How to use different tenses in English. Companion words of all times in English

There are present, past and future tenses in both Russian and English. Verbs ( verbs ) change over time ( tense ). But this is where the similarity with Russian times ends, because for each of these three times the British have other varieties. In this article, we will provide a short and simple guide, based on diagrams and tables, to understand tenses in English for dummies ( dummies ).

Table and examples of times:

Aspect	Time
	Present	Past	Future
Simple	Martha cooks every day.(Martha cooks every day.)	Martha cooked a roast chicken yesterday.(Martha cooked fried chicken yesterday.)	Martha will cook a huge cake for my birthday.(Martha will make a huge cake for my birthday.)
Continuous	Martha is cooking fish at the moment.(Martha is cooking fish now.)	Martha was cooking a soup when we came home.(When we returned home, Martha was preparing soup.)	Martha will be cooking a rice pudding soon.(Martha will be making rice pudding soon.)
Perfect	Martha has already cooked many dishes.(Martha has already prepared many dishes.)	Martha had cooked for 2 hours by the time I joined her.(Martha had been cooking for 2 hours by the time I joined her.)	Martha will have cooked at least 20 dishes by 10 o’clock.(Martha will have prepared at least 20 dishes by 10 o'clock.)

All three tenses (past, present and future) have three main aspects: simple ( simple ), long-term ( continuous ) and perfect ( perfect ). Long-term are used for repeated actions, or those actions that last over time.

Perfect tenses exist to describe actions or states of being that occurred in the past, and it does not matter when. The main thing is that at the time of the conversation they had already ended. These tenses are used whenever we need to connect the past and present.

Simple tenses in English for dummies

Simple times ( Simple tenses ) apply to actions or states in the past, present or future.

The table shows that the form of the verb in the simple past tense does not change by person, so it is very easy to remember the sentence construction scheme. Well, knowledge of irregular verbs will come with practice of reading and listening.

Simple future tense ()

Talks about events that have not yet happened. Formed the same way for all persons - by adding an auxiliary verb will + base verb.

Long tenses in English for dummies.

Long times ( Continuous tenses ) are needed to describe the actions that occur at the time of speech. This can be either in the present period or at a specific period in the past or future.

Present continuous ()

The diagram clearly shows the difference between the continuous and simple forms of the present tense.

Formed using an auxiliary verb to be + ing - form of the semantic verb (Present Participle) .

Past Continuous

Constructed with an auxiliary verb to be in the past tense + semantic verb in the ing form .

Future Continuous

This tense is used to talk about actions that may be interrupted in the future, or to say what will happen at a specific time in the future. Compare the diagram with Future Simple .

The Future Continuous is formed using the following formula: Will be + verb-ing

Perfect or perfect tenses in English for dummies

Express completed actions, the result of which is important at the time of the story. May be accompanied by adverbs already (already), yet (Not yet), just (just now), for (during), since (since) ever (ever) never (never). Formed using an auxiliary verb have + semantic verb in the Past Participle form.

present perfect

From the following diagram you can understand that the main difference between the present perfect and simple past tense is the moment in the past when the action ended. For the Present Perfect it doesn’t matter when it happened, but for Past Simple- important.

How the present is formed perfect tense:

Example: Has not already paid for the dinner. (He has already paid for dinner.)

It is important to be able to correctly use tense constructions in the English language. Therefore, I suggest you remember 16 tenses of English using tables and pictures.
Naturally, let's start small, namely with the polyglot scheme of Dmitry Petrov, which I personally tested.

A simple but quite effective table of the three Simple tenses. The essence of the method is that you know it perfectly. You need to bring your knowledge to automation.

For example, to the question:

You should immediately know what time to use to answer. Remember how to correctly formulate a question or negative in each tense. Practice it every day until your knowledge becomes automatic.

Use of tenses in English

After you have thoroughly mastered the previous table by Dmitry Petrov, you can move on to the table with 16 English tenses.

And now, I propose to move on to clear examples use of 12 English tenses. With the help of this wonderful image of a worm's dreams and everyday life:

A simple table of English tenses:

Time table. Active voice

In this table you can remember the time circumstances (hints) that suggest which tense should be used:

Time markers in English

Although in Russian we say “ V last month", " on next week", " V next year”, in English prepositions are not used before the words “next” and “last”:

• She is coming next Tuesday. - She's coming next/future Tuesday.
  (incorrect: “… on next Tuesday”).
• We met last June. - We met last June.
  (incorrect: “... in last June”).

**The expression “the other day” is translated into English differently for the past and future tense: “the other day” and “one of these days” - they cannot be swapped and one cannot be used instead of the other.

*Continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also indicate simultaneous actions. At the same time, it is not necessary that they all be long, one is enough. Therefore, in the Past Continuous and Future Continuous you can often see the conjunctions “when” (when) and “while” (while).

• He will be reading while the children will be swimming. - He will read while the children are swimming.
• I will be working when you come. - I'll be working when you come.
• I was watching TV while he was looking through the newspapers. - I was watching TV while he was looking through the newspapers.
• He was reading a book when I entered the room. - He was reading a book when I entered the room.
• While/When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner. - While/When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having lunch.
• When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on. - When my mother was talking on the phone, I turned on the TV.

All English Tenses:

• How to learn Simple/Indefinite Tense? Talk about yourself, about what you are always used to doing, about how you usually behave or what you prefer. Chat with a native speaker or teacher about your habits and traditions in your family.
• How to learn Continuous / Progressive Tense? Talk about what you are still doing at a particular moment. Constantly, while doing any work, say what you are doing at a particular moment in English.
• How to learn Perfect Tense? Talk about what you have finished doing at a certain point. Tell the teacher or any other interlocutor about your achievements and achievements, about what you managed to do. Try to prepare for an interview in English, in which you can tell about your victories and achievements.
• How to learn Perfect Continuous Tense? Tell us about a certain period in your life, about what you did for some time, what you devoted your life to until a certain point, what you were passionate about. Imagine that you are being interviewed - try to answer different questions.

Oh, the times! Oh, morals!

Tenses in the English language are considered to be the most difficult section of grammar. But this is one of the most common misconceptions. Along with the fact that the majority distinguishes a dozen tenses in English, and three in Russian. So: don’t trust anyone :) In the English language, experts will highlight more than 12 tenses (take at least Future-in-the-Past for warming up). And in Russian, in theory, there are also more than three. Need proof? Yes please.

Times in the Great and Mighty

Only a first grader thinks that we have past, present and future tenses. But at the same time, everyone will feel the difference in these proposals:
I was walking home through the park yesterday.

I walked home through the park yesterday

Immediately a quick question: what is the tense in the sentences? Yeah, past. What verb did “went” come from? Well, yes, from the verb “to go.”

Let's go back to "went" and "went". Can we smell the difference? In the first case, we are talking about some long time: I walked to myself and walked through the park, without touching anyone. And in the second - about what has already happened. The questions answered by “went” and “went” are also different: “what did you do?” and “what did you do?” Such forms of verb tenses in Russian are usually called imperfect/non-perfect form (what to do) and perfect/perfect (what to do).

And that is not all. For example, when we want to emphasize the duration of an action, we become more sophisticated and use synonyms of verbs that are very close in meaning. For example:

Yesterday I walked through the park in in a great mood.

Now you can imagine how difficult it is for a foreigner when he wants to convey a long action using the verb “go”. Surely he will come up with something like “Yesterday I walked... mmm... walked... walked... through the park in a great mood.” And try to explain to him that to convey a long-term action, it is better to take the verb “to walk” and put it in the past tense in the non-perfect form.

Whose tense system is easier?

This is ours:

	Imperfect form (Indefinite)	Perfect form ( Perfect)
		long-term	regular
Present	I'm playing	—	—
Past (Past)	played	played	played
Future (Future)	I will play	I'll play	I'll play

Moreover, in order to denote the present continuous or past imperfect tense, we will have to explain this further. Compare:

I play the guitar (i.e., in principle, I know how to play this instrument).
And
I'm in this moment I play the guitar (that is, right now I’m sitting and playing, I have nothing else to do).

Tenses in English

While we are getting more sophisticated with perfect/non-perfect forms of the verb, and also practicing finding synonyms, the English have created a completely logical and understandable system of tenses. Each verb easily forms 12 main groups. Let’s take the same “walk” (walk) and use it by default with the pronoun I (I).

Table of tenses in English with examples

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Present	I walk I walk (in general, in principle)	I am walking I'm walking/walking (right now)	I have walked I went (already)	I have been walking I walked (did it and completed it by now)
Past	I walked I went (in general, in principle)	I was walking I was walking/walking (a while ago)	I had walked I was walking (the action had already ended at a certain point in the past)	I had been walking I walked (did it and completed it by a certain point in the past)
Future	I will walk I will walk (in general, in principle)	I will be walking I will walk/walk (for a while)	I will have walked I'm like (the action will end at a certain point in the future)	I will have been walking I will walk (and complete it by some point in the future)

Thus, when reading a sentence in English, one can easily understand what the person means. While in our country the use of explanatory words is mandatory. While we need to use explanatory words for this. For example, to convey the Future Perfect tense, we will add “I’ll finish” to the main semantic verb: “I’ll finish doing my homework by 5 pm.” These are the simple rules of English tenses that, thanks to exercises, are quickly memorized.

And whose tense system is ultimately easier?

Well, now it’s a little more complicated - the use of tenses.

If the structure can be easily learned and understood, then the use of tenses needs to be taught, practiced and ultimately “felt”, begin to think the way those who speak English as their native language think.

In general, the principle is this:

Simple tenses are used for constant, regular actions or when actions follow one another.

Perfect tenses indicate the result of an action, completion, outcome.

Continuous tenses are used for non-permanent, temporary, changing actions, in order to emphasize that the action is still ongoing, ongoing.

It will also be useful to know some signs and words that help determine “on the spot” what time it is:

For the present time:

PresentSimple– time is used for constantly occurring actions (Every day I brush my teeth), undeniable truths (The Earth revolves around the sun).

Key words: every day/month/week, as a rule, usually (every day/month/week, as a rule, usually).

I clean my flat every Friday.

Present Continuous– is used when we are talking about an action that occurs at the moment of conversation, or is temporary and changing. Most often this time is used in comparison with Present Simple. In contrast to the Present Simple, the continuous tense denotes intermittent actions. There are a number of verbs that are not used in the present participle form. Then Simple comes to the rescue for a long time. Also, the present continuous is used to denote future actions, instead of the future tense.

Key words: now.

Compare:

I live in Paris. (permanent action)

I am staying now at my grandfather’s, but that’s until I find a new flat. (emphasizes the temporary nature of the action)

Present Perfect– is used if we want to emphasize that the action took place before the moment of conversation, but we feel the result in the present. Most often used in dialogues.

Key words: already, just (already, just).

Read this book, please! It's fascinating!

I have read it already.

PresentPerfectContinuous emphasizes both the duration and completeness of the action.

Compare:

I can't do this exercise! Help me, please!

No, I won't help. Try to do it yourself.

But I can't! I have been trying to do it for three hours and I failed!

The action began in the past, lasted, the result, the outcome of the action is felt in the present. In this case, you can also say: I was trying to do it for three hours. But in such a sentence, the emphasis is on how long I did this, but the result is not visible. Since the dialogue above shows the result - the exercise is not done, and it is this result that is being discussed, then simply a long time is not enough.

For past tense:

PastSimple- this is a statement of a fact from the past (from history), used in a story about some events (for example, how I spent the weekend), when listing facts (when several actions follow one after another).

This action is often confused with the Present Perfect, but in the Present Perfect the result is felt in the present, there is a connection with the present, it is often used in conversation, in dialogue, and the Past Simple is simply a story about the past, used in stories or monologues.

Key words: yesterday, last year, last week, two days ago ( yesterday, last year, last week, two days ago).

Compare:

1.- Help me, please! I have lost my wallet! (Present Perfect, dialogue, the result is felt in the present)

2. I lost my wallet, and then I found it. (Past Simple, just a story about events, not tied to communication)

3. - You know, I lost my wallet! – Have you found it? – Yes, I have! (Past Simple and Present Perfect)

PastPerfect– unlike the Present Perfect, the Past Perfect requires an indication of at least some time in the past. Because the Present Perfect has ended by the moment in the present. And the Past Perfect must end at some point in the past. That is why it is also called antecedent.

The key feature is: indication of time, preposition by before time, or subordinate clause time.

For example:

Yesterday by 5 o'clock, I had already washed the dishes.

Yesterday by 5 o'clock I had washed up already.

When you called me, I had already washed all the dishes. (action completed at a certain point in the past)

When you called me, I had already washed up.

PastContinuous- the same as the Past Perfect - an indication of the time, or the period of time during which the action lasted, is necessary.

The key feature is: a subordinate clause of time, an indication of time or period.

I broke my leg when I was climbing a mountain.

When you called me, I was doing my homework.

One action, as it were, is performed inside another, and the longer one is put in the Past Continuous, and the one that is performed inside it, short-term, is in the Past Simple.

PastPerfectContinuous- this is the same as PresentPerfectContinueous, only in relation to events in the past.

Let's remember the example we gave for the Present Perfect Continuous.

The teacher asked me why I hadn't done my home assignment. I answered that I had been trying to do the exercise for three hours, but failed.

IN in this example there are several times. "The teacher asked" - simple past, "why didn't I do homework" - past perfect, pre-past, since he asks about an action that happened before the moment in the past, before the teacher asked him. And the result is felt at a certain moment in the past, that is, at the moment when the teacher asked him.

In the second sentence, “I answered” performs the same role - it indicates that the action takes place in the past. The second part of the sentence (that I had been trying to do...) indicates an action that was completed before he responded. That is, you need Perfect. And since the action lasted, and an indication of this was given: “three hours,” then duration (Continuous) is also added.

Here's another example:

On Sunday I didn’t work in the garden, because it was muddy – it had been raining all Sunday night.

Future

Future Simple. Its use is very limited, since the verb will (shall), which is also needed to form this tense, is still very popular modal verb. And here it’s just like in life: if you try to sit on two chairs, then, as a rule, you don’t have time, neither here nor there. So it is in the situation with the future. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish where will denotes only the future tense, where it acts as a modal verb.

Will comes to the aid of the Present Continuous, which is often used to indicate future actions.

The Present Continuous is used to indicate a planned action in the future.

Let's go on a picnic this Sunday.

Oh, I am sorry, I can’t! I am playing football with my friends on Sunday. (planned action)

By the way, the structure “I am going to do” can also be used to mean a planned action:

I am going to play football with my friends on Sunday. – also denotes a planned action in the future.

The Future Simple is used when you decided to do something at the moment of conversation, just now. That is, for unplanned actions.

Do you know that Peter is in the hospital now?

No, I don't! What a drink! I'll go and see him there. (I didn’t know that Peter was in the hospital, the decision to visit him came during the conversation)

We will describe the remaining meanings of will, shall in the section “Modal Verbs”.

Future Continuous

1. Used in the same way as Present, Past Continuous.

Compare:

Sveta attends dancing lessons on Mondays from 5 till 7. (Present Simple)

It is 6 o'clock, Monday. Sveta is dancing now. (Present Continuous)

Yesterday at 6 (or Yesterday from 5 till 7) Sveta was dancing. (Past Continuous).

Tmorrow at 6 (or Tomorrow from 5 till 7) Sveta will be dancing. (Future Continuous) – Sveta will be in the process of dancing.

2. Used in the same meaning as the Present Continuous in the meaning of a future planned action.

Oh, I am sorry, I can’t! I am playing football with my friends on Sunday. = I am going to play football with my friends on Sunday. = I will be playing football with my friends on Sunday.

Future Perfect

I don’t know the rule, but I’ll have learned it by the beginning of the lesson. – I don’t know the rule, but by the beginning of the lesson I will already know it.

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 who are beginning to get acquainted with the language to get used to how English speaking people share time for yourself. In fact, each tense form in English has its own analogue in Russian, we just don’t distinguish these forms separate groups. Therefore, understanding tenses is not at all difficult, and today you will see for yourself.

First let's do short review all time groups so that you have an idea of ​​what we will talk about today. As in Russian, English sentences can be built in the past, present and future. But besides these tenses, English also has 4 tense forms, namely: Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous. In general, it turns out that one idea can be expressed in twelve temporary forms. Each form has a different way of forming verbs that appear in a sentence. With their help you can determine the time. Detailed table for clarity:

Formation of tenses in English
Time/View	Simple	Continuous or Progressive (long)	Perfect	Perfect Continuous / Progressive (perfect continuous)
Past (past)	V2	to be (2nd form) + V-ing	had + V3	had + been + V-ing
Present (present)	V1	to be (1st form) + V-ing	have / has + V3	have / has + been + V-ing
Future (future)	will + V1	will be + V-ing	will + have + V3	will + have + been + V-ing

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

Why are tenses needed in English?

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

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

	When I come back, they will be listening to music.	When I return, they will listen to music.
	I will be passing the exam this time tomorrow.	Tomorrow at this time I will be taking the exam.
	They will be rehearsing here at 9 p.m.	They will be rehearsing here at 9 pm.
	Diana will not (won’t) be recording a song tonight.	Diana won't be recording the song tonight.
	Unfortunately, I will not be spending time with my friends during my vacations.	Unfortunately, I won't be spending time with my friends during my vacation.
	They will not be building a website this time on Monday.	They will not be developing the website at this time on Monday.
	Will they be chilling the whole day?	Will they chill out all day?
	Will she be washing the dishes when we go downstairs?	Will she be washing the dishes when we go downstairs?
	Will they be conducting a research?	Will they do the research?

Tenses in English: Perfect group

Perfect (Perfect)		Present	Past	Future
	+	have / has + V3	had + V3	will + have + V3
	—	have / has + not + V3	had + not + V3	will + not + have + V3
	?	Have/Has…V3?	Had...V3?	Will...have V3?

Present Perfect

Present Perfect or present perfect tense is a tense in English used to express actions that have completed by now. It differs from the simple past tense in that it places emphasis on the result in the present that caused an action in the past.

This tense form requires the auxiliary verb have, which changes to has for the third person. But with verbs used as semantic ones, not everything is so simple. They are answered by the past participles. The participle can be formed in two ways:

• If the verb is correct, then it is enough to add the ending –ed:

Example sentences:

	The son has broken the window with a ball.	My son broke a window with a ball.
	My children have already made the list of presents.	My children have already made a gift list.
	I have heard this story many times.	I've heard this story many times.
	I have not (haven’t) hurt people ever.	I've never hurt people.
	She has not (hasn’t) decided yet.	She hasn't made a decision yet.
	They haven’t learned these formulas by heart; that’s why I’m sure they have written cheat sheets	They didn't memorize these formulas, so I'm sure they wrote spurs.
	Has she been to Europe?	Has she been to Europe?
	Have you ever watched an eclipse?	Have you ever watched an eclipse?
	Have they met him yet?	Have they already met him?

Past Perfect

Or the past perfect tense is used to show that some action took place before a specific moment in the past. It is formed using the auxiliary verb had and the same past participles:

	I had prepared a surprise for my children by 7 o’clock in the evening.	I have prepared a surprise for children by 7 p.m.
	We had considered all suggestions by Friday.	We reviewed all proposals by Friday.
	I wanted to visit her but she had moved already.	I wanted to visit her, but she had already moved.
	She had not (hadn’t) spent too much time before she understood the concept.	It didn't take her long before she understood the concept.
	They hadn’t finished the construction by the deadline.	They didn't finish construction by the deadline.
	We hadn't published the magazine by Monday.	We had not published the magazine by Monday.
	Had she edited everything by the end of the day?	Did she edit everything before the end of the day?
	Had he learned the details carefully before he started doing the project?	Did he study all the details carefully before starting the project?
	Had she come back by Thursday?	Was she back by Thursday?

Future Perfect

Future Perfect or future perfect tense, as you might have guessed, shows that the action will be completed by a certain point in the future. To form this tense, in addition to the auxiliary verb have, you will need the verb will. The meaning is the past participle:

	I will have changed everything by this time.	By this time I will change everything.
	She will have been in the Maldives at 3 a.m.	She will be in the Maldives at 3 am.
	The builders will have built the stadium by next winter.	Builders will build the stadium by next winter.
	They will not (won’t) have spent much time on family until they understand its value.	They will not spend much time on family until they understand its value.
	She won’t have reached her goals until she starts working.	She won't achieve her goals until she starts working.
	I think George and Quincy won’t have made up before your birthday party.	I don't think George and Quincy will make up until your birthday.
	Will they have made it by March?	Will they do it by March?
	Will she have got his real intentions before they get married?	Will she understand his true intentions before they get married?

Tenses in English: Perfect Continuous group

Perfect (Perfect)		Present	Past	Future
	+	have / has + been + V-ing	had + been + V-ing	will + have + been + V-ing
	—	have / has + not + been + V-ing	had + not + been + V-ing	will + not + have + been + V-ing
	?	Have / Has … been + V-ing?	Had... been + V-ing?	Will... have + been + V-ing?

Present Perfect Continuous

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

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

	It has been raining all day long.	It rained all day.
	My friend has been persuading me to go with him for an hour.	My friend convinces me to go with him for an hour.
	I’m tired because we have been creating a studio all night.	I was tired because we had been setting up the studio all night.
	She has not (hasn’t) been learning French since she moved from Canada.	She doesn't study French since I moved from Canada.
	Bryan hasn’t been enjoying his weekends since his mother-in-law came to visit them.	Brian didn't enjoy the weekend because his mother-in-law was visiting.
	We haven't been sleeping all night.	We didn't sleep all night.
	How long have you been living here?	How long have you lived here?
	Have you been fighting again?	Did you fight again?
	Who has been touching my documents?!	Who touched my documents?!

Past Perfect Continuous

The Past Perfect Continuous or past perfect continuous tense is used in the same way as the Present Perfect Continuous, only in this case the action ends at a certain point in the past. Sentences are formed in this tense using the auxiliary verbs had been and the semantic verb ending in –ing. Since this form is not used very often and there are not many options for its use, let's look at just a few examples:

Future Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous or future perfect continuous tense implies a certain moment in the future. Time is used in very rare cases. It uses auxiliary verbs will have been and still 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.