare:
I play the guitar (that is, in principle I know how to play this instrument).
And
I'm currently playing the guitar (that is, I'm sitting and playing right now, I have nothing else to do).
Tenses in English
While we are getting more sophisticated with perfect/non-perfect forms of the verb, and also practicing finding synonyms, the English have created a completely logical and understandable system of tenses. Each verb easily forms 12 main groups. Let’s take the same “walk” (walk) and use it by default with the pronoun I (I).
Table of tenses in English with examples
| Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous | |
| Present | I walk I walk (in general, in principle) |
I am walking I'm walking/walking (right now) |
I have walked I went (already) |
I have been walking I walked (did it and completed it by now) |
| Past | I walked I went (in general, in principle) |
I was walking I was walking/walking (a while ago) |
I had walked I was walking (the action had already ended at a certain point in the past) |
I had been walking I have walked (done this and completed it by a certain point in the past) |
| Future | I will walk I will walk (in general, in principle) |
I will be walking I will walk/walk (for a while) |
I will have walked I'm like (the action will end at a certain point in the future) |
I will have been walking I will walk (and complete it by some point in the future) |
Thus, when reading a sentence in English, one can easily understand what the person means. While in our country the use of explanatory words is mandatory. While we need to use explanatory words for this. For example, to convey the Future Perfect tense, we will add “I’ll finish” to the main semantic verb: “I’ll finish doing my homework by 5 pm.” These are the simple rules of English tenses that, thanks to exercises, are quickly memorized.
And whose tense system is ultimately easier?