Time forms of verbs in English table. The use of tenses in English: the logic of use. Such strange English times

They are divided into 4 groups: simple (Simple / Indefinite), continued (Continuous / Progressive), perfect (Perfect) and continued perfect (Perfect Continuous) times. What will help us choose the right option?

Marker words time in English helps to correctly determine the temporal form, therefore it is recommended to learn them by heart. Asterisk * marked with ambiguous time indicators that can occur in different cases.

Table of satellite words for all times of the English language

It is used when describing actions in the present that occur regularly, with repetition, and not only at the moment of speech. Used when describing a regime, schedule, habits, etc.

Usually- usually
I usually wake up at 7 o'clock. I usually wake up at 7 o'clock.
Аlways- always
Alice always gets good marks at school. Alice always gets good grades in school.
Often- often
Terry often drinks tea in the morning. Terry often drinks tea in the morning.
Every day / morning / week - every day / every morning / every week
Every week Rob goes to the gym. Rob goes to the gym every week.
Sometimes / from time to time / occasionally - sometimes
Sometimes I visit my Granny in the suberbs of Moscow. Sometimes I visit my grandmother in the suburbs of Moscow.
At the weekend / on weekends / on Saturdays / on Friday - Weekends / Saturdays / Friday
We have a party on Fridays. We have a party on Fridays.
Seldom / rarely- rarely
We rarely go to the swimming pool. We rarely go to the pool.
Never * / hardly ever- never / almost never
Ann never watches horror films. Ann never watches horror movies.

2. Companion words Past Simple

Used when describing actions that have occurred in the past.

Yesterday- yesterday
Yesterday we were at home. We were at home yesterday.
A week / a year ago- a week / year ago
Alex moved to the USA a week ago. Alex moved to the USA a week ago.
Last month / year- last month / year
Last month Fred sold his car. Fred sold his car last month.
When *- when
I was in the kitchen, when you came. I was in the kitchen when you came.

3. Companion words of Future Simple

Used when describing actions that will occur in the indefinite future.

Tomorrow- tomorrow
Tomorrow Jared will go to London. Jared is leaving for London tomorrow.
Next month / year- next month / year
Jack will finish school next year. Jack will graduate from school next year.
In… days / years- in ... days / years
Ronald will arrive in 2 days. Ronald will arrive in 2 days.

4. Present Continuous satellite words

Used when describing actions taking place at the moment, at the moment of speech.

Now- now
Mary is playing the guitar now. Now Mary plays the guitar.
At the moment- At the moment
The refrigerator isn’t working at the moment. The refrigerator is not working at the moment.
Still *- still
John is still washing the dishes. John is still doing the dishes.

5. Companion words Past Continuous

Used when describing actions that took place at some point or period in the past.

From… till… *- From to …
Helen was watching a movie at the cinema yesterday from 5 till 7. Helen watched a movie in the cinema yesterday from 5 to 7.
- all day
He was working hard all day long. He worked hard all day.

6. Companion words Future Continuous

Used to describe actions that will occur at a particular moment or period in the future.

from… till… *- From to …
Tony will be working in the office tomorrow from 9 to 11 o'clock. Tony will be working in the office tomorrow from 9 to 11 o'clock.
All day long * / for the whole day * - all day
He will be writing an article all night long. He will be writing the article all night.

7. Companion words Present Perfect

It is used when describing actions completed by the time of speech or to the present in general.

Just- just now
Harry has just made a cake. Harry just made a cake.
Already- already
I have already done my homework. I've already done my homework.
Yet- still
Liza hasn’t chosen the flowers yet. Lisa still hasn't picked the flowers.
Since- with
I haven’t played football since finishing the university. I haven't played football since graduation.
Recently- recently
Sally has recently been at the theater. Sally has been to the theater recently.
Never * / ever *- never / ever
I have never been to London. I've never been to London.

8. Companion words Past Perfect

Used when describing an action that has completed at some point in the past.

Before * / after *- before after
I had brushed my teeth before I went to bed. I brushed my teeth before going to bed.
By *- To
Ann had spoken with her boss by 12 o'clock yesterday. Anne talked to her boss at 12 o'clock yesterday.

9. Companion words of Future Perfect

Used to describe actions that will last until a specific point or period in the future.

By *- To
I will have been finished my project by the end of the month. I will finish my project by the end of the month.
Before *- before
Chris will have found a job before Christmas. Chris will find a job before Christmas.

10. Words-markers of times Perfect Continuous

As you might guess from the name, the times of the Perfect Continuous group are a mixture of Perfect and Continuous. Therefore, their function is a long-term action that led to a result in the past / present / future.

for *- during
I had been reading for 5 hours. I've been reading for 5 hours already.
I have been reading for 5 hours. I've been reading for 5 hours already.
I will have been reading for 5 hours. I will be reading for 5 hours already.

WARNING: marker words are not a panacea! As we can see, some of them occur at several times at once. Often this can be explained like this: take the phrase "from ... till ..." and see that it is a sign of the duration of the action, and the duration can be in the past, present and future tenses. Nevertheless, the presence of a companion word is a very good sign of the correct temporal form.

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

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

3x4 = 12, therefore sometimes talk about twelve times , which, in principle, is incorrect, although in the tables provided for visual understanding, there are actually 12 fields with different options.

a brief description of

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

The reader is transported into the past, as it were, and plunges into another world. The linguistic wealth of many literary works is based on such conventions. An educated person gets used to them, and perceives them automatically, without thinking about word forms. And it is also easy to compose phrases myself with the correct use of temporary structures. But the Russian-language phraseology differs from the English-language one. When translating or constantly switching to someone else's speech, difficulties arise, especially for beginners.

The main difficulty is the development of perfect and continuous forms of verbs in Western European countries. In this respect, the Germanic and Romance languages are more complex than the Slavic ones. In Russian, there is practically no difference between the main and continuous forms. "I live" — an action that, by definition, continues. The change in meaning often occurs by adding prefixes that turn the word, in fact, into a completely different lexical unit. "Lived" — the action continued in the past, "lived" — has already ended.

English is analytical, unlike most Germanic languages. Phrases are composed of relatively short elements that retain their spelling. There are no prefixes, suffixes and endings as in synthetic ones. A habit of doing this and a thorough understanding of the process is the key to success for a translator or British speaker.

It's actually easy to get used to, given the rigor of the language constructs. The word order is fixed and predefined. With some experience, it is no longer possible to make a mistake, you just need to gain a sufficient vocabulary. It even becomes boring to speak in such a rigid framework. Slavic languages give more freedom in the formation of phrases. Almost all words are successfully swapped, many are skipped altogether, although inserting them is also not a mistake.

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

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

English times table with examples

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

Simple - simple;
Continuous - continuous;
Perfect - perfect (without specifying the duration);
Perfect Continuous - perfect long-lasting.

Each overlaps with three time categories. This is a radical difference from Slavic linguistics, where a simple form is analogous to a continuous one, and the perfect one happens exclusively in the past and in the future. Non-standard techniques are actively used, like a complete replacement of a verb, when describing a completed or ongoing activity. But expressing tense forms of verbs in english table standardized.

Let us give an example of the regular verb to live (to live), what a similar scheme looks like, filled with specific words.

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

The example uses the colloquial (and commonly used) abbreviation I’ll instead of the full phrase I will. Since the second and third vocabulary forms of regular verbs are the same, we will give a similar table for incorrect to know, now in the second person instead of the first.

	Past	Present	Future
Simple	You knew	You know	You’ll know
Continuous	You was knowing	You are knowing	You’ll be knowing
Perfect	You had known	You have known	You’ll have known
Perfect continuous	You had been knowing	You have been knowing	You’ll have been knowing

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

In Russian-language vocabulary, only a small proportion of such constructions are applicable. I did, I do, I will do - a simple form coincides with a long one. The perfect exists only in the past and in the future - I did it, I will do it. There is no combination of perfect and continual at all. The gerund living or going translates approximately as the verbal adjective “living” or “walking”, but it is used in a different context. In Russian, usually only in the third person, and such speech turns are considered undesirable in any case. Modern phraseology tries to avoid them. For English speakers, these are frequently used direct-acting parts of speech and are a must-have for beginners learning how tenses are formed in English.

Signs of the times in English

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

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

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

How are formed

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

Simple Present. In the present simple, the formation of phrases is as follows: after the pronoun comes the first dictionary form of the verb. It is impossible to separate it from the pronoun. She looks - she looks. She draw - she draws.

