It is no secret that one of the most popular grammar topics for learners and those interested in English is still the topic: tenses in English. Interest in it is quite justified, since the cases of using one or another tense in English differ from their understanding in other languages ​​and thus cause many difficulties.

There are such lovers of conquering linguistic peaks who strive, by all means, to master everything tenses of english. But in reality, even the British themselves do not use even half of them.

Table of English tenses

To understand the ornateness of this topic, of course, sketchiness will help. Table of English tenses is a wonderful visual and should always be at hand for every beginner to learn the language.

Answer unequivocally the favorite questions of beginners: “ How many tenses are there in English? What to prepare for? Why so many? pretty hard. We can say 24! (16 in the active voice and 8 in the passive) and frighten students with an abundance of temporary forms, especially long, completed and completed-long, which seem to have no analogues in their native language.

You can calm down by answering that in English there are also three time planes - past, present and future, and then we encounter only shades of action. True, the verb forms that you have to comprehend will not decrease from this :)

Let's leave this question to the world's leading philologists, who have been arguing about this for many years, and we ourselves will focus on the use of temporary forms.

Tenses in English seem rather complicated, but this is only at first glance. It is important to learn some principles:

Firstly, it is possible to draw a parallel in the study of tenses with the Ukrainian and Russian languages. The difference lies in the fact that grammatical means are used to convey the shades of actions in English, while lexical means are used in Ukrainian and Russian.

Secondly, the formation of tenses in English is much simpler and more logical. Memorizing these forms usually does not cause difficulties for students. It is much more difficult to decide where and what form should be used. This is what we will pay special attention to.

Active Voice / Active Voice

Passive Voice / Passive voice

Coordination of tenses in English

If you have figured out the forms of constructing certain tenses and cases of their use, then the next difficulty may be tense agreement in english. Here it is not only necessary to correctly construct the time itself, but also to understand the very principle of coordinating the main and subordinate parts of the sentence. This is difficult to explain at first glance. The good news is that special attention should be paid to the fact that if in the main clause the verb is in the past form, then in the subordinate clause the verb must also be in one of the past tenses, and it does not matter whether it refers to actions in the present or future.

Table of tenses in English:

And most importantly, in order to communicate in English, you need to know not so many tenses. After all, the British speak as easily as possible without piling up complex structures. Basic tenses (Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple) are enough, but it is also desirable to master the Present Continuous and Present Perfect. The use of complex temporary forms in colloquial speech will only testify to your illiteracy.

Of course, for a varied and refined coherent speech in the process of working and presenting your thoughts on paper, you should be patient and learn the entire table of times. And we will be happy to help you, please contact us, we have classes in groups and individually:

English tenses are considered the most difficult topic, because in Russian we have only 3 tenses, and in English there are 12.

When studying them, everyone has many questions.

• What time should be used?
• Would it be considered a mistake to use one tense instead of another?
• Why is it necessary to use this tense and not another?

This confusion is due to the fact that we learn the rules of grammar, but do not fully understand them.

However, English tenses are not as complicated as they seem.

Their use depends on what idea you want to convey to your interlocutor. To do this correctly, you need to understand the logic and use cases of English tenses.

I immediately warn you, in this article I will not explain to you the grammatical formation of sentences. In it, I will give precisely the understanding of times.

In the article, we will look at the use cases of 12 tenses and compare them with each other, as a result of which you will understand how they differ, and when which time should be used.

Let's start.

What tenses are there in English?

In English, as well as in Russian, there are 3 blocks of tenses familiar to us.

1. Present (present) - indicates an action that is happening in the present tense.

2. Past (past) - denotes an action that takes place in the past tense (once upon a time).

3. Future (future) - denotes an action that will take place in the future tense.

However, the English tenses do not end there. Each of these time groups is subdivided into:

1. Simple- simple.

2. continuous- lengthy.

3. Perfect- completed.

4. Perfect Continuous- long-term completed.

The result is 12 times.

It is the use of these 4 groups that confuses English learners. Indeed, in Russian there is no such division.

How do you know what tense to use?

To use English tenses correctly, you need 3 things.

• Understand the logic of English tenses
  That is, to know what time is intended for what and when it is used.
• Be able to build sentences according to the rules
  That is, not only to know, but to be able to speak these sentences.
• Understand exactly what idea you want to convey to the interlocutor
  That is, to be able to choose the right time depending on the meaning that you put into your words.

To understand English tenses, let's take a closer look at each group.

Once again, I will not explain the grammatical formation of sentences. And I will explain to you the logic by which we determine which group time should be used.

Let's start with the easiest group - Simple.

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Times of the Simple group in English

Simple translates as "simple".

We use this tense when we talk about facts that:

• taking place in the present
• happened in the past
• will take place in the future.

For example

I drive a car.
I drive a car.

We say that a person knows how to drive a car and this is a fact.

Let's look at another example.

She bought a dress.
She bought a dress.

We are talking about the fact that sometime in the past (yesterday, last week or last year) she bought herself a dress.

Remember: when you talk about some action as a fact, then use the Simple group.

You can study in detail all the tenses of this group here:

Now let's compare Simple with another group of tenses - Continuous.

Continuous tenses in English

Continuous is translated as "long, continued."

When we use this tense, we are talking about an action as a process that:

• happening at the moment
• happened in the past at some point,
• will happen in the future at a certain moment.

For example

I am driving a car.
I'm driving.

Unlike the Simple group, here we do not mean a fact, but we are talking about a process.

Let's see the difference between fact and process.

Fact:"I can drive a car, I have a license."

Process:“I got behind the wheel some time ago and now I am driving a car, that is, I am in the process of driving.”

Let's consider one more example.

I will be flying to Moscow tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will fly to Moscow.

We are talking about the fact that tomorrow you will get on a plane and for some time you will be in the process of flying.

That is, for example, you need to get in touch with the client. You tell him that you will not be able to talk to him at this time, as you will be in the process of flying.

Remember: when you want to emphasize the duration of an action, that is, that the action is a process, use the Continuous group times.

You can read more about each time of this group here:

Now let's move on to the Perfect group.

Perfect tenses in English

Perfect translates as "complete / perfect."

We use this time when we focus on the result of an action, which:

• we got by now,
• we got to a certain point in the past,
• we will get to a certain point in the future.

Note that even in the present tense, this tense is translated into Russian as the past. However, despite this, you say that the result of this action is important at the present moment.

For example

I have fixed my car.
I fixed the car.

We focus on the result that we currently have - a working machine. For example, you say that you fixed the car, now it works, and you can go to your friends' country house.

Let's compare this group with others.

We are talking about the fact (Simple):

I cooked dinner.
I was cooking dinner.

For example, you tell a friend about the fact that you cooked a delicious dinner yesterday.

I was cooking dinner.
I was cooking dinner.

You say you were in the process of cooking. For example, they did not pick up the phone, because they were preparing (were in the process) and did not hear the call.

We are talking about the result (Perfect):

I have cooked dinner.
I cooked dinner.

You currently have the result of this action - dinner ready. For example, you invite the whole family to dinner because dinner is ready.

Remember: when you want to focus on the result of an action, use the Perfect group.

Read more about all the times of the Perfect group in these articles:

And now let's move on to the last group of Perfect Continuous.

Tenses of the Perfect Continuous group in English

Perfect Continuous translates as "completed continuous." As you noticed by the name, this group of tenses includes signs of 2 groups at once.

We use it when we talk about a long-term action (process) and about obtaining a result.

That is, we emphasize that the action began some time ago, lasted (was in progress) a certain time and at the moment:

1. We got the result of this action

For example: "He repaired the car for 2 hours" (the action lasted 2 hours, and at the moment he has a result - a working car).

2. The action still continues

For example: “He has been fixing the car for 2 hours” (he started fixing the car 2 hours ago, was in the process and is still fixing it).

We can say that the action began some time ago, lasted and:

• ended/continues in the present,
• ended / continued until a certain point in the past,
• will end / will continue until a certain point in the future.

For example

I have been cooking this dinner for 2 hours.
I cooked dinner for 2 hours.

That is, you started cooking 2 hours ago and by now you have the result of your action - a ready dinner.

Let's compare this time with others like it.

We are talking about the process (Continuous):

I am painting a picture.
I am drawing a picture.

We say that we are currently in the process of drawing. It doesn't matter to us how much time it has already taken, it is important to us that at the moment you are involved in this process.

Talking about the result (Perfect)

I have painted a picture.
I drew a picture.

We say that at the moment we have a result - a finished picture.

