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Table of English tenses with auxiliary words. How to remember tenses in English: a detailed explanation

One of our native language teachers (he calls himself “a real grammar nerd” - something like a “grammar Nazi”) recently sent us a photo riddle especially for English language learners.

He said that he recently visited a wonderful vintage home decor store, and two things in particular caught his attention. Firstly, a retro chair in the style of the sixties, and secondly, a sticker on this chair. Look closely at the sticker. Do you understand why our teacher immediately decided that English was not the native language for a shop assistant?

For those who are just taking their first steps in English, we explain: the store clerk was given a common mistake - using the wrong tense form of the verb, Present Progressive instead Present Simple.

In the words of our teacher: “It’s often the “little things” that make a difference in whether you sound like a native English speaker or writer” – it’s the little things and subtleties that make up the difference between a native English speaker and a language learner . Choosing the right time that will sound most natural is one of those subtleties.

Do you know what is the most important quality for an English learner? Observation and attention to those signs and clue words that already exist in the language. If you look closely, it seems that the English language itself helps you avoid making mistakes and gives special signals. You just have to follow the signs and you will definitely get out at the right time.

It is not by chance that we used the word “pointers”. English does have indicators, or tense markers, that indicate the regularity of an action, a specific period of time, or a specific point in time. How is this useful for us? With each marker, usually only one specific time is used.

Of course, time markers are far from the key to deciphering English grammar; don’t hope that everything will be so simple, and always be vigilant. However, time indicators help to understand the logic of temporal relations in speech or text in English.

Present Simple tense markers

Past Simple tense markers

Check out this great video that goes into great detail about all of the past tense indicators.

Future Simple Time Markers

Time markers Present Progressive (Present Continuous)

Present Perfect tense markers

Past Perfect and Future Perfect tense markers

And finally - a couple of wise phrases from our teacher: “So don’t be using the -ing tenses unnecessarily and...please – Don’t be sitting in the cool retro chair.”

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 swapped 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.

There are 4 tenses in English:

Simple.
Long lasting.
Completed.
Durable-complete.
Each time is divided into:

Present
Past
Future
It’s simple, tenses are divided according to the same system in the Russian language. Now I will briefly describe each of the times and its distinctive properties and how to easily and quickly distinguish it from others.

1) Simple.

This is the easiest time. The simplest thing.

Meaning - Statement of fact. Denotes a regular, usual, natural action. Facts, truths. This time does NOT have a specific point in time.

In general, if you just say it, it shows a normal action, someone did something, someone knows something, etc. or just a fact. The same action that, for example, a person does every morning, or every day, or what a person did yesterday.
If the sentence contains the words - everyday, usually, never, at first, then, after, in the morning, in the evening, tomorrow, next week, next month, often, soon - then most likely this is a simple tense. You can distinguish by the presence in a sentence of auxiliary verbs in negative and interrogative sentences: do, does, did, didn"t, don"t, will, shall, will not, shall not. Remember - regularity, fact, ordinary action.

Present - the person is doing it now, or he is doing it every day (talking every day, or reading a book, writing a letter, etc.)
past - an action that happened or happened in the past. Well, or a fact from the past (wrote a letter yesterday, worked every day, worked from 90 to 95, went shopping in the evening)
future - an action or a series of actions that will happen in the future, predictions, forecasts (I will work tomorrow, I will write a letter, I will study foreign language every day, I will do an essay soon)
2) Long-term.

Process is the main meaning of time. Indicates that an action is being done, has been done, or will be done for a certain time. I did, but didn't do it. If the sentence contains the words - now, at the moment, at, when, while, at 20 o"clock, tomorrow - then most likely this is exactly what long time. They can be distinguished by the ing ending of the verbs. Auxiliary verbs - was, were, was not, were not, am, will be, shall be. Remember - shows that time was spent on the action

The present is an action that a person does right now, he really does it and wastes his time, and this is what is shown in the sentence (Working now, writing a letter at the moment, going home now)
past - an action that occurred at some specific moment in the past, or that was done at the moment when another action occurred. (I was writing a letter at 7 pm; he was writing a letter when I entered the room, he had been sleeping for 4 hours)
future - an action that will take place at a certain moment in the future (I will write a letter at 7 pm, I will dig the earth tomorrow from 7 to 9 am)
3) Completed.

The result is the main meaning of time. Shows that the action has been completed, there is a result! If a sentence contains the words - twice, lately, recently, several times, yet, already, never, just, ever - then this is most likely a completed tense. You can distinguish them by the auxiliary verbs - had, has, have, shall have, will have.

Remember - there is a result here, the action here has completed or will be completed, and this is either way.

The present is an action that took place in the past, but has the most direct connection with the present. Example: he has already written a letter. Let me explain: he did this in the past, but the result applies specifically to the present. Example: I just lost my key. Let me explain: what he lost was in the past, but he is talking about it now.
past - an action that completed before a certain point in time in the past (I wrote a letter by 7 o'clock).
future - an action that will be completed by some specific moment in the future (I will write a letter by 7 o’clock).
4) completed - long-lasting.