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

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

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

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

Continuous Future. The long-term future is formed like this: pronoun + will be + gerund. He will be staying - he will stay. They imply specific events that will last for a certain period.

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

Perfect Past. Perfect past uses had instead of have. Otherwise, the formation of phrases is similar to how perfect times in english present... We had tried - we tried it (a long time ago). We had written - we wrote something (long ago). This is what they say and write about events that have ended long ago. The choice of Present or Past in a perfect depends on the general logic associated with the context.

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

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

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

Perfect Continuous Past. The only difference from the above present is had instead of have (has). They have been listening - they have listened. Here, what was happening ended so long ago that it does not fall within the time frame of the presentation.

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

Examples of

When reviewed all seasons in english, it is worth giving more options using different pronouns.

The regular verb is to warm:

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

Perfect translates to "heat up", "heat up", "warm up". Subtle nuances conveyed in Russian by numerous prefixes are often expressed by the prepositions in, on, at, to, out, off, above, under. But this is already beyond the scope of the discussion, and testifies to the skill of an experienced translator.

Irregular verb to break:

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

Clearly visible here difference between br oke and br oken .

Using Present Indefinite (Simple) Tense

Present indefinite used to express a repeated or constant action in relation to the present:

I go to school. (I go to school)

He works. (He works)

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

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

You read very well. (You read very well)

He dances very badly. (He dances very badly)

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

Sugar dissolves in water. (Sugar dissolves in water)

Present Indefinite is used to express the action that occurs at the time of speech:

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

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

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

if the speaker only states a fact, and does not convey the action as an ongoing process.

Here she comes. (Here she comes)

Present indefinite used to express future action in subordinate clauses of time and condition which are introduced by the unions when(when); after(after); before(before, before); till, untill(while); as soon as(once); if(if); unless(if not), etc.:

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

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

Present indefinite used to express the planned future action (in most cases with verbs denoting movement). In such sentences, adverbial words are usually used that indicate the time of action. The present tense can also be used in the corresponding Russian sentences:

I leave Moscow tomorrow. (I am leaving Moscow tomorrow)

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

Present indefinite used in a coherent story to express an action or a series of sequential actions in the past. Such use Present indefinite enlivens the story, events seem to occur at the moment of speech.

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

Using Past Indefinite (Simple) Tense.

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

Verbs in Past Indefinite have one form in all singular and plural forms:

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

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

to study - studied

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

to stop - stopped

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

prefer - preferred

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

to travel - traveled

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

to speak - spoke

to write - wrote

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

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

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

The negative form of Past Indefinite is formed by the negative particle not after the auxiliary verb:

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

In oral speech, they usually shorten: I didn’t like that party.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the interrogative form, the verb to be placed before the subject:

Were you at home? (Have you been home?)

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

I was not in Great Britain. (I have not been to the UK)

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

The abbreviation is usually used: I wasn’t ... You weren’t ...

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

I had a friend. (I had a friend)

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

He had a house. (He had a home)

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

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

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

I hadn’t problems. (I had no problem)

I had no chose. (I had no choice)

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

I was there yesterday. (I AM was there yesterday)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Use of Future Indefinite (Simple) Tense.

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

I'll go over with you tomorrow morning.

(I'll go with you tomorrow morning)

I'll always come back.

(I will always come back)

He’ll work at the factory next year.

(He will be working in a factory next year)

The terms and conditions of Future Indefinite are not used in subordinate clauses! To express future action in such sentences is used!

I’ll message you know when I come home.

(I'll text you when I get home)

I'll ask him when he arives.

(I'll ask him when he arrives)

Using Present Continuous Tense

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

Present Continuous is formed from an auxiliary verb to beв and the present participle (Present Participle) of the main verb.

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

read + ing - reading

work + ing - working

I am working (I’m working)

(I am working)

He is working (He’s working)

(He works)

She is working (She's working)

(She works)

It is working (It’s working)

(It works)

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

Are the boys playing football?

(Boys are playing football?)

Is he working in the garden?

(Does he work in the garden now?)

The girls are not singing.

(Girls don't sing now)

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

Am I now preparing for my examinations?

(Am I not studying for exams?)

Action taking place in moment of speech:

Why are you crying?

(Why are you crying?)

You are not listening to me.

(You are not listening to me)

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

What are you doing here in Paris?

(What are you doing here in Paris?)

I'm studying at Sorbonne.

(I study at the Sorbonne)

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

I'm only happy when I'm working.

(I'm only happy when I work)

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

We're flying to Paris in the morning.

(We fly to Paris in the morning)

Is he coming tonight?

(Is he coming tonight?)

Verb to go v Present continuous with the infinitive of another verb means the intention to perform an action in the very near future and gives it a touch obligation, it is inevitable to perform the action indicated by the infinitive:

I'm going to speak.

(I will speak)

He's going to be a teacher.

(He's going to be a teacher)

Consuming Past Continuous Tense

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

I was working. (I worked)

He was working. (He worked)

She was working. (She worked)

It was working. (It worked)

We were working. (We worked)

They were working. (They worked)

You were working. (You worked)

What were you telling him?

(What did you tell him)

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

I was not working in the evening.

(I didn't work tonight)

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

He wasn’t working.

(He did not work)

They weren’t working.

(They didn't work)

Wasn’t he working?

(Didn't it work?)

Weren’t they working?

(Didn't they work?)

Past Continuous used to express an action that took place, lasted at a certain moment in the past. The duration of the action is usually also indicated by adverbial words such as at two o'clock, at midnight, at that moment, at 5 o'clock or the predicate clauses in Past Indefinite:

He was working on his English at that time.

(He was working on his English at the time)

Jack was sitting by the window when she came in.

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

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

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

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

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

She said she was coming to see you after supper.

(She said she would come to you after dinner)

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

He was going to be an engineer.

(He was going to become an engineer)

What were they going to do.

(What were they going to do)

Using Future Continuous Tense

Future Continuous is formed with an auxiliary verb to be in and the present participle of the main verb:

I will be working.

He will be working.

She will be working.

It will be working.

We will be working.

You will be working.

They will be working.

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

Will they be working?

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

They will not be working.

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

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

We’ll be playing all morning.

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

You won’t be coming back here anymore.

(You won't come back here anymore)

From now I’ll be asking thousands of questions.

(From now on I will ask thousands of questions)

He’ll be going to school soon.

(He's going to school soon)

Use of Present Perfect Tense.

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

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

Ideal tenses are formed from the corresponding forms of the indefinite tenses of the auxiliary to have and the Past Participle of the main verb.

Present Perfect is formed from the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle (Past Participle) of the main verb.

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

Drinking Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect is formed from the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participle (Past Participle) of the main verb. Verbs in Past Perfect do not change by person and number:

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

In oral speech instead of had the abbreviated form is mainly used ‘D, which in the letter is attached to the subject:

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

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

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

I had not worked.

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

He hadn’t worked

Hadn't he worked?

taken place earlier another action in the past expressed by a verb in Past Indefinite:

I told you I had met her.

(I told you I met her)

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

(She closed her suitcase and put on her coat)

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

(In the dark, he couldn't see the person who said it)

The sun had set and it was becoming dark.

(The sun had already gone down. It was getting dark)

The form was becoming dark expresses an action that took place in a certain period of time in the past (the sun has set by this period of time)

Notes.

During the list of past actions in the sequence in which they occurred, verbs are used in:

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

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

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

He stood motionless after she disappeared.

(He stood motionless after she was out of sight)

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

(I was a schoolteacher before I joined the army)

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

I had done my homework by eight o'clock.

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

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

I had not read the book by Saturday.

(I haven't read the book until Saturday)

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

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

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

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

(After she did a little work, he came over and watched her)

In the subordinate clauses of time and conditions, Past Perfect is used to express the previous action, which was future relative to the past:

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

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

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

Consuming Future Perfect Tense.

Future perfect tense formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to have in and the past participles (Past Participle) of the main verb:

I will have done.

He (She, It) will have done.

We (You, They) will have done.

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

Will he have done?

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

He will not have done.

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

I’ll have done; I won’t have done.

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

You’ll have forgotten me by then.

(By then you will forget me)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Consuming Future Indefinite (Simple) in the Past Tense

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

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

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

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

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

I should work (I’d work)

He would work (He’d work)

She would work (She’d work)

We should work (We’d work)

You would work (You’d work)

They would work (They'd work)

In brackets are abbreviated forms that are used in oral speech.

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

Would they work?

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

She would not work (She wouldn’t work)

Future indefinite in the past is used mainly in subordinate clauses, if the verb of the main sentence expresses the past action:

We arranged to start the following Saturday from Kingstone.

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

George would meet usthere.

(We agreed to set off next Saturday from Kingston.

Hariss and I will leave there in the morning and take the steamer to Chartsea.

And George will meet us there)

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

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

(I was hoping he would tell me what's the matter before we go our separate ways)

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

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

Consuming Future Continuous in the Past Tense

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

He would be working.

She would be working etc.

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

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

(He said he would be waiting for you at sunset)

Verbs that are not used in the Continuous form.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drinking Future Perfect in the Past Tense

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

I should have done.

He / She / It would have done

We should have done.

You / They would have done.

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

I thought you would have gone by now.

(I thought I would never find you)

In the relative clauses of time and condition, instead of Future Perfect in the Past,

Using Present Perfect Continuous Tense

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

Consuming Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous formed with an auxiliary verb to be in and the present participle of the main verb. The verb in Past Perfect Continuous does not change by person:

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

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

Interrogative form: Had you been working?

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

Interrogative negative: Had he not been working? Hadn’t he been working?

Past Perfect Continuous can also be called Beforepast Continuous. This time expresses a long-term action that began before any moment in the past, or lasted at that moment, or ended immediately before it. The duration of the action or its beginning is indicated in the same way as in sentences with a verb in Present Perfect Continuous. But in most cases, the duration of the action is not indicated:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After considering tenses in english with examples it remains to summarize.

Outcome

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

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

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

Understand, repeat or learn tenses in English? You're kidding! It's almost a Chinese letter! In fact, no, and we know a few secrets of how to easily and quickly learn and memorize English tenses (table attached).

It is precisely the times that become the very main brake that prevents you from easily and simply mastering this most beautiful and most popular language in the world. Sit back, because now we're going to tell you how to quickly and easily learn and memorize verb tenses in English.

Method 1: how to quickly learn English verb tenses

Students are confused from the very beginning, believing that there are 100,500 times in English. In fact, there are 3 tenses in English too: Present, Past and Future. Later, as soon as you master these basics, you will need to impose the rest of the knowledge on the existing foundation.

Now is the time to find out that all verbs denoting actions in English can be conditionally divided into ongoing and non-continuous (i.e. continuous and non-continuous).

How to distinguish between them: if an action occurs, has occurred or will occur within a certain period of time, then it is continuous (continuous or long-term). For example, Kolya was asleep, Lena was doing his homework, Artem was reading a book.

If the sentence contains the following constructions, use Continuous - long time:

at the moment,
from 5 to 7,
the whole day,
when he came and so on.

It applies when it comes to about an unfinished process, an action what has been done, is being done or will be done in a specific period of time.

Group times Indefinite or Simple are used to denote an action that occurs regularly, every day, and its exact moment is unknown. It is characterized by words-indicators: usually, twice, a week, on Sundays, often, sometimes, never, in summer, hardly, ever etc. These words state the fact that the action is taking place.

For completed action, use Perfect if the sentence contains phrases:

already,
just,
recently,
lately, etc.

These words are indicative of the presence of a result at a certain moment: something happened now or yesterday by 5 o'clock, or will be ready by tomorrow morning.

Now we determine is it important for understanding the meaning by what point in time this action will be completed... Thanks to this, we will understand whether to use the perfect time or not (Perfect or non-Perfect). Now is the time to bring together all the signs of action that we have identified. This gives us a complete definition of the available time. For example, Past continuous Perfect.

The times of the Perfect Continuous group are practically not used in real life. However, for passing the test and understanding the literary language, it still does not hurt to study them. For example: In April I’ll have been working on the book for 10 months. In Russian it will sound something like this: in April it will be 10 months since I started work on the book.

Method 2: how to quickly learn the tenses of the English language (table)

There is another way, if nothing worked out with the previous one. It couldn't be easier than learning the English tenses table.

This table lists all the signs of action. Comparing one sign with another, it will not be difficult for you to determine what time has appeared before you.

When studying tenses, you will need to learn the forms of auxiliary verbs and verbal words that serve in the formation of a particular tense. Also, be sure to learn the table with irregular verbs!

And if there is still not enough time to prepare for the test or test in English, do not hesitate - contact the student assistance service. Service specialists know everything about times, if not more, and they certainly know how to help you. And to broaden your horizons or just keep abreast of student life, subscribe to our telegram channel.

And here is a video on how to quickly and easily learn time in English:

How tenses are formed in English, we will consider using tables and formulas. As in the Russian language, there is past, present and future tense, and in each time there are four groups that convey the nature of the action, i.e. expressing the attitude of an action to a given moment in time or to another action. To understand them, let us consider the formulas for the formation of tenses in English.

Know temporary shades each verb form is necessary even for someone who sets himself such a limited task as the translation of English technical texts, because not a single verb form (as well as a single article) is present in the text just like that, randomly, at random, but always clarifies the author's thought, bringing it to the utmost expressiveness.

Formulas of education of tenses in English

	ACTIVE	PASSIVE
Indefinite (Simple)	V 2 V (Vs) will V	be V 3
Continuous (Progressive)	be Ving	be being V 3 usually not used in the future tense
Perfect	have V 3	have been V 3
Perfect-Continuous (Perfect- Progressive)	have been Ving	have been being V 3 usually not used

The time of action in any construction is shown by the form of the verb " be "Or the verb" have »(Underlined), except for the simple time of the active voice Indefinite active (Simple active).

Major temp groups of the English language

What are the main temporary groups of the English language? First of all, you should understand the difference between English words well:

1) "Time" - time ( astronomical, by the clock, existing in nature independently of anyone). It can be subdivided into:

past- past, present- the present, future- future.

2) "Tense" - grammatical tense (the nature of the action), the species-temporal system of changes in the verb.

In English, there are 4 "Tense" - groups:

Indefinite (Simple)

The indefinite Tense (TheSimple Tense) - indefinite (simple) time. It is used to state the facts of an action, events, truth, regularly repeated actions.

In English grammars, this time is called Simple Tense (simple time). In each grammatical group ( Tense) is a logical time ( Time). Therefore, we distinguish the Past Indefinite, the Present Indefinite, the Future Indefinite Tense forms.

Continuous (Progressive)

TheContinuous Tense (TheProgressive Tense) - long (extended) time means action in progress his flow at the moment in the present, and at a certain moment in the past or future.

Perfect

ThePerfect Tense- perfect (completed) time means action which accomplished to a given moment in the present, and to a certain moment in the past or future.

Perfect Continuous (Perfect Progressive)

ThePerfect Continuous Tense (ThePerfect Progressive Tense) - perfect long (continued) time means action which lasted for a period of time before a given moment in the present, and a certain moment in the past or future, and, possibly, will continue after.

The name of each group conveys the very essence of the use of this time.

Table of tenses of the English language in active voice

The system of temporal forms of the English verb in the active voice ( Active voice)

	Time
The nature of the action	Past	Present	Future
Indefinite (Simple) fact- statement of the fact of action	V 2	V / Vs	will V
Continuous (Progressive) process- action in the process of committing	was Ving were Ving	am Ving is Ving are Ving	will be Ving
Perfect result- the perfect action at a certain moment	had V 3	have V 3 has V 3	will have V 3
Perfect-Continuous (Perfect- Progressive) duration- process over a period of time	had been Ving	have been Ving has been Ving	will have been Ving

Conventions used in the table:

V- The first form. The dictionary form of a semantic verb (infinitive without a particle to).
V 2- The second form. Past tense verb ( Past indefinite).
V 3- The third form. Past participle ( Past Participle or Participle II).
Ving- The fourth form. Present participle ( Present Participle or Participle I) and gerund ( Gerund).
Vs- verb in the 3rd person singular present ( Present indefinite) has an ending -s (-es ).
V 2 and V 3 the forms of regular verbs are formed by adding an ending to the infinitive -ed,
irregular verbs form these forms in a different way.

V or Vs- regular action.
to be Ving- long-term action.
have Ved- completed action.
have been Ving- an action lasting for a certain period of time.

to be + Ving- "to be doing"
to have + V 3- "have it done"

Times in English - Table with Examples (Active Voice)

	Time
The nature of the action	Past	Present	Future
Indefinite (Simple) fact	I wrote a letter yesterday. I wrote (wrote) a letter yesterday.	I write letters every day. I write letters every day.	I will write a letter tomorrow. I will write (write) a letter tomorrow.
Continuous (Progressive) process	I was writing a letter at five o "clock. I wrote a letter at five o'clock.	I am writing a letter (at the present moment). I am writing a letter (at the moment).	I will be writing a letter at five o "clock. I'll be writing a letter at five o'clock.
Perfect result	I had written the letter by five o "clock. I (already) wrote the letter by five o'clock.	I have written the letter. I (already) wrote a letter (by now).	I will have written the letter by five o "clock. I will (already) write a letter by five o'clock.
Perfect-Continuous (Perfect- Progressive) duration	I had been writing the letter for an hour when he came. I wrote the letter (already) an hour when he arrived.	I have been writing the letter for an hour. I've been writing a letter for (already) an hour.	I will have been writing the letter for an hour when he comes. I will write a letter (already) an hour when he comes.

