How many tenses are there in English grammar? English tenses are a surmountable barrier of 12 tenses in the English language.

This article discusses tenses in English - detailed explanation, what it is, what they are and how they are used.

Actually, there are three of them, as in other modern Indo-European languages: present, past and future. But the use is influenced by the form of the verb to which the tense refers. There are only four such forms (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous).

3x4 = 12, so sometimes they talk about twelve times , which is fundamentally incorrect, although the tables provided for visual understanding actually have 12 fields with different options.

a brief description of

Tenses express the temporal relationship between the current moment and the one being discussed. It doesn’t matter whether a person pronounces words orally, perceives them by ear, writes or reads. You can always distinguish the conditionally present moment, and the one described or pronounced in a sentence. For example, in the phrase “prepare to disembark, the ship is approaching port,” the narration is in the present tense, although these real events described in the old book could have happened a long time ago.

The reader is transported back in time and immersed in another world. The linguistic richness of many literary works is based on such conventions. An educated person gets used to them and perceives them automatically, without thinking about word forms. And he also easily composes phrases with the correct use of temporary structures. But Russian-language phraseology differs from English-language. When translating or constantly switching to someone else's speech, difficulties arise, especially for beginners.

The main difficulty is the development of perfect and continuous forms of verbs in Western European countries. In this regard, Germanic and Romance languages ​​are more complex than Slavic languages. In Russian there is practically no difference between the main and continuous forms. "I live" — an action that by definition continues. A change in meaning often occurs through the addition of prefixes, which essentially transform the word into a completely different lexical unit. "Old" — the action continued in the past, “lived” — has already ended.

English is analytical, which is unlike most Germanic languages. Phrases are composed of relatively short elements that retain their spelling. There are no prefixes, suffixes and endings, as in synthetic ones. Getting used to this and fully understanding the process is the key to success for a translator or person speaking with British people.

It's actually easy to get used to, given the strictness of the language constructs. The word order is constant and predetermined. Having some experience, it is no longer possible to make a mistake; you just need to gain a sufficient vocabulary. It even becomes boring to talk within such strict limits. Slavic languages ​​give more freedom in forming phrases. Almost all words are successfully swapped, many are skipped altogether, although inserting them is also not a mistake.

So, what do times express in relation to the current time interval:

• the present - at least approximately coincides with the current time period;
• past - events developed earlier, or have already occurred;
• future - expresses a forecast, planning of probable events in the future.

Table of English tenses with examples

Only the verbs change depending on time. But even without taking into account the context and other members of the sentence, they provide comprehensive information about duration and completeness. This accuracy is due to the presence of 4 verb word forms:

• Simple - simple;
• Continuous - long;
• Perfect - perfect (without defining duration);
• Perfect Continuous - continuous perfect.

Each overlaps with three temporal categories. This is a radical difference with Slavic linguistics, where the simple form is similar to the continuous form, the perfect form occurs exclusively in the past and future. Non-standard techniques are actively used, such as complete replacement of the verb, when describing a completed or ongoing activity. But expressing tense forms of verbs in English table standardized.

Using the example of the correct verb to live, we will show what such a diagram looks like, filled with specific words.

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	I lived	I live	I'll live
Continuous	I was living	I am living	I'll be living
Perfect	I had lived	I have lived	I'll have lived
Perfect Contintermittent	I had been living	I have been living	I'll have been living

The example uses the colloquial (and commonly used) abbreviation I'll instead of the full phrase I will. Since regular verbs have the same second and third dictionary forms, we present a similar table for the irregular to know, now in the second person instead of the first.

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	You knew	You know	You'll know
Continuous	You were knowing	You are knowing	You'll be knowing
Perfect	You had known	You have known	You'll have known
Perfect Contintermittent	You had been knowing	You have been knowing	You'll have been knowing

Of course, not all of the above options are used in practice in everyday speech. The perfect-continuous form refers rather to complicated book phrases, and is rarely used even in scientific or fiction literature. But knowing it is necessary for the completeness of linguistic concepts.

Only a small proportion of such constructions are applicable in Russian vocabulary. I did, I am doing, I will do - the simple form coincides with the long form. The perfect exists only in the past and future - I did, I will do. There is no combination of perfect and continuum at all. The gerund living or going is translated approximately as a verbal adjective “living” or “going”, but is used in a different context. In Russian it is usually only in the third person, and such speech patterns are in any case considered undesirable. Modern phraseology tries to avoid them. For English speakers, these are frequently used parts of speech of direct action. They certainly need to be mastered by beginners studying, how tenses are formed in English.

Signs of tenses in English

Adjacent words may indirectly indicate that a certain time must be used. The need to use the future is indicated by: always - always, often - often, usually - usually, sometimes - sometimes, never - never, everyday - daily, on Mondays (etc.) - on Mondays or other days, at weekends - on weekend. Signs of the present are present in generalized phrases or those conveying the periodic repetition of events. For example, a bus leaves (arrives) on certain days of the week. So detailed explanation of tenses in English will help you express yourself beautifully and accurately.

