Formulas for forming tenses in English. Present Perfect Continuous - present continuous perfect tense in English

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:

Having briefly examined English tenses, let's move on to their more detailed study and consider the rules for forming tenses with examples.

Why are tenses needed in English?

But first I would like to dwell on the question of why tenses of the English language are needed and whether it is worth learning them all. The tense system in English helps to correctly convey your thoughts to others. That is, you can make it clear what action we are talking about. Was it in the past or present? Has it already ended or is it still going on? Or maybe it happens regularly? - all these questions will disappear on their own , if it is known what tense was used in the sentence.

“So I’m just starting to learn the language, and I’ll immediately have to learn all 12 tenses of the English language?” - you ask. Ideally, yes, you need to learn all tenses. But, most likely, you will not be able to do this at once. Therefore, start your training from the times of the Simple group. Knowing the simple tense, you will be able to explain what happened or will happen to you, what you need and why. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to this time, and therefore, having dealt with it, gradually continue to study other groups. The latest one to consider is the Perfect Continuous group. It is often resorted to when the language level of the students 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

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:

Tenses in English: Continuous group

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:

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:

The semantic verb is formed in the same way as for the present continuous tense.

Examples:

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:

Tenses in English: Perfect group

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:

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:

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:

Tenses in English: Perfect Continuous group

Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous or present perfect continuous tense is a tense used to show an action that began and lasted up to a certain moment or continues to last now.

It has auxiliary verbs have been, which change to has been for the third person. The semantic verb is the same verb that was used in Continuous tenses. Among all the English tenses of this group, the Present Perfect Continuous tense is the most commonly used:

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.

Views: 325

In this lesson we will finish looking at verb tenses and look at the last and least common group: absolutely long times. This group of tenses is used less frequently than others, but is worth getting to know.

• Present Perfect-Continuous.
• Past Perfect-Continuous and Future Perfect-Continuous.
• Exercises.
• Dictionary.

What is perfect continuous time?

Perfect-Continuous tenses denote something between a completed action and a continuous one: an action that lasted in the past, but has ended or is about to end at a certain point. None of the Perfect-Continuous tenses are used in the passive voice - only in the active voice.

Let's look at the example of Present Perfect-Continuous.

Present Perfect-Continuous

The proposal outline is as follows:

As you can see, there is something from the Perfect tense (the verb to have and been - the third form of the verb to be) and something from the Continuous (the -ing verb). What is the meaning of such a proposal?

Present Perfect-Continuous is used in two meanings.

1. An action that began in the past and is still ongoing or has just ended.

We use the Present Perfect-Continuous to emphasize the duration and elongation of an action. We emphasize that the action lasted a long time.

I have been waiting for you all day. - I've been waiting for you all day.

He has been running for an hour! “He ran for an hour!”

Shortened versions are possible when tohave“grows together” with a personal pronoun:

I 've been waiting for you all day.

He 's been running for an hour!

2. A sentence with Present Perfect-Continuous serves as an explanation of something in the present.

The action has already ended, but we are interested in its result.

It has been raining all day. – It rained all day (that’s why there are so many puddles).

He has been working a lot. – He worked a lot (that’s why he was so tired).

In practice, the Present Perfect-Continuous is rarely used, for example, when you need to reproach your interlocutor, emphasizing that you have been waiting for him or her for a long time:

I've been waiting for you for two hours! - I've been waiting for you for two hours!

Or searched:

I 've been looking for you everywhere! - I've been looking for you everywhere!

Or thought about him, about her:

I 've been thinking of you all that time. - I've been thinking about you all this time.

The negative form of the Present Perfect-Continuous is built using not, and in the interrogative verb to have placed before the subject:

I have not been waiting for you all day. - I haven't been waiting for you all day.

Have you been waiting for me all day. -Have you been waiting for me all day?

These forms are even less common than the affirmative one.

Past Perfect-Continuous and Future Perfect-Continuous

The perfect continuous past tense is even less common than the present tense. The absolutely continuous future practically does not occur; you can only find it in English grammar textbooks.

Past Perfect-Continuous

The schedule for this time is as follows:

For example:

I had been waiting for you before you called. – I was waiting for you before you called.

The verb expresses a continuous action that began in the past and ended in the past at some point. Let's just say, a long-term “before last” action.

Future Perfect-Continuous

I will have been waiting for you for two hours. - I'll wait for you for two hours.

The verb expresses a continuous action that will take place in the future and will end at some point. In practice, these schemes are very rare. We won't pay close attention to them.

Exercises

Dictionary

Remember a few expressions and situations in which the Present Perfect-Continous is usually used.

• I have been waiting for you. - I was waiting for you.

Meaning: I've waited a long time for you.

Oh, finally! I've been waiting for you! - Oh, finally! I was waiting for you!

• I’ve been studying English for two years.– I have been studying English for two years.

– How long have you been studying English? – How long have you been studying English?

– I’ve been studying English for two years. – I have been studying English for two years.

• I’ve been looking for you everywhere!– I was looking for you everywhere!

It implies that I searched for a long time. Expression of reproach and indignation.

We were so worried! Dad has been looking for you everywhere! Don't do that again! – We were so worried! Dad was looking for you everywhere! Do not do it anymore!

• I’ve been calling you for hours!“I’ve been calling you for several hours now!”

Where were you? I've been calling you for hours. - Where have you been? I've been calling you for several hours now!

• I’ve been looking for a job for a long time.– I have been looking for a job for a long time.

Don't ask him for money. He’s been looking for a job for a long time. - Don't ask him for money. He has been looking for work for a long time.

• You haven't been listening. – You didn’t listen.

Reproach. You didn't listen when I spoke, so you didn't understand something.

So, you don’t understand my question. That’s because you haven’t been listening. - So, you don't understand my question. It's because you didn't listen.

• I've been living here for many years. - I've been living here for many years.

The implication is that I have lived (worked, etc.) here for many years and still continue to live here. The word “living” can be replaced with “working” or another suitable meaning. The expression is also used in interrogative form.

– How long have you been working here? – How long have you been working here?

– I’ve been working here for a year. – I’ve been working here for a year now.

• I’ve been dancing since I was six.– I have been dancing since I was six years old.

Of course, this can be said not only about dancing.

She’s been singing since she was five. – She has been singing since she was five years old.

• Have you been drinking? - What, have you been drinking?

This is what you can say with reproach and bewilderment to a person who, judging by his appearance, took it to his chest.

What's wrong with you? Have you been drinking? - What is wrong with you? What, have you been drinking?

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

• Present - the present
• past past
• Future - future

Each of them has four types:

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

It turns out that there are actually twelve main tense forms in the English language.

The English tense table looks like this:

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

Band Times Simple

This group includes three English tenses called simple tenses.

The tenses of this group indicate actions (state facts), without indicating their duration or whether they were completed

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

Present Simple

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

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

To construct a question and negation we use to do

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

Used:

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

Past Simple

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

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

Questions and negations are formed using a verb did:

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

Used:

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

Future Simple

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

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

The Future Simple is used to denote actions that will happen in an uncertain future or at a distant point in the future.

Band Times Continuous

Present Continuous

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

Conjugation table to be

• 
  We are swimm ing. — We are swimming(it is implied that they are swimming at the time of speaking)
• Are we swimm ing? — We are swimming?
• We are not swimm ing. — We don't swim

Indicates:

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

Past Continuous

To form the continuous past tense we need:

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

• I was rewrit ing I've been rewriting topics all evening
• Were you rewrit ing the topics all the evening? — You've been rewriting topics all evening?
• I was not rewrit ing the topics all the evening. — I haven't rewritten topics all evening

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

Future Continuous

Its formula is:

Will be+ verb ending - ing

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

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

Band Times Perfect

Present Perfect

The formula is as follows:

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

To have helps in constructing interrogative and negative sentences.

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

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

Table with circumstances of time that indicate perfect the present:

Past Perfect

The formation of the Past Perfect differs from the Present Perfect only in that to have takes the form of the past tense, becoming had, otherwise - the same scheme.

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

Past Perfect conveys an action that took place before a certain moment in the past or before another event that took place somewhat later.

Future Perfect

Education scheme:

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

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

Indicates an action that will be done by a certain time in the future or before the start of some other event in the future

Band Times Perfect Continuous

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

Present Perfect Continuous

Perfect Continuous It is formed as follows:

Have (has) been+ verb ending - ing

• I have been do ing the exercises already for 3 hours. — I’ve been doing exercises for 3 hours already.
• Have I been do ing the exercises already for 3 hours?
• I have not been do ing the exercises already for 3 hours

Present Perfect Continuous is used to denote an action that began in the past, lasted for some time and continues to last in the present, while indicating the period during which the action occurs

Past Perfect Continuous

His educational scheme is as follows:

Had been+ verb ending - ing

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

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

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

Such strange English times

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

How many tenses are there in English grammar?

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

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

Present tense “ours” and “alien”

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

Grammar tense system

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

Such an abundance of tenses surprises Russian-speaking students who are just beginning to grapple with the vagaries of the English verb. But later they even have to do numerous exercises on English tenses, honing the skills of correct word usage in the flow of spoken language. Practice shows that it is easiest to master the tense forms of the verb in the system. Thus, by placing English tenses with examples in tables, it is easier to understand their grammatical multi-layered nature.

Apartment house for English verb

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

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

How to solve a grammar problem

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

What are you doing in the evenings?

I usually watch TV.

What are you doing now?

I drink tea and watch TV.

What were you doing yesterday when I called?

I was watching TV when you called.

I'll call you tomorrow at 5. What will you do?

Tomorrow at 5 I will watch TV.

This one, when translated, requires the use of six forms of verb tense, of which two are present, two are past and two are future. What forms are these? English times with examples in tables will help those who want to master difficult rules and apply them in practice.

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

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

How long have you been watching TV?

I watch TV from 5 o'clock (for two hours).

When you called (yesterday), I had already been watching TV for two hours (since 5 o’clock).

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

How to say in English?

English lessons for beginners include more and more complex grammar exercises as they accumulate vocabulary. But already from the first lessons the concept of tenses is given. First, about simple ones - from the Simple and Continuous groups, later the use of tenses of the Perfect and Perfect Continuous groups is practiced. Language is easier to learn in speech situations. This is why no rule in a box can replace practical training. The material for this is available all around: on the street, at home, at work. Everywhere you can train the skill “How would I say this in English.”

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

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

English tense table

Of course, sketchiness will help to understand the ornateness of this topic. English tense table is a wonderful visual aid and should always be at hand for every beginner learning a language.

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

You can reassure us by answering that in English there are also three time planes - past, present and future, and then we are faced only with shades of actions. True, the verb forms that you have to comprehend will not become smaller from this :)

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

Tenses in English seem quite complex, but this is only at first glance. It is important to understand some principles:

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

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

Active Voice / Active voice

Passive Voice

Tense agreement in English

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

Table of tense agreement in English:

And the main thing is that in English you don’t need to know many tenses to communicate. After all, the British speak as easily as possible without a clutter of complex structures. The basic tenses (Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple) are quite enough, but it is also advisable to master the Present Continuous and Present Perfect. The use of complex tense forms in colloquial speech will only indicate your illiteracy.

Of course, for varied and sophisticated coherent speech while working and expressing your thoughts on paper, you should be patient and memorize the entire table of tenses. And we will be happy to help you, contact us, we offer classes in groups and individually: