Indicators present simple. Marker words in the Present Simple

Time markers in English

English verb tenses are the basis of the grammar of this language. Many people face this problem: they seem to have memorized the rules of use and education, but in practice they still find it difficult to determine what tense should be set. When we first started studying tenses, we said that the key to success was special words that indicate a specific time. We called these words markers. Markers are words denoting periods of time. Only one specific time is used with each marker.

When studying English verb tenses, we indicated all of these markers, but it makes sense to collect them in one summary table.

Simple time (Indefinite/ Simple tenses)

Present

Past

Future

every day/ week/ month
every day/week/month

yesterday yesterday

tomorrow Tomorrow

usually
usually

the day before yesterday day before yesterday

the day after tomorrow day after tomorrow

sometimes Sometimes

last month* last month

next month* next month

often often

two days ago 2 day back

in two days through 2 day

rarely/rarely rarely

the other day** on days

one of these days** on days

from time to time occasionally

* Although in Russian we say “Last month”, “Next week”, in English you cannot put prepositions before the words next and last.

**Please note that “the other day” is translated differently for the past and future tenses. Under no circumstances should they be swapped or used instead of the other.

Continued time (Continuous/ Progressive tenses)

Present

Past*

Future*

now - Now

all day long - whole day

still - still

at the moment - At the moment

* It is known that continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also denote 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).

When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on.

While/ When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner.

Perfect tenses

Present*

Past

Future

never - never

by - To…

before - before…

just - just now

always** - Always

yet - not yet (-), already (?)

already*** - already (.)

this week - this week

lately/of late - recently

recently - recently

* INPresent PerfectFor designations « behind Which- That interval time» are used whole 6 equivalent expressions: over the last/ past two weeks, in the last/ past two weeks, during the last/ past two weeks.

**Always can also be used with simple tenses, but with a difference in meaning. Let's take the Present Simple, for example.

We always book tickets in advance. –We Always in advance make a reservation tickets. (= We still do this and will continue to do this).

We have always booked tickets in advance. –We Always in advance booked tickets. (= Until today, today for some reason we did not book or will not do so again).

*** To put it simply, yet is an interrogative and negative form of already.

The twins have already arrived.

The twins haven't arrived yet.

Have the twins arrived yet?

Please note that already is placed directly next to the verb, and yet is only placed at the end of the sentence.

Although you can often find already in interrogative sentences:

Have they already gone to Spain?

Perfect Continuous tenses

As the name of this group of tenses suggests, it uses the markers needed for continuous and completed tenses.

Present

Past

Future

all day long* - whole day

by - To…

before - before…

since – since... (any time)

for – for... (any time)

*Note that all day long in the present tense requires the Present Perfect Continuous, not just the Present Continuous, even though the action is happening at the moment.

She has been studying French (is studying) all day long.

English verb tenses- the basis of the grammar of this language. Many people face this problem: they seem to have memorized the rules of use and education, but in practice they still find it difficult to determine what time to set. When we first started studying tenses, we said that the key to success was special words that indicate a specific time. We called these words markers. Markers are words designating periods of time. Only one specific time is used with each marker.

Simple (Indefinite) tenses

Table 1. Time markers in English. Simple time

Action in general: something that happens always/regularly/usually

PRESENT Present tense	PAST Past tense	FUTURE Future
every day/ week/ month every day/week/month	yesterday yesterday	tomorrow Tomorrow
usually usually	the day before yesterday day before yesterday	the day after tomorrow day after tomorrow
sometimes Sometimes	last month* last month	next month* next month
often often	two days ago 2 days ago	in two days in 2 days
rarely/rarely rarely	the other day** the other day	one of these days** the other day
from time to time occasionally

* Although in Russian we say “Last month”, “Next week”, in English you cannot put prepositions before the words next and last.

**Please note that “the other day” is translated differently for the past and future tenses. Under no circumstances should they be swapped or used instead of the other.

Continuous tenses -
Continuous (Progressive) tenses

Present Continuous (Progressive) tense —
action in development, unfinished, occurring at the moment of speech.

Past Continuous (Progressive) tense —
a continuous action that began before a certain point in the past and is still happening at that moment. A moment can be indicated by time notations.

Future Continuous (Progressive) tense —
an ongoing action that will take place at some point or period of time in the future. The moment of action can be indicated by time notations.

Table 2. Time markers in English. Continuous time

* It is known that continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also denote 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).

• When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on.
• While/ When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner.

Completed tenses

Remember these definitions of completed time:

Present Perfect tense -
an action that has already taken place; the speaker pays attention to the result arising from the action at the time of speech.

Past Perfect tense —
an action or state that ended before a certain point in the past.

Future Perfect tense —
an action that will be completed before a certain point in the future.

Table 3. Time markers in English. Completed time

* In the Present Perfect, to denote “over a certain period of time,” as many as 6 equivalent expressions are used: over the last/ past two weeks, in the last/ past two weeks, during the last/ past two weeks.

**Always can also be used with simple tenses, but with a difference in meaning. Let's take the Present Simple, for example.

• We always book tickets in advance.
• We have always booked tickets in advance.

*** To put it simply, yet is an interrogative and negative form of already.

• The twins have already arrived.
• The twins haven't arrived yet.
• Have the twins arrived yet?

Please note that already is placed directly next to the verb, and yet is only placed at the end of the sentence.

Although you can often find already in interrogative sentences:

• Have they already gone to Spain?

Continuous completed tenses -
Perfect Continuous tenses

Let’s remember the definitions, and then study the markers of this time:

Present Perfect Continuous tense -
an action or state that began before the present moment, lasted for a period of time and continues at the moment of speech or ended immediately before the moment of speech.

Past Perfect Continuous tense -
expresses a long-term action or state that began earlier than another action or state, usually expressed by the Past Simple form, and when this action or state occurred was still continuing for some time or was interrupted.

Future Perfect Continuous tense —
an action or state that begins before a certain point in the future and continues up to that point (or continues at that point), indicating the entire period of the action or state.

Table 4. Time markers in English. Continuous completed time

* Note that all day long in the present tense requires the Present Perfect Continuous, and not just the Present Continuous, despite the fact that the action is happening at the moment.

One of our native-speaking teachers (he calls himself “a real grammar nerd” - something like a “grammar Nazi”) recently sent us a photo riddle especially for English language learners.

He said that he recently looked into a wonderful vintage home decor store, and two things especially caught his attention. Firstly, a retro chair in the style of the sixties, and secondly, a sticker on this chair. Look closely at the sticker. Do you understand why our teacher immediately decided that English was not the native language for a shop assistant?

For those who are just taking their first steps in English, we explain: the store clerk was caught by a common mistake - using the wrong tense form of the verb, Present Progressive instead of Present Simple.

In the words of our teacher: “It’s often the “little things” that make a difference in whether you sound like a native English speaker or writer” – it’s the little things and subtleties that make up the difference between a native English speaker and a language learner . Choosing the right time that will sound most natural is one of those subtleties.

Do you know what is the most important quality for an English learner? Observation and attention to those signs and clue words that already exist in the language. If you look closely, it seems that the English language itself helps you avoid making mistakes and gives special signals. You just have to follow the signs and you will definitely get out at the right time.

It is not by chance that we used the word “pointers”. English does have indicators, or tense markers, that indicate the regularity of an action, a specific period of time, or a specific point in time. How is this useful for us? With each marker, usually only one specific time is used.

Of course, time markers are far from the key to deciphering English grammar; don’t hope that everything will be so simple, and always be vigilant. However, time indicators help to understand the logic of temporal relations in speech or text in English.

Present Simple tense markers

Past Simple tense markers

Check out this great video that goes into great detail about all of the past tense indicators.

Future Simple Time Markers

Time markers Present Progressive (Present Continuous)

Present Perfect tense markers

Past Perfect and Future Perfect tense markers

And finally - a couple of wise phrases from our teacher: “So don’t be using the -ing tenses unnecessarily and...please – Don’t be sitting in the cool retro chair.”

Verb tenses in English table.

Legend:

S – subject,

V – verb

Let's start from the present time.

