The grammatical system of any language, at first glance, seems to be an immense ocean of new terms and incomprehensible rules. As it is mastered, it turns out that it is rather a pool with several tracks, and the student’s whole task is to move at the appropriate moments to the required tracks, that is, speech structures. Today we are on one of the most important grammatical tracks and the goal of our swim is to master verb tenses in the English language. The topic regarding the Russian language is very complex, so be prepared for a thorough analysis and sensitive attention to sometimes subtle differences.
There are a total of 12 different verb forms that can be used in English sentences. Do not be afraid of this number, because in fact, of course, there are three times: present, future and past. But, each of them will have four forms, the use of which depends on the period of time specified in the sentence.
The thing is that this language very scrupulously delineates the temporary moments of action. If Russian grammar doesn't care I'm writing a book now, or I write it every day, then English verbs will react to this in a completely different way, classifying these sentences into two different categories. Let's look at how times are built English verb regarding the rules of each of the four grammatical categories.
Category Simple
This is a group of simple times. It includes actions that are/have been/will be performed frequently, regularly, ordinarily, as well as one-time actions and events.
The present tense in this category is formed from the infinitive of the verb without the particle to. Moreover, if the subject is in the 3rd person ( he/she/it) then the ending is added to the predicate – s. Interrogative and negative forms are constructed using the auxiliary do(in 3rd person does). The future tense is also characterized by a verb in the infinitive, only an auxiliary word is added before it will. With its help, questions and denials are formed. In the past, the second form of the verb is used with the ending - ed(if the verb is correct), for questions and negatives add did.
| Time | Statement | Question | Negation |
| Present | She sings well. | Does she sing well? | She doesn't sing well. |
| Past | She sang well. | Did she sing well? | She didn't sing well. |
| Future | She will sing well. | Will she sing well? | She will not (won't) sing well. |
Grammar note: when constructing questions and negations, it is not the main predicate that changes, but the helping verb do or will! In 1st person ( I, we) future tense can be used v. shall.
Category Continuous
Continuous tenses. The group notes the duration of the ongoing process, the performance of actions at a specific point in time. The emphasis is not on the fact of doing something, but on the time at which these actions are/were/will be performed.
Other English topics: Verbs that are not used in the present continuous: explanation of the phenomenon
The present continuous tense in English is characterized by the use of the construction tobe+ participle I. Creating interrogative and negative sentences does not require an auxiliary do, since the predicate is used for this tobe. The same law is also true for the past tense; accordingly, to be is in past form. The verb is still used to express the future tense will.
| Time | Statement | Question | Negation |
| Present | They are watching cartoons now. | Are they watching cartoons now? | They aren't watching cartoons now. |
| Past | They were watching cartoons at that moment. | Were they watching cartoons at that moment? | They weren't watching cartoons at that moment. |
| Future | They will be watching cartoons at this time tomorrow. | Will they be watching cartoons at this time tomorrow? | They won't be watching cartoons at this time tomorrow. |
Category Perfect
We have already noted that verb tenses sometimes have subtle differences in English. To a greater extent, this statement suits the last two grammatical groups.
In sentences with Perfect ( perfect tense) in English express completed actions, the result of which is directly related to a given point in time. The simple past tense cannot be used in such expressions, since the context suggests an emphasis on the time interval. This action was either just completed or at a certain point. Also, the act could have been committed a long time ago, or never been committed at all, and this is what has/had/will matter in the present tense.
The construction of these English verb tenses will always contain verbhave and participle II.
| Time | Statement | Question | Negation |
| Present | We have already done our task. | Have you alreadydone your task? | We haven't done our task yet. |
| Past | We had done our task by 7 o'clock. | Had you done your task by 7 o'clock? | We hadn't done our task by 7 o'clock. |
| Future | We will have done our task by 9 o'clock. | Will you have done your task by 9 o'clock? | We won't have done our task by 9 o'clock. |
Grammar note: in the 3rd person form of the auxiliary verb has/hasn’t. He has done the task.
Category Perfect Continuous
The times are completely extended. The most difficult category to comprehend, especially for those just starting to learn English. Its main purpose is to emphasize that the action/event will still continue when the specified point in time arrives, or another action has already begun/taken place. In other words, the action has been in progress for some time, and will still continue. It sounds pretty confusing in words, but the example below will make it clearer.
The tenses of this group correspond to the construction havebeen+ participle I.
| Time | Statement | Question | Negation |
| Present | I have been living in this flat for 7 years. | Have you been living in this flat for 7 years? | I haven't been living in this flat for 7 years. |
| Past | I had been living in this flat for 7 years . | Had you been living in this flat for 7 years when you decided to renovate it? | I hadn't been living in this flat for 7 years when I decided to renovate it. |
| Future | I will have been living in this flat for 7 years next April. | Will you have been living in this flat for 7 years next April? | I will haven't been living in this flat for 7 years next April. |
Other English topics: Transitive and intransitive verbs in English: what they are + lists of words
It is worth noting that verbs with the future tense in this construction are extremely rare.
It’s just that Perfect is often confused with its continuous brother – Perfect Continuous, but they have different meanings. To learn how to distinguish them, look at the following picture.
In the first case, the girl I've already drawn 2 hours and when dad came she was still continued to draw. And in the second situation the boy is already completely finished your drawing when dad came.
Verb tenses in English - summary table
Let's imagine the general rules for times various verbs English language in the form of a table and present the most characteristic time circumstances for each category.
| Simple | ||
| The present | Past | Future |
| + Infinitive without to (3 l.+s) - don't/doesn't Circumstances: ever, generally, always, as a rule, every day, sometimes. |
+ Second form of the verb Circumstances: ago, last week, yesterday, in those times, in that day. |
+ Will/Shall + Infinitive without to - will/shall not (won’t; shan’t) Circumstances: tomorrow, next week, in the near future. |
| Continuous | ||
| The present | Past | Future |
| + to be + participle I Circumstances: now, constantly, next, still, soon. |
+ to be + participle I Circumstances: at that moment, at 4 o’clock, all the time, constantly. |
will be + participle I Circumstances: in this time next week. |
| Perfect | ||
| The present | Past | Future |
| + have + participle II - haven't/hasn't Circumstances: ever, just, never, before, yet, for a long time |
+ Had + participle II Circumstances: by, before, scarcely..when, hardly…when. |
+ Will have + participle II - will not (won’t) Circumstances: by, until, before. |
| PerfectContinuous | ||
| The present | Past | Future |
| + Have been + participle I - haven't/hasn't |
Had been + participle I | + Will have been + participle I |
| Circumstances are the same as in the Perfect times. | ||
The cornerstone for everyone learning English is his time. Have you dismantled the group? Simple(Indefinite) and everything seems clear and easy. And you start the next one, and your head is already a mess. How to not just learn 12 tenses in English, but also to understand them in order to actually use them in speech, and not bury them in the “useful knowledge” section somewhere deeper in your head?
“Dreams and everyday life of a worm” - this visual table, which at one time blew up the Internet and helped millions stop making mistakes in time. If you are still “swimming” in this topic, take the picture from examples to yourself. Place it on your desk or print it and hang it in a visible place.
And right now, go through all 12 times. We learn fun, like children, and remember easily times in English!
Group Present (present)
Simple (Indefinite, simple): I eat apples every day. – I eat apples every day.
Continuous: We are eating the same apple now. – We are eating the same apple now.
Perfect (completed): I have already eaten this apple. - I have already eaten this apple.
Perfect Continuous (complete-long): I have been eating this apple since early morning. – I have been eating this apple since early morning.
Group Past (past tense)
Simple (Indefinite): I ate apples yesterday. – I ate apples yesterday.
Continuous: I was eating an apple when my mother came. – I was eating an apple when my mother came.
Perfect: We had already eaten apples when we began to eat plums. – We had already finished the apples when we started eating the plums.
Perfect Continuous: I had been eating apples for two hours when my friend arrived. – I had been eating apples for 2 hours when my friend came.
Future group (future tense)
Simple (Indefinite): I will eat apples in summer. - I will eat apples in the summer.
Continuous: I will be eating apples at 5 o'clock tomorrow. – I will eat apples at 5 o’clock tomorrow.
Perfect: I will have eaten this apple before the midnight. “I’ll finish this apple before midnight.”
Perfect Continuous: I will have been eating this apple for two hours before the guard comes. – I will be eating this apple for 2 hours before the watchman appears.
Friends, and finally helpful advice: try to understand, not memorize 12 times of the English language. We need to clearly understand what is different next time from what you have already studied. If you still barely see the difference, it’s better to stop and bring this piece to perfection, and then move on.
Also, be sure to practice. At home, at work, with friends. We are confident that your environment will understand and support your desire to improve English. And you, thus, will take the learned rules from passive into active spoken language. Good luck and good mood!
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 looked into a wonderful vintage home decor store, and two things especially 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 caught by a common mistake - using the wrong tense form of the verb, Present Progressive instead of 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.”There is one topic in language learning that we can probably talk about endlessly. Of course, we mean tenses in English. It is sometimes difficult for students new to the language to get used to the way English-speaking people divide their time for themselves. In fact, each tense form in English has its own analogue in Russian, we just don’t distinguish these forms into separate groups. Therefore, understanding tenses is not at all difficult, and today you will see for yourself.
First let's do short review all time groups so that you have an idea of what we will talk about today. As in Russian, English sentences can be built in the past, present and future. But besides these tenses, English also has 4 tense forms, namely: Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous. In general, it turns out that one idea can be expressed in twelve temporary forms. Each form has a different way of forming verbs that appear in a sentence. With their help you can determine the time. Detailed table for clarity:
| Formation of tenses in English | ||||
| Time/View | Simple | Continuous or Progressive (long) | Perfect | Perfect Continuous / Progressive (perfect continuous) |
| Past (past) |
V2 | to be (2nd form) + V-ing | had + V3 | had + been + V-ing |
| Present (present) | V1 | to be (1st form) + V-ing | have / has + V3 | have / has + been + V-ing |
| Future (future) |
will + V1 | will be + V-ing | will + have + V3 | will + have + been + V-ing |
Having briefly examined English tenses, let's move on to their more detailed study and consider the rules for forming tenses with examples.
Why are tenses needed in English?
But first I would like to dwell on the question of why tenses of the English language are needed and whether it is worth learning them all. The tense system in English helps to correctly convey your thoughts to others. That is, you can make it clear what action we are talking about. Was it in the past or present? Has it already ended or is it still going on? Or maybe it happens regularly? - all these questions will disappear on their own , if it is known what tense was used in the sentence.
“So I’m just starting to learn the language, and I’ll immediately have to learn all 12 tenses of the English language?” - you ask. Ideally, yes, you need to learn all tenses. But, most likely, you will not be able to do this at once. Therefore, start your training from the times of the Simple group. Knowing the simple tense, you will be able to explain what happened or will happen to you, what you need and why. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to this time, and therefore, having dealt with it, gradually continue to study other groups. The latest one to consider is the Perfect Continuous group. It is often resorted to when the language level of the students has already “exceeded” the intermediate level, because the tenses of this group are used quite rarely and are used more to demonstrate their knowledge.
Tenses in English: Simple group
|
Simple |
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
| + | V1 | V2 | will + V1 | |
| — | do / does + not + V1 | did + not + V1 | will + not + V1 | |
| ? | Do/Does... V1? | Did... V1? | Will...V1? |
Present Simple
Present Simple or simple present tense , is perhaps the most used. The use of this English tense is necessary to express regularly repeated actions, habits, schedules and facts.
As you may have noticed from the table above, the present tense is formed using a verb in its initial form, that is, in the form in which the word is indicated in the dictionary. However, this form may vary slightly depending on the person and number. So, if an action is performed by a third person in the singular, the verbs have an ending -s (-es):
|
Pronouns / Pronouns |
tobe in the present tense |
| I | V1 |
| He | V1 + -s (-es) |
Examples:
To form negative and interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb do is used. If it is used with third persons in the singular, then this verb turns into does because it takes away the ending -s (-es) from the semantic verb.
Examples:
As you can see, this tense does not have any complex grammatical rules.
Past Simple
Past Simple or simple past tense in English is used to express the same simple repeated actions, but only in the past. To form it, a verb in the second form is used. It comes in two types. If the verb is regular, then it is enough to add the ending –ed. If it is irregular, then you just need to memorize the second form, because each irregular verb has its own one. Compare:
In this case, the person performing the action does not affect the verb in any way, that is, for all persons the form of the verb is the same. Let's look at the use of this time using examples:
To form negative and interrogative sentences in this case, the auxiliary verb did is used. It takes over the function of the past tense determiner, so the semantic verb returns to its initial form:
Future Simple
Future Simple or simple future tense in English is used to express simple actions that will happen in the future. It has the auxiliary verb will in all three sentence forms:
| She will help you. | She will help you. | |
| I will explain you how to do this. | I'll explain to you how to do it. | |
| They will share their main ideas. | They will share their main ideas. | |
| You will not (won’t) remember anything. | You won't remember anything. | |
| She won’t be available because she’ll turn off her phone. | She won't be available because she will turn off her phone. | |
| They won't sign the documents. | They won't sign the documents. | |
| Will you be with me? | You will be with me? | |
| Will they like the description of the product? | Will they like the product description? | |
| Will he lie or not? | Will he lie or not? |
Tenses in English: Continuous group
|
Continuous / Progressive (Long) |
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
| + | to be (1st form) + V-ing | to be (2nd form) + V-ing | will be + V-ing | |
| — | to be (1st form) + not + V-ing | to be (2nd form) + not + V-ing | will + not + be + V-ing | |
| ? | to be (1st form) ... V-ing? | to be (2nd form) ... V-ing? | Will...be V-ing? |
Present Continuous
Present Continuous (Present Progressive) or present continuous tense in English (also known as continuous tense in English) is a tense that shows that an action is ongoing, that is, in the process of being performed in this moment time. It is usually constructed using the auxiliary verb to be, which is expressed in three forms, depending on person and number:
Examples:
| I am typing him a message right now. | I'm typing a message to him right now. | |
| We are watching TV all day long. | We watch TV all day. | |
| They are translating the text at the moment. | They are currently translating the text. | |
| He is not (isn’t) reading now. | He's not reading now. | |
| Jim isn’t writing a new post. | Jim doesn't write a new post. | |
| I am not (‘m not) learning Turkish. | I don't study Turkish. | |
| Is she working here till summer? | Is she working here until the summer? | |
| Are you doing this on purpose, huh? | You're doing this on purpose, right? | |
| Are they studying the course at the moment? | Are they currently studying this course? |
Past Continuous
(Past Progressive) or past continuous tense is used to show that some action lasted at a certain point in the past. Its formation also requires auxiliary and semantic verbs. The same verb to be acts as an auxiliary verb, but only in the past tense:
| Pronouns | to be in the past tense |
| I | was |
| We | were |
The semantic verb is formed in the same way as for the present continuous tense.
Examples:
| I was sleeping when he called me. | I was sleeping when he called me. | |
| She was cooking while I was reading a newspaper. | She was cooking while I was reading the newspaper. | |
| They were watching a cartoon when the electricity was suddenly cut off. | They were watching a cartoon when suddenly the lights went out. | |
| He was not (wasn’t) surfing the Internet at 8 in the evening. | He wasn't surfing the Internet at 8 p.m. | |
| They were not (weren’t) talking to each other when I came in. | They weren't talking to each other when I walked in. | |
| I wasn't analyzing the results. | I didn't analyze the results. | |
| Was she laughing during your presentation? | Did she laugh during your presentation? | |
| Were they training in the evening? | Did they train in the evening? | |
| Was she teaching her student at 3 p.m.? | Was she tutoring her student at 3pm? |
Future Continuous
Accordingly, the Future Continuous (Future Progressive) or future continuous tense shows an action that will occur at a specific moment in the future. All 3 sentence forms in this tense need an auxiliary verb will be and a semantic verb ending in –ing:
| When I come back, they will be listening to music. | When I return, they will listen to music. | |
| I will be passing the exam this time tomorrow. | Tomorrow at this time I will be taking the exam. | |
| They will be rehearsing here at 9 p.m. | They will be rehearsing here at 9 pm. | |
| Diana will not (won’t) be recording a song tonight. | Diana won't be recording the song tonight. | |
| Unfortunately, I will not be spending time with my friends during my vacations. | Unfortunately, I won't be spending time with my friends during my vacation. | |
| They will not be building a website this time on Monday. | They will not be developing the website at this time on Monday. | |
| Will they be chilling the whole day? | Will they chill out all day? | |
| Will she be washing the dishes when we go downstairs? | Will she be washing the dishes when we go downstairs? | |
| Will they be conducting a research? | Will they do the research? |
Tenses in English: Perfect group
|
Perfect (Perfect) |
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
| + | have / has + V3 | had + V3 | will + have + V3 | |
| — | have / has + not + V3 | had + not + V3 | will + not + have + V3 | |
| ? | Have/Has…V3? | Had...V3? | Will... have V3? |
Present Perfect
Present Perfect or present perfect tense is a tense in English used to express actions that have completed by now. It differs from the simple past tense in that it places emphasis on the result in the present that caused an action in the past.
This tense form requires the auxiliary verb have, which changes to has for the third person. But with verbs used as semantic ones, not everything is so simple. They are answered by the past participles. The participle can be formed in two ways:
- If the verb is correct, then it is enough to add the ending –ed:
Example sentences:
| The son has broken the window with a ball. | My son broke a window with a ball. | |
| My children have already made the list of presents. | My children have already made a gift list. | |
| I have heard this story many times. | I've heard this story many times. | |
| I have not (haven’t) hurt people ever. | I've never hurt people. | |
| She has not (hasn’t) decided yet. | She hasn't made a decision yet. | |
| They haven’t learned these formulas by heart; that’s why I’m sure they have written cheat sheets | They didn't memorize these formulas, so I'm sure they wrote spurs. | |
| Has she been to Europe? | Has she been to Europe? | |
| Have you ever watched an eclipse? | Have you ever watched an eclipse? | |
| Have they met him yet? | Have they already met him? |
Past Perfect
Or the past perfect tense is used to show that some action took place before a specific moment in the past. It is formed using the auxiliary verb had and the same past participles:
| I had prepared a surprise for my children by 7 o’clock in the evening. | I have prepared a surprise for children by 7 p.m. | |
| We had considered all suggestions by Friday. | We reviewed all proposals by Friday. | |
| I wanted to visit her but she had moved already. | I wanted to visit her, but she had already moved. | |
| She had not (hadn’t) spent too much time before she understood the concept. | It didn't take her long before she understood the concept. | |
| They hadn’t finished the construction by the deadline. | They didn't finish construction by the deadline. | |
| We hadn't published the magazine by Monday. | We had not published the magazine by Monday. | |
| Had she edited everything by the end of the day? | Did she edit everything before the end of the day? | |
| Had he learned the details carefully before he started doing the project? | Did he study all the details carefully before starting the project? | |
| Had she come back by Thursday? | Was she back by Thursday? |
Future Perfect
Future Perfect or future perfect tense, as you might have guessed, shows that the action will be completed by a certain point in the future. To form this tense, in addition to the auxiliary verb have, you will need the verb will. The meaning is the past participle:
| I will have changed everything by this time. | By this time I will change everything. | |
| She will have been in the Maldives at 3 a.m. | She will be in the Maldives at 3 am. | |
| The builders will have built the stadium by next winter. | Builders will build the stadium by next winter. | |
| They will not (won’t) have spent much time on family until they understand its value. | They will not spend much time on family until they understand its value. | |
| She won’t have reached her goals until she starts working. | She won't achieve her goals until she starts working. | |
| I think George and Quincy won’t have made up before your birthday party. | I don't think George and Quincy will make up until your birthday. | |
| Will they have made it by March? | Will they do it by March? | |
| Will she have got his real intentions before they get married? | Will she understand his true intentions before they get married? | |
Tenses in English: Perfect Continuous group
|
Perfect (Perfect) |
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
| + | have / has + been + V-ing | had + been + V-ing | will + have + been + V-ing | |
| — | have / has + not + been + V-ing | had + not + been + V-ing | will + not + have + been + V-ing | |
| ? | Have / Has … been + V-ing? | Had... been + V-ing? | Will... have + been + V-ing? |
Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous Tense is a tense used to show an action that began and lasted up to a certain moment or continues to last now.
It has auxiliary verbs have been, which change to has been for the third person. The semantic verb is the same verb that was used in Continuous tenses. Among all the English tenses of this group, the Present Perfect Continuous tense is the most commonly used:
| It has been raining all day long. | It rained all day. | |
| My friend has been persuading me to go with him for an hour. | My friend convinces me to go with him for an hour. | |
| I’m tired because we have been creating a studio all night. | I was tired because we had been setting up the studio all night. | |
| She has not (hasn’t) been learning French since she moved from Canada. | She doesn't study French since I moved from Canada. | |
| Bryan hasn’t been enjoying his weekends since his mother-in-law came to visit them. | Brian didn't enjoy the weekend because his mother-in-law was visiting. | |
| We haven't been sleeping all night. | We didn't sleep all night. | |
| How long have you been living here? | How long have you lived here? | |
| Have you been fighting again? | Did you fight again? | |
| Who has been touching my documents?! | Who touched my documents?! |
Past Perfect Continuous
The Past Perfect Continuous or past perfect continuous tense is used in the same way as the Present Perfect Continuous, only in this case the action ends at a certain point in the past. Sentences are formed in this tense using the auxiliary verbs had been and the semantic verb ending in –ing. Since this form is not used very often and there are not many options for its use, let's look at just a few examples:
Future Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect Continuous or future perfect continuous tense implies a certain moment in the future. Time is used in very rare cases. It uses the auxiliary verbs will have been and the same semantic verb:
That's all. We hope that the explanation of the topic helped you, and the use of tenses in English is no longer a problem for you. Try to use all tense forms as often as possible when speaking, make up examples with them, do various exercises on English tenses and make translations.
To avoid having to constantly return to this article, redraw or create your own table of English tenses. It will be like a cheat sheet for you. Refer to it periodically, even if you have finished studying this topic, since repeating what you have covered will never do any harm. If you still have a little confusion with the tenses at first, with enough practice you will quickly understand how to use them. The main thing is that we deal with all the tenses step by step and do not move from one group to another until we have completely mastered the material.
It is often difficult for students to understand what verb tenses exist in English. This system seems too complex and confusing, but it can be easily understood.
Main types of temporary forms
To report different actions related to the present, past or future, 4 groups of verb tenses are used:
- Simple or Simple Tenses necessary to confirm any fact. At the same time, they do not indicate duration, completion, attachment to another action or a specific moment.
Jane usually has music lessons in the morning. Jane usually attends music class in the morning.
She had a music lesson yesterday. – She had a music lesson yesterday.
She will have a music lesson tomorrow. – She will have a music lesson tomorrow.
- Continuous Tenses or Continuous Tenses are intended to report any process occurring at a precise moment in the present, past, future. The action is considered unfinished.
John is drinking coffee at the moment. – John is drinking coffee at the moment.
He was drinking coffee at 5 o’clock yesterday. – He was drinking coffee at 5 yesterday.
He will be drinking coffee at 5 o’clock tomorrow. – He will have coffee at 5 tomorrow.
English verbs that mean feeling, perception, mental activity or state are not used in a long tense. These include: to love, to hate, to think, to wish, to feel, to rememeber, to forget, to consist ) and many others.
- Completed Tenses or Perfect Tenses used to talk about what has been done up to a certain point in the present, past or future.
I have just received a parcel. – I just received a parcel.
I had received the parcel by 5 p.m. yesterday. – I received the parcel at 5 o’clock yesterday.
I will have received the parcel by 5 p.m. tomorrow. – I will receive this parcel by 5 pm tomorrow.
- Completed continuous tenses or Perfect Continuous Tenses express processes that began before a certain moment in the past and were still occurring when that moment arrived.
Sam has been reading this novel for 2 hours. Sam has been reading this novel for 2 hours.
He had been reading the novel for 2 hours when his mum came back from work. – He had been reading the novel for 2 hours when his mother returned from work.
He will have been reading the novel for 2 hours when his mum comes back from work. – He will read the novel for 2 hours when his mother returns from work.
Thus, there are 12 tenses of verbs in the English language in the indicative mood of the active voice. Each of the 4 listed groups corresponds to 3 forms - present, past and future.
The English use another group of tenses - the future in the past or Future-in-the-Past. It is required when talking about an action that was future in relation to the moment when the phrase was uttered.
She said that she would visit granny. – She said that she would go to visit her grandmother.
She said that she would be visiting granny at 5 p.m. – She said that she would be visiting her grandmother at 5 o’clock.
She said that she would have finished the test by 3 p.m. She said that she would finish writing the test by 3 o’clock.
She said that she would have been sleeping for 3 hours when her friend called her. She said that she would sleep for 3 hours when her friend called her.
Most often, Future-in-the-Past is necessary in indirect speech.
English Verb Tenses Table
The existing system of 16 tenses of the active voice can be presented simply and clearly in the form of a generalized diagram with examples.
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| Present (present) | Past | Future | Future-in-the-Past (future in the past) | |
| Simple |
Regular actions in the present: Mary eats an apple every day. – Maria eats an apple every day. |
One-time or regular actions in the past: Mary ate an apple yesterday. – Maria ate an apple yesterday. |
A one-time or regular action that will occur: Mary will eat an apple tomorrow. – Maria will eat an apple tomorrow. |
One-time or regular actions in the future according to someone who talked about it in the past: Her mum said that she would eat apples every day. Her mother said that she would eat apples every day. |
| Continuous |
Continuous action occurring at the moment of speech: She is eating an apple now. – She is eating an apple now. |
A process that took place at a certain point in the past: She was eating an apple when the phone rang. She was eating an apple when the phone rang. |
A process that will take place at some point in the future: She will be eating an apple at 5 o’clock tomorrow. – She will eat an apple at 5 o’clock tomorrow. |
A process at a specific time in the future that was reported in the past: Sam said that Mary would be eating an apple at 5 o’clock. Sam said that Maria will eat an apple at 5 o’clock. |
| Perfect (curtained) |
An action completed by now, when the result is important: She has just eaten an apple. - She just ate an apple. |
An action that was completed at a certain point in the past or occurred before another action in the past: She had eaten an apple before it started to rain. She finished the apple before it started to rain. |
An action that will be completed by a certain point in the future: She will have eaten her apple before going to bed. - She will finish her apple before going to bed. |
A message in the past about an action that will be completed in the future: She said that she would have eaten her apple before going to bed. – She said that she would finish the apple before going to bed. |
|
Perfect Continuous |
An action that began in the past and is still ongoing in the present: She has been eating an apple for an hour. She has been eating an apple for an hour now. |
A continuous action that began before another event in the past and was still continuing: She had been eating her apple for 10 minutes when the phone rang. She had been eating an apple for 10 minutes when the phone rang. |
A continuous action in the future that will begin before another event and will still occur: She will have been eating her apple for 5 minutes when the football match begins. She will have been eating the apple for 5 minutes when the football match starts. |
A message in the past about a continuous action in the future that will begin before another event and will still take place: She said that she would have been eating her apple for 5 minutes when the footbal match begins. She said that she will have been eating the apple for 5 minutes when the football match starts. |
What have we learned?
In English, there is a complex system of verb tenses in the indicative mood of the active voice. These times differ in the duration of the action, the moment of its commission and other characteristics.
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