Here I recommend independent study. This tense is not used in colloquial speech, and it is better to come to the study of this tense after studying the above written tenses. Don't worry about it, work out the previous tenses!

So, to summarize:

Simple tense is a statement of fact.
It's a long process.
Completed is the result.

Continuous past Present Continuous Tense Continuous present Future Continuous Tense Long lasting future Perfect Tenses - Completed Past Perfect Tense Completed past Present Perfect Tense Completed present Future Perfect Tense Completed future Perfect Continuous Tense s - Completed-continuous Past Perfect Continuous Tense Completed-continuous past Present Perfect Continuous Tense Completed-continuous present Future Perfect Continuous Tense Completed-long-term future English tense table

One of the main tasks in studying any foreign language is the development of temporal forms of past, present and future tense. Their correct use in certain situations brings a person closer to free and correct communication in the target language. At first glance, it may seem like a difficult task to master them, since there are only twelve tense forms in the English language, but they all have a completely understandable structure and logic.

This and other articles describe in detail and in an extremely accessible way the system of formation of all tense forms in the English language. This material is intended for people with an initial or basic level of language proficiency.

If you have general questions about the use of one or another temporary form, you can ask a question and discuss the topic in a specially created topic on our forum.

Types of tense forms in English

Tenses in English, as in any other language, have three forms:

Past Tense.
Present Tense.
Future Tense.

In turn, each of these forms of time has four categories or aspects that are used in a given situation or circumstance:

Simple Tenses- Simple time. Used to describe general, regular situations in life in the past, present or future. This tense form is most common, as in writing, and orally.
Continuous Tenses- For a long time. It is used in cases when a particular event, action or state lasts for a certain time interval, has one or another ongoing process. This form of tense is also widely used in written and spoken language.
Perfect Tenses- Completed time. This tense is used to describe completed or completed actions in the past, completed in the present, or expected completed actions or events in the future. A less common form of tense, especially the future tense.
Perfect Continuous Tenses- Completed - long time. Tense is used in cases when an event or action has completed, is ending or will end in the future, and this action, event or situation lasted for some time. These forms of time, as in the past, present and especially in the future, are very rarely used in writing and especially in oral speech.

Thus, there are a total of 12 tense forms in English, listed in the list on the right. About education, the use of each tense form, as well as practical examples and exercises can be found in separate articles by clicking on the appropriate link. You can also look at a table of all tense forms in English so that you can compare the structure of formation of a particular time.

You should pay attention to how sentences are formed in English. This must be taken into account when forming sentences in one form or another, so that the sentences will be grammatically correct, this will bring any student of English closer to its fluent and grammatically correct use.

The principle of formation of tense forms in English

When forming proposals in one form or another, you should pay attention to the following:

On the order of words in sentences. You can find out about this in a separate article.
For auxiliary verbs of one or another tense form, their inflections by person. The forms of auxiliary verbs differ depending on the tense form and person in which a particular sentence is formed.
On the use of verbs:
- to be- be; be; appear.
- to do- do (and all other action-related verbs).
- to have- have; have.
  Each of these verbs has differences in declension in one form or another.
On the formation of interrogative, affirmative and negative sentences, since there are small nuances in the formation of such proposals.
To use time adverbials, as they help determine which tense form should be used. At the same time, the use of various circumstances makes speech more competent and rich.

Conclusion

If you have questions about how to construct sentences in one form or another, how to correctly construct sentences or other questions related to learning English, then we suggest asking them on the discussion page of our forum, the participants of our forum will help you understand this or that issue related to learning English. We will also be glad to receive messages if there are any corrections or additions to this or other articles on our website.

Present tense in English

There are four present tenses in English:

Progressive;
Perfect Progressive.

The same situation applies to past and future tenses.

Present Simple - present simple tense

Used for:

Transferring an action that happens regularly (I work 5 days a week; he walks the dog in the morning);
Habits (I don’t smoke; my neighbor runs in the morning);
Traditions (we visit grandma every Christmas; her husband gives her jewelry for every birthday);
Facts (snow melts in spring, water boils at 100 C).

In every time there are so-called marker words, which will help you navigate the choice of time in case of difficulties.

So, write out this list for yourself, and you will not have problems with Present Simple tense:

Always - always;
Usually – usually;
Often – often;
Sometimes - sometimes;
Seldom – rare;
Never - never;
Every day (week, month etc.) – every day (week, month, etc.);
Once/twice a... - once in..., twice in....

In order to make a statement in the Present Simple, you need to remember that the first 2 places in the sentence are a priori occupied by the actor and the verb. The subject comes first, then the predicate. S (subject - subject) + V (verb - verb/predicate) + Obj. (object – object/addition) I(you, we, they) work everyday. BUT! He/She/It workS every day.

When the actor is a third party singular – we must add the ending –s, -es(if the word ends in –o/-s/-ss/-sh/-ch/-x).

To ask a question, you need to use . Such verbs have no translation, they simply indicate the time in which the question is asked. After all, in English, unlike Russian, there are no gender or temporal endings.

Auxiliary verbs to form a question:

I/you/we/they – DO
He/she/it – DOES

As you may have noticed, there is always a . BUT! The ending should be repeated only once per sentence. Therefore, if the sentence contains NO endings, you do not need to add ANY endings to the verb.

Present Progressive - present continuous tense

To understand and remember it, you first need to construct a sentence in an unusual way for yourself: I am the one writing this text, my brother is playing football now, etc. This is exactly what the literal translation of sentences sounds like in this tense.

Formula: S + be (am/is/are) + Ving + Obj.

Continuous auxiliary verb – to be.

In the present tense it has 3 forms:

I AM - I am working now;
He/she/it IS — He/she/it is working now.
You/we/they ARE - We/you/they are working now.

Question:

Be + S + Ving + Obj:
- Am I working?
- Is she working?
- Are we working?

Denial:

S + be + not + Ving + Obj:
- I am not working now.
- He is not working now.
- We are not working now.

Reduction:

I'm not;
He/she/it isn`t;
We/you/they aren`t.

Past tense in English

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Past Progressive

For expression long acting in the past, tense is used. Most often, it is used in conjunction with the Past Simple when talking about a process that was interrupted brief event in the past.

For example:

I was reading a book when I heard a strange noise. I was reading a book (process) when I heard a strange sound (it interrupted the process).

As with any time, markers will help you find your way:

At 7 pm – 7 pm (or any other specific time;
From…. Till….. – from…..to….;
While - while.

Statement:

S+be+Ving+Obj

As you can see, the formula is absolutely identical to the Present progressive tense, but there is still a difference. And this is .

In the past tense, the verb has only 2 forms:

(for singular);
(for plural).

Question:

Be + S + Ving + Obj. —Was I sleeping at 10 am?

Negation:

S + be NOT + Ving + Obj — I wasn`t sleeping at 10 am.

Future tense in English

The future tense can be expressed in several ways. The most used ones are time and the turn be going to.

The Future Simple is used for unplanned events in the future. We often use it for spontaneous decisions. The catch is that most school teachers This time was presented as the only time available for talking about the future, but in practice, other phrases overtake it in frequency of use.

You can create this tense using an auxiliary verb .

Time markers:

Tomorrow - tomorrow;
Next week (month, Summer) – next week, next month, next summer;
In 10 years – in 10 years;
Later - later.

Statement:

S + will + V + Obj:
- I will call you later.
- He will call you later.
- We will call you later.

As you can see, the verb after will does not need to be changed.

Reduction:

I will – I'll
He will – he'll
We will – we'll

Question:

In any interrogative sentence in English, we need to put in first place auxiliary verb:

Will + S + V + Obj:
- Will you call me later?
If the question is special, put a question word before the auxiliary verb:
- WHEN will you call me?

Negation:

S + will NOT + V + Obj — I will not call you later.

Reduction:

Will not = won't

Design be going to used for a pre-planned action in the future, it is often translated as "about to do something."

Statement:

Question:

Be + S + going to + V?:
- Am I going to swim?
- Is he going to swim?
- Are you going to swim?

Negation:

S + be NOT + going to + V + Obj:
- I am not going to swim.
- He is not going to swim.
- We are not going to swim.

Signs of tenses in English

We have already found out that each tense has marker words that help distinguish one grammatical tense from another. Therefore, you should remember the markers, which is best done by making several dozen different sentences with each.

Remember that the ending – ing can only be used in conjunction with the verb be.

One of the most common errors up to high levels can be considered like:

I'm working here.
We live here.

They are grammatically incorrect because the verb ending in –ing is used in the following sentences:

I AM working.
We are living.

If we are not talking about this moment, but about what is happening in general, it is quite simple actor and verb:

I work here.
He work here.

Coordination of tenses is a topic that makes you want to quit studying, but in fact, the logic behind it is very simple.

Remember, if the past tense was used at the beginning of the sentence, then we can ONLY use the past tense, even if the Russian version uses the present tense.

Here's an example:

Her father found out that she smokes.

The past tense comes first, and the present tense comes second. This is not possible in English.

We must say:

Her father found out that she smoked.

How to remember tenses in English?

There are several ways to remember times, but, unfortunately, there is no universal way:

Remember the name of the time along with the formula, like a rhyme:
- Present Simple (I do/he does)
- Present Progressive (I am going)
- Past Simple (I did), etc.
Find interesting text and highlight all the tenses you see. Then explain the use of each:
Watch movies and and pay attention to the use of tenses;
Practice and practice again!