Often tenses in English are difficult for English learners. This is explained by the fact that the tenses system in English is not similar to that used in Russian, although some parallels can still be drawn. However, the system of English times has an undeniable merit - it has a strict orderliness, consistency, and obeys the laws of grammar.
English Times. a brief description of
There are 12 tenses in English, which are divided into four groups:
- simple or indefinite(a group of simple times);
- continuous or progressive(group of long or extended times);
- perfect(group of perfect times);
- perfect continuous or perfect progressive(a group of perfect long times).
In English, just as in Russian, the action expressed by a verb can occur in the past, present, or future. Accordingly, each of the above groups of tenses can be expressed in the past tense ( past tense), present tense ( present tense), or future tense ( future tense).
Each group of tenses in English expresses a different situation.
Simple times describe the fact of the origin of the action, regardless of the extent of this action. They are also used to describe actions that occur with some regularity.
Long times, as the name suggests, describe what happens over a period of time, usually given by the moment in question. Also, verbs of this group of tenses are always built using the verb be and the ending is always appended to them "-ing".
Perfect times describe actions that have already completed at some point in time. Verbs in this group of tenses are always used with an auxiliary verb have and they always appear in the past participle form.
Perfect long times, as the name implies, define in themselves the signs of the times of a perfect and long-lasting group, they describe actions that continued over a certain period of time. The verbs of this group use two auxiliary verbs - have and been, and have the ending " -ing".
Remembering the simple rules given above, it will be much easier to choose between these groups of times.
English times table with examples
To further simplify the understanding of the English tenses system, below is a table that reflects the main use cases for certain tenses.
| Past (past tense) | Present (present) | Future (future tense) | |
| Simple / Indefinite | The fact of the origin of the action in the past. | An action that occurs with some regularity. | Action to be taken in the future. |
| cooked | cook / cooks | shall / will cook | |
| He cooked yesterday. He cooked yesterday. |
He cooks dinner every Friday. He prepares dinner every Friday. |
He will cook tomorrow. He will cook tomorrow. |
|
| Continuous / Progressive be + verb + ing |
An action that occurs at a specified moment in the past (usually expressed by another action in the form of a Simple Past). | The action that is taking place now. | An action that will take place some time later in the future, at any specified moment. |
| was / were cooking | am / is / are cooking | shall / will be cooking | |
| He was cooking when the phone rang. He was cooking when the phone rang. |
He is cooking now. He's cooking now. |
He will be cooking when you come. He will cook when you come. |
|
| Perfect have + verb |
An action that ended before another action in the past, or before a moment in the past. | An action that took place at some unspecified moment in the past, and the effect of which is often present in the present. | An action that ends before another action in the future, or until a moment in the future. |
| had cooked | has / have cooked | shall / will have cooked | |
| He had cooked the dinner when the phone rang. He had already made dinner when the phone rang. |
He has cooked many meals. He has prepared many dishes. |
He will have cooked dinner by the time you come. He'll have dinner ready by the time you arrive. |
|
have + been + verb + ing |
An action that took place over a period of time before another action in the past, or until a moment in the past. | An action that began in the past, and which takes place over a period of time, and continues in the present. | An action that will begin in the future and that will take place over a period of time before another action in the future, or a moment in the future. |
| had been cooking | has / have been cooking | shall / will have been cooking | |
| He had been cooking for a long time before he took lessons. He had been cooking for a while before he took a cooking course. |
He has been cooking for over an hour. He's been cooking for over an hour. |
He will have been cooking all day by the time she gets home. He'll be cooking all day by the time she gets home. |
Signs of the times in English
To a certain extent, each group of English times may have some signs that suggest, help to understand what time to use in a particular case. And although such signs do not allow one to determine with one hundred percent certainty what time will be the most correct in this case, they still simplify the task of choosing.
Such signs express the period or time in which the action takes place.
For example:
yesterday (yesterday) indicates simple past
every day indicates simple present
tomorrow (tomorrow) points to a simple future
while (while) indicates a past continuous
now indicates present continuous
In English, there are many such word-signs, expressing any moment or period in time, and many of them indicate whether the action took place in the past, or will only happen in the future, and they can suggest which group time should be used. If you learn to recognize such words-signs, then this will greatly help in choosing the times. However, it should be borne in mind that some of these words-signs can be used in more than one group of tenses. Below is a table containing the main such word-signs, and showing what time they indicate.
| Past (past tense) | Present (present) | Future (future tense) | |
| Simple / Indefinite | Simple Past | Simple Present | Simple future |
| yesterday - yesterday last year / month / etc - last year / month / etc. one year / month ago - one year / month ago |
every morning / day / etc. - every morning / every day / etc. always - always usually - usually frequently / often - often sometimes - sometimes |
tomorrow - tomorrow tonight - tonight next week / month / etc. - next week / next month / etc. soon - soon in the future - in the future |
|
| Continuous / Progressive | Past Continuous | Present continuous | Future continuous |
| while - while when - when |
now - now right now - right now this week / minute / etc. - this week / this minute / etc. |
when - when after - after as soon as - as soon as before - before |
|
| Perfect | Past perfect | Present perfect | Future perfect |
| before - before already - already by the time - by that time until then / last week / etc. - up to this point / until last week / etc. after - after |
until now - until now since - since then ever - ever never - never many times / weeks / years / etc. - many times / many weeks / many years / etc. for three hours / minutes / etc. - within three hours / minutes / etc. |
by the time you go (somewhere) - by the time you go (somewhere) by the time you do (something) - by the time you do (something) already - already |
|
| Perfect Continuous / Perfect Progressive | Past Perfect Continuous | Present perfect continuous | Future perfect continuous |
| before - before for one week / hour / etc. - within one week / one hour / etc. since - since then |
for the past year / month / etc. - during the last year / month / etc. for the last 2 months / weeks / etc. - within the last 2 months / weeks / etc. up to now - up to now since - since then |
by the time - by that time for ten days / weeks / etc. - within ten days / weeks / etc. by - to (any moment) |
Times in English is a daunting topic for those who are just starting to learn it. It pops up in my head all the time that there is a huge number of times in English, one more complicated than the other. Well, there is some truth in this - unlike the Russian language, where nouns and adjectives are highly developed, the system of verb tenses is highly developed in English. We will talk about them today, or rather, we will start talking - after all, this topic is almost inexhaustible.
From school I remember the number 26 - that is how much, according to the authors of Soviet textbooks, there were times in English. All 26 times found their place in a huge table and were studied in turn by the stunned schoolchildren.
In the margins, I will note that how many times actually is - a rather philosophical question, since the answer depends on "how to count." For example, in Soviet 26 times, on the one hand, a whole new group of tenses "future in the past" was introduced, which is traditionally not considered a separate tense. On the other hand, 6 times were thrown out of the calculation, simply because "they are very rarely used." Returning to the question "how many times": here are the possible answers: 12, 14, 16 (in two ways), 24, 26, 32.
And this paragraph is for hardcore linguists. To the question in the form “How many tenses are there in English language”, from a formal point of view, the correct answer is 2 (in words: two): past tense and present tense. And everything steel is aspects and voices.
What time to use in what situation is not such a simple question. Timing does not only depend on when what you are going to talk about happens. Sometimes from what exactly you want to communicate about this action, sometimes from your attitude to the action, and sometimes ... just because they say so. You will have to learn the subtleties of the use of tenses up to the highest levels of mastering the English language.
But if the use of English tenses is something that is unlikely to be mastered in a short time, then the very principle of constructing English tenses is not so difficult. For all practical purposes, especially until you reach advanced levels of language proficiency, consider that in English 12 times(see the table - what is a site about English grammar without a table of verb tenses?).
It is in this form that the scheme of the times of the English language is common in textbooks, manuals and cheat sheets. A little later, we'll talk about “whether you need to know all of them,” but for now let's figure out how this plate is arranged and where, in fact, these 12 times are obtained.
Before you start, a valuable tip: do not try to memorize the Russian names of times - they still change from textbook to textbook. With the achievement of high levels, it is best to study grammar from English-language materials, and there they did not hear about Russian names. So memorize the English names right away - they will help you navigate in any textbook.
Lines: Past - Present - Future
Tenses in English. Many people when faced with English grammar are horrified by the number of tenses in English. There are 12 of them !!! How to understand them all? What time to use? Are they even different? Tenses in English.
All these questions arise in a person and he is horrified to realize that without outside help he will not understand the verb tenses.
It is not difficult to understand in general terms what a verb tense is in English. This can be explained on the fingers. Which is what I will try to do.
How to understand Times in English?
1. VERB. - Let's start again with the connection with the Russian language. The part of speech that is called the verb possesses tense. No verb, no tense. In English, every sentence needs a verb, even if in Russian it is not even there:
Petrov is a student. Petrov is a student. is is the present tense form of the verb to be. It serves to connect a noun with another noun (who + who), or who the subject is (Petrov is a student), a noun with an adjective (what + what) - an apple is red. - The apple is red. Or indicates the location of the item - An apple is on the table. - The apple (is) on the table.
2. TIMES. In truth, there are only 3 of them. As in the Russian language. This past is Past, the present is Present and the future is Future. Isn't that familiar? I will not explain.
3. In each of the 3 times there is 4 types:
- Simple or also called Indefinite - simple or indefinite type of time.
- Continious or Progressive. - Long-term type.
- Perfect. - The perfect type, or else it is called perfect.
- Perfect Continious. - Long-lasting perfect.
That's how they think that there are 12 times))) That's just with the types and the whole problem. If you understand them, almost half of the work has been done))) The time is easy to determine: Masha cooked porridge. - Cooked - the past tense. And the type? Oops!
Well, let's deal just with the types: what they express, what are their main points and how one differs from the other. The differences are very subtle, but they can be understood and remembered. I repeat: there is nothing wrong. Open it up and put it in your mouth. All that remains is to swallow!
- fact (The dress is red, I am a doctor);
- a regular action (I go on vacation every year; I get up at 7 in the morning; Masha often wears jeans, I work, I go to school) Any action to which you can substitute words: always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.
- Well-known truths (the Earth has the shape of a ball, water boils at 100 degrees, Pushkin was born in Moscow, the End of the World will come in 20 ...)
- For timetables of trains, buses, TV programs, sports commentary.
Remember that the SIMPLE type can be applied to the present, past and future tenses. Don't get hung up on the present tense. This will be a mistake. Try to find examples of this type in all three times. (I go on vacation, I went on vacation, I will go on vacation / I will go on vacation; the train arrives at 6 o'clock, the train arrived yesterday, the train will arrive tomorrow)
They play chess every day. - I play chess every day. My sister played chess yesterday. - My sister played chess yesterday. My brother and I will play chess after school tomorrow. “My brother and I will play chess tomorrow after school.
If this is clear, you can study the times of the group SIMPLE:,. (click)
- For example, in the present tense. You call and ask: "what are you doing now?" -What are you doing now? ", And I answer:" I play chess "- I’m playing chess.
- In the past tense - process: What did you do yesterday at 3 o'clock? - a common question for a police officer interrogating a suspect))) "What were you doing at 3 o'clock yesterday?" - I was watching TV (at that time I was in the process of watching TV) - I was watching TV.
- In the future tense. For example, your friend wants to buy movie tickets and wants to invite you for a certain time tomorrow. It is important for him what you will do at this particular time (That is, what process you will be busy with at a particular moment in the future). - What will you be doing tomorrow at 6 pm?- What are you going to do tomorrow at 6? ; Tomorrow at 6 pm I think I will be finishing doing my homework.- Tomorrow at 6 o'clock I think I will finish my homework.
- PERFECT is a group of perfect tenses. Expresses the result of action in the present, past and future.
That was the action and there is the result of this action. The action is over, and the result can be seen in the present. For example: I broke a glass. - I've broken a glass. - The glass is broken (the action has already been completed), but it was broken not long ago, but recently, or just recently. That is, the fragments have not yet been removed (the result of breaking the glass). Shards are the result of an action.
This type is also used when the period of time when the action was performed is not important, but the very result of this action is important. - I bought a new car. I’ve bought a new car. - It is not specified when I bought it, the result itself is important - the presence of a car. Usually it is assumed that the action was taken recently.
- In the past tense - when the result in the past is important before some other action in the past. I had bought a car. - Usually used in stories about the past, and in this past there was a purchase of a car. The result of a purchase in an earlier period is important. Usually this time is used in texts when there was an action in the past, and before it there was one more action. That is, before the earlier one))) For example: I bought a car before I got married. - I had bought my car before I got married.
- A process completed by some time in the past. By that time I had already bought a car.- By that time I had already bought a car. Fortunately the rain had stopped before we left the house.“Fortunately, the rain stopped before we left. - (we left BEFORE the moment the rain ended)
This group of tenses is the most difficult for students to understand, since it has almost no analogues in Russian (except for the perfect verbs: did - did, came - came).
- A process completed by some time in the future. - I will have finished the meeting by 5 o'clock tomorrow.- I will already finish the meeting by 5 o'clock tomorrow. (That is, by this time the meeting has already ended)
- PERFECT CONTINUOUS. - a group of a perfect long-term type.
Expresses process, which just ended. Your face is red and you are sweating.- You have a red face and you are sweaty. What have you been doing? - What did you do? (just). -I've been running. - I ran. (here he just ran up, all out of breath and sweaty). 
- Or we show the duration in the present tense. I have been singing for 1 hour.- I've been singing for an hour. (The process is singing, already an hour is the past tense, that is, the action began in the past and continues now). Or you can also say if you have already stopped singing. In this case, clarification is needed - another sentence that shows whether the action has been completed. Tenses in English
- The past tense needs a context for this type. 1. Action in the past. 2. The process taking place during this action in the past. “When you came in, I had been doing my homework for an hour. - When you came in, I had been doing my homework for an hour. That is, by the time you arrived, I had already done my homework for an hour (but that was in the past)
- In the future tense. You also need a point of some kind (tomorrow at 7 o'clock) and a process that has already been going on for some time.
We are leaving for London in May. When you come there in August, we will have been staying in England for three month.- We will leave for London in May. When you get there in August, we will already be in England for three months. (We will already be in England 3 months by the time you arrive, but it will only be).
Times of English- one of the most difficult topics for a Russian-speaking person. First of all, this is due to the fact that the student often simply does not understand their meaning and meaning. Traditionally, experts allocate 12 tenses, while in their native language there are 3. In order to finally master this material, you need to structure your knowledge on this topic. The article will be useful for people who are already familiar with the theory, but cannot start to practice in any way.
Where to begin?
All English tenses are divided into three large groups:
- Present (Present).
- Future (Future).
- Past.
As you can see, at this stage, English is no different from Russian.
Further, in each of the groups presented, different categories of times are distinguished: Simple(simple), Continuous(continued), Perfect(Perfect) and Perfect continuous(perfect continued). Why do you need so many times? This greatly facilitates understanding of the interlocutor in the process of communication. Each of these times has its own meaning. Having understood this issue, you will never again make mistakes in the process of using English sentences.
Times of the category Simple
Present Simple
This is the simple present. It is used to indicate a sequence of different actions or a general fact:
She gets up, washes her face and has breakfast.
She wakes up, washes and has breakfast.
My name is Jane, I’m from London.
My name is Jane. I'm from London.
Present Simple is also used to express scientifically proven facts and regularly recurring events:
I always help my mother.
I always help my mom.
Ice melts at 0 degrees.
Ice melts at 0 degrees.
Past simple
Expresses a common fact or action in the past tense:
Yesterday I played football.
I played football yesterday.
As well as Present Simple, it can denote a regular action, but already in the past:
This house was built 20 years ago.
The house was built 20 years ago.
Using the simple past tense - Past Simple, we are interested in conveying the fact itself.
Future simple
And in this case, the total time value does not change.
Future Simple can be used either for regular actions in the future:
I will visit you very often.
I will visit you very often.
Or to convey a simple fact in the future:
She will move to her mother next year.
Next year she will move in with her mother.
Brief conclusion:
The English tenses of the group Simple are the most commonly used. They are used to exchange information. Attention is not focused on either duration or completeness of actions.
Continuous times
Here it is necessary to remember the main meaning of the whole group - the process.
Present Continuous is any process that takes place in the present tense. The action could begin in the recent past and can end within a certain period of time:
She is sleeping now.
She is now asleep.
It's raining at the moment.
It is raining at the moment.
Another use case is an expression of dissatisfaction, irritation:
You are always playing computer games!
You always play computer games!
The same goes for the Past Continuous time. It expresses a certain process at a particular moment in the past:
She was sleeping at 10 p.m. yesterday.
She slept at 10 pm yesterday.
Future Continuous also expresses a process at a certain point in the future:
Tomorrow at 9 a.m. I will be helping my best friend.
Tomorrow at 9 am I will be helping my best friend.
Brief conclusion:
The English tenses of the Continuous group are used to demonstrate a piece of continuous time. This tense is almost always used with words such as now(now) and also at the moment(at the moment).
Times of the Perfect category
With this time, people have a lot of confusion. The key to this group is the result. In the process of using this time, we are interested in the end result of some action or event.
Present perfect
This is the result that has been obtained so far:
I have already done my homework and I can go for a walk.
I've already done my homework and can go for a walk.
It turns out that the action itself (preparing the lessons) is no longer performed, it is completely completed. But at the moment we can see the result of the action: the opportunity to go for a walk.
Verbs in Present Perfect are usually translated into Russian in the past tense. However, the action in this time is perceived in the present, as it is tied to the current moment by the result.
Past perfect
It is used to indicate a result for a specific moment in the past:
He had done the task by 11 p.m.
By 11 pm, he completed the task.
Also, Past Perfect can be used to indicate the sequence of actions in the past and, accordingly, the coordination of times:
James said that he had noticed his old friend.
James said that he noticed an old friend.
Thus, first James noticed an old friend, and then he told about it. On the contrary, it could not happen in any way.
Future perfect
This time is necessary to transfer the future result:
I will have cleaned my room by 5 p.m.
I'll clean the room by 5 pm.
At 5 o'clock, the action will no longer be performed, but the result will remain from it - a clean room.
Thus, the Future Perfect time is used to express an action that will begin and end up to a certain point in the future with a certain result.
Brief conclusion:
Perfect - perfect time, which necessarily assumes a certain result, which can also be negative.
Times of the Perfect Continuous category
Present perfect continuous
She has been sleeping for 2 hours already.
She has been sleeping for 2 hours.
That is, the action began in the past and continues at the moment.
Past Perfect Continuous
It is a process that began a long time ago and continued until a specific point in time in the past.
She had been sleeping for 3 hours when I came back.
When I returned, she had already slept for 3 hours.
The return is the very moment of the past, up to which the process (dream) took place.
Future perfect continuous
It is a process that continues for a specific amount of time to a specific point in the future.
She will have been sleeping for 4 hours when you come back.
By the time you get back, she will have slept for 4 hours.
Brief conclusion:
A rather bulky design of this time can "facilitate" the use of the Perfect time. True, this advice is pertinent if you are not preparing for some important exam: tests like to check knowledge of all times.
1. Having firmly decided to master the tenses of the English language, first of all, independently make a table for yourself with the theory and some examples of the use of tenses. Similar tables can be found easily on the Internet. In the process of writing, you will inevitably remember some information.
2. Do not try to focus on theoretical material. Try to translate the examples right away and understand their meaning. It's great if you have the opportunity to consult with a specialist who will clarify incomprehensible points.
3. Do not try to learn everything at once. Distribute the material by topic. For example, you will devote a week to familiarizing yourself with the times of the Simple group, a week to Continuous, and so on. You definitely shouldn't rush: you will find a lot of pitfalls, subtleties of use and even exceptions.
4. Practice constantly. As experienced people and qualified educators say, the best way to learn the tenses of the English language is through continuous practice. The more exercise you do, the faster you will be able to achieve positive results. It is especially good if you decide to start translating from Russian into English: tighten up the times, and at the same time expand your own vocabulary.
5. Is there an opportunity to communicate with a foreigner who knows English well? Be sure to take this chance. Don't underestimate the benefits of virtual communication.
6. Use any modern opportunities to improve your own knowledge. For example, on GooglePlay you can find many useful applications for learning the times of the English language.
What aids to use to study times?
1. First of all, you need a decent book with theoretical material. The Round-Up tutorial from Virginia Evans is worth checking out. This is a modern, colorful edition. The books are presented in different difficulty levels: from 1 to 7. Contains a lot of material on grammar.
2. Table of English tenses and table of irregular verbs. Indispensable materials for successful language learning. At first, be sure to keep these manuals in front of your eyes during class. Over time, you will look at this "cheat sheet" less and less. It is also worth finding various exercises on the Internet on a topic of interest. There are enough of them in the public domain.
3. Golitsinsky's grammar. This Russian-language edition is positioned as a textbook for schoolchildren, but it does not have the simplest tasks. Using this collection of assignments, you will have to work a lot, because there are quite a few translated exercises in the book. If you decide to study on your own, be sure to buy or download the correct keys to the textbook. Errors made should be highlighted with a marker and carefully worked out. In the process of studying, try to formulate the reason for using this or that time yourself.
4. Textbooks to prepare for various international tests: TOEFL, IELTS and so on. These exams have rather high requirements for the level of knowledge of all aspects of grammar, so after a few weeks you will notice a positive effect. In addition, you have to complete written assignments: write an essay or an essay. It will be great if you can find a qualified person who can check the work.
Thus, mastering the tenses of the English language is quite realistic. To do this, you just need to understand their correct meaning, after which you can immediately start practicing. The main thing is not to despair when you encounter any difficulties that you will surely encounter along the way. Make an effort - and everything will definitely work out!
Since school days, students have been intimidated by the great and terrible twelve times of English to learn, otherwise you won't know the language. Strictly speaking, there are only three times in English, as well as in Russian: the present ( Present) past ( Past) and the future ( Future). But every time has its own aspect! And there are four such aspects: Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect continuous... By multiplying, twelve times are obtained. Only these are not separate rules that must be memorized independently of each other. All times are interconnected and logical. The main thing is to understand what each aspect is talking about, + to know when it happened ( Past), occurs ( Present), will happen ( Future) the action you are talking about = you end up with correct timing in English.
All Times English Schedule
Aspect Simple, as a rule, speaks of the most common action that occurs regularly or constantly. In most cases, if you are not sure which aspect to choose, take Simple and you can't go wrong! :-) Continuous- this is an action stretched out in time, it must continue at least a little. Perfect- action with the result. For many it is Perfect causes difficulties, because we have nothing like this in Russian. Definitely not? What if you see two such verbs "did" and "did"? Which one will show the "completeness of the action, the result"? Done! So it turns out that most often the aspect Perfect in Russian, it is a verb of the perfect action. We have our own Perfect, and that's great! Perfect continuous- this is when there is a lasting action and the result of this action. Imagine that aspects Continuous and Perfect connected, the result turned out Perfect continuous.
In theory, things are not that complicated. It always seemed to me that everything becomes logical when all times are presented on the time line.
Here is the timeline - how we imagine the movement of time: yesterday, today, tomorrow. On the timeline, we have the aspect of times Simple... Let's take an example go to school- "go to school".
I go to school every day. - I go to school every day. (usually, sometimes) - Present Simple
I went to school yesterday. - I went to school yesterday. (in 1999, 3 years ago) - Past Simple
I will go to school tomorrow. - I will go to school tomorrow (in 2025, in 3 years) - Future Simple
Complicating the picture and adding an aspect Continuous- extended, long-term action.
I am going to school now. - I'm going to school now. (now I'm walking briskly on the way to school) - Present Continuous
I was going to school when the phone rang. - I was on my way to school when the phone rang. (I was walking along the road - long action, the phone rang - short, which interrupted a longer one) - Past Continuous
I will be going to school tomorrow from 10 a.m. till 11. - I will go to school tomorrow from 10 am to 11 am. (I am now lying on the couch and thinking how tomorrow I will walk along a familiar street to school, meet a cat, stroke it and move on) - Future Continuous
Now we add the third aspect of time Perfect.
I have just gone to school. - I just left for school. (I just left the house and went to school) - Present Perfect
I had gone to school and after that I went for a walk. - I went to school, and then went for a walk with friends. (I was at school and then went out with friends. N.B.! In Past Perfect, one action must complete before another action in the past) - Past Perfect
I will have gone to school by the end of the week. - I'll go to school by the end of the week. (I don't like going to school, but I promise I'll go there by the end of the week. N.B.! Prerequisite: at some point in the future) - Future Perfect
Finally, the turn came to the aspect Perfect continuous.
I have been going to school since 2007. - I have been going to school since 2007. (since 1996, for 2 years. At this time, I want to emphasize how long I have walked and continue to go to school) - Present Perfect Continuous
I had been going to school for 10 years before I finished it. - I went to school for 10 years before I graduated. (the action was long (until 1999, from 1998-2008) and ended in the past) - Past Perfect Continuous
By the end of 2015 I will have been going to school for 10 years. By the end of 2015, it will be 10 years since I will go to school. (There is a long-term action (I have been going to school for 10 years) and a point in the future, by the time of which I will be doing something (by the end of 2015)) - Future Perfect Continuous
As you can see, there is logic in English times. The main thing is to sit and try to understand this logic. This explanation does not cover any special uses of tenses, but it will help you build a general picture of what can happen with an action (verb) in English.
The Big Bang Theory and the Times of the English Language
An interesting observation. Recently I watched the next episode of my favorite TV series “ The big bang theory" ("The Big Bang Theory"). In episode 5 of season 8, I came across an amazing dialogue between the main characters. Let me remind you briefly: the heroes of the series are a group of physicists who often find themselves in ridiculous situations due to their absolute inability to adapt to real life. These inquisitive minds live in a world of theories, formulas and calculations. And in one of the episodes, they thought about creating a time machine. All jokes, but I was struck by the grammatical aspect of such an invention. Let's take a look with Howard, Leonard, and Sheldon on how disruption to the passage of time can affect English grammar. Be sure to check the spoiler after the video, there are small explanations that will help you better understand the flow of American speech of the heroes.
Don't be surprised if you didn't get it the first time. I myself sat with my mouth open for a while, nervously gasping for air! After 4-5 views with pauses and comforting cookies with cocoa, I decided to figure out what was the matter. And the thing is that for the British, times are not just an outdated convention. This is a must! They may simply not understand differently when the action took place. After the series in English, I was looking forward to being translated into Russian. At that moment, I did not envy the translators at all, knowing full well that only magic would help translate all this into Russian. Let's see the translation?
Well done! We got out with the Russian prefix "pre", which shows which action was the first and which was the next. So it turns out that the phrase “I went for a walk, but first washed the dishes” in Russian can be said with the help of all kinds of help words: “first”, “before”, “first”. These words will indicate which action came first. In English, this will be the time Past perfect, it will show that I washed the dishes first, and then went for a walk: “ I had done the dishes and went for a walk”. And the Englishman will understand what was the first and what was the second. Also, all other aspects will have their characteristic meanings:
- I am going now (the word "now" indicates that the action is taking place at the moment). - I am going (am going indicates that the action is currently taking place).
- I usually go ("usually" shows us the repetition of the action). - I usually go(yes, added usually but exactly go will indicate repeatability), etc.
After watching this series, I was once again convinced that the English tenses are still logical, correct, linear or something. And I also realized: it's great that no one (as far as I know) has yet invented a time machine, otherwise we would all have more headaches with these times and actions :-).
- If you need additional help in working on some aspects of grammar, then you can always enroll in the "Grammar Intensive" course, where, together with the teacher, you will analyze in detail the most confusing rules.
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