Formation of interrogative, negative and interrogative-negative forms of the verb

Interrogative form of the verb

In all tenses, it is formed by placing an auxiliary verb in front of the subject. V Present and Past indefinite to do... If the form of the auxiliary verb is complex, the subject is preceded by first auxiliary verb:

Do I write?
Did I write?
Will I write?
Am I writing?
Have I written?
Will I be writing?
Have I been writing?

Negative form of the verb

At all times formed by a negative particle not, which is placed after the auxiliary verb, and in the complex form of the auxiliary verb itself - after the first auxiliary verb.

In negative form in Present indefinite an auxiliary verb is used to do in the form of the present, in Past indefinite - did(past tense form of the verb to do ):

I do not write.
I did not write.
I will not write.
I am not writing.
I have not written.
I have not been writing.

I don "t write.
I didn "t write.
I won’t write.
I "m not writing.
I haven "t written.
I haven "t been writing.

Interrogative-negative form of the verb

V at all times is formed as follows: auxiliary the verb is placed before the subject, and the particle not- after the subject:

Do I not write?
Did I not write?
Have I not been writing?

In the abbreviated interrogative-negative form, the particle not placed before the subject and merged with the auxiliary verb, and the letter O in the word not falls out in both spelling and pronunciation:

Don "t I write?
Didn "t I write?
Haven "t I been writing?

Future in the Past - future tense in the past

In addition to the 12 forms of the verbs of the present, past and future tenses, there are four forms Future in the past- future tense in the past, that is, the future from the point of view of the past, namely:

Future indefinite in the past(the future is uncertain in the past),
Future continuous in the past(the future is long in the past),
Future perfect in the past(the future is perfect in the past),
Future Perfect Continuous in the Past(the future is perfect, long in the past).

These forms, in contrast to the usual forms of the future tense, serve to express an action that is future not in relation to the moment of speech, but in relation to the past moment, that is, to express the future action, which was discussed in the past.

All forms Future in the past are formed in the same way as forms Future, with the only difference that instead of auxiliary verbs shall and will used according to their past tense forms should and would .

	Future in the past
Indefinite (Simple) fact	I said that I would write a letter to him. I said that I would write him a letter.
Continuous (Progressive) process	I said that I would be writing a letter at 5 o "clock. I said that I would write a letter at five o'clock.
Perfect result	I said that I would have written the letter by 5 o "clock. I said that I would (already) write the letter by five o'clock.
Perfect-Continuous (Perfect- Progressive) duration	I said that I would have been writing the letter for an hour when he came. I said that I (already) will write the letter the hour when he comes.

Video lessons about times in English

Video lesson about the times in English (English by notes)

The author of the video tutorial is Oleg Vegan, now works for Puzzle-English, making song reviews. If you liked the video, then follow the link to watch his other lessons on this and other topics.

Video lessons about times in English from SpeakEng.Training

It's no secret that one of the most popular grammar topics for learners and those interested in English is still the topic: tenses in English... Interest in it is quite justified, since the use of this or that time in English differs from the understanding of them in other languages and thus cause a lot of difficulties.

There are those lovers of conquering linguistic peaks who strive, by all means, to master everything times of the English language... But in reality, even the British themselves do not use even half of them.

English tenses table

To understand the ornateness of this topic, of course, will help schematic. English tenses table is a wonderful visualization and should always be at hand for every beginner to learn a language.

Answer unequivocally the favorite questions of beginners: “ How many times are there in English? What to prepare for? Why so many? " pretty hard. You can say 24! (16 in the active voice and 8 in the passive voice) and scare students with an abundance of temporary forms, especially long, complete and completed-long ones, which seem to have no analogues in their native language.