We talk about the result and the process (Perfect Continuous)

1. I have been painting a picture for an hour.
I drew a picture for an hour.

We say that at the moment we have a result - a finished picture. You also emphasize that you spent one hour in the process of drawing to get this result.

2. I have been painting a picture for an hour.
I paint a picture for one hour.

We say that we are now in the process of drawing, while we focus on the fact that we have been busy with this process for an hour. In contrast to Continuous times, where it is only important for us what is happening at a certain (current) moment, and not how much we are already doing it.

Remember: if you want to emphasize not only the result, but also its duration (how long it took you to get it), then use Perfect Continuous.

General table for comparing the times of the Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous groups

Let's look again at what each group of tenses is responsible for. Look at the table.

Outcome

Use English tenses depending on what meaning you want to convey to the interlocutor. The most important thing is to understand what the emphasis is on in each of the tenses.

1. We talk about action as a fact - Simple.

2. We talk about action as a process - Continuous.

3. We talk about action, focusing on the result - Perfect.

4. We talk about the action, emphasizing that it took a certain time before getting the result - Perfect Continuous.

I hope that now the logic of English times has become clear to you, and you will be able to convey the correct meaning to your interlocutor.

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

Such strange English times

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

How many tenses are there in English grammar?

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

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

The present tense is “ours” and “foreign”

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

Grammar system of time

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

Such an abundance of times surprises Russian-speaking students, who are just beginning to storm the vagaries of the English verb. But later they even have to do numerous exercises for English tenses to their taste, honing the skills of correct word usage in the flow of colloquial speech. Practice shows that it is easiest to master the tense forms of the verb in the system. So, placing English tenses with examples in tables, it is easier to understand their grammatical layering.

Tenement house for English verb

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

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

How to solve a grammar problem

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

What are you doing in the evenings?

I usually watch TV.

What are you doing now?

I drink tea and watch TV.

What were you doing yesterday when I called?

When you called, I was watching TV.

I'll call you tomorrow at 5. What are you going to do?

Tomorrow at 5 I will be watching TV.

Here, when translating, it requires the use of six forms of the verb tense, of which two are present, two past and two future. What are these forms? English tenses with examples in the tables will help those who wish to master difficult rules and put them into practice.

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

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

Have you been watching TV for a long time?

I have been watching TV since 5 o'clock (for two hours).

When you called (yesterday), I had been watching TV for two hours (from 5 o'clock).

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

How to say in English?

In English lessons for beginners, as vocabulary is accumulated, more and more complex grammar exercises are included. But already from the first classes, the concept of times is given. First, about simple ones - from the Simple and Continuous groups, later the use of the times of the Perfect and Perfect Continuous groups is worked out. It is easier to learn the language in speech situations. That's why no rule in a box is a substitute for practical training. There is material for this all around: on the street, at home, at work. Everywhere you can train the skill “How would I say this in English”.

Starting to study any grammatical material of a foreign language, we compare it with the corresponding section in our native language - Russian. The same thing happens when studying tense forms of English verbs. Both Russian and English have three tenses: present, past and future. In English this is

• present- the present
• past- past
• future- future

Each of them has four types:

• simple - simple
• long - continuous
• perfect - perfect
• perfect continuous - perfect continuous

It turns out that in English there are actually twelve basic tense forms.

The English tense table looks like this:

Depending on what character the action has, that is, how often it is performed, when, how long the action took place, etc., we get 4 types of tenses in English.

Group Times Simple

This group includes three tenses of the English language, called simple.

The times of this group indicate actions (state facts), while not indicating their duration and whether they ended

• I sculpt from clay I sculpt from clay(Present)
• My granny loved this garden. — My grandmother loved this garden(Past)
• I will help him. — I will help him(Future)

present simple

In this tense, infinitive forms of verbs are used, as an exception - to verbs from the 3rd person ( he, she) in the singular, the ending is added - (e)s

• I like mountain climbing. — I like climbing mountains
• He likes mountain climbing. — He likes climbing mountains

To construct a question and a negation, we use to do

• Do do you like mountain climbing?
• I do not like mountain climbing
• He does not like mountain climbing

Used:

1. When stating well-known facts
2. With regular or repeated action
3. In a series of successive events in the present
4. In sentences where there are verbs of feelings, mental activity or visual perception
   Download verbs
5. In sentences where there are words indicating regularity:
   • always - always
   • sometimes - sometimes
   • usually - usually

past simple

Past Simple The form of the past tense is formed by adding an ending - ed to the regular verb or the second form from the table for irregular verbs

• I summ ed up the meeting. — I summed up the meeting
• I saw him the day before yesterday. — I saw him the day before yesterday

Question and negation are formed with the help of a verb did:

• Did you sum up the meeting? - You summed up the meeting?
• I did not sum up the meeting. - I didn't sum up the meeting

Used:

1. To denote an action that took place at a certain moment in the past and the time at which the action took place has already ended
2. When listing sequentially occurring events:
   • I came home, took off my boots, opened the window, made tea for myself. — I came home, took off my boots, opened the window, made myself some tea.

Future Simple

This tense is formed with the verb will (‘ll- abridged version)

• you" ll write the articles
• Will you write the articles?
• You will not write the articles

The Future Simple is used to refer to actions that will take place in the indefinite future or at a distant point in the future.

Group Times continuous

Present Continuous

Formed with a verb to be And IV f. verb (the ending is added to the main verb - ing)

conjugation table to be

• 
  We are swimm ing. — We are swimming(it is understood that they are floating at the moment of speech)
• Are we swimm ing? — We are swimming?
• We are not swimm ing. — We don't swim

Denotes:

1. Events that happen at the moment of speaking
2. Actions that will happen immediately after the moment of speech
3. Constant irritants:
   • The baby is crying. — The child is cry ing

Past continuous

To form the form of the long past tense, we need:

1. to be in the past time:
   • was- 1st and 3rd person singular
   • were- 2nd person singular and 3rd - plural
2. Ending - ing for main verbs

• I was rewriting ing I've been rewriting topics all evening
• Were you write ing the topics all the evening? — You've been rewriting topics all evening?
• I was not rewriting ing the topics all the evening. — I didn't rewrite topics all evening

The Past Continuous conveys an action that took place at a certain moment in the past, with an emphasis on its duration.

Future Continuous

Its formula is:

will be+ verb ending - ing

• I "ll be walk ing long. — I will walk for a long time
• Wil l I be walk ing long? — How long will I be walking?
• I will not be walk ing long. — I won't take long walks

Future Continuous conveys an action that will take place at a certain period of time in the future, indicating its duration

Group Times Perfect

Present Perfect

The formula is:

Auxiliary verb of the present tense to have (has)+ semantic verb in III f

To have It also helps in the construction of interrogative and negative sentences.

• I have decid ed the problem this morning. — I solved the problem this morning
• Has he decid ed the problem this morning? — He solved the problem this morning?
• I have not decid ed the problem this morning. — I didn't solve the problem this morning
• He has cut the apples. — He cut apples
  

The Present Perfect is used to denote events that happened recently or the period when they happened has not yet ended.

Table with circumstances of time that indicate the perfect the present:

past perfect

The shaping of the Past Perfect differs from the Present Perfect only in that to have takes the form of the past tense, becoming had, the rest is the same scheme.

• She has never seen before last New Year. - She had never seen her before last New Year's.(before a period in the past)
• I had cut the oranges before mother went to home. — I cut oranges before my mother came home(before another action later)

Past Perfect conveys an action completed up to a certain point in the past or before another event that took place a little later

Future Perfect

Education scheme:

will +have+ verb with ending - ed(or III f. for irregular verbs)

• She "ll have finish ed Statistics next month. — She'll finish the stats by next month
• Will she have finish ed Statistics next month?
• She will not have finish ed Statistics next month

Denotes an action that will be done by a certain point in the future or before the start of some other event in the future.

Group Times Perfect Continuous

As a consolation, it is worth mentioning that this group is rarely used in everyday English.

Present Perfect Continuous

Perfect Continuous Formed as follows:

Have (has) been+ verb ending - ing

• I have been do ing the exercises already for 3 hours. — I have been exercising for 3 hours.
• have I been do ing the exercises already for 3 hours?
• I have not been do ing the exercises already for 3 hours

Present Perfect Continuous is used to refer to an act that began in the past, lasted for some time and continues to continue in the present, while indicating the period during which the act takes place

Past Perfect Continuous

His education scheme is as follows:

had been+ verb ending - ing

• We had been work ing for one hour when they came. — We (already) had been working for an hour when they came.

Denotes an event that lasted a certain period of time in the past and ended before the start of another action that also occurred in the past, expressed in Past Simple tense