December 27, 2017 at 07:04

Down with the signs! How to learn English tenses

• Skyeng company blog,
• Reading room

Tenses in English are traditionally considered one of the most difficult topics to learn. They are strongly associated with memorizing long, obscure tables and memorizing non-obvious rules. In fact, it's not like that. We tell you how to quickly master tenses and their aspects so that you can start speaking English without stumbling.

First things first

Firstly, in English three times: past, present and future (some linguists even reduce their number to two, not recognizing the future’s right to be considered a separate time). But each time has four aspects, which is why there is a misconception about “twelve times.”

Secondly, of the twelve aspect-temporal forms, the most frequently used (about 80%) are only five– Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, Present Perfect and Future Simple. At first, it is enough to remember only them; the rest will be learned as needed (and practice).

Thirdly, when studying these aspect-temporal forms, it is important not to memorize the tablets, but understand the logic their education, learn in English to perceive the position of events in time.

Let's find out the aspects

So, for each of the three tenses in English there are four aspects. Let's figure them out.

Simple is used in the case when no additional clarifying time factors are required: you just need to report some event without going into details. Also use it in all cases when we are talking about something permanent, and the words can be inserted into a sentence usually, often, never, always, sometimes, every (hour, Monday, winter, week, year). If you say She speaks 3 foreign languages, you mean her constant characteristic, and not the fact that she speaks all three right now.

Continuous recognized by the auxiliary verb to be and ending -ing and is used when the action is “in progress” at the moment in time in question. It emphasizes that we are talking about something that has already begun, but has not yet been completed (has not been/will not be completed). I'm eating bread means that I'm sitting with my mouth full right now; when she called I was eating bread shows why it was problematic for me to answer when I called. Please note that the Continuous in English focuses more on the incompleteness of the process than the imperfect verbs of the Russian language: the neutral sentence “I studied at the university”, becoming I was studying at University, will tell the other person that you haven’t finished it.

Perfect contains an auxiliary verb to have and implies the completion of the action - done, played, earned, ate, caught up. If you can insert something like “already”, “just now” or “finally” into a sentence, use Perfect. Our son has learned how to read“Our son couldn’t read before, he studied, achieved results, and now he can.”

Perfect Continuous(there is also to have, And to be With -ing) raises the most questions among Russian-speaking students. This aspect describes events that have occurred, are occurring, or are about to occur during a specific period of time. What is the difference between Perfect Continuous and just Continuous? Continuous is used when it is important that the event occurs at the moment described, but when it began is not important. Perfect Continuous - when this period of time needs to be emphasized: “at the moment in question, this has already been happening for so long.” I was studying at University when I met my wife– Continuous, because I’m saying at what point I met my wife, and the main thing is this, not the duration of my studies. I have been studying at University for five years– Perfect Continuous: here the emphasis is on the duration of training. Please note: we are talking about training that has not yet ended or has just ended; if your diploma has been sitting on the shelf for a year, use the Simple aspect ( I studied at University for five years), since we are talking about a fait accompli.

Five main time-aspects

Present Simple used when we talk about a regular, constant, typical action, not tied to the moment of speech:

I live in Paris - I live in Paris (I live in Paris “always, constantly.”)

Present Continuous shows that the action is happening right now, at the moment of speech/writing (in Russian, verbs of motion have a similar form - I’m flying, I’m walking, etc.):

The doctor is performing an operation now - The doctor is now performing an operation (he does this at the time of the speaker’s speech).

The winter is coming - winter is coming not in predictions, but right now, something needs to be done urgently, panic!

Present Perfect used when an action has completed (there is a result) but time has not ended, or when this action has consequences in the present tense:

I have seen him today - I saw him today. (the action has already ended, but “today” has not yet ended; earlier in Russian the word “davecha” was used for “today in the past tense”).

Be careful – I have washed the floor. - Be careful: I washed the floor, and right now it’s slippery.

Our son has learned how to read - the son has learned and now knows how to read.

We have known each other since school - literally translates as “we recognized each other at school and have known each other since then.”

Past Simple used to express an action that occurred at a certain time in the past, while this time has already ended or does not matter:

I saw him yesterday. – I saw him yesterday (that day is already over).

Leo Tolstoy learned to read at the age of five - the great writer hardly reads now, and it doesn’t matter.

Future Simple is becoming increasingly rare, and some of our methodologists believe that it has no place on the list of the five most popular tenses. Now it should be used to denote a decision made at the time of speech, or an expected event that has just become known:

We will take a taxi. - Let's take a taxi (we show the decision to do something in the future, made now).

The phone rang: I'll take it.

You are playing volleyball, the ball is flying: I’ll get it!

You finished the phone conversation and tell those present: He’ll be there.

Where did shall go?

With form shall something interesting happened in the future tense. If previously it was used for the first person singular and plural ( I, we) in all meanings of the Future Simple, now you rarely see it anywhere. Will it has completely replaced it, simplifying the life of language learners.

However, there is a special meaning in which only shall- when you offer your help to someone. Moreover, this must be a question, and always in the first person.

Shall I close the window? You look cold. – Should I close the window? It looks like you're frozen.

A couple of life hacks

• While the situation with the Future Simple is settling down, and you still don’t feel very confident in English, just use the construction with be going to for the future tense. If earlier it meant a certain plan that had already been developed, but had not yet begun to be implemented ( My car is too old, I’m going to buy a new one), but now it is almost always acceptable ( The solar eclipse is going to happen next August).
• If you know all the aspects, but can’t figure out which one to use in a particular case, Simple is your choice. All other aspects apply when it is important to emphasize the time factor; if you are asking such a question, then this factor does not matter.

What's next?

The five aspect-temporal forms presented above are quite enough to start communicating. But to speak English fully, of course, you need to know all the others. Actually, you yourself will feel the need for them when you master our “basic five”. What to do?

If you need to learn all the tenses right now (for example, an exam is coming), there is nothing better than individual lessons aimed specifically at learning the tenses. Gather your strength and move forward.

If you just want to know English well, practice! Chat, read, watch movies without translation. If you have learned the five basic forms and understand the logic of tenses, all other forms will not be difficult. You yourself will not notice how you start using them - without even knowing what they are correctly called in the textbook. The main thing is to learn to think in English, to intuitively feel English time.

English times are different from times in Russian. That is why many do not understand them and constantly confuse them. This leads to the fact that we cannot speak English, or we do it slowly with errors.

But understanding English tenses is much easier than it seems. Today I will tell you how to teach them correctly in order to easily remember and use them in your speech. This is how we teach our students.

In the article you will learn:

• How to learn English tenses correctly and quickly?
• What are the 3 types of offers?
• The correct sequence of learning tenses.

Why is it difficult for us to understand English tenses?

What tenses are there in English?

There are 4 groups of tenses in English: simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous. In turn, each of these groups includes the present, past and future tenses. In total there are 12 times.

I will not focus on when we use which tense or explain the grammar. At the end of the article I will provide links to articles on some of them. Now I will show you how to teach tenses correctly.

What does it mean to "learn time"?

Many people learn English tenses by memorizing the rules and only do written exercises. This is usually how English is taught using the classical method (as at school or in regular courses), on a computer/phone, or independently.

As a result, a person cannot use the tenses he has learned in oral speech and quickly forgets them.

To learn the time you need:

1. Understand when it is used and how sentences are formed.
2. Learn to use it in conversation and writing.

This is the only way you can quickly and easily remember English tenses and use them in life.

How to do this? Read below.

How to learn English tenses correctly?

All tenses in English consist of 3 types of sentences: affirmative, negative and interrogative.

Look at the example:

Affirmative: I'm walking
Negative: I don't go out
Interrogative: Are you walking?

Learning any English tense comes down to three simple steps:

1. Learn to build affirmative sentences
2. Learn to build negative sentences
3. Learn to ask questions

Let's take a practical look at how this is done.

How to learn English tenses?

In English, we cannot rearrange words in a sentence the way we are used to doing it in Russian. Each word has its specific place. Therefore, each type of sentence (affirmative, negative and interrogative) in English is formed according to a certain pattern.

To learn tense, you just need to know the patterns of each type of sentence and be able to use them.

Let's look at this using the Present Continuous tense as an example.

Affirmative sentence

We take the scheme of an affirmative sentence in the Present Continuous:

I am ___-ing (some action)
I _____ (some action)

Instead of a dash, you can put any verb (action).

For example:

I am swimming
I'm swimming.

I am working
I am working.

I am driving a car.
I'm driving.

By replacing verbs, you learn to create your own affirmative sentences in this tense. It is best to make sentences orally first, and then in writing.

If you have only looked at the rules, but have not worked them out in practice, then do not move on to the next type of sentences. There is only one criterion by which you can do this: you can easily say the sentence without hesitation or errors in English.

Negative sentence:

When you teach tenses, it is very important to follow the sequence of learning sentence types:

affirmative → negative → interrogative

The thing is that the affirmative sentence scheme is basic. On its basis, schemes of negative and interrogative sentences are built. Now I will explain everything.

I _____ (some action)

Negative sentence diagram:

I am not ____-ing (some kind of action)
I don't _____ (some action)

That is, to make a negation, we add the particle not (not) into the affirmative sentence scheme. Just right?

Now we need to learn how to make negative sentences in practice.

I am not reading.
I don't read.

I am not sleeping.
I'm not sleeping.

I am not running.
I'm not running.

Interrogative sentence:

As I wrote above, in order to construct a question, you need to make changes to the scheme of the affirmative sentence.

Affirmative sentence scheme:

I am ____-ing (some action)
I _____ (some action)

Interrogative sentence pattern:

Am I____-ing? (some action)
I _____? (some action)

That is, to make a question in Present Continuous time, you need to put am to first place. Having analyzed the diagram, we make our own proposals:

Am I writing?
Am I writing?

Am I cooking?
Am I cooking?

Am I reading?
Am I reading?

How to learn to use English tenses automatically?

Only by analyzing all three formation schemes and learning to construct sentences with them can you say that you know the time. In this case, you can easily say any sentence using this tense.

If you practice correctly, writing a lot of sentences, the English tenses will fly off your tongue and you will use them automatically.

Here are two tips that will make your training even more effective. Be sure to follow them when learning tenses.

1. Follow the correct sequence of learning tenses

Learn tenses only in groups

As I said at the beginning, English tenses are divided into 4 groups: simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous.

Tenses must be taught strictly in groups in this order:
1. Times of the Simple group
2. Times of the group Continuous
3. Perfect Times
4. Times of the group Perfect Continuous

In this case, it will be much easier for you to understand each new time, knowing the previous one.

Maintain consistency within the group

Each group of tenses consists of: present, past and future tenses. Learn the tenses strictly in the same sequence.

For example, let's take the Simple group. The order of studying tenses is as follows:
1. Present Simple (Present tense)
2. Past Simple (Past tense)
3. Future Simple (Future tense)

In the remaining 3 groups, the order of study is exactly the same.

In each tense you need to parse 3 types of sentences

When studying time, always start with affirmative sentences, then move on to negative ones, and then to interrogative ones. Don't change the order.

2. Make as many sentences as possible after each piece of theory.

The more you practice, the easier it will be to use this time in conversation. Having analyzed the formation of an affirmative sentence, be sure to immediately practice composing these sentences in practice. Only then move on to negative sentences.

If you study all three types of sentences at once and only then practice them, it will be difficult for you and you will constantly get confused. Do everything consistently.

Brief summary of the article

Each tense in English can be represented in the form of schemes for constructing sentences, which are: affirmative, negative, interrogative.

Ask questions and share your successes in the comments below the article.

English tenses are considered the most difficult topic, because in Russian we have only 3 tenses, and in English there are 12.

When studying them, everyone has many questions.

• What time should I use?
• Would it be considered a mistake to use one tense instead of another?
• Why is it necessary to use this time and not another?

This confusion occurs because we learn the rules of grammar but do not fully understand them.

However, English tenses are not as difficult as they seem.

Their use depends on what idea you want to convey to your interlocutor. To do this correctly, you need to understand the logic and usage of English tenses.

I warn you right away that in this article I will not explain to you the grammatical formation of sentences. In it I will give precisely an understanding of the times.

In the article we will look at the cases of using 12 tenses and compare them with each other, as a result of which you will understand how they differ and when to use which tense.

Let's get started.

What tenses are there in English?

In English, as well as in Russian, there are 3 blocks of tenses familiar to us.

1. Present (present) - denotes an action that occurs in the present tense.

2. Past - denotes an action that occurs in the past tense (once upon a time).

3. Future - denotes an action that will occur in the future tense.

However, the English times do not end there. Each of these groups of times is divided into:

1. Simple- simple.

2. Continuous- long-term.

3. Perfect- completed.

4. Perfect Continuous- long-term completed.

The result is 12 times.

It is the use of these 4 groups that baffles English language learners. After all, in the Russian language there is no such division.

How do you know what time to use?

To use English tenses correctly, you need 3 things.

• Understand the logic of English tenses
  That is, to know what time is intended for what and when it is used.
• Be able to construct sentences according to the rules
  That is, not only to know, but to be able to speak these sentences.
• Understand exactly what idea you want to convey to your interlocutor
  That is, be able to choose the right time depending on the meaning you put into your words.

To understand English tenses, let's look at each group in detail.

Once again, I will not explain the grammatical formation of sentences. And I’ll explain to you the logic by which we determine which group’s time should be used.

We'll start with the easiest group - Simple.

Bonus! Do you want to easily learn English tenses and use them in your speech? in Moscow and find out how easy it is to master tenses and start speaking English in 1 month using the ESL method!

Simple group tenses in English

Simple is translated as “simple”.

We use this tense when we talk about facts that:

• happen in the present tense
• happened in the past
• will happen in the future.

For example

I drive a car.
I drive a car.

We say that a person knows how to drive a car and this is a fact.

Let's look at another example.

She bought a dress.
She bought a dress.

We are talking about the fact that sometime in the past (yesterday, last week or last year) she bought herself a dress.

Remember: when you talk about some action as a fact, then use the Simple group.

You can study all the times of this group in detail here:

Now let's compare Simple with another group of tenses - Continuous.

Continuous tenses in English

Continuous is translated as “long, continuous.”

When we use this tense, we talk about action as a process that:

• happening at the moment
• happened in the past at a certain moment,
• will happen in the future at a certain moment.

For example

I am driving a car.
I'm driving.

Unlike the Simple group, here we do not mean a fact, but talk about a process.

Let's see the difference between fact and process.

Fact:“I know how to drive a car, I have a license.”

Process:“I got behind the wheel some time ago and now I’m driving the car, that is, I’m in the process of driving.”

Let's look at another example.

I will be flying to Moscow tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will fly to Moscow.

We are talking about the fact that tomorrow you will board a plane and for some time you will be in the process of flying.

That is, for example, you need to get in touch with a client. You tell him that you will not be able to talk to him at this time, since you will be in the middle of a flight.

Remember: when you want to emphasize the duration of an action, that is, that the action is a process, use the Continuous tenses.

You can read in detail about each time of this group here:

Now let's move on to the Perfect group.

Perfect tenses in English

Perfect is translated as “completed/perfect.”

We use this tense when we focus on the result of an action, which:

• we have received by now,
• we got to a certain point in the past,
• we will receive by a certain point in the future.

Note that even in the present tense this tense is translated into Russian as the past. However, despite this, you say that the result of this action is important in the present moment.

For example

I have fixed my car.
I fixed the car.

We focus on the result that we currently have - a working machine. For example, you say that you fixed your car, now it works, and you can go to your friends’ country house.

Let's compare this group with others.

Let's talk about a fact (Simple):

I cooked dinner.
I was preparing dinner.

For example, you tell your friend about the fact that you prepared a delicious dinner yesterday.

I was cooking dinner.
I was preparing dinner.

You say you were in the process of cooking. For example, they didn’t answer the phone because they were cooking (we were in the process) and didn’t hear the call.

Let's talk about the result (Perfect):

I have cooked dinner.
I cooked dinner.

You currently have the result of this action - a ready-made dinner. For example, you call the whole family for lunch because dinner is ready.

Remember: when you want to focus on the result of an action, use the Perfect group.

Read more about all the times of the Perfect group in these articles:

Now let's move on to the last group, Perfect Continuous.

Perfect Continuous tenses in English

Perfect Continuous is translated as “complete continuous.” As you noticed from the name, this group of tenses includes characteristics of 2 groups at once.

We use it when we talk about a long-term action (process) and obtaining a result.

That is, we emphasize that the action began some time ago, lasted (was in process) for a certain time and at the moment:

1. We received the result of this action

For example: “He repaired the car for 2 hours” (the action lasted 2 hours, and at the moment he has a result - a working car).

2. The action is still going on

For example: “He has been fixing the car for 2 hours” (he started fixing the car 2 hours ago, was in the process of fixing it, and is still fixing it now).

We can say that the action began some time ago, lasted and:

• ended/continues in the present,
• ended/continued until a certain point in the past,
• will end/will continue until a certain point in the future.

For example

I have been cooking this dinner for 2 hours.
I cooked dinner for 2 hours.

That is, you started cooking 2 hours ago and by now you have the result of your action - a ready-made dinner.

Let's compare this time with others similar to it.

Let's talk about the process (Continuous):

I am painting a picture.
I'm painting a picture.

We say that we are currently in the process of drawing. It doesn’t matter to us how much time it has already taken, it is important to us that you are currently involved in this process.

We talk about the result (Perfect)

I have painted a picture.
I painted a picture.

We say that at the moment we have a result - a completed picture.

We talk about the result and the process (Perfect Continuous)

1. I have been painting a picture for an hour.
I painted the picture for an hour.

We say that at the moment we have a result - a completed picture. You also point out that you spent an hour in the drawing process to get this result.

2. I have been painting a picture for an hour.
I paint a picture for one hour.

We say that we are now in the process of drawing, while we focus on the fact that we have been busy with this process for an hour. Unlike Continuous times, where we only care about what is happening at a certain (given) moment, and not how long we have been doing it.

Remember: if you want to emphasize not only the result obtained, but also its duration (how long it took you to get it), then use the Perfect Continuous.

General table comparing tenses of the groups Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous

Let's look again at what each group of tenses is responsible for. Look at the table.

Time	Example	Accent
Simple	I did my homework. I was doing my homework.	We're talking about facts. For example, you once studied at university and did your homework. This is a fact.
Continuous	I was doing my homework. I was doing my homework.	We talk about the process, emphasizing the duration of the action. For example, you didn’t clean your room because you were busy doing your homework.
Perfect	I have done my homework. I did my homework.	We talk about the result. For example, you came to class with your homework ready. The teacher doesn't care how long it took you. He is interested in the result - whether the work is done or not.
Perfect Continuous	I have been doing my homework for 2 hours. I did my homework for 2 hours.	We emphasize not only the result, but also the duration of the action before receiving it. For example, you complain to a friend that homework is too difficult. You spent 2 hours on it and: did it (got the result), still doing at the moment.

Bottom line

Use English tenses depending on the meaning you want to convey to your interlocutor. The most important thing is to understand what the emphasis is on in each tense.

1. We talk about action as a fact - Simple.

2. We talk about action as a process - Continuous.

3. We talk about action, focusing on the result - Perfect.

4. We talk about the action, emphasizing that it took a certain time before obtaining the result - Perfect Continuous.

I hope that now you understand the logic of English times, and you will be able to convey the correct meaning to your interlocutor.

If you are just starting to learn English, then you will be surprised: there are 12 verb tenses in English. This number does not include passive structures (the door was painted / the door was painted); on the contrary, all twelve tenses are needed for the verb in the “active”, i.e. when an object performs an action. For those new to English, we will provide enough information to familiarize yourself with the rules.

If you are familiar with the tenses of the English language, but have forgotten some of their differences, our article will not only remind you of the basic rules, but also give tips for better memorization.

It’s probably no secret that for a better understanding of the rules of tenses in English, they need to be presented in a table. The best format, in our opinion, is this:

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Future
Present
Past

It is this table that will allow you not only to briefly summarize the information, but also to clearly show the similarities and differences between the tenses of the groups Present, Past and Future.

To ensure that we don’t have any questions about filling out the cells in the future, we’ll make a plan for what needs to be written about each time:

• When exactly does the action take place?
• How does the verb change in a given tense (let’s agree: “+” - for affirmative sentences; “-” - for negative sentences; “?” - for interrogative sentences).

Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous

First of all, let's talk about our "pointers":

Simple: tenses in this category describe actions that can be repeated, talk about our daily routine, chronology of events, etc. The main thing is the fact that the times of the Simple group speak of actions that simply happen / will happen / have happened: we do not care about their duration or completeness; the fact of action itself is important.

Continuous: This type of tense indicates the duration of an action that is taking place at a certain point in the future/present/past.

Perfect: result-oriented. Describes the actions that stopped

Perfect Continuous: Duration-oriented. Describes the actions that lasted to a specific moment in the future / present / past.

Fundamental difference Simple from Continuous:

We use Continuous to ask "How long?" (How long?). For example:

How for a long time You you write letter? / How long have you been writing the letter?

We use Simple to ask "How many times?" (How many times?) or “How much?” (How much? How many?). For example:

How many apples You ate? / How many apples have you eaten?

How many once she went V library on this week? / How many times has she been to the library this week?

Future, Present, Past

Future: here we “will not discover America” - this group describes verbs in the future tense, which means the helping verb, which will invariably be our traveling companion here, is will.

Present: works with verbs when talking about the present tense.

Past: everything that concerns “things of bygone days,” i.e. past.

Verbs in the past tense are divided into regular ones (we form the past tense according to the rule: “verb + ending ed »: stay ed,attach ed ) and irregular verbs (forms 2 and 3 can be found in the tables of irregular verbs: come, came; had, has).

English tense table

So, when we have remembered the main tense groups of verbs, it’s time to start filling out the table.

We suggest working with the verb “cook” ( prepare; correct verb).

As we have already agreed, each cell will have an affirmative (“+”), a negative (“-”) and an interrogative sentence (“?”) with this verb.

For convenience, when using the table further, we will consider changing this verb with all pronouns. So, Present Simple.

+ I / we / you / they cook ; He / she / it cooks (I / we / you / you / they cook / prepare) food; he/she/it prepares the food);

— I / we / you / they do not ( don ’ t ) cook ; He / she / it does not ( doesn't ’ t ) cook (I / we / you / you / they don’t cook / cook) food; he/she/it does not prepare food);

? Do I/we/you/they cook? Does he/she/it cook? (I / we / you / you / they cook / prepare food)? does he/she/it prepare the food?).

We hope you remembered the tenses in English. Probably, every student will need a table of times, but not everyone knows how to organize it correctly.

Did you find the table we offered useful? Share this with us in the comments.

The main difficulty of the English language is the large number of tenses and the difficulty of remembering them. Sometimes even the English themselves confuse this or that time and pronounce them incorrectly. But if you systematize all the information about them, it will be much easier to remember them. If you do this, then having a good vocabulary, you will be able to express yourself fluently in English.

To be able to freely use tenses as tools of your speech, you need to logically understand why they are needed, why there are so many of them. To do this you need to know how to use them. That is, compare them with the way we speak Russian. In fact, the English language is much simpler than Russian in composition, content, and knowledge about it is much easier to systematize. Since the English language does not have as many endings, suffixes and prefixes as ours. They compensate for this with different verbs and their forms. As in the Russian language, there is past, present and future. Only there is still a division into simple, completed and continuous, as well as completed continuous in each of the tenses. Simple - simple time is what is done in general, always, every day. As in Russian: I taught, I teach, I will teach.

The next form of tenses is the action that is in process - Continuous. Here the emphasis is on the fact that a person is, was or will be in the process. If in Russian we say: I am reading now, then in English it will be verbatim - I am reading, writing, speaking. That is, in process: I will be reading tomorrow. The main feature of this time is the ing ending.

Perfect. Here the emphasis is on results and experience. That is, some action that has already brought results. If we say - I learned English, then the British will say - I have learned English, I have learned how to speak English. Surely in these forms of time there is already some completed action with the result or experience obtained. The main feature is the verb have and its forms, as well as the third form of verbs.

Perfect continuous. The emphasis here is on a certain period of time. That is, how long a certain process took. I walked on the street for two hours, but the English will literally say: I have been walking for a 2 hours. The main features: the construction have been in forms and the ing ending of verbs, as well as the obligatory mention of a period of time: 5 minutes, twenty years, three weeks.

Try to remember the times and understand the difference between them. Then your English will become brighter, richer, and it will become easier for you to understand people and speak it.