How verb tenses are formed. Using Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Understand, repeat or learn tenses in English? You're kidding! This is almost a Chinese letter! Actually, no, and we know several secrets on how to easily and quickly learn and remember English tenses (table attached).

It is the times that become the main brake that prevents you from easily and simply mastering this most beautiful and popular language in the world. Sit back, sit back, because now we will tell you how to quickly and easily learn and remember verb tenses in English.

Method 1: how to quickly learn verb tenses in English

Students are confused from the very beginning, believing that there are 100,500 tenses in English. In fact, there are also 3 tenses in English: present, past and future. Then, as soon as you have mastered these basics, you will need to add other knowledge to the existing foundation.

Now is the time to find out that all verbs denoting actions in English can be divided into ongoing and non-continuous (i.e. continuous and non-continuous).

How to distinguish them: if an action occurs, has occurred or will occur over a certain period of time, then it is continuous (long or long-lasting). For example, Kolya was sleeping, Lena was doing her homework, Artem was reading a book.

If a sentence contains the following constructions, use Continuous - long time:

at the moment,
from 5 to 7,
the whole day,
when he came and so on.

It is used when it comes to about an unfinished process, action, which was done, is being done or will be done in a specific period of time.

Band Times Indefinite or Simple are used to denote an action that occurs regularly, every day, and its exact moment is unknown. It is characterized by indicator words: usually, twice, a week, on Sundays, often, sometimes, never, in summer, hardly, ever and so on. These words state the fact that an action is being performed.

When talking about a completed action, use Perfect, if the sentence contains phrases:

already,
just,
recently
lately, etc.

These indicator words indicate about the presence of a result by a certain moment: something happened now or yesterday by 5 o’clock, or will be ready by tomorrow morning.

Now we define Is it important for understanding the meaning by what point in time this action will be completed?. Thanks to this, we will understand whether we should use the perfect tense or not (Perfect or non-Perfect). Now is the time to bring together all the signs of action we have identified. This way we get a complete definition of the available time. For example, Past continuous Perfect.

The Perfect Continuous tenses are practically never used in real life. However, to pass the test and understand the literary language, it still won’t hurt to study them. For example: In April I’ll have been working on the book for 10 months. In Russian it will sound something like this: in April it will be 10 months since I started working on the book.

Method 2: how to quickly learn English tenses (table)

There is another way if the previous one didn’t work out. There is nothing easier than learning the English tense table.

This table shows all the signs of action. By comparing one sign with another, it will not be difficult for you to determine what time appears before you.

When studying tenses, you will need to learn the forms of auxiliary verbs and verbal words that serve in the formation of a particular tense. And be sure to learn the table with irregular verbs!

And if you still don’t have enough time to prepare for taking a test or test in English, don’t hesitate - contact the student assistance service. Service specialists know everything, if not more, about the times, and they certainly know how to help you. And to broaden your horizons or just keep up to date with student life, subscribe to our telegram channel.

And here is a video about how to quickly and easily learn time in English:

Is it easy to learn English in a few lessons, as numerous calls from an army of teachers who consider themselves experts in the field of education promise? The experience of an even larger army of students cramming English lessons for beginners shows that not everything is as easy as promised. And the first stone in the study of English grammar, over which all beginners without exception stumble, immediately knocks off the patina of aplomb and ambition of future language users.

Such strange English times

The examples in the tables are familiar to diligent Russian-speaking students of English courses who are beginning to master the rules of behavior of the English verb. What a strange phenomenon this part of speech is in English grammar! What a system of incomprehensible word forms that should express an action in a particular time period! And why is this necessary, when everything is so clear in the native language: one present, one past and one future.

How many tenses are there in English grammar?

However, in such simple English, through which half the world communicates, and another quarter wants to learn it, there are as many as twelve tense forms of the verb only in the active voice. Thus, the present tense in English expresses a moment in time in reality in different ways. Native speakers, without thinking about grammar, will use one form of the verb when they talk about what they do always, sometimes, often or usually, and another if it is important for them to emphasize that they are busy with something at a given moment in time. In the first case, they will use that cell of their innate grammatical memory where verbs are collected in the form of the Present Simple, and in the second - the present continuous

For a Russian-speaking student, it is important to understand that the action in question can be instantaneous or extended over time, it can just happen or occur usually, as always, rarely or often. Each such action in English requires the use of a verb in a strictly defined form. In the Russian language, the nuances of relative time are defined lexically, the participants in the dialogue specify in words how and when the action occurs: now, usually, often, from some point or during a certain period.

Present tense “ours” and “alien”

Those who explain English tenses for dummies know that it is most clear to understand the rule based on their native language. For example, we say “I (now) watch TV” or “I (usually) watch TV after dinner.” In both expressions, the verb “I look” is used in the present tense. But it’s a completely different matter if the same phrases are spoken by an Englishman. He will say: I am watching television and I watch television after dinner. They themselves, without additional lexical means, show that in the first case the action occurs right now, this very minute, and in the second the action is repeated, ordinary, daily.

Grammar tense system

It is not easy to understand the meaning of verbal diversity in expressing temporal layers of reality in the English language. Just a small example of the use of different forms of the present tense already puzzles the student. But there is also a past and a future.

Such an abundance of tenses surprises Russian-speaking students who are just beginning to grapple with the vagaries of the English verb. But later they even have to do numerous exercises on English tenses, honing the skills of correct word usage in the flow of spoken language. Practice shows that it is easiest to master the tense forms of the verb in the system. Thus, by placing English tenses with examples in tables, it is easier to understand their grammatical multi-layered nature.

Apartment house for English verb

This house has four floors. Each floor is a grammatical tense: Simple, Continuous, Continuous. On each floor there are three apartments, in each of which residents settled - word forms of the present (Present), past (Past) and time. An example for settlement would be the incorrect verb “drink (drink)” and the correct verb “watch (watch)”.

English Times. English Tenses

I drink tea (always, often...)

I watch television

I drank tea (yesterday...)

I watched television

I will drink tea

I will drink tea (tomorrow...)

I will watch television

I am drinking tea

I'm drinking tea right now)

I'm watching television

I was drinking tea

I was drinking tea (at that moment in the past when you called...)

I was watching television

I will be drinking tea

I will drink tea (at some point in time in the future)

I will be watching television

I have drunk tea

I drank tea (just now, already...)

I have watched television

I drank tea (already, at some point in the past)

I had watched television

I will have drunk tea

I will already have tea (at some point in the future)

I will have watched television

Perfect Continuous

I have been drinking tea for 2 h.

I have been watching television since 5 o'clock

I had been drinking tea for 2 h.

I had been watching television since 5 o'clock

I will have been drinking tea for 2 h.

I will have been watching television since 5 o'clock

The English tenses presented with examples in the tables give a systematic idea of the variety of verb word forms. Those starting to master the topic should practice with different English verbs, substituting them in the cells of the table. But in order to correctly use tense forms in speech, written and spoken, this is not enough. It is important to understand the situation in which the speaker is. Each verb form precisely points to a point in time, not absolute, but relative.

How to solve a grammar problem

Effective exercises include translating phrases from your native language into English. This way you can easily learn the rules of English tenses based on your native grammar. It is important to understand why this or that word form is required in a given context, and also to see the lexical and grammatical signals that will tell you which window of the table to look into.

What are you doing in the evenings?

I usually watch TV.

What are you doing now?

I drink tea and watch TV.

What were you doing yesterday when I called?

I was watching TV when you called.

I'll call you tomorrow at 5. What will you do?

Tomorrow at 5 I will watch TV.

This one, when translated, requires the use of six forms of verb tense, of which two are present, two are past and two are future. What forms are these? English times with examples in tables will help those who want to master difficult rules and apply them in practice.

In the Russian version there are hint words: “usually”, “in the evenings”, “now”, “tomorrow”. And also an indication of one action in relation to another: “When you called, I was watching TV,” “Tomorrow (when you call) I will be watching TV.” Look at the table and solve this grammar problem.

Phrases from dialogues in Russian will also help you learn the meaning of English tenses from the lower floor of “Perfect Continuous”.

How long have you been watching TV?

I watch TV from 5 o'clock (for two hours).

When you called (yesterday), I had already been watching TV for two hours (since 5 o’clock).

Tomorrow, by the time you come, I will have been watching TV for two hours already (from 5 o’clock).

How to say in English?

English lessons for beginners include more and more complex grammar exercises as they accumulate vocabulary. But already from the first lessons the concept of tenses is given. First, about simple ones - from the Simple and Continuous groups, later the use of tenses of the Perfect and Perfect Continuous groups is practiced. Language is easier to learn in speech situations. This is why no rule in a box can replace practical training. The material for this is available all around: on the street, at home, at work. Everywhere you can train the skill “How would I say this in English.”

The formation of tenses in English is subject to strict rules of grammar. It is important to observe the order of words and the coordination of tenses. For each life situation, a specific temporary structure is selected.

In English, the form of a verb is not affected by gender, so, for example, in the phrases “He said” and “She said” only the pronouns will differ, and the verb (the verb) will not change and will sound like said. But this is little consolation for those who have decided to become pros in English. After all, you will have to master 12 tenses. And we will talk below about what these temporary forms are, how they are formed, and, in fact, why you need to learn to operate with this very time.

How are times formed?
in English?

English tenses are formed using auxiliary verbs. Also, depending on the tense form, the ending of the semantic verb changes.

Why is it important to differentiate between tenses when teaching a language?

If you don’t want to get lost in time and completely confuse your interlocutor, then first you will have to master at least the Present group. Of course, in everyday life, native speakers themselves do not operate with all 12 tenses. Much depends on whether we are talking about British English or American English. It is believed that Americans are not so scrupulous in matters of grammar, so some mistakes are easily forgiven to foreigners. But still, in order not to find yourself in the situation of lost in translation, that is, not to get confused in the translation, it is important to understand how tenses are formed in the English language.

Russian and English times: similarities and differences

We are accustomed to three tenses: present, past and future. This is why English grammar seems so difficult. In fact, in Russian there are three tenses for us. For those who study our language as a foreign language, the situation with temporary forms does not look so rosy. They say that foreigners can spend more than one month studying the verb “to go” alone. In English there are also present, past and future tenses, which are called Present, Past and Future, respectively. Everything is simple here: if we, for example, talk about a fact that happened in the past, then we use Past. But the problem is that in English the past tense alone can have 4 forms.

Formation of tenses in English: table

In each of the three tenses (Present, Past and Future) there are four more subgroups:

Perfect Continuous

This is where 12 times arise. The main questions about English tenses usually arise when a student moves from the Simple group to the more complex Continuous or Perfect. It is not easy for a Russian person to understand why continuous and perfect forms are still needed, and why the same phrase, like “I worked,” can be said both as “I worked” and “I have worked.”

Using tenses in English: table with examples

Questions about English tenses will disappear by themselves if you master the main rules for constructing tense forms and learn to automatically determine which group a particular situation can be classified into. In short, the Simple tenses are used to denote single actions. The Continuous group combines actions extended over time. Perfect characterizes processes completed at some point in the past, present or future. The tenses of the Perfect Continuous group are considered the most complex and least used of all tenses in the English language. The perfect continuous tense also characterizes actions completed by a certain moment, but these actions are extended over time.

How are the times of the Simple group formed?

Even those who need to learn only the simplest spoken English will have to master the Simple tenses. Without knowing the forms of the simple verb to be, you simply cannot tell basic information about yourself. The Simple tense group is used to generally characterize an action, without focusing on its duration or completion.

Formation of tenses in English. Table for the Simple group:

Present Simple, or Simple present tense in English

Present tenses in English are used to characterize actions occurring in the present tense. We turn to the Present Simple in situations where we want to convey some general information about a person (talk about his belonging to a certain class, profession, etc.). For example, “I am a student” (I am a student). Also, the present simple tense is necessary to report an action that is repeated systematically. For example, “He cooks” (he cooks). In this example, it is meant that he, in principle, knows how to cook food, and does it constantly, and not at any specific period of time. Present simple is also used for:

· Descriptions of natural phenomena and facts (The Earth goes around the Sun - the Earth revolves around the Sun);

· Sports commentary (Messi scores a goal - Messi scores a goal);

· Transport schedules, broadcasts, film shows, etc. (The train from Moscow arrives at 6:05 p.m. - The train from Moscow arrives at 18:05);

· Internal state, feelings (Do you want to go away? - Do you want to leave?).

You can also recognize the Present Simple in speech by marker words that determine the frequency of the action:

· always (always);

· usually (usually);

· never (never);

· sometimes (sometimes);

· rarely (infrequently);

· rarely (rarely);

· regularly (regularly);

· every day (every day);

· often (often).

Past Simple

Past tenses characterize actions performed in the past. We use the Past Simple when we need to report an action that was repeated in the past. In order to construct an interrogative or negative form, we need the auxiliary verb did. In this case, the main verb will not change. You can also understand that this is Past Simple by using marker words such as:

· Yesterday (yesterday);

· In 2008 (in 2008);

· 15 years ago (15 years ago);

· last week (last week);

· the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday).

The simple present tense tells us about a fact or some single simple action completed in the past. For example, “In 2000 Angelina Jolie won an Oscar - In 2008, Angelina Jolie won an Oscar.” Also, the Past Simple characterizes several actions that occurred in the past in chronological order (“I came home, called Jane and had dinner with my friend - I came home, called Jane and had dinner with my friend”). To report an action that has been repeated many times in the past, you also need the Past Simple (I took Spanish courses when I was young - I took Spanish courses when I was young).

Future Simple

English grammar “marks” tenses of the Future group with the auxiliary verb will. Do you want to say that some action will happen in the future? Just add will to the semantic verb. The Future Simple tense is used in the following situations:

· Single simple action in the future (I will sign it - I will sign it);

· The decision that we make at the time of conversation (I will buy a ticket and you stay here - I will buy a ticket, and you stay here);

· Actions that are repeated in the future (I will visit Jane a few times in Paris - I will visit Jane in Paris several times);

· Designation of several actions performed in the future sequentially (I will meet with him and I will explain how to do this - I will meet with him and explain how to do this).

The Future Simple is often accompanied in a sentence by such time adverbs as:

· tomorrow (tomorrow);

· next summer (next summer);

· in ten years (in ten years);

· in 2020 (in 2020).

Times of the group Continuous
in English

For a Russian speaker, the tenses of the Continuous group are quite difficult to understand. After all, it makes no difference to us whether an action is taking place at the present moment or whether we perform it periodically. A Russian-speaking person will say “I’m watching TV”, regardless of whether he is enjoying watching a TV show at the moment, or whether this process is part of his daily habit. In English grammar, Continuous tenses are needed to describe an action that is extended in the process. This is any long-term action occurring at a certain moment.

Grammatical tenses in English. Table for the Continuous group:

Present Continuous

If the action occurs at the time of speech, then we use the Present Continuous, or the present continuous tense. This temporary construction is constructed using the auxiliary verb to be, which, depending on the person and number, takes one of three forms. For the pronoun I (I) we use the form am. In the third person singular (pronouns he, she, it) to be takes the form is, and in the plural - are.

Let's look at how the Present Continuous is used with specific examples:

I am looking at you - I look at you (now, that is, at the moment of speech).

His English is getting better - His English is getting better (action is in progress).

She is working from 9 till 7 - She works from 9 to 7 (an action that covers a period of time in the present).

I am meeting him at 7 at the cinema - I meet him at 7 o’clock in the cinema (an action that is planned, and at the same time we know the time and place).

They are going to the opera - They are going to the opera (action in the near future, Present Continuous in this case is used exclusively with verbs of movement).

He is always annoying me - He always annoys me (expression of a negative assessment about a habit, regular behavior).

Marker words such as now (now) and at the moment (at the moment) can help you recognize the present continuous tense in speech. If we are talking about some kind of habit and inclination (often in a negative context), then in this case the Present Continuous is accompanied by the following adverbs:

· all the time (all the time);

· always (always);

· constantly (constantly).

Past Continuous

Past tenses usually refer to the second form of the verb. The Past Continuous is no exception in this regard. This tense is formed by adding the 2nd form of the auxiliary verb to be, namely was for the singular and were for the plural. The ending -ing is necessarily added to the semantic verb.

The Past Continuous should be used in the following situations:

· Continuous action that in the past occurred at a certain period (He was playing football at 11 o'clock - He played football at 11 o'clock);

· An action that took place in the past, while another action occurred (He was reading when somebody knocked at his window - He was reading when someone knocked on the window).

Also, the Past Continuous can often be found in descriptive literary texts, where the author sets the task of creating the desired atmosphere:

It was getting dark, and the wind was howling - It was getting dark and the wind was howling.

In phrases with the Past Continuous we often observe circumstances indicating a period of time:

· all day long (all day);

· all the time (all the time);

· the whole day (all day);

· from 7 till 11 (from 7 to 11).

Future Continuous

Not all tenses in English have Russian equivalents. For example, Future Continuous from the point of view of a Russian speaker is unlikely to be any different from the simple future. However, residents of English-speaking countries refer to this time in the following situations:

· Continuous action that will take place at a certain point in the future (This time next Monday she will be flying to Paris - Next Monday at this time she will fly to Paris);

· A long action against the background of which another shorter action will occur in the future. At the same time, we do not know whether the first action will be interrupted or will be continued. (We will be sleeping when he arrives to New York - We will sleep when he arrives in New York);

· To denote two or more actions that will occur simultaneously in the future (While they are playing chess I will be cooking dinner - While they are playing chess, I will cook dinner).

The Future Continuous is formed using the auxiliary form will be and a semantic verb ending in -ing.

The future continuous tense can also be recognized by marker words. These may be circumstances of the time:

· at 5 o"clock (at five o'clock);

· at that moment (at this moment);

· in an hour (in an hour);

· this time tomorrow (at the same time tomorrow), etc.

If we are talking about subordinate clauses with the Future Continuous, then here we often see conjunctions such as: if (if), as (while), while (while), when (when), until (not yet), before (before).

Perfect Group Times

The Perfect group can be briefly described by the word “result”. The completion of an action here is associated with some specific moment in the present, past or future.

How tenses are formed in English. Table for the Perfect group:

The 3rd form of a verb in English is formed by adding the ending -ed to the stem. The exception is irregular verbs, which do not change according to the rules. In this case, you will have to remember the form.

Present Perfect (Present perfect tense)

Examples of the Present Perfect in school textbooks do not always provide a complete picture of how to actually use this tense. In fact, it is very widespread. Present Perfect is usually used in the following situations:

To denote an action that has already been absolutely completed in the past, but, nevertheless, it is still connected with the present through the result (I have read this book so you can take it - I have already read this book, so you can take it);

To characterize an action that began in the past, but at the same time it continues at the present moment (I have lived in London for 6 years - We live in London for 6 years).

Sentences with the present perfect tense often contain adverbs and circumstances that emphasize the effectiveness of the action:

· never (never);

· just (just now);

· already (already);

· yet (yet);

· ever (ever);

For example: Have you ever been to Cyprus? -Have you ever been to Cyprus?

Past Perfect

If the action ended before a certain moment or action in the past, then, according to the rules of English grammar, you will have to choose the Past Perfect tense. For example, “The rain had stopped before he woke up - The rain stopped before he woke up.” Or: “By that time they had finished their work - By that time they finished their work.”

The Past Perfect can often be identified by the conjunction by and time circumstances, such as: by that time (by that time), by Monday (by Monday), by then (by that time), etc.

Future Perfect (Future perfect tense)

The Future Perfect is used in situations where we need to report an action that will be completed before a certain point in the future: “I will have written the article by night - I will write the article by night.” We also use the future perfect tense when we talk about some supposed action that took place in the past. In other words, the Future Perfect is needed to express an assumption about what probably happened. For example, “You will have noticed our attitude to this problem - You (surely) noticed our attitude to this problem.”

Marker phrases for the Future Perfect also serve as time circumstances that indicate the moment for completing the action:

· by Sunday (by Sunday);

· by that time (by that time);

· by 2033 (by 2033).

Formation of band times
Perfect Continuous

Perfect Continuous tenses are not so common in colloquial speech. Students usually begin these constructions at later stages. As the name suggests, Perfect Continuous describes a continuous action that begins, continues, and ends at a specific point.

Grammatical tenses in English. Table for the Perfect Continuous group:

Present Perfect Continuous (Present perfect continuous)

Present Perfect Continuous shows an action that began in the past and continues at the time of speech. For example: “She has been working for 5 hours already - She has already been working for 5 hours.” This tense is also used to characterize a long-term action that has just completed, the result of which affects the present: “I"m tired. We have been working all night - I’m tired. We worked all night.”

In phrases with the present perfect continuous tense in English, there are often time adverbs and other phrases that denote the time period during which the action is performed. For example:

· for a week (during the week);

· since morning (in the morning);

· lately (lately);

· all my life (all my life), etc.

Past Perfect Continuous (Past perfect continuous)

The Past Perfect Continuous tense is similar to the previous one, but describes an extended action that began in the past until a certain moment (which also happened in the past and is always used in the Past Simple). This process may continue or may end just before this very moment.

“Tom had been reading for 2 hours when Jane came - Tom had been reading for two hours when Jane came.” In this case, the action began before Jane arrived. At the same time, Tom continues to read even after being interrupted.

The past perfect continuous tense is characterized by the use of temporary marker phrases, such as:

· for five months (within 5 months);

· for a long time (for a long time);

· since 7 o"clock (from 7 o'clock), etc.

Future Perfect Continuous (Future perfect continuous)

Among all the tenses in English grammar, the Future Perfect Continuous is the least common in speech. This tense describes a continuous action that will begin in the future and will continue until a certain moment (it is used in the Future Simple):

He will be resting for a week when she will join him - He will be resting for a whole week when she joins him.

Learning to distinguish between English tenses is not as difficult as it seems at first glance: marker words will help you find your way. Remember that the simple past tense, for example, can be determined by a specific date. The ending -ing in the verb indicates that the action is not single, but long-term, that is, ongoing. It is important to remember that if you begin a sentence using past tense verbs, then the second part of the phrase must also use the past tense. Of course, in this matter one cannot do without practice. Watch as many English-language films and TV series as possible, read books, and gradually you will learn to feel the tenses of the English language and stop thinking about where to put which verb.

There is one topic in language learning that we can probably talk about endlessly. Of course, we mean tenses in English. It is sometimes difficult for students new to the language to get used to the way English-speaking people divide their time for themselves. In fact, each tense form in English has its own analogue in Russian, we just don’t distinguish these forms into separate groups. Therefore, understanding tenses is not at all difficult, and today you will see for yourself.

First, let's do a quick overview of all the time groups so you have an idea of what we'll be talking about today. As in Russian, English sentences can be built in the past, present and future. But besides these tenses, English also has 4 tense forms, namely: Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous. In general, it turns out that one idea can be expressed in twelve temporary forms. Each form has a different way of forming verbs that appear in a sentence. With their help you can determine the time. Detailed table for clarity:

Formation of tenses in English
Time/View	Simple	Continuous or Progressive (long)	Perfect	Perfect Continuous / Progressive (perfect continuous)
Past (past)	V2	to be (2nd form) + V-ing	had + V3	had + been + V-ing
Present (present)	V1	to be (1st form) + V-ing	have / has + V3	have / has + been + V-ing
Future (future)	will + V1	will be + V-ing	will + have + V3	will + have + been + V-ing

Having briefly examined English tenses, let's move on to their more detailed study and consider the rules for forming tenses with examples.

Why are tenses needed in English?

But first I would like to dwell on the question of why tenses of the English language are needed and whether it is worth learning them all. The tense system in English helps to correctly convey your thoughts to others. That is, you can make it clear what action we are talking about. Was it in the past or present? Has it already ended or is it still going on? Or maybe it happens regularly? - all these questions will disappear on their own , if it is known what tense was used in the sentence.

“So I’m just starting to learn the language, and I’ll immediately have to learn all 12 tenses of the English language?” - you ask. Ideally, yes, you need to learn all tenses. But, most likely, you will not be able to do this at once. Therefore, start your training from the times of the Simple group. Knowing the simple tense, you will be able to explain what happened or will happen to you, what you need and why. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to this time, and therefore, having dealt with it, gradually continue to study other groups. The latest one to consider is the Perfect Continuous group. It is often resorted to when the language level of the students already “exceeds” the average, because the tenses of this group are used quite rarely and are used more to demonstrate their knowledge.

Tenses in English: Simple group

Simple		Present	Past	Future
	+	V1	V2	will + V1
	—	do / does + not + V1	did + not + V1	will + not + V1
	?	Do/Does... V1?	Did... V1?	Will...V1?

Present Simple

Present Simple or simple present tense , is perhaps the most used. The use of this English tense is necessary to express regularly repeated actions, habits, schedules and facts.

As you may have noticed from the table above, the present tense is formed using a verb in its initial form, that is, in the form in which the word is indicated in the dictionary. However, this form may vary slightly depending on the person and number. So, if an action is performed by a third person in the singular, the verbs have an ending -s (-es):

To form negative and interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb do is used. If it is used with third persons in the singular, then this verb turns into does, because it takes away the ending -s (-es) from the semantic verb.

Examples:

As you can see, this tense does not have any complex grammatical rules.