The system of verb tenses in English. Companion words of all times in English. Group Perfect Continuous

Anyone who has studied or is studying English is familiar with the difficulty of perceiving, understanding and understanding the difficult tense system of the English verb.

All of us who speak Russian know and are accustomed to the fact that there are 3 times. And what bewilderment is caused by the information that how many times in English language . After all, English grammar boasts as many as 12 tense forms of the verb!

To simplify this difficult task of studying “treacherous times,” the editors "So simple!" shares a useful graphic diagram with friends. It will be useful to have on hand for all those who want to quickly learn and learn how to use this or that time in a specific situation.

Tenses in English for Dummies

Look at the diagram when you need to determine which tense is more correct to use in a given situation, be it speaking or writing text. More practice, more effort, and soon you won't need the diagram.

Take your time. By spending just half an hour a day, you will quickly and effectively master all grammatical nuances.

Here are a few practical advice , which will help you quickly master theoretical material!

Decoding the scheme

1. I had worked - Past Perfect- By that time I had worked.
2. I will have worked - Future Perfect- By that time I will definitely be working.
3. I will be working - Future Continuous- I will be working at this time.
4. I will have been working - Future Perfect Continuous - At that moment I will still be working.
5. I have been working - Present Perfect Continuous- I'm still working.
6. I had been working - Past Perfect Continuous- At that moment I was still working.
7. I have worked - Present Perfect- I've already worked.
8. - I am working now.
9. I am working - Present Continuous- At this time I plan to work (Present Continuous is used to describe my plans and intentions).
10. I was working - Past Continuous- I was working at that time.
11. I will work - Future Simple- I will work.
12. I worked - Past Simple - I worked.
13. I work - Present Simple- I am working.

The last three times are just statements. I worked, I work and I will work. Other times usually require further clarification.

We hope this English tenses table for dummies will turn you into a real virtuoso!

And most importantly, don’t be lazy to devote enough hours to practice. After all, only it will allow you to experience the English language and bring to automatism the skill of using aspectual and tense forms of verbs.

Save this useful diagram to your wall and share with friends to

It is important to be able to correctly use tense constructions in the English language. Therefore, I suggest you remember 16 tenses of English using tables and pictures.
Naturally, let's start small, namely with the polyglot scheme of Dmitry Petrov, which I personally tested.

A simple but quite effective table of the three Simple tenses. The essence of the method is that you know it perfectly. You need to bring your knowledge to automation.

For example, to the question:

You should immediately know what time to use to answer. Remember how to correctly formulate a question or negative in each tense. Practice it every day until your knowledge becomes automatic.

Use of tenses in English

After you have thoroughly mastered the previous table by Dmitry Petrov, you can move on to the table with 16 English tenses.

And now, I propose to move on to illustrative examples. use of 12 English tenses. With the help of this wonderful image of a worm's dreams and everyday life:

A simple table of English tenses:

Time table. Active voice

In this table you can remember the time circumstances (hints) that suggest which tense should be used:

Time markers in English

Although in Russian we say “ V last month", " on next week", " V next year”, in English prepositions are not used before the words “next” and “last”:

• She is coming next Tuesday. - She's coming next/future Tuesday.
  (incorrect: “… on next Tuesday”).
• We met last June. - We met last June.
  (incorrect: “... in last June”).

**The expression “the other day” is translated into English differently for the past and future tense: “the other day” and “one of these days” - they cannot be interchanged and one cannot be used instead of the other.

*Continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also indicate simultaneous actions. At the same time, it is not necessary that they all be long, one is enough. Therefore, in the Past Continuous and Future Continuous you can often see the conjunctions “when” (when) and “while” (while).

• He will be reading while the children will be swimming. - He will read while the children are swimming.
• I will be working when you come. - I'll be working when you come.
• I was watching TV while he was looking through the newspapers. - I was watching TV while he was looking through the newspapers.
• He was reading a book when I entered the room. - He was reading a book when I entered the room.
• While/When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner. - While/When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having lunch.
• When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on. - When my mother was talking on the phone, I turned on the TV.

All English Tenses:

• How to learn Simple/Indefinite Tense? Talk about yourself, about what you are always used to doing, about how you usually behave or what you prefer. Chat with a native speaker or teacher about your habits and traditions in your family.
• How to learn Continuous / Progressive Tense? Talk about what you are still doing at a particular moment. Constantly, when doing any work, say what you are doing at a particular moment in English.
• How to learn Perfect Tense? Talk about what you have finished doing at a certain point. Tell the teacher or any other interlocutor about your achievements and achievements, about what you managed to do. Try to prepare for an interview in English, in which you can tell about your victories and achievements.
• How to learn Perfect Continuous Tense? Tell us about a certain period in your life, about what you did for some time, what you devoted your life to until a certain point, what you were passionate about. Imagine that you are being interviewed - try to answer different questions.

“...only having mastered to the possible perfection... our native language, we will be able to master a foreign language to the possible perfection, but not before...” (F. M. Dostoevsky)

I subscribe to every word you say, Fedor Mikhailovich. If we have basic knowledge of our native language in our heads AS A SYSTEM, logical and understandable, then we will easily learn the laws of a foreign language. For such a complex category as “tense” and the part of speech “verb” this is doubly relevant. For reference: at the philology department, 1 semester is devoted to the verb and 1 to all other parts of speech - it alone is more difficult than all of them combined! So, let's deal with English verb tenses once and for all.

Why do they confuse us? English verb tenses

When I read articles/manuals about English verbs, sometimes it even becomes funny from phrases like this: “English has 12 tenses, but Russian only has 3. That’s why it’s difficult for us.”

Is it true: We have 3 hours and it’s difficult for us.

Lie: in English there are 12 tenses (there are 3, like ours).

Additionally: Believe me, our verbs also have a lot of their own “problems”. If we understand them, we will understand English faster. Now we will do just that: we will analyze the Russian system of tenses, and then “overlay” it on English Times verbs.

By the way, I didn’t make a mistake. There are 3 tenses in English:

• Past (past),
• Present (present),
• Future (future).

But each of them has 4 forms:

• Simple,
• Continuous,
• Perfect
• Perfect Continuous.

Thanks to such a detailed system, tenses in English describe the situation in detail and even without context, verbs provide more information than Russian ones.

Get to know your native verbs a little better

Regarding Russian verbs, we will focus on only two features: tense and aspect. Understanding these categories will “give us strength” to comprehend the system of English times.

1. The tense of the verb expresses the relationship between the time of action and the moment of speech.

Everything is simple here: if the action took place before the moment of speech, it is in the past, if it takes place after, it is in the future, if during the time, it is in the present.

2. The type characterizes the action as completed or incomplete.

If the action is completed and cannot continue (its limit has been reached), then the verb is perfect and answers the question “what to do?”

Example: Freeze, sleep, run, go away, etc.

If the action is extended, “there is no end in sight,” then the verb is imperfect and answers the question “what to do?”

Example: freeze, sleep, run, leave, etc.

Aspect is a constant attribute of a verb; a verb does not “change in appearance,” but is always either perfect or imperfect.

IMPERFECT verbs have all three tenses.

Example: I was looking - I am looking for - I will look (compound form of the future tense)

PERFECT verbs have only past and future forms.

Example: found - I will find.

Pay attention to this: if the action is completed (everything, its limit has been reached), then in Russian it cannot be in the present tense.

3. The real tense and the grammatical form of the verb do not always coincide:

Example: He yesterdaycomesto me andspeaks: “Finally the sun is out!”

The action takes place yesterday (that is, in the past in relation to the moment of speech), but we express it in the forms of the present tense.

Another example: “The train leaves at three o’clock”

We talk about the future, but use the present tense form.

Pay attention to this, because in the English language there are also similar “inconsistencies” (and you don’t need to be afraid of this).

4. We can talk about absolute and relative times.

For example, verbs "gone" And "asleep"– both past tense (absolute). But if we insert them into a sentence “After I left, he fell asleep.”, then the action "gone" will be in the past relative to the action "asleep". It turns out that relative time is the one that we see only from the context. Remember this moment.

Relative tense can be expressed not only by subordinate clauses, as in the example above, but also with the help of participles and gerunds.

An example with a perfect participle:Having cooked cake, sheremoved put it in the refrigerator. (first I cooked it, and then I put it away, here one action follows another)

An example with an imperfect participle:Cooking cake, shereadbook (actions are simultaneous, parallel).

Example with participle:Removedmom's apartmentlay downrest (first cleaned up and then lay down).

Main differences: how to quickly learn English verb tenses

Now we're ready to move on to times English verbs. As I said above, their tenses provide more comprehensive information about the action even without context (it is laid down grammatically). I will name 5 more important differences between verb forms in English that I discovered while writing this article.

1. A different attitude to the concept of “moment of speech.”

Example: a Russian person says "I live in Russia". The moment I talk about it, I live. That's it, the time is present (we have only one).

In English "I live in London" It can be “always, constantly” or “at the moment, limited, and then something can change.” The choice of tense (Present Simple or Present Continuous) depends on these conditions.

2. This leads to another significant difference - the importance of the “segment of time” in which the action is performed.

This is perfectly illustrated by the example described above, and all the tenses of the Continuous “family”. Let me give you another one:

Compare: "Iwasin MoscowVlast year" and "Iwasin Moscowforall summer"

For a Russian verb there is no difference: past tense, imperfect form.

However, in English we will translate the first option into Past Simple, and the second into Past Continuous, since the period of time is indicated.

I was in Moscow last year. – I was living in Moscow all summer.

It turns out that indicating a period of time involves using the Continuous form.

3. Also important is the “point in time” at which the action will take place.

Example: a Russian person can say "II'll ordersoup"(verb of the future tense, perfect form).

In English, such a sentence will be constructed in the Future Simple: I will order a bowl of soup(spontaneous decision made at the moment of speech).

To make a verb perfect (perfective, if we draw an analogy with Russian), you need to indicate a specific point in time by which the action will be completed:

I will have called him backby six o'clock. - I'll call him backcloser to six o'clock(the action will be completed by a certain moment, use Future Perfect)

It turns out that indicating a point in time involves using the Perfect form.

By the way, by interval and moment in time we mean NOT only direct meaning“from 17:00 to 18:00” or “by two o’clock in the morning”, but also time RELATIVE to another action/event/state (I did it while you did it).

He will have bought a new car before his wife comes back from a trip to London. – He will buy a car before his wife returns from a trip to London (he will complete the action BEFORE a certain moment, we use the Future Perfect).

4. In English, as in Russian, there is the concept of “completeness of action” (perfect). BUT!

There is a difference that causes English speakers to have a perfect present tense: is the result of an action performed in the past or in the present? If in the present, then we use the Present Perfect.

I have broken the cup - resulting in fragments;

Our son has learned how to read - as a result, he can read.

By the way, speaking of the Present Perfect, we will return again to the “moment and period of time.” If the action has completed BY NOW (just, already) or in a period of time that has NOT ENDED YET (today, this week/month/year), then the time is considered present.

5. In English there are perfect continuous verbs (in Russian they are either perfect or imperfect).

She had been working all night long - the translation of “She worked all night” will be logical, but the most accurate meaning of the sentence “She aboutworkedall night andfinished workin the morning,” that is, the action took place over a period of time and ended at its end.

It turns out that indicating both a segment and a point in time requires the use of the Perfect Continuous form.

English verb tenses with examples

We've sorted out the theory - let's move on to practice. Let's talk about each specific time. Let me make a reservation right away that I will NOT describe all cases of using tenses - this information can be found in different sources. I will simply describe the BASIC cases of using tenses in English (with examples) and explain their logic.

What's happening in the present

Present Simple used when we talk about a regular, constant, typical action that is NOT tied to the moment of speech.

Example: She speaks 2 foreign languages ​​– She speaks two foreign languages(that is, she knows how to speak them, this is her constant characteristic).

Present Continuous used when we want to show that an action is being performed right now (now). BINDED to the moment of speech.

Example: The doctor is performing an operation now - The doctor is now performing an operation (he is doing it right now, at the time of the speaker’s speech).

Present Perfect used when the action has completed (there is a result), but the time has not ended.

Example: He has called me today. - He called me today. (the action has already ended, but “today” has not yet ended).

Present Perfect Continuous used when an action began in the past and is still ongoing in the present (we emphasize its duration).

Example: She has been watching TV all day. – She watches TV all day (from the very morning until now, can you imagine? It’s been all day!).

What happened in the past

Past Simple used to express an action that occurred at a certain time in the past, while the period of time has already ENDED.

Example: I saw him yesterday. – I saw him yesterday (that day is already over).

Past Continuous indicates a process that LASTED at a certain moment or period in the past.

Example: I was reading a book at midnight - I read a book at midnight (this process was in the past and lasted for some period of time).

Past Perfect remember Russian relative time. Do you remember mom who went to bed after cleaning? She cleaned the house in the Past Perfect. This “PRE-PAST” tense.

Example: I had studied English before I moved to Moscow - I learned English BEFORE I moved to Moscow (first I learned the language, and then I moved).

Past Perfect Continuous indicates an action that began in the past, continued for some “span of time” and ended at its end (or did not end).

Example: She had been cooking dinner for an hour before I came - She was preparing dinner for an hour before I came (The action lasted for a certain period of time, and then ended at a certain moment).

What will happen in the future

Future Simple used to denote any fact, decision or intention in the future, made at the time of speech.

We will take a taxi. – We will take a taxi (showing the intention in the future, accepted now).

Future Continuous indicates a process that will begin before a certain point in the future and will still be ongoing at that point.

I will be studying at university in a year. – I will study at the university in a year (the sentence does not indicate when the event will begin or end, we are talking about this specific moment in time, which lasts now, but in a year).

Future Perfect used to express a future action that will take place before a certain point in the future.

He will have gone by then. – He will have already left by that time (the action will be completed by the moment indicated in the context).

Future Perfect Continuous shows an action that will begin EARLIER than another future action, will have a certain RESULT at that moment, but will CONTINUE after it.

We will have been living together for 12 years next year - Next year we will live together for 12 years (the moment is indicated - next year, the duration is shown - for as long as 12 years! But the action does not even think of ending).

But this form is used extremely rarely and is replaced either by the Future Continuous or the Future Perfect.

Looking for logic in everything: tenses in English “for dummies”

By the way, if you understand the logic of the main meaning of a particular time, then additional cases of use will fit perfectly into it.

1. For example: using the Present Continuous when we want to show dissatisfaction, irritation.

He is always coming late! - He's always late.

We're talking about habit! Why is the Present Simple not used? Because we indicate the duration and incessancy of this action. “Well, how long can this continue?” the Present Continuous is indignant in this case.

2. Another example: the use of Present Simple in schedules of buses, trains, movie shows, etc.

The train leaves at 8 a.m. – The train leaves at 8 am.

Why is the present tense used for actions that will take place in the future? Because these are periodically repeated actions. A more detailed comparison of Simple and Continuous.

So, in almost every case you can find a completely clear explanation. If it still doesn’t work out, well, you’ll have to remember. Still, a different language means a different way of thinking :)

Our YouTube video will help you figure it out even better.

When learning English, even the most dedicated beginners have difficulty with tenses. After all, in English, unlike Russian, there are as many as 12 tense forms. Despite this, the system of English tenses is logical, orderly and strictly obeys the laws of grammar.

Learning all the rules for using verbs seems very difficult at first glance. But this is only at first glance. The simplest and effective method master all 12 tenses - use tables that concisely and clearly present material on the formation and use of tenses in the English language.

Everyone knows from school that there are only three tenses in the Russian language - present/past/future. In English there are also three of them - present/past/future, but each tense, depending on the duration of the action, can be of 4 types: simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. As a result, there are 12 temporary forms.

	Simple/Indefinite An action that occurs “in general” or an action that is repeated over and over day to day.	Continuous/ Progressive An action that occurs at a specific moment, a specific period of time, or an action planned for the near future	Perfect The completed action with the result is available at the time of speech.	Perfect Continuous An action that began and lasted until the moment of speech or ended immediately before this moment.
Present	I walk	I am walking	I have walked	I have been walking
Past	I walked	I was walking	I had walked	I had been walking
Future	I shall walk	I shall be walking	I shall have walked	I shall have been walking

Time formation table with examples

	Present	Past	Future
Simple	Rec. verb: do / does Ending: -, -s Formula: V (+s) - I don't play - He doesn't eat	Rec. verb: did Ending: -ed, — Formula: V2 - I didn't play — He didn’t eat	Rec. verb: will/shall Ending: - Formula: will/shall + V — I won't play - He won't eat
Continuous	Rec. verb: be (is / am / are) Formula: am/is/are + Ving — I am not playing - He is not eating	Rec. verb: was / were Window: -ing Formula: was/were + Ving — I wasn’t playing - He wasn't eating Was I playing? Was he eating?	Rec. v.: will be / shall be Window: -ing Formula: will/shall + be + Ving I will be playing He will be eating — I won’t be playing - He won't be eating Will I be playing? Will he be eating?
Perfect	Rec. v.: have / has Window: -ed Formula: have/has + V3 - I have not played — He has not eaten Have I played?	Rec. verb: had Window: -ed Formula: had + V3 — I had not played — He had not eaten	Rec. v.: will have / shall have Window: -ed Formula: will/shall + have V3 I will have played He will have eaten — I won't have played — He won’t have eaten Will I have played? Will he have eaten?
Perfect Continuous	Rec. v.: have been / has been Window: -ing Formula: have/has + been + Ving I have been playing He has been eating — I have not been playing - He hasn't been eating Have I been playing? Has he been eating?	Rec. verb: had been Window: -ing Formula: had been + Ving I had been playing He had been eating — I had not been playing — He had not been eating Had I been playing? Had he been eating?	Rec. v.: will have been / shall have been Window: -ing Formula: will/shall + have been + Ving I will have been playing He will have been eating — I won’t have been playing - He won't have been eating Will I have been playing? Will he have been eating?

Table of tenses

	Present	Past	Future
Simple	1) Normal, repetitive action I always do my homework. 2) Laws and natural phenomena, scientific facts The sun rises in the east. 3) Domestic situations Do you want to spend a lot of money here? 4) Stories, anecdotes, reviews, sports commentary Then the knight gets on his black horse and rides away. 5) Train schedules, movie theater schedules The plane from New York arrives at 16:45.	1) Fact or single completed action in the past The Titanic sank in 1912. I went to Greece five years ago. 2) Past actions that occurred in chronological order. I get up, took a shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed and went out to have coffee. 3) Repeated action in the past I took French courses when I was ten.	1) Simple action in the future He will read this book. 2) An action that will last in the future for a certain period of time Will you be my best friend? 3) Sequence of actions in the future He will meet me and tell me the situation. 4) Recurring actions in the future She will visit them a few times while she is in Great Britain. 5) Assumptions about the future I'm afraid she won't come today. 6) Decision made at the time of conversation I will have chips, and you? 7) Promises, requests, offers, threats Be quiet, everything will be OK.
Continuous	1) An action taking place at a given moment or period of time I can’t hear what she is talking about now. He is reading a new story by Edgar Allan Poe. 2) Action covering a time period in the present He is studying at the University. 3) Changing situation Is your French getting better now? 4) Any planned action (indicating place and time) They are meeting their friend at 6 at the café. 5) An action that will take place in the near future (with verbs of motion) The family is moving to the other town. 6) Expressing a negative characteristic Ann is always making a noise when I’m reading.	1) A long-term action that occurred in the past at a certain moment I was playing computer game at 7 o’clock. 2) Two or more long-term actions that occurred simultaneously in the past Mary was playing piano and her little sister was dancing. 3) A long action in the past, interrupted by another (short) action. As she was sleeping, somebody knocked at her door. 4) Description of the setting or atmosphere Sam entered the room. The smell of cigarettes was filling it. 5) Expressing a negative characteristic The dog was constantly playing in the kitchen.	1) An action that will occur at a certain point in the future: This time next Monday I shall be flying to Tahiti. 2) An action that will certainly occur in the future Jhon won’t be meeting you tomorrow, because he is ill. 3) A polite question about the interlocutor’s plans for the near future, in particular when we need this person to do something for us Will you be reading the magazine for long? My friend needs it urgently.
Perfect	1) An action completely completed in the past, the result of which has a connection with the present They have bought a new TVset, so they may sell the old one. 2) An action that began in the past and continues in the present I have known Kate since school years. 3) B subordinate clauses time after such conjunctions as after, when, before, as soon as, till, until, in order to convey a future action that will end before the beginning of the action referred to in the main clause We’ll serve you a pancake only after you have eaten the soup.	1) An action that occurred before a specific moment in the past By the end of the month he had learned to read. Fortunately the mist had diffused before we left the house. 2) An action that began in the past and lasted before or during another moment in the past I found out that Lisa and Steve had not met since our graduation party. 3) In phrases such as “barely”, “only”, “didn’t pass and..., how”, “didn’t have time and..., how”. She hadn’t said a sentence when someone interrupted her. They had scarcely finished supper when Susy brought a big choclate cake.	1) Future action that will be completed before a certain point in the future He'll have translated the text by noon. By the time they come home, grany will have cooked lunch. 2) Past intended action (“should be”, “probably”) The students will have noticed speaker’s negative attitude to any form of discrimination.
Perfect Continuous	1) An action that began in the past, lasted for some time and continues in the present Mother has been cooking dinner for two hours already. 2) A long action in the past, completed immediately before the moment of speech, and the result of which affects the present The roads are wet. It has been raining all the night.	1) A long-term action that began before a certain moment in the past and continues at that moment Mary had been singing for an hour when he came. 2) A long-term action that began before a certain moment in the past and ended right before it Students had been discussing some important topics and they looked upset after that long conversation.	1) Future long action which will begin earlier than another future moment or action and will continue at this moment He will have been working at the thesis for a month when Jack joins him

Hint words to help

In the English language there are many so-called “clue words” or sign words that can tell you exactly what tense should be used in a given sentence. The ability to recognize such words greatly helps when choosing tenses. But one should take into account the fact that some of these feature words can be used in several groups of tenses.

	Past	Present	Future
Simple/Indefinite	yesterday last year/month, etc one year/month ago	every morning/day, etc. always usually frequently/often sometimes	tomorrow tonight next week/month, etc. soon in the future
Continuous/Progressive	while when

Tenses in English. Many people faced with English grammar They are horrified by the number of tenses in the English language. There are 12 of them!!! How to understand them all? What time should I use? Why are they different? Tenses in English.

All these questions arise in a person and he realizes in horror that without outside help he won't understand verb tenses.

Understanding in general terms what verb tense is in English is not difficult. This can be explained in words. That's what I'll try to do.

How to understand Times in English?

1. VERB. — Let's start again with the connection with the Russian language. Time has a part of speech called a verb. No verb - no tense. In English, every sentence needs a verb, even if in Russian there is no trace of it:

Petrov is a student. Petrov is a student. is is the present tense form of the verb to be. It serves to connect a noun with another noun (who + who), or who the subject is (Petrov is a student), a noun with an adjective (what + which) - an apple is red. — The apple is red. Or indicates the location of an item - An apple is on the table. — The apple (is) on the table.

2. TIMES. In truth, there are only 3 of them. Just like in the Russian language. These are the past - Past, the present - Present and the future - Future. Isn't that familiar? I won't explain.

3. In each of the 3 times there is 4 types:

- Simple or also called Indefinite - a simple or indefinite type of time.

- Continuous or Progressive. - Long-term type.

- Perfect. — Perfect type or also called perfect.

— Perfect Continuous. - Continuous perfect.

That’s why they think that there are 12 times))) That’s the whole problem with the types. If you understand them, almost half the job is done))) Time is easy to determine: Masha cooked porridge. - Cooked - past tense. What about the type? Oops!

Well, let's look at the types: what they express, what their main points are and how one differs from the other. The differences are very subtle, but they can be understood and remembered. I repeat: there is nothing to worry about. Chew it and put it in your mouth. All that remains is to swallow!

- fact (The dress is red, I am a doctor);

- regular action (I go on vacation every year; I get up at 7 am; Masha often wears jeans, I work, I go to school) Any action to which words can be substituted: always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.

— Well-known truths (The Earth is spherical, water boils at 100 degrees, Pushkin was born in Moscow, the End of the World will come in 20...)

— For train schedules, bus schedules, television programs, sports commentaries.

Remember that the SIMPLE type can be applied to the present, past and future tense. Don't focus on the present tense. This would be a mistake. Try to find examples of this type in all three tenses. (I'm going on vacation, I went on vacation, I will go on vacation\ I'll go on vacation; the train arrives at 6 o'clock, the train arrived yesterday, the train arrives tomorrow)

They play chess every day. — I play chess every day. My sister played chess yesterday.- My sister played chess yesterday. My brother and I will play chess after school tomorrow. — My brother and I will play chess tomorrow after school.

If this is clear, you can study the times of the SIMPLE group: , . (click)

- For example, in the present tense. You call and ask: “What are you doing now?” -What are you doing now? ”, and I answer: “I’m playing chess” - I’m playing chess.

- In the past tense - process: What were you doing yesterday at 3 o'clock? - a common question for a police officer interrogating a suspect))) “What were you doing at 3 o’clock yesterday?” - I was watching TV (it was at this time that I was in the process of watching TV) - I was watching TV.

- In the future tense. For example, your friend wants to buy movie tickets and wants to invite you to a certain time tomorrow. It is important to him what you will be doing at this particular time (that is, what process you will be busy with at a specific moment in the future). — What will you be doing tomorrow at 6 pm?— What will you be doing tomorrow at 6? ; Tomorrow at 6 pm I think I will be finishing doing my homework.— Tomorrow at 6 o'clock I think I will finish my homework.

• PERFECT - group of perfect tenses. Expresses the result of an action in the present, past and future.

There was an action and there is the result of this action. The action is over, and the result can be seen in the present. For example: I broke a glass. — I’ve broken a glass. - The glass is broken (the action has already been completed), but it was not broken a long time ago, but recently, or just now. That is, the fragments have not yet been removed (the result of breaking a glass). The fragments are the result of an action.

This type is also used when the period of time when the action was performed is not important, but the result of this action itself is important. -I bought new car. I've bought a new car. - It is not specified when I bought it, the result itself is important - the presence of the car. Usually it is assumed that the action was performed recently.

- In the past tense - when the result in the past is important before some other action in the past. I had bought a car. - Usually used in stories about the past, and in this past there was a purchase of a car. The result of the purchase is more important early period. Usually this tense is used in texts when there was an action in the past, and before it there was another action. That is, before before))) For example: I bought a car before I got married. — I had bought my car before I got married.

— A process completed at some time in the past. By that time I had already bought a car.-By that time I had already bought a car. Fortunately the rain had stopped before we left the house.“Luckily, the rain stopped before we left.” — (we left BEFORE the moment the rain stopped)

This group of tenses is the most difficult for students to understand, since it has almost no analogues in the Russian language (except for verbs of the perfect form: did - did, came - came).

— A process completed at some time in the future. — I will have finished the meeting by 5 o’clock tomorrow.— I will have finished the meeting tomorrow by 5 o’clock. (That is, by this time the meeting will already be over)

• PERFECT CONTINUOUS. - group of perfect continuous type.

Expresses process, which just ended. Your face is red and you are sweating.-Your face is red and you're sweaty. What have you been doing? - What did you do? (just now). -I've been running. - I ran. (Here he just ran up, all out of breath and sweaty).

— Or we show the duration in the present tense. I have been singing for 1 hour.“I’ve been singing for an hour now.” (The process - sings, it’s already an hour - past tense, that is, the action began in the past and continues now). Or you can also say if you have already stopped singing. In this case, clarification is needed - another sentence that shows whether the action is completed. Tenses in English

- The past tense needs context for this type. 1. Action in the past. 2. The process occurring during this action in the past. - When you came in, I was doing homework an hour. — When you came in, I had been doing my homework for an hour. That is, by the time you arrived, I had already been doing my homework for an hour (but that was in the past)

- In the future tense. We also need some kind of point (tomorrow at 7 o’clock) and a process that has already been going on for some time.

We are leaving for London in May. When you come there in August, we will have been staying in England for three month.– We will leave for London in May. When you arrive there in August, we will have already been in England for three months. (We will have already been in England for 3 months by the time you arrive, but that’s still to come).