Tense	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect continuous
Present		I am doing		I have been doing He has been doing
Past	I did	I was doing	I had done	I had been doing
Future	I will do	I will be doing	I will have done	I will have been doing
Future in the past	I would do	I would be doing	I would have done	I would have been doing

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

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect
Present	The work is done	The work is being done	The work has been done
Past	The work was done	The work was being done	The work had been done
Future	The work will be done	-	The work will have been done

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

Times in English seem to be quite difficult, but this is only at first glance. It is important to learn some principles:

At first, it is possible to draw a parallel in the study of times with the Ukrainian and Russian languages. The difference lies in the fact that grammatical means are used to convey the shades of actions in English, and lexical means are used in Ukrainian and Russian.

Secondly, the formation of tenses in English is much simpler and more logical. Memorizing these forms is usually straightforward for students. It is much more difficult to decide where and what form should be used. We will pay special attention to this.

Active Voice

	Simple	Continuous Long-term	Completed	Perfect continuous Completed-long
	Facts. What we do at regular intervals. Always used when you need to tell the sequence of events.	Long process. As a rule, it is translated by an imperfective verb.	Perfect action. Translated by perfective verbs.	An action that lasted a certain period of time and, accordingly, completed or completed at a certain moment.
Present The present	I cook a pizza sometimes. - Sometimes I make pizza.	I am cooking a pizza now. - Now I'm making pizza.	I have just cooked the pizza. - I just made pizza.	I have been cooking the pizza for half an hour. - I've been making pizza for half an hour (up to now).
Past Past	I cooked the pizza, wrote the letter and went to the shop. - I made a pizza, wrote a letter and went to the store.	I was cooking the pizza yeasterday. - I cooked this pizza yesterday (for a while).	I had cooked the pizza by the meeting. - I prepared a pizza for the meeting (the action ends at some point in the past).	I had been cooking the pizza for twenty minutes when my friends came. “I’ve been making pizza for twenty minutes when my friends came.
Future Future	I will cook a pizza tomorrow. - I will cook pizza tomorrow (there is no emphasis on the duration or completion of the process, we are just reporting the fact).	I will be cooking a pizza tomorrow. - I will be making pizza tomorrow (within a specified time).	I will have cooked a pizza by the meeting. - I will prepare pizza for the meeting (that is, the pilaf will be ready by this date.	I will have been cooking a pizza for twenty minutes by the time my friends come. “I'll be making pizza for twenty minutes by the time my friends come. (This form is used very rarely and, as a rule, in book speech).
Future in the past denotes a future action relative to a certain moment in the past. As you can see from the examples, the sentence necessarily contains the verb in the past tense in the main sentence; without it, the use of Future in the Past is impossible.	He said that he would cook a pizza tomorrow.	He said that he would be cooking a pizza tomorrow.	He said that he would have cooked the pizza by the meeting.	He said that he would have been cooking pizza for twenty minutes by the time his friends come.

Passive Voice

	Simple	Continuous Long-term	Completed	Perfect continuous Completed-long
The present	Letters are sent every day. - Letters are sent every day.	Letters are being sent now. - Letters are being sent now.	Letters have been already sent. - Letters have already been sent.
Past	Letters were sent yesterday. - Letters were sent yesterday.	Letters were being sent at 5 yesterday. - Letters were sent yesterday at 5 o'clock.	Letters had been sent before he phoned. “The letters were sent before he called.
Future	Letters will be sent tomorrow. - Letters will be sent tomorrow.		Letters will have been sent by 5 tomorrow. - Letters will be sent tomorrow by 5 o'clock.
Future in the past

Time alignment in English

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

Timing table in English:

Time in direct speech	Present indefinite	Present continuous	Present perfect	Past indefinite	Past perfect	Future indefinite
Time in bone speech	Past indefinite	Past Continuous	Past perfect	Past perfect	Past perfect	Future indefinite in the past

And the main thing is that in English you need to know not so many tenses for communication. After all, the British speak as easily as possible without piling up complex structures. Basic tenses (Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple) are quite enough, but it is also advisable to master Present Continuous and Present Perfect. The use of complex temporal forms in colloquial speech will only testify to your illiteracy.

Of course, for a varied and refined coherent speech in the process of work and the presentation of your thoughts on paper, you should be patient and learn the entire table of times. And we will be happy to help you, contact us, we have classes in groups and individually: