6 tenses in English. Use for, since, ago, by, until, after, later, on time, in time, finally, in the end, at the end, these days, once, one day, at once ...
The main difficulty of the English language for beginners is tenses. There are only 12 tenses in the English language, but due to the specifics of some tenses, confusion occurs. In this article I will tell you in detail about the tenses of the English language with an example of use.
From the article you will learn:
English tenses with examples and translation into Russian
In English, there are traditionally 12 tenses. English tenses are divided into 3 groups:
- Simple (Indefinite),
- Continuous (Progressive),
- Perfect.
They, in turn, in combination with the basic tense forms Present, Past and Future, form the corresponding tenses. Let's start with the group Indefinite.
Present Simple (Presen Indefinite) - Present Simple
How is it formed:
I form of the verb. This form is used in all persons and numbers, except for the third person singular: then the endings – s, -es – are added.
When to use:
1. The action occurs with a certain frequency. Used with such adverbs as always (always), rarely (rarely), often (often), usually (usually), never (ever), etc., in addition, with the word every (every day, every month, every year etc.)
She never listens to me.- She never listens to me.
I always go abroad in summer.— In the summer I always go abroad.
He goes to the theater every weekend.— He goes to the theater every weekend.
2. The effect is scientifically proven.
Water boils at 100 degrees.— Water boils at 100 degrees.
3. The sequence of actions is described.
I get up, wash my hands and face, have breakfast etc.— I get up, wash, have breakfast, etc.
Present Continuous - Present Continuous
It should be noted that some English present tenses can indicate the future.
How is it formed:
verb to be + I form of the verb + ing ending.
When used: 1. the action is happening at the moment.
I am watching TV now.- I'm watching TV now.
2. the action will take place in the near future, which is planned (!).
I am flying to New York next month.— Next month I'm flying to New York.
Present Perfect - Present Perfect
The peculiarity is that the English tenses of the Perfect group can denote the past, although they are called present.
Formation: have / has + III form of the verb.
When to use the present perfect tense:
1. the action happened today, this year, this week, etc., i.e. the period has not yet ended.
Has not written 10 books and he is just twenty!- He wrote 10 books, and he’s only twenty! (Life is going)
We have met this month.— We saw each other this month (the month has not ended)
He has met me today.- Today he met me.
2. with adverbs yet (yet), just (only), recently (recently), ever (always), never (never), already (already), etc.
I have just found out about this.- I just found out about this.
I've never been to England.- I have never been to England.
She has already done this work.- She has already done this work.
3. Action in the past affects the present state
We have gone to the forest and now he has a cold.— We went to the forest, and he caught a cold.
Past Simple - Past Simple
How to form the past simple tense:
II form of the verb, i.e. verb + ending –ed (regular verbs), or II form of an irregular verb.
When to use:
1. The presence of a time marker yesterday (yesterday), last (past, last) or other.
He visited doctor last week.— Last week he visited the doctor.
I met him when I studied at the University.— I met him when I was at university.
2. The action happened in the past without any conditions.
I knew you would come.- I knew you would come.
3. Sequence of actions.
He took the taxi, asked to stop at the Time Square, looked through the window etc.— He took a taxi, asked to stop at Time Square, looked out the window, etc.
Past Continuous - Past Continuous
How to form the past continuous tense:
Verb to be in 2nd form + verb+ ing ending.
When to use:
1. The process lasted for a long time without interruption.
For example.
He was playing the piano the whole evening.— He played the piano all evening.
2. The process was interrupted by another activity.
They came in when she was speaking by the phone.— They came in while she was talking on the phone.
Past Perfect - Past Perfect
How is it formed:
2nd form of the verb have + 3rd form of the verb.
When to use:
1. When agreeing on times.
He said that he had not noticed you.- He said he didn't notice you.
2. One action happened before the other.
Example: He had left before I could figure out something.“He left before I could understand anything.”
3. There is a temporary excuse by.
He had made his decision by summer.— By the summer he made a decision.
Future Simple - Future Simple
How is it formed:
Shall (used only with 1st person) will+I form of the verb.
When to use:
The action will take place in the future. Used with time markers tomorrow, next, or a deadline is indicated.
I will call you tomorrow.- I'll call you tomorrow.
He will visit us in 3 weeks.— He will visit us in 3 weeks.
Future Continuous - Future Continuous
How it is formed.
Auxiliary verb will/shall+be+1 verb form+ing
When used. The process continues into the future.
She will be dancing the whole day tomorrow.- Tomorrow she will dance all day.
Present Perfect Continuous - Present Perfect Continuous
How is it formed:
Have/has + been + verb+ing
When to use:
1. The action lasts from a moment in the past to a moment in the present (translated by the present)
I have been waiting for this moment all my life.“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”
2. with the preposition since (s).
Their family has been owning this castle since 17th century.— Their family has owned this castle since the 17th century.
Past Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous
How is it formed:
Had + been + verb+ing
When to use:
One action is interrupted by another or is its cause.
I had been working hard the whole year, so I was exhausted. “I worked hard all year and was just exhausted.
Future Perfect Continuous - Future Perfect Continuous
English tenses such as Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous are used extremely rarely.
How is it formed:
Will/shall + have + been + verb+ ing
When to use:
The period of past and future is affected, the preposition of time by.
For example: I will have been working in this company for 10 years by 1st May.— By May 1, it will be 10 years that I have been working in this company.
Thus, we looked at 10 tenses of the English language (all based on 3 main ones).
Russian-speaking people often come to their aid." auxiliary words", indicating time in English. The fact is that the tense systems in English and Russian languages are strikingly different: in Russian there are three tenses (past, present, future), and in English there are 4 groups of active tenses, each of which consists of past, present, future tense... Fortunately, the distinctive feature of each tense is certain words that help to understand what time it is.
Below is a table with "auxiliary words" indicating tense in English:
INDEFINITE |
CONTINUOUS |
PERFECT |
PERFECT CONTINUOUS |
|
PAST |
yesterday X days ago last week in xxxx year and other words indicating that the action was performed some time ago |
at x o'clock yesterday from x to x yesterday for x hours last week the whole day all day long yesterday when he came and other words indicating that the action was performed some time in the past |
by x o'clock yesterday before we came by the end of last week and other words indicating that the action was completed at a certain point in the past |
FOR...WHEN all words characteristic of CONTINUOUS and PERFECT those. the action continued to be performed for some time up to a certain point in the past time |
PRESENT |
usually/generally sometimes those. words that make it clear that the action is routine. No attention is paid to the exact execution time and duration of the action itself. Replaces the future tense when talking about a schedule, schedule |
at the moment at present Replaces the future tense when the action is planned in advance |
recently this week and other words showing the connection between the action performed to date |
FOR…SINCE/WHEN those. the action has been running for some time and has not yet finished |
FUTURE |
tomorrow next year in x days in xxxx year and other words indicating that the action will be performed |
at x o'clock tomorrow from x to x tomorrow for x hours next week the whole day all day long tomorrow when he cames and other words indicating that the action will be performed some time in the future |
by x o'clock tomorrow before we come by the end of next week and other words indicating that the action will be completed by a certain point in the future |
FOR...WHEN those. the action will be performed some time at some point in time in the future |
Here are some illustrative examples:
Group " Indefinite»:
Past: I cooked dinner* yesterday(2 hours ago, last Friday) – I was cooking dinner yesterday.
Present: I always(very often) cook dinner – I always cook dinner.
Future: I will cook dinner tomorrow(next Monday) – I’ll cook dinner tomorrow.
Group " Continuous"(the speaker wants to emphasize the duration of the action):
Past: I was cooking dinner for two hours last Sunday(from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). – I cooked dinner for two hours last Sunday.
Present: I am cooking dinner right now(at the moment) – I’m cooking dinner right now.
Future: I will be cooking tomorrow for all day(at 5 o’clock tomorrow) – I’ll be cooking dinner all day tomorrow.
Group " Perfect»:
Past: I had cooked dinner by 10 o’clock yesterday– I cooked dinner at 10 o’clock yesterday.
Present: I have cooked dinner today– I cooked dinner today.
Future: I will have cooked dinner by 10 o'clock tomorrow– I will prepare dinner tomorrow at 10 o’clock.
Group " Perfect continuous»:
Past: I had been cooking dinner for all day, when he came - I had been preparing dinner all day when he came to me.
Present: I have been cooking dinner all day, that's why I am tired – I’ve been cooking dinner all day, so I’m tired.
Future: I will have been cooking for hours, when you will go to work - I will already be cooking for hours when you go to work.
* In modern English (especially in American), the word “dinner” is increasingly used to mean dinner, and the word “lunch” is used for lunch
Oh, the times! Oh, morals! Tenses in the English language are considered to be the most difficult section of grammar. But this is one of the most common misconceptions. Along with the fact that the majority distinguishes a dozen tenses in English, and three in Russian. So: don’t trust anyone :) In the English language, experts will highlight more than 12 tenses (take at least Future-in-the-Past for warming up). And in Russian, in theory, there are also more than three. Need proof? Yes please.
Times in the Great and Mighty
Only a first grader thinks that we have past, present and future tense. But at the same time, everyone will feel the difference in these proposals:
I was walking home through the park yesterday.
I walked home through the park yesterday
Immediately a quick question: what is the tense in the sentences? Yeah, past. What verb did “went” come from? Well, yes, from the verb “to go.”
The English language also has tricky irregular verbs, which in the past tense take on such a form that you can try to guess the original one. So the myths that camouflage is practiced only in the English language can already be safely considered debunked.
Let's go back to "went" and "went". Can we smell the difference? In the first case, we are talking about some long time: I walked to myself and walked through the park, without touching anyone. And in the second - about what has already happened. The questions answered by “went” and “went” are also different: “what did you do?” and “what did you do?” Such forms of verb tenses in Russian are usually called imperfect/non-perfect form (what to do) and perfect/perfect (what to do).
And that is not all. For example, when we want to emphasize the duration of an action, we become more sophisticated and use synonyms of verbs that are very close in meaning. For example:
Yesterday I walked around the park in a great mood.
Now you can imagine how difficult it is for a foreigner when he wants to convey a long action using the verb “go”. Surely he will come up with something like “Yesterday I walked... mmm... walked... walked... through the park in a great mood.” And try to explain to him that to convey a long-term action, it is better to take the verb “to walk” and put it in the past tense in the non-perfect form.
Whose tense system is easier?
This is ours:
| Imperfect form (Indefinite) |
Perfect form ( Perfect) | ||
| long-term | regular | ||
| Present | I'm playing | — | — |
| Past (Past) | played | played | played |
| Future (Future) | I will play | I'll play | I'll play |
Moreover, in order to denote the present continuous or past imperfect tense, we will have to explain this further. Compare:
I play the guitar (that is, in principle I know how to play this instrument).
And
I'm currently playing the guitar (that is, I'm sitting and playing right now, I have nothing else to do).
Tenses in English
While we are getting more sophisticated with perfect/non-perfect forms of the verb, and also practicing finding synonyms, the English have created a completely logical and understandable system of tenses. Each verb easily forms 12 main groups. Let’s take the same “walk” (walk) and use it by default with the pronoun I (I).
Table of tenses in English with examples
| Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous | |
| Present | I walk I walk (in general, in principle) |
I am walking I'm walking/walking (right now) |
I have walked I went (already) |
I have been walking I walked (did it and completed it by now) |
| Past | I walked I went (in general, in principle) |
I was walking I was walking/walking (a while ago) |
I had walked I was walking (the action had already ended at a certain point in the past) |
I had been walking I have walked (done this and completed it by a certain point in the past) |
| Future | I will walk I will walk (in general, in principle) |
I will be walking I will walk/walk (for a while) |
I will have walked I'm like (the action will end at a certain point in the future) |
I will have been walking I will walk (and complete it by some point in the future) |
Thus, when reading a sentence in English, one can easily understand what the person means. While in our country the use of explanatory words is mandatory. While we need to use explanatory words for this. For example, to convey the Future Perfect tense, we will add “I’ll finish” to the main semantic verb: “I’ll finish doing my homework by 5 pm.” These are the simple rules of English tenses that, thanks to exercises, are quickly memorized.
And whose tense system is ultimately easier?
Adverbs of time indicate when exactly an action occurred. According to their meaning, adverbs of time can be divided into adverbs of definite time, indefinite time and adverbs of duration. Adverbs of each category have their own characteristics and act as markers of different tenses in the English language.
1. Adverbs and expressions that relate to at a certain point in time and answer the question When exactly)?
2.Adverbs and expressions that relate to at an unspecified point in time. They don't answer specific questions.
3. Adverbs and expressions that indicate duration of action. They answer questions From what time? And How long?
We will look at which adverbs belong to each category and talk about the features of their use.
Adverbs of specific time.
Adverbs indicating an indefinite time answer the question "When?" and are usually used with past tenses or refer to the future.
This category includes monosyllabic adverbs indicating a “point in time”: today, yesterday, tomorrow. In addition, adverbs of time can be used in various combinations with words last, next, ago, this:
last/next week/ month/ year
next week/ month/ year
a week/month/year ago
this week/ month/year
Adverbs of specific time can be supplemented with modifier words: early (earlier), late (later):
earlier this week - earlier this week
later today - later today
also refer to adverbs of specific time:
at ten o'clock / half past seven
on the 1st of April / Wednesday
at midday/ midnight/ noon
Some of these expressions may be qualified by modifiers ( early, earlier, sharp, punctually and others):
later in September - later in September
at 9 o"clock sharp - exactly at nine o'clock
punctually at midday - exactly at noon
earlier in 2010 - earlier in 2010
In colloquial speech prepositions(in, on, at) and words(last, next) can be missed:
See you Friday. - See you on Friday.
I called him Monday. - I called him on Monday.
Expressions like this+ day weeks (this Monday/ this Tuesday) indicate the nearest future Monday, Tuesday, etc. from the moment of speech and the word this is replaced with the word next:
This Sunday we are going to the circus. - Next Sunday we are going to the circus.
Expressions like this + month(this December/ October) indicate the nearest month at the time of speech:
We are going on holiday this July. - We are going on vacation in July.
The results will be announced this October. - The results will be announced in October.
Expressions this morning/afternoon/evening, tonight may refer to the past, present and future:
I have met him this evening. - I met him this evening.
I feel sick this evening. - I don't feel well this evening.
I’m meeting him this evening. - I'm meeting him tonight.
Adverbs of indefinite tense.
Adverbs of indefinite time cannot answer specific questions because they do not indicate a specific point in time. This group of verbs includes:
afterwards["??ft?w?dz] - subsequently, later, later, after, then
already[??l"red?] - already
another day- the other day
another time- next time
at last[?t l??st] - in the end
at once[?t w?n(t)s] - immediately, immediately, immediately
early["??l?] - early, at the beginning
eventually[?ven?u?l?] - ultimately, ultimately, ultimately
formerly["f??m?l?] - once upon a time, before, before, once
immediately[?mi?d??tl?] - immediately, immediately, immediately, immediately
instantly["?n(t)st?ntl?] - immediately, immediately, immediately
just[??st] - just now, very recently
late["le?t] - late
lately["le?tl?] - recently, recently, recently, recently
now- now, now, at the present moment
nowadays["nau?de?z] - nowadays, now, in our time
once- once upon a time, once upon a time, one day
one day- once upon a time, someday, someday, someday
presently["prez(?)ntl?] - now, today, now, now
recently["ri?s(?)ntl?] - recently, recently, recently
some day- some day
soon- soon, soon, shortly, soon
still- still, (still) still, still
straightway["stre?twe?] - immediately, immediately, without delay
subsequently["s?bs?kw?ntl?] - subsequently, later, later, after, then
suddenly["s?d(?)nl?] - suddenly, suddenly, unexpectedly
then[ðen] - then, at that time, then, later, after, then
thesedays- nowadays, nowadays, currently
ultimately["?lt?m?tl?] - ultimately, in the end
yet- yet, still, for now
These adverbs can be used with different tenses:
Present Simple: already, nowadays, now, presently, these days
Present Continuous: now, these days, still, presently
Present Perfect: already, yet, just, recently, lately
Past Simple: afterwards, another day, at once, early, eventually, formerly, immediately, instantly, late, suddenly, then
Future Simple: another day, another time, eventually, one day, straightaway, ultimately
Due to their ambiguity, the same adverbs of indefinite tense can be used with different tenses in different contexts.
Adverbs of duration.
Duration (period of time) can be expressed by prepositional combinations with prepositions by, during, for, to, till, since, throughout and the following adverbs:
... ago- ago
all day/night long- All day, all night
any more / not any more- no longer (no longer)
any longer / not any longer- no longer (no longer)
no longer- no longer (no longer)
no more- no longer (no longer).
Let's consider the features of these combinations and prepositions.
Since + moment tense denotes the moment of the beginning of an action that continues until the present moment (Present Perfect) or the moment of the beginning of an action that lasted until a certain moment in the past (Past Perfect). More often used with Perfect tenses:
I havent"t been to the theater since last year. - I haven’t been to the theater since last year.
I was to the theater on Sunday, but I hadn’t been there since last year. - I was at the theater on Sunday, but I haven't been there since last year.
Time period + ago also denotes the moment the action begins (Past Simple), with time counting down from the present moment:
I met him five years ago. - I met him five years ago.
He started writing his book a month ago. - He started writing his book a month ago.
Question word How long ago?(Unlike How long?) implies an answer in the Past Simple, and not in the Present Perfect, since it is the equivalent When?:
How long ago did you start writing your book? - A month ago. - When did you start writing your book? -A month ago.
How long ago did you meet him? - Five years ago. - When did you meet him? -Five years ago.
For + time period denotes the duration of an action from its beginning in the past, present or future:
She stayed with us for two weeks.(Past Simple) - She stayed with us for two weeks.
She has been staying with us for two weeks. (Present Perfect Continuos) - She has been staying with us for two weeks now.
She will stay with us for two weeks. (Future Simple) - She will be staying with us for two weeks.
For combined with various nouns in order to emphasize the duration of the action:
For ages- forever, a hundred years
For hours- for hours
For days- all day long
For weeks- for weeks on end
For months- for months
For years- for years, many years
I haven’t seen you for ages! Where have you been? - I haven't seen you for a hundred years! Where have you been?
He has been playing computer games for hours. - He has been playing on the computer for hours.
In affirmative sentences with verbs that indicate long lasting actions (be, live, work, stay) in Present Perfect or Past Perfect for may be omitted:
She has stayed with us (for) two weeks.
He has worked here (for) five months.
We have lived in Moscow (for) two years.
Sometimes for may be omitted in affirmative sentences when referring to a future action:
She will stay here/ live here (for) two weeks.
He will work here (for) five months.
We will live in Moscow (for) two years.
In negative sentences, for cannot be omitted:
She hasn’t stayed here for two weeks.
He hasn't worked here for five months.
We haven's lived in Moscow for two years.
From ...to/till/untill denote a specific period that can refer to the past, present and future:
She stayed with us from September to/till November. (Past)
She always stays with us from September to/till November. (Present)
She will stay with us from September to/till November. (Future)
Word from may sometimes be missing:
My parents work nine till five. - My parents work from nine to five.
They will stay in the USA January till May. -They will stay in the USA from January to May.
By And till/untill indicate the period of time until the end of the action. When using verbs that denote continuous actions ( work, live, stay) That by not used:
I"ll work here till/until Friday. - I will work here until Friday.
He stayed at home till 7 o’clock. - He stayed at home until 7 o'clock.
When using verbs that occur at a point in time ( start, finish, leave) can only be used in negations till/until(no sooner than):
I won't leave till/untill Friday. - We won't leave until Friday.
We are not going to finish the project until next month. - We are not going to finish the project until next month.
During And in are always used with a noun and define the entire period or certain moments during the period:
We went skiing durung/in the winter. - We go skiing in winter.
We went skiing three times during/in the winter. - We went skiing three times in winter.
Throughout can replace during And in, if the action applies to the entire period, from beginning to end:
We had meetings throughout the summer. - We held meetings throughout the summer.
During and throughout can be combined with the whole or the entire to emphasize that something happened during the entire period:
During the whole/ the entire summer I didn't go to the beach. - Throughout the whole summer I didn't go to the beach.
During the whole/ the entire spring he was preparing for his exams. - Throughout the spring he was preparing for exams.
All day/night (long) emphasizes that the action lasted throughout the day or all night. All is usually combined with these words. Word long used to give effect:
He slept all day long. - He slept all day.
It snowed heavily all night long. - It snowed heavily all night.
Not any more, not any longer And no longer are used to show that a continuous action cannot last longer than a certain period and must cease. In English these adverbs are placed at the end of the sentence:
I can"t work here any longer. - I can no longer work here.
They can't wait for your answer any more. - They can no longer wait for your answer.
You will learn more about the place of adverbs of time in an English sentence in our next articles.
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English is one of the most important languages in the world community first place among the foreign languages studied. But mastering it not everyone has it easy due to problems understanding and using English grammatical tenses. Let's try to figure out what's so complicated about these forms, and how many of them there actually are.
In contact with
Highlight three temporary forms– present, past and future tenses, which have their own typical subcategories – Simple, Continuous/Progressive, Perfect and Perfect Continuous. All tenses have similar ways of forming the predicate and features of use. A table of English tenses should always be at hand not only for schoolchildren, but also for people who want to independently master science.
Attention! This article will not explain the grammatical formation of tenses in English, only give advice on how to distinguish tense forms. A detailed explanation of the rules of education can be found in a textbook or on a thematic Internet portal.
Times of the group Simple (simple)
The tenses of the Simple group, in other words, simple, are similar in use to the tense categories in - present, past and future respectively.
Their main feature is uncertainty of the moment when the action occurs. Otherwise, the times of a simple group are called Indefinite Tenses - indefinite.
It’s yourself that’s important here. action process, and not the time when it happened. In simple words this is actions "in general".
Present Simple means actions that are permanent, ordinary for a person - his routine and hobby. Phrases that talk about the laws of nature, schedules of planes, trains, lessons, TV programs, announcer comments and various instructions are also used in the Present Simple.
Past Simple is action what happened at a specific moment in past. This also includes human habits, which have become irrelevant for him. It is characteristic of him one-off events, i.e. action completed and more will never happen again.
Future Simple stands for uncontrollable events that will happen in future. The peculiarity of this time is that the event is likely to happen, but not guaranteed.
Attention! It is worth noting that past tenses in the English language of the Simple group can also be used to denote a sequence of actions - I got up, washed, had breakfast and went to work.
For example:
- Pr. S.: He always drinks tea in the afternoon. – He always drinks coffee after lunch.
- Past S.: They traveled around the world last year. – They traveled around the world last year. I watched cartoons before going to bed when I was 4 years old. – I watched cartoons before bed when I was 4 years old (4 years old happens once in a lifetime).
- Future S.: I will buy this T-shirt. - I'll buy this T-shirt. I hope we will get on time. – I hope that we will make it on time (it’s not a fact that we will).
Important! When you talk about an action as a fact, you need to use the Simple tenses.
Group tenses Continuous (Progressive)
A distinctive feature of this group is duration of the moment in the present, past or future. Here the emphasis is not on action, as in the days of the Simple group, but for a while when it happened.
Present Continuous – an event that is happening at the moment of speech. Another use of the present continuous is expression of dissatisfaction in relation to someone's character.
Past Continuous - action that happened at the specified time earlier. If this action is interrupted one-time event, then the latter will be expressed in Past Simple.
Future Continuous – long action that will happen at a specified period of time in the future. This the action will definitely happen, in contrast to the Future Simple, where a future event may don't step on.
The long form can also be used to describe simultaneous actions- Mom was washing the dishes, and at the same moment I was reading a book.
For example:
- Pr. Cont.: He is taking bath now. - He is taking a shower now.
- Past Cont.: We were watching football game yesterday at 8 o’clock. – We watched a football match yesterday at 8 o’clock. Susan was doing her homework when her parents came. – Susan was doing her homework (continuous event) when her parents arrived (single event).
- Fut. Cont.: Next Sunday morning, I will be riding my bike. – Next Sunday morning I will ride my bike.
Important! If you want to indicate the duration of the process, then you need to use the tenses of the Continuous group.
Times of the group Perfect (perfect)
If you need to indicate that an event will happen, has already happened at a certain point, or is ongoing, then the Perfect group will help you with this. In Russian there are analogues there is simply no time for this group.
In general, for many, studying perfect group times seems like a difficult task, but the wolf is not as scary as they portray him.
Present Perfect - an action that began in the past and lasted until the moment of speech.
Past Perfect – action that happened before another moment in the past. In complex sentences that talk about some condition, the Past Perfect will appear in the part where this very condition is present.
Future Perfect is an action that will end at the exact moment in future.
For example:
- Pr. Perf.: Anna has had a cat for ten years. – Anna has had a cat for 10 years (that is, he lived with her for 10 years and continues to live). The Osborns have bought a yacht. – The Osbornes bought a yacht (it doesn’t matter when they bought it, the main thing is the result – the yacht was bought).
- Past Perf.: Helen had prepared supper when she met her children from school. – Helen had already prepared dinner when she met the children from school (that is, the moment of preparation was completed by the time the children arrived). Albert was delighted. He had won in a lottery. - Albert was pleased. He won the lottery (the action and result took place in the past).
- Fut. Perf.: She will have written all letters by 7 o’clock. – She will write a letter by 7 o’clock (the letter will be ready at a specific time).
Important! When you want to indicate that an action was, is or will be performed at a certain moment or indicate its result, then use the perfect tenses!
Tenses of the group Perfect Continuous (perfect continuous)
The tenses of this group denote actions that began earlier and continue, have continued or will continue for some period of time up to a certain point. It will be expressed in the sentence by indicating specific time or another event.
Another defining condition of perfect tenses is presence of result any action - it is obvious.
The group of Perfect Continuous times combines features of continuous and perfect tenses. From the group Continuous she got event duration, and from the Perfect group – specific moment until which the action continues, has continued or will continue.
Using the Perfect Continuous in the present past and future tenses is a diagram.
For example:
- Pr. Perf. Cont.: Samuel has been waiting Margaret half an hour. – Samuel has been waiting for Margaret for half an hour already (that is, he started waiting for her half an hour ago and continues to wait).
- Past Perf. Cont.: The Lakers had been waiting for holiday trip for several months before they saved a sum of money. “The Lakers had been waiting for this weekend trip for months before they saved up for it. (They did not stop waiting for the vacation until they collected the required amount of money). I had been sunbathing for too long, so my skin was red. – I sunbathed for a very long time, that’s why my skin was so red (the result is obvious).
- Fut. Perf. Cont.: By 2019, our family won’t have been buying newspapers anymore. – By 2019, our family will no longer buy newspapers. (Now they are still buying, but in 2019 they will no longer do this).
Important! If you emphasize not only the visible result, but also its duration, then use the Perfect Continuous tense group.
This is what concerns the basic rules for the use of tenses and their group characteristics.
How to learn a language faster
If you are a beginner, then note for yourself the rules on how to learn tenses in English. Start studying with the Simple group, and then move on to improving your knowledge with the Continuous group, because... in fact, these two groups of tenses are “basic”. And only then smoothly move to the remaining groups. Moreover, the tenses of the simple group are most often used in speech: Present Perfect and Present Continuous. Alternate your theoretical knowledge with practical exercises, then it will be easier for you to understand the essence of using tenses V .
To summarize, we can highlight the following algorithm for determining time in English:
- Be sure to translate the sentence into Russian.
- Find in offer time marker and determine what time it belongs to.
- If in a sentence no temporary circumstance, then pay attention to predicate, highlight his. Remember what type this one belongs to - right or wrong. Then determine in what tense it is used semantic verb, and is there a .
- Determine the time. Past tenses in English are very easy to find in a sentence.
A table of English tenses with examples, compiled by you personally, will help speed up the process of learning the language.
Attention! Temporal circumstances, also known as marker words, allow you to determine what tense was used in a sentence.
Auxiliary words are most often adverbs. But the presence of a marker in a sentence not necessary. For example, for Present Simple the main markers will be the adverbs usually, often, always, i.e. those that point to regularity of action. For the tenses of the Perfect group, clue words will become characteristic: since, yet, already, never and others indicating certain duration of action etc.
Explanation of all tenses in English
Present Simple - an accessible explanation
Conclusion
The main topic of the question “how to determine time in English” becomes practice and diligence. The more time you spend studying theory and exercises, the easier it will be for you to practice speaking and writing.
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