Well, now a little more complicated - the use of tenses.
If the structure can be easily learned and understood, then the use of tenses needs to be taught, practiced and, as a result, “feel”, start thinking the way those who speak English as their native language think.
In general, the principle is this:
Simple tenses are used for constant, regular actions or if actions go one after another.
Perfect tenses indicate the result of the action, the completion, the outcome.
Continuous tenses are used for non-permanent, temporary, changing actions, in order to emphasize that the action is still ongoing, continues.
It will also be useful to know some signs and words that help determine “on the go” what time it is:
For the present:
presentSimple- time is used for constantly taking actions (Every day I brush my teeth), undeniable truths (the Earth revolves around the sun).
Keywords: every day/month/week, usually, usually (every day/month/week, as a rule, usually).
I clean my flat every Friday.
Present Continuous- is used when it comes to an action that occurs at the moment of a conversation, or is temporary and changing. Most often, this time is used in comparison with Present Simple. Unlike Present Simple, a long time denotes non-permanent actions. There are a number of verbs that are not used in the present participle form. Then Simple comes to the rescue for a long time. Also, the present continuous is used to denote future actions, instead of the future tense.
Keywords: now (now).
Compare:
I live in Paris. (permanent action)
I am staying now at my grandfather's, but that's until I find a new flat. (emphasizes the temporary nature of the action)
Present Perfect- is used if we want to emphasize that the action took place before the moment of the conversation, but we feel the result in the present. Often used in dialogue.
Keywords: already, just (already, just).
Read this book, please! It's fascinating!
I have read it already.
presentPerfectcontinuous emphasizes both the duration and the completeness of the action.
Compare:
I can't do this exercise! Help me, please!
No, I won't help. Try to do it yourself.
But I can't! I have been trying to do it for three hours and I failed!
The action began in the past, lasted, the result, the result of the action is felt in the present. In this case, you can also say: I was trying to do it for three hours. But in such a sentence, the emphasis is on how long I did it, but the result is not visible. Since the dialogue above shows the result - the exercise is not done, and it is this result that is being discussed, then just a long time is not enough.
For past tense:
PastSimple- this is a statement of a fact from the past (from history), used in a story about some events (for example, how I spent the weekend), when listing facts (when several actions follow one after another).
This action is often confused with Present Perfect, but in Present Perfect the result is felt in the present, there is a connection with the present, it is often used in conversation, in dialogue, and Past Simple is just a story about the past, used in stories or monologues.
Keywords: yesterday, last year, last week, two days ago ( yesterday, last year, last week, two days ago).
Compare:
1.- Help me, please! I have lost my wallet! (Present Perfect, dialogue, the result is felt in the present)
2. I lost my wallet, and then I found it. (Past Simple, just a story about events, not tied to communication)
3. - You know, I lost my wallet! – Have you found it? – Yes, I have! (Past Simple and Present Perfect)
PastPerfect- unlike the Present Perfect, the Past Perfect needs an indication of at least some time in the past. Because the Present Perfect has ended by the moment in the present. And the Past Perfect must end at some point in the past. That is why it is also called the past.
The key feature is: an indication of the time, a preposition by before time, or a clause of time.
For example:
By 5 o'clock yesterday, I had already washed the dishes.
Yesterday by 5 o'clock I had washed up already.
When you called me, I had already washed all the dishes. (action completed at some point in the past)
When you called me, I had already washed up.
Pastcontinuous- the same as Past Perfect - you need an indication of the time, or the period of time in which the action lasted.
The key feature is: a subordinate clause of time, an indication of time or a period.
I broke my leg when I was climbing a mountain.
When you called me, I was doing my homework.
One action, as it were, takes place inside another, and the longer of them is put in Past Continuous, and the one that takes place inside it, short-term, is put in Past Simple.
PastPerfectcontinuous- is the same as presentPerfectContinueous, only in relation to events in the past.
Recall the example we gave for Present Perfect Continuous.
The teacher asked me why I hadn "t done my home assignment. I answered that I had been trying to do the exercise for three hours, but failed.
In this example, there are several tenses. “The teacher asked” - simple past, “why didn’t I do my homework” - past perfect, prepast, since he asks about an action that happened before a moment in the past, before the teacher asked him. And the result is felt at a certain moment in the past, that is, at the moment when the teacher asked him.
In the second sentence, "I answered" plays the same role - it indicates that the action takes place in the past. The second part of the sentence (that I had been trying to do…) indicates an action that was completed before he responded. That is, you need Perfect. And since the action lasted, and an indication is given for this: "three hours", then the duration (Continuous) is also added.
Here is another example:
On Sunday I didn't work in the garden, because it was muddy - it had been raining all Sunday night.
Future time
Future Simple. Its use is very limited, since the verb will (shall), which is needed to form this concurrent tense, is still a very popular modal verb. And here it’s just like in life: if you try to sit on two chairs, then, as a rule, you don’t have time, either there or here. So it is in the situation with the future. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish where will denotes only the future tense, where it acts as a modal verb.
Will comes to the rescue with the Present Continuous, which is often used to indicate future actions.
The present continuous is used to indicate a planned action in the future.
Let's go on a picnic this Sunday.
Oh, I am sorry, I can't! I am playing football with my friends on Sunday. (planned action)
By the way, the structure “I am going to do” can also be used in the meaning of a planned action:
I am going to play football with my friends on Sunday. - also denotes a planned action in the future.
Future Simple is used when you have decided to do something at the moment of the conversation, just now. That is, for unplanned actions.
Do you know that Peter is in the hospital now?
No, I don't! What a pity! I'll go and see him there. (I did not know that Peter was in the hospital, the decision to visit him came at the moment of the conversation)
The remaining meanings of will, shall we will describe in the section "Modal Verbs".
Future Continuous
1. Used in the same way as Present, Past Continuous.
Compare:
Sveta attends dancing lessons on Mondays from 5 till 7. (Present Simple)
It is 6 o'clock, Monday. Sveta is dancing now. (Present Continuous)
Yesterday at 6 (or Yesterday from 5 till 7) Sveta was dancing. (Past continuous).
Tmorrow at 6 (or Tomorrow from 5 till 7) Sveta will be dancing. (Future Continuous) – Sveta will be in the process of dancing.
2. Used in the same sense as Present Continuous in the sense of a future planned action.
Oh, I am sorry, I can't! I am playing football with my friends on Sunday. = I am going to play football with my friends on Sunday. = I will be playing football with my friends on Sunday.
Future Perfect
I don't know the rule, but I'll have learned it by the beginning of the lesson. – I don’t know the rule, but by the beginning of the lesson I will already know it.
English grammar seems complicated and confusing to beginners. However, the first impression is deceptive. For example, the system of tenses is an example of a well-thought-out and logically built scheme that allows you to understand the time of events at the first glance at the verb. Desperate to grasp this logic and comprehend the essence of each aspect? Do not worry! The purpose of today's article is to explain in detail all tenses in English for dummies, beginners and all those who selflessly studied theory, but still do not know how to apply the memorized rules in practice.
Let's start with a general explanation of the English tense system.
In Russian speech, we use three types of time: present, past and future. In English, there are more than 12 types, as many believe. But this is not quite the right approach.
In fact, the British have exactly the same 3 types of time, but each of them is divided into 4 more subspecies:
- - just action
- - an action taking place at a particular moment in time.
- - completed action
- Perfect continuous - an action that has been going on for some time, brings certain results, but has not yet been completed.
If you can understand these semantic shades, then the use of tenses will not cause any problems. We will try to develop this skill and give accessible explanations for each of the aspects.
All the rules for tenses in English for dummies
Here we are waiting for examples of all possible time groups, an explanation of their use and detailed information about the construction of proposals.
Present (Present)
If for us the present is all that relates to this moment, then for the English the present plays with four different colors.
1) present Simple
Facts, everyday actions, skills, skills. This aspect carries the most generalized understanding of time.
- I write poems - I write poetry(always, every day, never, often, rarely).
- He writes poems- in the 3rd person, -s is always added to the predicate.
For questions and negations, don't forget to use the auxiliary do.
3) Present Perfect
The result of the completed action. Such sentences are always translated into Russian by perfective verbs (what did you do?). In this case, the duration of the action is not specified specifically, but approximately.
- I have written poems- I wrote poetry(just now, already, not yet, sometime, by such and such a day, hour, month).
All types of statements are built using the auxiliary verb have (for the 3rd person has).
| ? | – |
| Have you written? Has she written? | I haven't written; she hasn't written |
4) Present Perfect continuous
An action that has already brought some results, but is not yet completed. The length of events in time is emphasized.
- I have been writing poemssince2005 - I write poetry since 2005(from childhood, from such and such a time, from ... to, all day, during, recently).
2) Past continuous
Events took place at a specific moment in the past.
- She was writing this letter at 5 o'clock yesterday -She iswrotethis isletteryesterdayat 5hours(at that moment).
4) Past Perfect continuous
An action that lasted a long time and was completed at a certain point in the past.
- She had been writing theletterforafewdaysbeforeshesentitShe wrote this letter for several days before sending it(before when).
2) Future Continuous
The action is planned to take place at a specific time in the future.
- I will be flying to Spain at this time tomorrow –Tomorrowinthis istimeIwillflyinSpain.
4) Future Perfect continuous
The action will last until a certain point in the future. This aspect is rarely used in speech.
- April 15, I will have been living in Spain for 3 monthsBy 15AprilIwillliveinSpainalready 3month.
| ? | – |
| Will you have been living? | I won't have been living. |
We hope we coped with the task and explained the tenses in English even for dummies. To consolidate the studied theory, we recommend solving practical exercises on tenses of verbs in English.
Here you can find English tenses in tables with examples / Tenses in English in a table with examples.
1. The Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb have/has and the past participle form of the verb (Past Participle). The ways of forming sentences with regular and irregular verbs are different.
- with regular verbs
- with irregular verbs.
Pay attention to these rules in the examples in the table below.
Education Present Perfect |
||
affirmative form |
negative form |
Interrogative form |
|
He (she, it) has seen her We have seen her You have seen her They have seen her |
I have not seen her He (she, it) has not seen her We have not seen her You have not seen her They have not seen her |
Have I seen her? Has he (she, it) seen her? Have we seen her? Have you seen her? Have they seen her? |
Cases of using Present Perfect |
||
| 1. If an action is described, the result of which is visible in the present tense | The prisoners have laid an escape plan; here it is. |
The prisoners made an escape plan; here he is. |
| 2. Instead of Present Perfect Continuous with verbs that are not used with Continuous tenses (know, recognize, see, etc.) | Tom has known Mary for ten years | Tom has known Mary for 10 years |
2. The Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb had and the past participle form of the verb (Past Participle). The ways of forming sentences with regular and irregular verbs are different.
- with regular verbs
The ending -ed is added to the infinitive form.
- with irregular verbs.
The Past Participle form is used (third column of the table of irregular verbs).
Past Perfect Education |
||
affirmative form |
negative form |
Interrogative form |
|
He (she, it) had seen her You had seen her They had seen her |
I had not seen her He (she, it) had not seen her We had not seen her You had not seen her They had not seen her |
Had he (she, it) seen her? Had we seen her? Had you seen her? Had they seen her? |
Cases of using Past Perfect |
||
| 1. When an action is described that occurred before a certain moment in the past or before another past action. | The students had shown us the presentation by three o "clock We had called them when you came |
The students showed us the presentation by three o'clock We called them when you came |
| 2. An action that began before another action in the past and was still taking place at the time of its occurrence. | Mary had waited for me for several hours, when I found her | Maria had already been waiting for me for several hours when I found her. |
3. The Future Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb have in the future tense (will have) and the past participle form of the verb (Past Participle). The ways of forming sentences with regular and irregular verbs are different.
- with regular verbs
The ending -ed is added to the infinitive form.
- with irregular verbs.
The Past Participle form is used (third column of the table of irregular verbs).
Future Perfect Education |
||
affirmative form |
negative form |
Interrogative form |
I will have seen her He (she, it) will have seen her We will have seen her You will have seen her They will have seen her |
I will not have seen her He (she, it) will not have seen her We will not have seen her You will not have seen her They will not have seen her |
Will I have seen her? Will he (she, it) have seen her? Will we have seen her? Will you have seen her? Will they have seen her? |
Uses of the Future Perfect |
||
| 1. When a future action is described that will occur up to a certain point in the future. |
The students will have shown the presentation when your manager comes |
The students will already be showing the presentation when your manager arrives. |
Perfect Continuous Group Times
1. The Present Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is formed with the help of the verb to be in the form of Present Perfect (have been / has been) and the present participle form of the verb (Present Participle). In other words, Present Perfect Continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb have / has been and adding the ending -ing to the semantic verb.
Education Present Perfect Continuous |
||
affirmative form |
negative form |
Interrogative form |
I have been waiting for you He (she, it) has been waiting for you We have been waiting for you You have been waiting for me |
I have not been waiting for you He (she, it) has not been waiting for you We have been waiting for you You have been waiting for me They have been waiting for you |
Have I been waiting for you? Has he (she, it) been waiting for you? Have we been waiting for you? Have you been waiting for me? Have they been waiting for you? |
Cases of using Present Perfect Continuous |
||
| 1. A long action that takes place in the present tense, indicating how long it takes. | They have been painting the walls since nine o'clock |
They've been painting the walls since nine o'clock. |
| 2. A long action that began in the past and ended just before the moment of speech. | Although the sun is shining, it is still cold as it has been raining hard. | Although the sun is shining, it is still cold as it was raining heavily. |
2. The Past Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is formed using the past perfect (had been) verb to be and the present participle form of the verb (Present Participle). In other words, Present Perfect Continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb had been and adding the ending -ing to the semantic verb.
Education Past Perfect Continuous |
||
affirmative form |
negative form |
Interrogative form |
I had been waiting for you He (she, it) had been waiting for you We had been waiting for you You had been waiting for me They had been waiting for you |
I had not been waiting for you He (she, it) had not been waiting for you We had not been waiting for you You had not been waiting for me They had not been waiting for you |
Had I been waiting for you? Had he (she, it) been waiting for you? Had we been waiting for you? Had you been waiting for me? Had they been waiting for you? |
Cases of using Past Perfect Continuous |
||
| 1. A long-term action in the past that took place at the time of the onset of another past action, indicating how long it took. | They had been painting the walls for three hours when we came |
They had already been painting the walls for three hours when we arrived. |
| 2. A long action in the past that ended right before the onset of another past action. | John felt tired as he had been playing tennis for four hours. | John felt tired because he had been playing tennis for four hours. |
The main difficulty of English for beginners is tenses. There are only 12 tenses in English, 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, 12 tenses are traditionally distinguished. English tenses are divided into 3 groups:
- Simple (Indefinite),
- Continuous (Progressive),
- perfect.
They, in turn, in combination with the main temporary forms Present, Past and Future form the corresponding tenses. Let's start with the Indefinite group.
Present Simple (Presen Indefinite) - Real Simple
How it is formed:
I form of the verb. This form is used in all persons and numbers, except for the singular of the third person: then the endings are added - s, -es.
When used:
1. The action occurs with a certain frequency. It is used with such adverbs as always (always), rarely (rarely), often (often), usually (usually), never (never), 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 action 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 my face, have breakfast, etc.
Present Continuous - Present Continuous
It should be noted that some English present tenses can denote the future.
How it is 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. I am flying to New York next month.
Present Perfect - Present Perfect
The peculiarity is that the tenses of the English language of the Perfect group can denote the past, although they are called present.
Education: 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. period has not yet ended.
Has not written 10 books and he is just twenty!- He wrote 10 books, and he is 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.“He met me today.
2. with adverbs yet (still), just (only), recently (recently), ever (always), never (never), already (already), etc.
I have just found out about this.“I just found out about it.
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 is the past simple tense formed?
II form of the verb, i.e. verb + ending -ed (regular verbs), or II form of an irregular verb.
When used:
1. The presence of a temporary marker yesterday (yesterday), last (past, past) or otherwise.
He visited doctor last week. He was at the doctor's last week.
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 Times Square, looked out the window, etc.
Past Continuous - Past Continuous
How is the past continuous tense formed?
Verb to be in 2nd form + verb + ing ending.
When used:
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 action.
They came in when she was speaking by the phone. They entered while she was on the phone.
Past Perfect - Past Perfect
How it is formed:
2 form of the verb have + 3 form of the verb.
When used:
1. When agreeing on times.
He said that he had not noticed you. He said he didn't see you.
2. One action happened before another.
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 it is formed:
Shall (only used with 1 person) will + I form of the verb.
When used:
The action will take place in the future. Used with time markers tomorrow, next, or a due date.
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 Continued
How 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 be dancing all day.
Present Perfect Continuous - Present Perfect Continuous
How it is formed:
Have/has + been + verb+ing
When used:
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 the 17th century. Their family has owned this castle since the 17th century.
Past Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous
How it is formed:
Had + been + verb + ing
When used:
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 Continued
English tenses such as Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous are extremely rare.
How it is formed:
Will/shall + have + been + verb + ing
When used:
The period of the past and the 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 since I work in this company.
Thus, we examined 10 tenses of the English language (all are built on 3 main ones).
The cornerstone for anyone who learns English is his time. You dismantled the group Simple(Indefinite) and everything seems to be clear and easy. And you start the next one, and your head is already a mess. How not to just learn 12 tenses in english, but also to understand them in order to really use them in speech, and not bury them in the “useful knowledge” section somewhere deeper in your head?
"Dreams and everyday life of a worm" - this visual table, which at one time blew up the Internet and helped millions stop making mistakes in time. If you are also "swimming" in this topic, take picture c examples yourself. Place on your desktop or print and hang in a conspicuous place.
And right now, go through all 12 tenses. Learning fun like children and easy to remember times in English!
Group Present (present)
Simple (Indefinite, simple): I eat apples every day. - I eat apples every day.
Continuous (long): We are eating the same apple now. We are eating the same apple now.
Perfect (completed): I have already eaten this apple. I have already eaten this apple.
Perfect Continuous (completed-long): I have been eating this apple since early morning. I have been eating this apple since early morning.
Group Past (past tense)
Simple (Indefinite): I ate apples yesterday. - I ate apples yesterday.
Continuous: I was eating an apple when my mother came. I was eating an apple when my mother came.
Perfect: We had already eaten apples when we began to eat plums. We had already eaten apples when we started eating plums.
Perfect Continuous: I had been eating apples for two hours when my friend arrived. I had been eating apples for 2 hours when my friend came.
Group Future (future tense)
Simple (Indefinite): I will eat apples in summer. I will eat apples in summer.
Continuous: I will be eating apples at 5 o'clock tomorrow. I will be eating apples at 5 o’clock tomorrow.
Perfect: I will have eaten this apple before the midnight. I will eat this apple before midnight.
Perfect Continuous: I will have been eating this apple for two hours before the guard comes. I will have been eating this apple for 2 hours before the watchman appears.
Friends, and finally, a useful tip: try to understand, not memorize 12 times of the English language. You need to clearly understand how the next tense differs from the one you have already studied. If you can't see the difference yet, it's best to stop and perfect that piece, and then move on.
Also, be sure to practice. At home, at work, with friends. We are sure that your environment will understand and support the desire to improve English. And you, thus, will bring the learned rules from passive into active colloquial speech. Good luck to you and good mood!