Present Simple	Present Continuous	Present Perfect	Present Perfect Continuous
How to form? V/V(e)s I go to school every day. Molly goes to school every day Don't/doesn't V I don't go to school every day. Molly doesn't go to school every day. Do/Does + S + V Do you go to school every day?	How to form? Am/is/are Ving. They are playing. Am/is/are not +Ving I am not playing. He isn't watching. We are not listening. Am/Is/Are + S+ Ving	How to form? Have/has +V3 I have watched this film. She has done her homework. Have/has not +V3 I haven't met her before He has not watched the film. Have/Has +S+V3. Have we met before?	How to form? Have/has been Ving I have been working. She has been waiting. Have/hasn't been Ving I haven’t been waiting for you. She hasn't been running. Have/ has + S+ been Ving Have you been working all day long?
When to use? A common, regularly repeated action. Molly often visits her granny. Schedule. The ship leaves at 8 sharp. Facts, laws of nature.	When to use? The action is happening (lasting) at the moment. She is watching TV now. The action takes place during this period. I am reading M.Twain these days. Planned action.	When to use? The action is completed, but there is no indication of when it was completed. She has done her homework. The action is completed, there is no indication of the moment of completion and there is a result that is important at the moment. I have bought some flour, so we can bake a cake.	When to use? An action that has lasted up to the present moment (perhaps the action is still ongoing).
Usually, generally, once a month, twice a week, always, every day/week/month, never, often, rarely, sometimes, rarely	Pointer words. Time markers.	Pointer words. Time markers. lately, recently, twice, several times, ever, never, just, already, yet, for, since	Pointer words. Time markers.

Table of verb tenses in English: past tense.

Let's move on to the past tense of the verb in English. I offer you the following table.

Past Simple	Past Continuous	Past Perfect	Past Perfect Continuous
Howform? I played hockey. Molly went to the zoo. Didn't +V I didn't play hockey. Molly didn't go to the zoo. Did+S+V Did you play tennis?	Howform? Was/were+Ving She was sleeping. They were dancing Was/were not Ving She was not crying. We were not waiting for him. Was/were +S+Ving Was she writing a letter? Were you dreaming?	How to form? Had +V3 I had done my homework by 6 o’clock. Had not +V3 She hadn’t finished cooking before her mother came. Had+S+V3	How to form? Had been Ving I had been crying before he came. Had not +S+ been Ving I hadn’t been cooking by midnight. Had + S + been + Ving
When to use? An ordinary single action in the past. I visited my granny last month. Chain of events in the past. I opened my bag, found the key and started the car.	When to use? An action that lasted at a certain point in the past. She was dancing at 5 o"clock yesterday. She was sleeping when her brother came.	When to use? The action ended before the moment in the past. I had watched the film before we went to the cinema. She had fallen asleep before midnight yesterday.	When to use? The action lasted until a moment in the past. Sally had been waiting for half an hour and then she decided to go home.
Words- pointers. Markerstime. yesterday, last (that) month, the day before yesterday, last (that) week\month\year, in 2010, on the 10 of April, ago	Pointer words. Time markers. all day/night long, at that moment/time, while, at 5 o"clock, when +Past Simple	Pointer words. Time markers.	Pointer words. Time markers.

Verb tense table: future tense.

Let's move on to the future tense of the verb in English. I offer you a table of future tenses in English.

Future Simple	Future Continuous	Future Perfect	Future Perfect Continuous
Howform? Will V I will stay with you forever. Won't (will not) V Won't help you. Will +S+V Will you come to my party?	Howform? Will be Ving I will be reading at 2 o’clock tomorrow. Won't be Ving She won't be sleeping if you come later. Will +S+be Ving Will you be waiting for me?	Howform? Will have +V3 I will have read the book by tomorrow. Won't have V3 She won’t have dinner cooked by that time. Will+ S+have V3 Will you have finished homework by midnight?	Howform? Will have been Ving I will have been waiting for you till midday. Won't have been Ving I won't have been reading for so long. Will +S + have been doing Will you have been doing your homework till 5 o’clock?
When to use? Single or sequential actions in the future I will meet you at the station. She will come home and then she will take a shower.	When to use? The action takes place at a certain point in the future. I will be lying on the beach at this time tomorrow.	When to use? The action will end until a point in the future. I will have written all the letters by 5pm.	Whenuse? The action lasts until a moment in the future. Molly will have been living in Kongo for three years next November.
Words- pointers. Markerstime. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow , tonight, one of these days, next week/month, in an hour /minute, later, soon, in (the) future	Words- pointers. Markerstime. all day/night long, at that moment/time, while, at 5 o"clock, when	Words- pointers. Markerstime.	Words- pointers. Markerstime. all day long, by, before, since, for, till

Have you studied all aspects of tenses in English, but when composing the text, you feel unsure about the correct choice of grammatical basis? Almost all people learning English experience similar feelings. But few people know about a little trick that eliminates the constant fear of mistakes and gives confidence in their knowledge. We are talking about signal words associated with a specific time aspect. Today we will get acquainted with this phenomenon in detail and try to remember the entire list of tips. A table that we have compiled specifically for this material will help you study time markers in English. But first you need to understand how these signals work.

Circumstances in English not only express conditions and time, but also act as indicators for the use of a certain aspect. Let's trace this relationship in practice.

• Igotothegymevery Friday – I go to the gym every Friday.

Pay attention to the phrase everyFriday. It is this that indicates that the sentence must use Present simple, and not, for example, Present Perfect. If we replace these tense indicators, then the grammatical structure of the entire sentence will change.

• Ihaven'tgonetothegymthis week – I didn’t go to the gym this week.

Examples prove the influence of circumstances on the use of one or another aspect. But let’s immediately make a reservation that not all time indicators are used with only one aspect. They are not a panacea, but they are a fairly solid support for those who have been learning English for a short time.

Signal words for Simple

Simple tenses are associated with periodicity, regularity, or constancy. Accordingly, the meaning of their markers should be similar. Here is a list of adverbial satellites for different aspects of the Simple group and examples of their use.

Present

The present tense is associated with the following clues:

• usually (usually), regularly (regularly);
• often (often), as a rule (as a rule);
• rarely (rarely),rarely (very rarely);
• always (always), sometimes (sometimes), from time to time (from time to time);
• everyday/week/month (every day, every week, every month).

• I rarely use metro – I very rarely use the metro.
• She usually doesn’t watch TV in the morning – She usually doesn’t watch TV in the morning.
• They always send Christmas cards to their friends – They always send Christmas cards to their friends.

Past

The simple past is characterized by such satellites as:

• ago (long ago, years ago),inthosetimes (at those times);
• that day (onThatday), the other day (ondays);
• yesterday(yesterday), the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday);
• lastFriday/week/month (last Friday, last week, last month).

• The incident happened the day before yesterday – This incident happened the day before yesterday.
• They met the other day – They met the other day.
• I saw it last week – I saw this last week.

Future

The use of the simple future is indicated by the following tense markers in English:

• tomorrow (tomorrow), the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow);
• soon (soon), one of these days (ondays);
• inaweek/month (in a week, in a month);
• nextweek/year/ (next week, next month);
• in the near future (in the near future).

• It will be hot tomorrow - Tomorrow it will be hot.
• My grandfather will visit us soon - My grandfather will visit us soon.
• We will go to Italy next week – Next week we will go to Italy.

Time markers for Continuous

Aspects of the Continuous group, or as they are also called Progressive, are characterized by an indication of a specific time or (in rare cases) a time period.

Present

The present continuous tense describes circumstances such as:

• now (now),rightnow (right now);
• atthemoment (at the moment);
• atpresent (currently);
• next (in the next one),soon (soon)*
• constantly (constantly), always (always)**

*These tense indicators are used when we are talking about the planned future, and the sentence uses either verbs of motion or the phrase to be going to.

**The designation of regularity is used in the continuous tense to express irritation and dissatisfaction with any constantly occurring actions (for example, bad habits).

• We are playing chess now – We are playing chess now.
• My friend is leaving soon - My friend is leaving soon.
• Jane is always losing her gloves! Jane keeps losing her gloves!

Past

Past events are also marked with a specific time indication:

• at 10 o’clock yesterday (yesterdayV 10 hours);
• while (while...),when* (when);
• the whole dayday);
• still (still),allday

*when is a conjunction that joins a subordinate clause, so it can be used with different aspects of time.

• While I was cleaning my room, Jack was cooking supper – While I was cleaning my room, Jack was preparing dinner.
• Children were still sleeping when their father left – The children were still sleeping when their father left.
• She was watching the TV show at 7 o'clock yesterday – Yesterday at 7 o’clock in the evening she was watching a TV show.

Future

The continued future is characterized by the markers already listed, only adjusted for upcoming events:

• atthistimenextSunday (this time next Sunday);
• at 7 o’clock tomorrow (tomorrowV7 o'clock);
• in a week (viaa week);
• all day long tomorrow (alltomorrowday).

• In a week she will be meeting with her friends – In a week she will meet with her friends.
• I will be working at 5 o'clock tomorrow – Tomorrow at 5 o’clock I will work.
• At this time tomorrow we will be flying to Moscow - Tomorrow at this time we will be flying to Moscow.

Perfect usage indicators

Perfect tenses indicate completed (or near completion) actions and have a fairly impressive list of signal words.

Present

The perfect present helps to denote such circumstances as:

• ever (ever),never (never);
• already (already) , not… yet (yet)No);
• just (just now)before (before, before...);
• lately (last time),recently (recently);
• for (during),since(since).
• thisweek (this week),today (Today)*

*Characteristic of other aspects as well.

• My little brother has never been to Norway – My younger brother has never been to Norway.
• They have already written it – They have already written it.
• I have been in hospital for six days – I stayed in the hospital for 6 days.

Past

For the Past Perfect, similar signal words are used:

• for (during);
• since (with...);
• by (to..., to that moment);
• after (after),before (before...).

• We had cleaned our room by 3 o’clock – By three o’clock we cleaned our room.
• She had bought the dress the week before her wedding – She bought this dress a week before her wedding.
• I was hungry. I hadn't eaten for 10 hours already – I was hungry. I haven't eaten for 10 hours.

Future

This aspect is not used very often, so it does not have unique time markers:

• by the time (by that time);
• by (to...);
• before (before...).

• We will have read this book by the time - By then we will have read this book.
• She will have cooked supper before her son return - She will cook dinner before her son returns.

Tense indicators for Perfect Continuous

This group of tenses is intended to describe processes that have already produced some results, but the action is still not completed. Accordingly, at any time, circumstances will describe the duration of events. Typical aspect indicators:

• for (during...);
• since (with...);
• allday/night (all day, all night);
• by (to...);
• when (when).

• The dog was tired. It had been running all day . The dog is tired. She ran all day.
• I have been writing this novel since 2012 – I have been writing this novel since 2012.
• We have been playing this game for 2 hours already – We have been playing this game for two hours already.

Now that you have familiarized yourself with these useful tips, the question of what tense should be used in a given sentence will not be difficult for you. In order to summarize the information received and memorize the list of signal words, below is a summary table of English tenses with time markers. You can easily print it out and carry it with you as a cheat sheet, gradually learning the information by heart.

Time markers in English table (with translation of words)

Present	Past	Future
Simple tense
usually (usually),regularly (regularly),often (often),asarule (as a rule),rarely (rarely),rarely (very rarely),always (always),sometimes (sometimes),fromtimetotime (from time to time),everyday(every day).	ago (long ago, years ago),inthosetimes (in those days),thatday (on that day),theotherday (the other day),yesterday (yesterday),thedaybeforeyesterday (the day before yesterday),lastweek (last week).	tomorrow (tomorrow),thedayaftertomorrow (the day after tomorrow),soon (soon),oneofthesedays (the other day),inaweek (in a week),nextweek (next week),inthenearfuture (in the near future).
Continuous tense
now (now),rightnow (right now),atthemoment (at the moment),atpresent (currently). next (in the next one),soon (soon)* constantly (constantly),always (always)**	at 10o'clockyesterday (yesterday at 10 o'clock),while (while...),when*** (when),thewholesaleday (all day),still (still),alldaylong (all day).	atthistimenextSunday (this time next Sunday),at 7o'clocktomorrow (tomorrow at 7 o'clock),inaweek (in a week),alldaylongtomorrow (all tomorrow).
Perfect tense
ever (ever),never (never),already (already),not...yet (not yet),just (just now)before (before, before...),lately(last time),recently (recently),for (during),since(since).thisweek (this week),today(Today)****	for (during),since (with...),by (to..., by that time),after (after),before (before...).	bythetime (by that time),by (to...),before (before...).
PerfectContinuoustense
for (for...),since (with...),allday/night (all day, all night),by (to...),when (when).
* Used with verbs of motion and the phrase to be going to. ** About annoying constant actions, habits. ***when is a conjunction of a subordinate tense, characteristic of different aspects. **** Can be used with other aspects.

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