Signs of the past: yesterday - yesterday, the day before yesterday - the day before yesterday, last week - last week, ago - ago, earlier - earlier, in the past - in the past.

Signs of the future: tomorrow - tomorrow, the day after tomorrow - the day after tomorrow, next week - next week, in an hour - within an hour, in ten hours - for 10 hours, later - later, soon - soon, in the future - in future.

How are they formed

They give in dictionaries three forms of irregular verbs . For regular ones, the second and third are formed in the standard way, by adding the ending -ed to the first (main). For example: stay, remained, stayed. Incorrect pattern: be, was (were), been. Here the second option also differs depending on the number: in the singular was, in the plural were. With the pronoun You, only were is used, but it should not always be translated as “you”. The Russian “you” also has a right to exist. Intonation and the nature of the relationship with the interlocutor help to translate a live conversation. In a literary work there is context, but sometimes it is still difficult to determine what is meant

Simple Present. In the present simple, the formation of phrases occurs as follows: after the pronoun comes the first dictionary form of the verb. It cannot be separated from the pronoun. She looks - she looks. She draw - she draws.

Simple Past. The simple past is formed similarly to the present, but instead of the first verb form given in dictionaries, the second is used. She looked - she looked. She drew - she drew.

Simple Future. The simple future is expressed as follows: after the pronoun comes will (or abbreviated ‘ll) then the first form of the verb. She will look or She’ll look - she will look. She will draw or She’ll draw - she will draw. Implied generalized actions or regularly repeated , without reference to a specific period.

Continuous Present. The continuous present is formed by using to be in the form am, is or were, followed by a gerund formed from the main verb. He is staying - he is standing (right now).

Continuous Past. The continuous past is expressed in a similar way, only changing is (am, are) to was (were). He was staying - he stood (were instead of was in the plural).

Continuous Future. The continuous future is formed as follows: pronoun + will be + gerund. He will be staying - he will stand. They imply specific events that will last for a certain period.

Perfect Present. The perfect present is a specific speech construction that is absent in Russian. This means an event recently completed . The pronoun is followed by have (or has) and the 3rd form of the main verb. For the correct ones, it coincides with the second. We have tried - we tried. We have written - we wrote. It should be noted that in the Russian translation, words are used that differ in prefixes from the main non-prefixed variants “try” or “write”.

Perfect Past. In the past perfect we use had instead of have. Otherwise, the formation of phrases is similar to how perfects are conveyed. tenses in English present. We had tried - we (long ago) made an attempt. We had written - we (long ago) wrote something. This is what they say and write about events that have been completed a long time ago. The choice of Present or Past in the perfect depends on the general logic associated with the context.

If any action is long in nature, the scope of use of the Present Perfect expands. So, for daily exercise in the morning, “yesterday” is quite a long time ago. But for a good feature film, which takes months or years to process, yesterday's presentation to the audience is still relatively recent. If in a text or conversation two completed events of different ages are mentioned close to each other, it is worth mentioning one of them (the earlier one) in the past perfect, and the second (later) in the present. Without disturbing the natural logic of the story too much. A year ago is a long time ago anyway.

Perfect Future. Expresses the intention to do something. Formation scheme: pronoun + will have + 3rd form of the verb. We will have tried - we will try. We will have written - we will write. We can talk about things that are certain to come true, or about things that are speculative, but very probable. Sometimes such a perfect construction expresses self-confidence, a desire to impress the interlocutor, to promise something.

Perfect Continuous Present. The pronoun is followed by have (has) been and a gerund. They have been listening - they listened. Expressions in such a complicated format are absolutely uncharacteristic of Russian speech, which tends to simplify and shorten. But often in fact they correspond more to completed events than the usual perfect. Listening is, by definition, a long-term activity. In this case they mean recently completed , compared to its usual duration or frequency. For a meal, “recently” means that people sat at the table no more than an hour ago. But a trip to the resort a week later will still be a relatively fresh fact.

Perfect Continuous Past. The only difference from the present above is had instead of have (has). They have been listening - they listened. What happened here ended so long ago that it no longer fits within the time frame of the presentation.

Perfect Continuous Future. Formation scheme: pronoun + will have been + gerund. They will have been listening - they will listen. Only continuous actions are expressed this way.

Examples

When considered all tenses in English, it is worth giving more options using different pronouns.

Correct verb to warm:

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	He warmed	He warms	He'll be warm
Continuous	He was warming	He is warming	He'll be warming
Perfect	He had warmed	He has warmed	He'll have warmed
Perf. Cont.	He had been warming	He has been warming	He'll has been warming

The perfect translates “heat”, “warm up”, “warm up”. Subtle nuances conveyed in Russian by numerous prefixes are often expressed by the prepositions in, on, at, to, out, off, above, under. But this goes beyond the scope of what is being discussed, and demonstrates the skill of an experienced translator.

Irregular verb to break:

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	You broke	You break	You'll break
Continuous	You were breaking	You are breaking	You'll be breaking
Perfect	You had broken	You have broken	You'll have broken
Perf. Cont.	You had been breaking	You have been breaking	You'll have been breaking

Clearly visible here difference between br oke and br oken .

Using Present Indefinite (Simple) Tense

Present Indefinite used to express a repeated or constant action relative to the present:

I go to school. (I am going to school)

He works. (He works)

She comes here at six o'clock. (She comes here at 6 o'clock)

Present Indefinite used to express an action that characterizes the subject constantly or throughout the present period of time:

You read very well. (You read very well)

He dances very badly. (He dances very badly)

Present Indefinite is used to express an action or state that is not limited by time and occurs regardless of a person’s desire:

Sugar dissolves in water. (Sugar dissolves in water)

Present Indefinite is used to express an action occurring at the moment of speech:

• with verbs that are not used in the Continuous form: to see, to hear, to know, to feel, to like to hate, to love, to understand.

I don't see anything. (I can not see anything)

I don't understand it. (I do not understand this)

• if the one who speaks only states a fact, and does not convey the action as an ongoing process.

Here she comes. (Here she comes)

Present Indefinite used to express future action in subordinate clauses of time and condition, which are introduced by conjunctions when(When); after(after); before(before, before); till, untill(Bye); as soon as(as soon as); if(If); unless(if not) etc:

I'll be here till you come. (I'll be here while you come)

Wait until I get my coat. (Wait while I get my coat)

Present Indefinite used to express a planned future action (in most cases with verbs denoting movement). Such sentences usually use adverbial words that indicate the time of action. The present tense can also be used in the corresponding Russian sentences:

I leave Moscow tomorrow. (I'm leaving Moscow tomorrow)

When does the doctor come? (When does the doctor come?)

Present Indefinite used in a coherent narrative to express an action or a series of successive actions in the past. This usage Present Indefinite brings the story to life, events seem to happen at the moment of speech.

All of a sudden, one evening comes little Emily from her work and him with her. (Suddenly one evening little Emily comes home from work and he is with her)

Use of Past Indefinite (Simple) Tense.

Past Indefinite is a tense form of a verb that expresses an action that has passed or occurred in the past. Past Indefinite regular verbs are formed by adding to the infinitive without the particle to ending -ed:

Verbs in the Past Indefinite have the same form in all persons singular and plural:

• -e, then it is not written in Past Indefinite:

• if the infinitive ends with a letter -y, which is preceded by a consonant, then before the ending -ed it changes to -i:

to study - studied

• if the infinitive ends with one consonant preceded by a short stressed vowel sound, then the final one is before -ed doubles:

to stop - stopped

• final letter -r doubles if the last syllable is stressed:

prefer - preferred

• final letter -l doubles if preceded by a short vowel sound (stressed or unstressed):

to travel - travelled

In Past Indefinite, irregular verbs are used in the second form.

to speak - spoke

to write - wrote

The Past Indefinite interrogative form of regular and irregular verbs is formed using an auxiliary verb to do and the infinitive of the main verb without a particle to:

Did you study at this university? (Did you study at this university?)

Did she go to a park? (Did she go to the park?)

The negative form Past Indefinite is formed using a negative particle not after the auxiliary verb:

I didn't like that party. (I didn't like that party)

In oral speech it is usually abbreviated: I didn't like that party.

In the interrogative-negative form Past Indefinite auxiliary verb did is placed before the subject, and the particle not after him:

Why didn't you tell me it? (Why didn't you tell me this?)

but if an abbreviation is used, then didn’t come before the subject:

Why didn't you go there? (Why didn't you go there?)

The verb to do in Past Indefinite can also be used to strengthen the expressed thought:

I did love you! (I really loved you!)

The verb to be in Past Indefinite has two forms: was for first and third person singular and were for everyone else.

Verb in interrogative form to be placed before the subject:

Were you at home? (Were you at home?)

In the negative form, the particle is used after was/were not:

I was not in Great Britain. (I haven't been to the UK)

They weren't there. (They weren't there)

Usually the abbreviation is used: I wasn’t…You weren’t…

The verb to have in Past Indefinite has the form - had.

I had a friend. (I had a friend)

She had a good car. (She had a nice car)

He had a house. (He had a house)

The interrogative form of the verb to have in Past Indefinite is: did+have. To formulate a question did used before the subject, have after him.

Did you have books? (Did you have books?)

The negative form, as a rule, is formed without the auxiliary verb to do, and is used as in with negative particles not or no.

I hadn't problems. (I had no problems)

I had no choice. (I had no choice)

Past Indefinite expresses a single or continuous action in the past. The time of a past action is often specified with the words: yesterday, last week, last year, etc. :

I was there yesterday. (I was there yesterday)

He were at the hospital last week. (He was in the hospital last week)

She was here this morning. (She was here this morning)

Past Indefinite is used to express a series of sequential actions in the past:

I woke up, washed myself and went out of home. (I woke up, washed my face and left the house)

Past Indefinite is used to express a repeated action in the past:

I saw him every day. (I saw him every day)

She came many times to our house. (She came to us many times)

Use of Future Indefinite (Simple) Tense.

Future Indefinite used to express a single, constant or repeated action in the future:

I'll go over with you tomorrow morning.

(I'll go with you tomorrow morning)

I'll always come back.

(I'll always come back)

He'll work at the factory next year.

(Next year he will work in a factory)

Future Indefinite is not used in subordinate clauses of time and condition! To express future action in such sentences we use !

I’ll message you know when I come home.

(I'll text you when I get home)

I'll ask him when he arives.

(I'll ask him when he arrives)

Using Present Continuous Tense

Present Continuous Tense expresses action as a process, that is, an action that continues at the moment of speech or in the present period of time.

Present Continuous is formed from an auxiliary verb to be in and present participle of the main verb.

Present Participle is formed by adding an ending -ing to the infinitive of the main verb without a particle to.

read+ing - reading

work+ing - working

I'm working (I'm working)

(I am working)

He is working (He’s working)

(He works)

She is working (She's working)

(She works)

It is working (It's working)

(It works)

In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject.

Are the boys playing football?

(Boys are playing football?)

Is he working in the garden?

(Is he working in the garden now?)

The girls are not singing.

(Girls don't sing now)

In interrogative-negative sentences, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, and the particle not is placed after the subject.

Am I now preparing for my examinations?

(Aren't I studying for exams?)

Actions taking place in moment of speech:

Why are you crying?

(Why are you crying?)

You are not listening to me.

(You're not listening to me)

Present Continuous is used to express for a long time, although not necessarily at the time of speech:

What are you doing here in Paris?

(What are you doing here in Paris?)

I'm studying at the Sorbonne.

(I study at the Sorbonne)

Present Continuous is used to express a long action that is taking place simultaneously with another action in the present tense:

I'm only happy when I'm working.

(I'm only happy when I'm working)

Present Continuous is used to express planned future action, especially with verbs denoting movement. In this case, the circumstance of time must be used:

We're flying to Paris in the morning.

(We're leaving for Paris in the morning)

Is he coming tonight?

(Is he coming tonight?)

Verb to go V Present Continuous with the infinitive of another verb means the intention to perform an action in the very near future and gives it a tint mandatory, the inevitability of performing an action indicated by the infinitive:

I'm going to speak.

(I will speak)

He’s going to be a teacher.

(He's going to be a teacher)

Using Past Continuous Tense

Past Continuous formed from an auxiliary verb to be V and the present participle of the main verb:

I was working. (I worked)

He was working. (He worked)

She was working. (She worked)

It was working. (It worked)

We were working. (We worked)

They were working. (They worked)

You were working. (You were working)

What were you telling him?

(What did you tell him)

In the negative form, a particle is used after the auxiliary verb not:

I was not working in the evening.

(I didn't work in the evening)

In oral speech in negative and interrogative-negative forms, instead of was not and were not, abbreviations are mainly used:

He wasn't working.

(He did not work)

They weren't working.

(They didn't work)

Wasn't he working?

(Didn't he work?)

Weren't they working?

(Didn't they work?)

Past Continuous used to express an action that occurred or lasted at a certain moment in the past. The time of action is usually also indicated by adverbial words like at two o’clock, at midnight, at that moment, at 5 o’clock or subordinate clauses with a predicate verb in Past Indefinite:

He was working on his English at that time.

(He was working on his English at the time)

Jack was sitting by the window when she came in.

(Jack was sitting near the window when she came in)

Past Conyinuous is used to express action, which lasted for some period of time in the past:

I the spring of the year 1881 he was visiting his old schoolfellow.

(In the spring of 1881 he was visiting his old school friend)

In subordinate clauses, if the predicate verb of the main sentence is used in the past tense, the Past Continuous is often used with verbs with the meaning of movement (to go, to come, etc.) to denote an action that was future relative to the past:

She said she was coming to see you after supper.

(She said she would come to you after dinner)

Verb to go V Past Continuous with the infinitive of another verb expresses an action that was future relative to the past tense. Often this combination expresses the intention to perform an action:

He was going to be an engineer.

(He was going to become an engineer)

What were they going to do.

(What were they going to do)

Using Future Continuous Tense

The Future Continuous is formed using an auxiliary verb to be in and present participles of the main verb:

I will be working.

He will not be working.

She will be working.

It will be working.

We will be working.

You will be working.

They will be working.

In interrogative form, auxiliary verb will placed before the subject:

Will they be working?

In the negative form after an auxiliary verb will a negative particle is used not:

They will not be working.

The Future Continuous is used to express a long-term action that will occur at some point or period of time in the future:

Meet me at two o'clock. I'll be waiting for you.

We'll be playing all morning.

In modern English Future Continuous often used in the same meaning as Future Indefinite, i.e. expresses future action:

You won't be coming back here anymore.

(You won't come back here again)

From now I’ll be asking thousands of questions.

(From now on I will ask thousands of questions)

He'll be going to school soon.

(He will go to school soon)

Using Present Perfect Tense.

Perfect (perfect) tenses express an action that occurred before a certain moment or period in the present tense (Present Perfect), past (Past Perfect), future (Future Perfect) and future relative to the past (Future in the Past).

Perfect tenses usually express the presence of some result of an action associated with subsequent events.

Periject tenses are formed from the corresponding forms of the indefinite tenses of the auxiliary verb to have and the past participle of the main verb.

The Present Perfect is formed from the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle of the main verb.

The Past Participle of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending -ed to the infinitive, that is, the form of the Past Participle of regular verbs does not differ from

Use of Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect is formed from the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle of the main verb. Verbs in the Past Perfect do not change for persons and numbers:

I (he, she, it, we, you, they) had worked.

In oral speech, instead of had the abbreviated form is mostly used ‘d, which in writing is attached to the subject:

I’d (he’d, she’d, it’d, we’d, you’d, they’d) worked.

In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject:

In the negative form, a negative particle is used after the auxiliary verb not:

I had not worked.

In oral speech, the abbreviated form hadn’t is also used in negative and interrogative-negative forms:

It hadn't worked

Hadn't he worked?

an action that took place earlier than another action in the past expressed by a verb in Past Indefinite:

I told you I had met her.

(I told you I met her)

When she had closed the suitcase, she put on her coat.

(Closing the suitcase, she put on her coat)

In the darkness he couldn’t see the man who had spoken.

(In the darkness he could not see the person who said it)

The sun had set and it was becoming dark.

(The sun had already set. It was getting dark)

Form was becoming dark expresses an action that took place at a certain time period in the past (the sun had set by that time period)

Notes

1. When listing past actions in the sequence in which they occurred, verbs are used in:

I opened the door, closed it and went into the bedroom.

(I opened the door, closed it and went to the bedroom)

1. In a complex sentence with conjunctions after after and before before. When there is no need to specifically note that one action precedes another, Past Indefinite is used in both the main and subordinate clauses:

He stood motionless after she disappeared.

(He stood motionless after she was out of sight)

I was a school teacher before I got into the army.

(I was a school teacher before I joined the army)

Past Perfect is used to express past action, which has already ended at a certain point in the past. This moment can be indicated by the following phrases: by two o’clock by two o’clock, by that time by that time, by the 1st of September by the first of September, etc.:

I had done my homework by eight o’clock.

(By eight o'clock I had already completed my homework)

The negative form of the Past Perfect indicates that at a certain point in the past the action did not end:

I had not read the book by Saturday.

(I hadn't read the book yet until Saturday)

Past Perfect is used to express action, began before a certain moment in the past and lasted up to that moment. In this meaning, the Past Perfect is used mainly with verbs that do not have the Continuous form:

When he came, I had been there for half an hour.

(When he arrived, I had already been there for half an hour)

After she had worked, he went to her side and watched her.

(After she had worked a little, he came over and watched her)

In subordinate clauses of time and condition, the Past Perfect is used to express a pre-past action that was future relative to the past:

She said that she would go home as soon as she had passed all her exams.

(She said that she would go home as soon as she passed all her exams)

In this case Past Perfect is translated into Russian by the form of the future tense.

Using Future Perfect Tense.

Future Perfect Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle of the main verb:

I will have done.

He (She, It) will have done.

We (You, They) will have done.

In the interrogative form, the first auxiliary verb will is placed before the subject:

Will he have done?

In the negative form, the particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb will:

He will not have done.

In oral speech the same abbreviations are used as in Future Indefinite:

I'll have done; I won't have done.

The Future Perfect is used to express a future action that will end at a specific moment or at the beginning of another action in the future:

You'll have forgotten me by then.

(By then you'll have forgotten me)

You'll have read the story by the time you come back.

(I'll read the story while you get back)

In subordinate clauses of time and condition, instead of the Future Perfect, the following is used:

Her room will be ready before she has finished her tea.

(Her room will be ready before she finishes drinking tea)

We will get a new flat when they have built the house.

(We will get a new apartment when this house is built)

Using Future Indefinite (Simple) in the Past Tense

In English, a future action, which is considered from the point of view of some moment in the past, is expressed by a separate form of the verb, which is called Future Indefinite in the Past.

This tense is used in stories about past events when retelling in indirect speech or the thoughts of another person regarding the future tense:

In his letter Peter wrote that he would go to Warsaw in January.

(In his letter, Peter wrote that he would go to Warsaw in January)

Future Indefinite in the past is formed using the auxiliary verbs should and would and the infinitive of the main verb without the particle to:

I should work (I'd work)

He would work (He'd work)

She would work (She'd work)

We should work (We'd work)

You would work (You'd work)

They would work (They'd work)

The abbreviated forms that are used in oral speech are presented in brackets.

In the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject:

Would they work?

In the negative form, a particle is used after the auxiliary verb not:

She wouldn't work (She wouldn't work)

Future Indefinite in the Past is used mainly in subordinate clauses if the verb of the main clause expresses a past action:

We are arranged to start the following Saturday from Kingstone.

Harris and I would go down in the morning, and take the boat Chertsey.

George would meet us there.

(We agreed that we would set off next Saturday from Kingston.

