Rules for past and present tenses in English. Tenses in English: a detailed explanation. The real tense and the grammatical form of the verb do not always coincide

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 Indo-European languages modern type: present (Present), past (Past) and future (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 are real events described in old book, could have happened a very 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. Germanic and Romance languages in this regard, they are more complex than the Slavic ones. 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 enough lexicon. 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 the second and third dictionary forms are the same, we will give another similar table for the incorrect to know (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, remained. 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-term in nature, the scope of use expands Present Perfect. So, for daily exercise in the morning, “yesterday” is quite a long time ago. But for good feature film, which takes months or years to process, yesterday's presentation to viewers 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 something repeated or permanent action regarding 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 time and conditions, 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

Interrogative form Past Indefinite 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.

(IN 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

1. 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)

1. 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 school teacher before he 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 conditions, 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 new apartment when will this house be 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 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:

1. 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.
2. A gerund (for example, speaking) is used only when describing long-term actions, be it a regular Continuous or, in addition, with a perfect.
3. 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

It is known that when learning English, many people have difficulties with the complex system of verb tenses. In English grammar, there are 26 types of verb tenses in both voices (active and passive). Many people can’t even remember them, let alone use them correctly. How can you remember all these tenses in English?

To begin with, I compiled a table of English tenses with examples, which reflected absolutely all their types. It is important that this table contains examples, so you can see how and what exactly is changing.

It should be taken into account that in English there are four groups of tenses.

Tenses in English

indefinite

long (Continuous)

perfect

Perfect-Continuous.

In each of these tense groups there are four tenses:

present

past

future

future in the past (Future-in-the-past).

In addition, there are five verb forms in English.

English verb forms

infinitive (indefinite form, which is given in dictionaries)

third person verb and singular(always ends in -s or -es)

simple past tense (regular verbs have the ending -ed or -d, and irregular ones must be looked at in a special table of irregular verbs)

past participle (regular verbs again have the ending -ed or -d, and irregular verbs must also be looked at in a special table of irregular verbs)

present participle (always ends in -ing).

All this seems terribly complicated, although it is not. In Russian we say: I’m walking, he’s walking, we’re walking, you’re walking, you’re walking, they’re walking, it’s walking. Here are seven forms of the verb "to go" in the present tense. And there is also the future and the past. And each has its own endings and prefixes. English has few endings. This is compensated by the presence of complex and varied prepositions and big amount tense forms of the verb.

Table of English tenses with examples

To prevent the table from being cumbersome, the following conventions are used here:

V – infinitive.

V-es is a verb in the third person, singular, present tense.

V-ed is the simple past tense. It is a verb ending in –ed or –d. For irregular verbs, this is the second column of the table of irregular verbs.

V3 – past participle. Regular verbs typically end in –ed or –d. For irregular verbs, this is the third column of the table of irregular verbs.

V-ing is the present participle.

To illustrate the translation of each form of the verb, an example phrase is given - a sentence in English with this form and its translation. The form of the verb and its translation are underlined in the sentences.

Comments are provided where required.

Please note that the forms English verb in the passive voice (Passive) there are six less than in the active voice (Active).

Active(active voice)	Passive(passive voice)
Indefinite (uncertain times)
Present (present time)
I write letters every day. I writing letters every day.	The letter is written. This letter write.
Past (past tense)
I wrote a letter yesterday. Yesterday I wrote letter.	The letter was written yesterday. This letter was written yesterday.
Future (future tense)
I will write a letter tomorrow. I I'll write letter tomorrow.	The letter will be written tomorrow. This letter will be written Tomorrow.
Future-in-the-past (future in the past)
I said that I should write a letter to him. I said that I I'll write a letter to him.	would, should be V3 He said that the letter would be written tomorrow. He said that the letter will be written Tomorrow.
Continuous (long times)
Present
I am writing a letter (at the present moment). I writing letter (currently).	The letter is being written. This letter write(At the moment).
Past
I was writing a letter at five o’clock. I wrote letter at five o'clock.	was, were being V3 The letter was being written at five o'clock. This letter wrote at five o'clock.
Future
I will be writing a letter at five o’clock. I I will write letter at five o'clock.	——-
Future-in-the-past
would, should be V-ing I said that I should be writing a letter at five o’clock. I said that I I will write letter at five o'clock.	——-
Perfect (perfect tenses)
Present
I have written the letter. I have already wrote letter (to date).	have, has been V3 The letter has been written. This letter is already written(to date).
Past
I had written the letter by five o'clock. I have already wrote letter by five o'clock.	The letter had been written by five o'clock. By five o'clock the letter is already wrote.
Future
I will have written the letter by five o'clock. I have already I'll write letter by five o'clock.	will have been V3 The letter will have been written by five o'clock. By five o'clock the letter is already will be written.
Future-in-the-past
would, should have V3 I said that I should have written the letter by five o'clock. I said I already I'll write letter by five o'clock.	would, should have been V3 He said that the letter would have been written by five o'clock. He said that by five o'clock the letter had already arrived. will write.
Perfect-Continuous (perfect-long tenses)
Present
I have been writing the letter for an hour. I writing the letter is already an hour old.	——-
Past
I had been writing I wrote the letter was already an hour old when he arrived.	——-
Future
will have been V-ing I will have been writing the letter for an hour when he comes. I I will write the letter is already an hour when he arrives.	——-
Future-in-the-past
would, should have been V-ing I said that I should have been writing the letter for an hour when he came. I said that I I will write This letter is already an hour away when it arrives.	——-

How to use the tense table in English?

Print the table and carry it with you. But it’s even better to rewrite the table by hand. This way she will be better remembered. At every opportunity, just look through it. Try to grasp in detail how the translations of different tense forms differ.

It's even better if you try to make your sentences with different verbs for each tense. This is not always easy, but very rewarding work.

After about a week, you will realize that you have learned the table of English tenses by heart. Check this by restoring it on paper from memory. Now it will be much easier for you to translate from English, since you will immediately notice these forms in the texts and they will not confuse you. All other words can be looked up in dictionaries, and knowledge of tense forms will allow you to connect these words without losing the meaning and idea of ​​the author.

All! You can be congratulated on mastering a major part English grammar!!! Now you won't be scared at times in English!

Those beginning to study the language of Shakespeare or those continuing their studies have repeatedly asked the question: “How many tenses are there in the English language?” Today, disputes and disagreements over quantity continue. And the whole problem is that we, Russian speakers, consider them as past, present and future, and our “brothers” who speak English call them shades.

Various reference books give numerous definitions of this grammatical phenomenon, but all are similar in that English tenses are a way of expressing actions indicating the period of its occurrence, and they are all built on the basis of changing verb forms. Actions can be expressed in Active Voice (active voice) and Passive Voice (passive voice). It is the first one that we will consider in this article.

English verb tenses - formation and use

It is better to start studying this category with an understanding of the whole essence. So, as in Russian, English has three tenses: present (Present), past (Past) and future (Future - although many grammarians also call it shade). Each of these segments has subcategories, the rules of use and formation of which cause difficulties.

Table: formation of tenses in English

Sub categories	Time	Education Formula
Indefinite (Simple)	Present	+ S+Vs(V) — S + doesn’t (don’t) + V ? Does (Do) + S + V ?
	Past	+ S + V 2 (V ed) — S + didn't + V ? Did + S + V?
	Future	+ S + shall/will + V — S + shall/will + not + V ? Shall/will + S + V
Continuous (Progressive)	Present	+ S + is/am/are + V ing — S + is/am/are+ not + V ing ? Is/am/are + S + V ing
	Past	+ S + was/were + V ing — S + was/were + not + V ing ? Was/were + S + V ing
	Future	+ S + shall/will + be + V ing — S + shall/will+ not + be + V ing ? Shall/will + S + be + V ing
Perfect	Present	+ S + have/has + V 3 (V ed) — S + have/has+ not + V 3 (V ed) ? Have/has + S + V 3 (V ed)
	Past	+ S + had + V 3 (V ed) — S + had + not + V 3 (V ed) ? Had + S + V 3 (V ed)
	Future	+ S + will/shall + have + V 3 (V ed) — S +will/shall+ not + have + V 3 (V ed) ? Will/shall + S + have + V 3 (V ed)
Perfect Continuous	Present	+ S + have/has+ been + V ing — S + have/has+ not + been + V ing ? Have/has + S + been + V ing
	Past	+ S + had + been + V ing — S + had + not + been + V ing ? Had + S + been + V ing
	Future	+ S +will/ shall + have+ been + V ing — S +will/ shall + not + have+ been + V ing ? Wll/shall + S + have+ been + V ing

Now that we've gotten acquainted with education, it's time to move on to consumption. Here comes the tricky part. If you have practiced and memorized the formation 2-3 times, then using it becomes more and more confusing. Let's look at English tenses with examples by subgroups.

The Indefinite (Simple) group reflects single, ordinary actions. Continuous (Progressive) emphasizes the duration of the process, just like Perfect Continuous. Their difference is that the second, despite the duration, is still completed or will end at a certain point. But the Perfect group is used to describe an event that has been completed, or that will be completed.

This entire description is approximate, each of them must be studied, practiced, compared separately, and then you can easily move to the next level. To clarify the situation a little, let's look at the temporary forms in the table.

Table: use of English tenses

Present Simple	Past Simple	Future Simple
1. An action that always happens, often, usually	1. An action that happened in the past, and we simply know the fact	1. Normal, single action in the future
My father often goes to see his friends on Saturday.	I wrote a letter last week.	Next year I will come to this village again.
2. Something you can’t argue with: scientific facts, results, natural phenomena, patterns	2. Chronologically sequential actions in the past: one after another.	2. Consistent actions in the future
The earth goes around the sun.	Yeterday morning I called my sister at first. Then I went to work.	I will come home. Then I will write a letter to my pen-friend.
3. Repeated actions in the present	3. Repeated actions in the past	3. Recurring actions in the future
I usually get up at 7 oclock. Then I take a shower and have breakfast.	Last year I often traveled abroad.	Next year I will not often travel abroad.
4. To express the future in subordinate clauses and time		4. Assumptions about a future event (not a plan)
As soon as I write a letter I’ll send it immediately.		I expect Mary will get this place.
5. In jokes, sports commentary		5. Requests, threats, refusal to do something, offers to do something, promises
What’s worse than having termites in your piano? Crabs on your organ.		Thank you for lending me the dvd disk. I'll give it back on Monday.
6. With verbs not used in the Continuous (feelings, desires, perceptions)
I don’t understand what are you talking about.
7. Schedules of trains, buses, movies in the cinema, matches, lessons
The train leaves at 5 p.m.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	Future Continuous
1. Action at the moment of conversation or covering a longer period in the present	1. The action took place (lasted) at a certain moment in the past	1. An action that will last in the future
Don’t bother the teacher, she is writing a letter now.I am attending music classes now.	This time last month I was sitting in the lovely French cafe.	Would you like to visit a museum tomorrow evening? No, I will be watching the match at this time.
2. Happens around you at the time of conversation	2. In the main clause with a when clause, where the first lasted when the other happened	2. If plans, deliberate action are reported
Look! He is falling down.	I was sleeping when my cell-phone suddenly rang.	I will be going to the cinema tomorrow.
3. A situation that changes	3. Parallel long-term actions in the past	3. Asking about someone's plans as a polite request
His French is becoming better and better.	While I was taking a shower, my husband was cooking the dinner.	Will you be going out at 7? I need your car.
4. Planned actions for the future (Meaning: to gather = to be going to)	4. Actions that took place within a certain time frame, during a limited period.	4. Parallel actions in the future
I am buying a new flat tomorrow.	I was cleaning the flat the whole weekend.	While you will be doing shopping I will be repairing my car.
5. Too often repeated actions that cause irritation, reproach, disapproval	5. Too often repeated actions, habits that caused irritation, blame, reproach
He is too often complaining about.	Yesterday my friend was too often losing his papers, books and tests.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	Future Perfect
1. An action that began in the past, but its result is connected with the present, so to speak, in person	1. An action that occurred before another, later action in the past	1. Will end before a certain point, events in the future
Is Jim at home? No, he has already gone to Paris.	I had come home before my sister washed the dishes.	I will have done my homework before the match begins.
2. The action began in the past and continues now	2. Finished by a certain point	2. To communicate the likelihood of an expected action
My mother has always wanted to live in a small country house.	I had given up smoking by the end of the holidays.	The citizens will have noticed the false government’s solutions.
3. To indicate actions indicating the period, how many times they were repeated	3. An action that began in the past occurred before or during another event also in the past
It is the first time I have driven.	I knew exactly that my friends hadn’t met since Andy’s party.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	Future Perfect Continuous
1. An action that began in the past and continues, occurs in the present (at the time of conversation)	1. An action that began in the past and was happening when another event occurred	1. An action that begins in the future and will continue until another moment in the future.
They have already been painting the wall for 5 hours.	He had been driving a car yesterday when his father came.	I will have been having dinner when my boyfriend comes.
2. An action that was completed before the conversation took place	2. An action that began in the past and lasted for a certain time
She has been ironing all day long. Now, she is too tired to go out.	He had been repairing his car for an hour last weekend.

The grammar of tenses in English is very extensive, which is why this table is not enough to fully understand and figure out which is which. It is better to study each separately and then together.

Sometimes it is actually difficult to understand whether an action lasted or ended, whether it is happening in the past or in the present. But everything is learned in practice. That is why it is recommended to study the tenses of the English language with examples that will not only demonstrate the method of formation and use, but also show typical situations of use.

Remember, when choosing verb tenses in English, follow following diagram .

1. Determine whether the action refers to the past, present or future (Present, Past, Future)
2. Figure it out: what you see or what you know.
3. If you know exactly about the event (no matter where), then the Simple group.
4. If you see, then: the action itself is Continuous, traces or signs, the result is Perfect, I see the action, but I compare it with what I saw before - Perfect Continuous.

So, let's summarize. We can say that there are 12 tenses in the active voice, reflecting the periods of action.

• Present Simple(Indefinite), Past Simple(Indefinite), Future Simple (Indefinite)
• Present Continuous (Progressive), Past Continuous (Progressive), Future Continuous (Progressive)
• Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect
• Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect Continuous

Tenses in English will take a lot of your energy. Well, what can you do? But tables will help you remember and put everything in your memory faster and easier, although they are not enough for complete comprehension.

English grammar seems complicated and confusing to beginners. However, first impressions are deceiving. For example, the tense system is an example of a clearly thought-out and logically constructed 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 the tenses in English for dummies, beginners and all those who dedicatedly learned the 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 tense: present, past and future. In the English language, there are more than 12 types, as many believe. But this is not entirely the right approach.

In fact, the British have exactly the same 3 types of time, but each of them is divided into 4 more subtypes:

• – just an action;
• - an action taking place at a specific 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 know how to understand these semantic shades, then the use of tenses will not cause any problems. We will try to develop this skill and provide accessible explanations for each aspect.

All the rules for tenses in English for dummies

Here we will find examples of all possible tense groups, an explanation of their use and detailed information about sentence construction.

Present

If for us the present is everything that relates to a given moment, then for the British the present plays with four different colors.

1) Present Simple

Facts, everyday actions, abilities, skills. This aspect carries the most generalized understanding of time.

• I write poems - I write poems(always, every day, never, often, rarely).
• He writes poems– in the 3rd person the predicate is always supplemented with –s.

For questions and negatives, remember to use the auxiliary do.

3) Present Perfect

The result of a completed action. Such sentences are always translated into Russian using perfective verbs (what did you do?). In this case, the duration of action is not indicated specifically, but approximately.

• I have written poems- I wrote poetry(just now, already, not yet, once upon a time, by such and such a day, hour, month).

All types of statements are constructed 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 extent of events over 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 –ShewroteThisletteryesterdayat 5hours(at that moment).

4) Past Perfect Continuous

An action that continued for a long time and was completed at a certain point in the past.

• She had been writing theletterforafewdaysbeforeshesentit– She wrote this letter for several days before sending it.(before when).

2) Future Continuous

The action is planned to take place at a specific point in the future.

• I will be flying to Spain at this time tomorrow –TomorrowVThistimeIwillflyVSpain.

4) Future Perfect Continuous

The action will last until a certain point in the future. This aspect is used in speech extremely rarely.

• By April 15, I will have been living in Spain for 3 months –K 15AprilIwillliveVSpainalready 3month.

?	–
Will you have been living?	I won't have been living.

We hope we have coped with the task and clarified the tenses in English even for dummies. To consolidate the theory you have learned, we recommend solving practical exercises on verb tenses in English.

Good luck in improving your knowledge and see you again!

Views: 481