Hariss and I will leave there in the morning and take a boat to Chartsey.

And George will meet us there)

In subordinate clauses of time and condition in English, none of the forms of the future tense are used, including Future Indefinite in the Past. An action that was future from the point of view of the past is expressed in such sentences by the form

I hope that before we parted, he would tell me what it was.

(I was hoping he would tell me what it was before we parted ways)

I wrote down to you to ask you not to see anyone till I came.

(I wrote to you and asked you not to meet anyone until I arrive)

Using the Future Continuous in the Past Tense

is formed in the same way as , but would is used instead of will:

He would be working.

She would be working, etc.

Future Continuous in the Past is used instead of the Future Continuous mainly in subordinate clauses, if the verb predicate is used in the past tense:

He said that at sunset he would be waiting for you.

(He said he'll be waiting for you at sunset)

Verbs that are not used in the Continuous form.

A verb in the Continuous form expresses an action as a process that lasts at the moment of speech or for a certain period of time. Verbs whose meaning does not express action as a process are, as a rule, not used in the Continuous form. These include:

a) verbs that express relationships between objects: to be be; to have have; to possess, to own have; to consist consist; to contain, to hold contain; to belong belong; to depend depend, etc.

b) verbs with the meaning of sensation: to see see; to hear hear; to smell smell, smell;

c) verbs that express desire, feeling, expression of will: to want; to wish, to desire wish, want; to love, to like love, like; to hate hate; to refuse refuse; to object mind; to agree agree; to prefer prefer;

d) verbs with the meaning of mental activity: to know know: to believe believe; to suppose assume; to recognize learn; to remember remember, remember; to understand understand.

But in oral speech there are cases of using these verbs in the form Continuous.

Using the Future Perfect in the Past Tense

Future Perfect in the Past is formed in the same way as, but instead of the auxiliary verb will, the verb should or would is used:

I should have done.

He/She/It would have done

We should have done.

You/They would have done.

Future Perfect in the past is used instead of the Future Perfect mainly in subordinate clauses, if the verb of the main clause expresses a past action:

I thought you would have gone by now.

(I thought that I would never find you again)

In subordinate clauses of time and condition, instead of Future Perfect in the Past, we use

Using Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Perfect Continuous tenses express an action that began before the moment of speech (Present Perfect Continuous Tense) or before the moment of speech in the past or future (Past Perfect Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous) and continues / continued up to this moment.

Using Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous formed using an auxiliary verb to be in and present participles of the main verb. The verb in the Past Perfect Continuous does not change according to persons:

I (he, she, it, we, you, they) had been working.

The interrogative, negative and interrogative-negative forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are formed according to the same rules as the corresponding forms.

Interrogative form: Had you been working?

Negative form: I had not been working; I hadn't been working.

Interrogative-negative form: Had he not been working? Hadn't he been working?

Past Perfect Continuous can also be called Beforepast Continuous. This tense expresses a continuous action that began before some point in the past, or lasted at that moment, or ended just before it. The duration of an action or its beginning is indicated in the same way as in sentences with a verb in the Present Perfect Continuous. But in most cases, the duration of action is not indicated:

I explained that I had been loking for it for the last two hours.

(I explained that I had been looking for him for two hours)

There sat her father. The newspaper he had been reading had dropped on the carpet.

(Her father was sitting there. The newspaper he was reading fell on the carpet)

With verbs that have no form Continuous, instead of Past Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect is used.

When we came to see Kate, she had been ill for three days.

(When we came to visit Katya, she had been ill for three days)

After consideration tenses in English with examples It remains to sum up.

Bottom line

The previous sections discussed in detail tenses in English - how they are formed and what they mean. When familiarizing yourself with them, there seem to be many different options, it is difficult to get used to the perception of complex language structures and quickly recognize what is said or written. Moreover, speak or write independently. Simple rules will help you navigate:

1. The 3rd form of an irregular verb (for example, spoken) occurs only in the regular perfect. Since the 2nd appears only in the Simple Past, it is also quite easy for correct ones to distinguish between them.
2. A gerund (for example, speaking) is used only when describing long-term actions, be it a regular Continuous or, in addition, with a perfect.
3. The word been occurs only in Perfect Cont

Having recognized the continuum and perfect forms, it is already quite easy to understand the attitude towards the present moment. Will ('ll) happens exclusively in the future. The 2nd form of the verb, was (were) and had - only in the past. But you need to get used to the correct word order. After some training, it is impossible to make a mistake; standard schemes are firmly ingrained in memory. A person automatically recognizes speech with the words “been” and long modal sequences as “abstruse”, which is better not to copy in everyday life.

» Tenses in English: detailed explanation

There are 12 active tenses in the English language. For us this number seems huge, and it seems that English tenses are very difficult to understand. In fact, this is not the case, and with practice all students learn to choose the right time correctly.

But in the initial stages of learning, any way to remember the functions of tenses is useful. Whether you teach or study on your own, you will definitely need this worksheet. We advise you to use summary table of English tenses with examples at first, so as not to get lost in times.

We invite you to study and download two tables: table of formation times And English tenses table. The first clearly shows how tenses are formed in English, and the second lists all the functions of tenses with English examples. The tables are compiled from articles about that time published on the blog, so if you want to read in detail about a particular time, just enter its name into the site search.

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 easily 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, some useful advice: try to understand, not memorize 12 times of the English language. You need to clearly understand how the next time differs from the time 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!

You know that there are twelve tense forms in the English language. It is grammatical tenses that allow us to correctly construct sentences and prepare us for speaking. The table of tenses in English is very useful. It will help you find the tense you need, all three sentence forms and usage. In this table we also added the expression and all the forms. Exercises for tenses in English can be found below after the table.

A table of tenses in English with word clues is also available for download in Pdf format below the table.

Table of English tenses with examples and words to help

A table of tenses in English with clue words can be downloaded using the button below!

Grammatical tense	Use	Affirmative, negative, interrogative sentences.
*Present Simple Present simple tense	1. Regularly repeated actions: As a rule, he has three meals a day. 2. Facts, scientific phenomena, laws of nature: Canada lies north of the United States. 3. Hobbies, traditions, habits: She is clever. Irish people drink a lot of beer. 4. The action is established by a schedule or schedule: The hypermarket opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m.. 5. Headings of newspaper articles: Russian sportsmen win the Olympic Games. 6. Dramatic stories, sports commentaries: They shake hands and she bids him goodnight. John serves to Mike. 7. Proposal to do something (Why...): Why don’t we go for a run?	Statement: She smiles. Negation: She does not smile. Question: Does she smile?
Present Continuous Present continuous tense	1. Action that occurs at the moment of speech: I am carrying the groceries. 2. Temporary action taking place around the present moment: He is living in London at the moment, as she is studying at London University. 3. Developing and changing situations: Your Italian is improving. The world is changing. 4. Annoying habit (with the words always, forever, constantly, continually): She is always losing her keys. 5. Action planned for the near future: We're leaving tomorrow.	Statement: She is smiling. Negation: She is not smiling. Question: Is she smiling?
Past Simple Simple past tense	1. Actions happened one after another: I got out of my bed, opened the window and turned on computer. 2. Single fact, state in the past: Jack London was born in 1876 and died in 1916. 3. Past habits: When I was young I swam across the river.	Statement: She spoke. Negation: She did not speak. Question: Did she speak?
Past Continuous Past continuous tense	1. Action that took place at a certain time in the past: I was making a salad at 4 pm yesterday. 2. To express irritation: Luis was forever smoking in my room! 3. Action in the past interrupted by another action: They were entertaining friends when the parcel arrived. 4. Actions took place simultaneously: While I was preparing dinner, my parents were playing cards. 5. One action is shorter (Past Simple), the other is longer (Past Cont.): My brother telephoned me when I was having dinner. 6. Descriptions of events in history: It was raining the wind was blowing.	Statement: She was speaking. Negation: She was not speaking. Question: Was she speaking?
Present Perfect Present perfect tense	1. Personal changes: She has lost 25 kilos. 2. Emphasis on number: You have knocked on the door three times. 3. An action, quite recently, the result of which is obvious and important in the present: We’ve run out of milk (there is no milk at home). 4. An action that happened sometime in the past, but is important in the present: I have been to Africa several times. 5. An action that began in the past, lasted for some time and continues to last in the present: We have known each other for a long time.	Statement: He has not spoken. Negation: He has not spoken. Question: Has he spoken?
Present Perfect Continuous Present perfect continuous tense	1. The action began in the past and continues in the present: It has been snowing since yesterday morning (and it’s still snowing). 2. Past actions that have a visible result in the present: I have a sore throat. I have been talking on the phone all morning. 3. Expression of anger, irritation: Who's been drinking my orange juice? 4. Emphasis on duration, not result (with the words for, since, how long): The train has been waiting for three hours.	Statement: He has not been speaking. Negation: He has not been speaking. Question: Has he been speaking?
Past Perfect Past perfect tense	1. Completed action with a visible result in the past: I was sad because he had not called me. 2. Equivalent to Present Perfect. 3. An action that occurred before another action in the past or a moment in the past: They had finished the report by the end of the month. 4. Used with conjunctions hardly…when, scarcely…when, no sooner…than, barely…when.: The game had hardly begun when it started to rain.	Statement: He had spoken. Negation: He had not spoken. Question: Had he spoken?
Past Perfect Continuous Past perfect continuous tense	1. An action began in the past, lasted for some time and continued to last at a certain point in the past: How long had you been living in Moscow before you moved to Vienna? 2. Actions in the past with a certain duration and this action has a visible result in the past: Dad was angry. He had been arguing with Daisy. 3. Past Perfect Continuous is the equivalent of Present Perfect Continuous.	Statement: He had been speaking. Negation: He had not been speaking. Question: Had he been speaking?
Future Simple Simple future tense	1. A future that does not depend on the speaker, and which will definitely happen: She will be ten next month. 2. Assumption regarding the future (believe, think, sure, etc): I will probably call you, but I’m not sure. 3. Decisions made at the time of speech: I'll switch on the light. 4. Threat, promise, offer: He'll be punished! I'll talk to him. I'll carry these bags for you. 5. A request for advice or a request for information, an offer to help (1 person singular and plural in interrogative sentences): Shall I carry these heavy bags for you? (To the second person will).	Statement: He will speak. Negation: He will not speak. Question: Will he speak?
Be going to	1. Obvious actions that will definitely happen: Oh no! Our train is on fire! We are going to die. 2. The intention to do something, the decision was made before the conversation: I’m going to paint my car this summer. I've already chosen the color I want.	Statement: He is going to speak. Negation: He is not going to speak. Question: Is he going to speak?
Future Continuous Future continuous tense	1. Actions that will occur at a certain time in the future: At 8 o’clock tomorrow we’ll be having dinner. 2. Politely ask about the other person’s plans, especially when we want something done for us: I have something for my son. Will you be seeing him tonight? 3. Actions that result from routine: I’ll be having lunch with David tomorrow as usual.	Statement: He will be speaking. Negation: He will not be speaking. Question: Will he be speaking?
Future Perfect Future perfect tense	An action that will be completed by a specific time in the future: - I will have eaten breakfast by the time she gets up. - By 2023 I will have known them for thirty years. - I will have read all the books by the 1st of June.	Statement: He will have spoken. Negation: He will not have spoken. Question: Will he have spoken?
Future Perfect Progressive Future perfect continuous tense	The action will last until a certain time in the future: - By the 2nd of May I will have been reading for a fortnight. - By next January, they will have been living here for two years. - He’ll have been arguing with her all night.	Statement: He will have been speaking. Negation: He will not have been speaking. Question: Will he have been speaking?
Future Simple in the Past	Designations of an action that was future from the point of view of the past. - I said I would go to the theater next week.	Statement: He would speak. Negation: He would not speak. Question: Would he speak?
Future Continuous in the past	Denotes an action taking place at a certain moment, which was the future from the point of view of the past. - She said she would be working at 7 o’clock.	Statement: He would be speaking. Negation: He would not be speaking. Question: Would he be speaking?
Future Perfect in the past	The designation of an action completed up to a certain point, which was the future from the point of view of the past. - I said I would have read all the books by the 2nd of June.	Statement: He would have spoken. Negation: He would not have spoken. Question: Would he have spoken?
Future Perfect Continuous in the past	An action continuing over a period of time up to a certain point that was the future from the point of view of the past. - I said that by the 1st of May I would have been reading the book for a fortnight.	Statement: He would have been speaking. Negation: He would not have been speaking. Question: Would he have been speaking?

Listen to the story called The House On The Hill and try to retell it in English.

*Set expressions Present Indefinite

I hear = I know, I heard: I hear Lucy is getting married - I heard Lucy is getting married.
I see = I understand, as I understand: I see there’s been unrest in London again - As I understand it, there are riots in London again.

Expressions Here comes... (towards the speaker), There goes... (move away from the speaker).

Examples:

Look here comes your brother!
There goes our bus; we'll have to wait for the next.

Table of tenses in English with word clues.

Separate table with helper words

Present Simple	Always, Usually, Generally, Occasionally, Frequently, Sometimes, Often, As a rule, Twice a year, Every day (week, month, summer), Every other day, Once in a while, From time to time, Seldom, Rarely, Hardly ever, Never, On Mondays.
Present Continuous	At the moment, Just now, Right now, At present, These days, Nowadays, Today, Tonight, Still, Always, Constantly, Continually, Forever, Never… again.
Past Simple	Ago, Yesterday, Last week (month, year), In 1993, Just now, As soon as, The moment, Once, In those days, The other day, Then, When.
Past Continuous	At 3 o’clock yesterday, From 3 to 6 o’clock last Friday, while, at the time, this time last year, when, as.
Present Perfect	Already (+?), Yet (-?), Still (-), Recently, lately, just, ever, never, for, since, so far, today, this week (month), before, always.
Present Perfect Continuous	How long, for, since, for the last (past) few days (weeks, months).
Past Perfect	After, before, by, by the time, until, till, when, for, since, already, just, never, yet, hardly…when, scarcely…when, barely…when, no sooner…than.
Past Perfect Continuous	For, since, etc.
Will/Be going to/ Future Continuous	Tomorrow, tonight, next week/month, in two / three days, the day after tomorrow, soon, in a week/month etc.
Future Perfect	By, by then, by the end of the year, before, by the time, until (only with negation).
Future Perfect Continuous	By … for, the last couple of hours, in 2030, by the summer, by the end of the week, (by) this time next week/month/year etc.

Exercises for all English tenses

Take the online test to reinforce all the tenses you worked so hard to learn.

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 a quick overview of all the time groups so you have an idea of ​​what we'll be talking 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 English tenses 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 already “exceeds” the average, 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):

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 at a given moment in 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 require 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 rehearse 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 the auxiliary verbs have been, which changes 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 hasn't studied French since she 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.

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