Table of English tenses with keywords. Present Simple or simple present tense in English

English grammar puts a lot of emphasis on the verb. After all, this is the only part of speech that is always present in a sentence. In this case, verbs not only express the meaning of actions, but also indicate the time of their commission. In this regard, the table of English tenses, which we will study today, is of great importance for grammar. What are the times in English language, what is their difference and why you need to know them all - we will tell you in this article.

To successfully study English grammar, you need to understand the rules of time delimitation. And it is the verb that is responsible for forming the system of English tenses.

In Russian we use three basic concepts: present, future and past. Tense in English is also divided into these categories, but it has 4 additional shades:

Now we will talk in detail about what each of the aspects is and how they should be distinguished.

Simple Tenses

Simple English tenses. Why are they called simple? Because they indicate ordinary or regular actions.

They said that they would go to the cinema –Theythey saidWhatthey'll goVmovie.

The first part of the sentence definitely indicates that the whole statement refers to the past, i.e. They had already gone to the cinema a long time ago. And since these events have already happened, then it is necessary to use the past form of the verb will – would to express the “future”.

This grammatical point is covered in detail in a separate topic, where you can get acquainted with formation schemes and example sentences for all four aspects. And today’s material has come to an end.

Good luck in learning the language and see you again!

English tenses- one of the most difficult topics for a Russian-speaking person. First of all, this is due to the fact that the student often simply does not understand their meaning and meaning. Traditionally, experts distinguish 12 tenses, while in the native language there are 3. In order to finally master this material, you need to structure your knowledge on this topic. The article will be useful to people who are already familiar with the theory, but cannot begin to practice.

Where to begin?

All English tenses are divided into three large groups:

Present.
Future.
Past.

As you can see, at this stage the English language is no different from Russian.

Further, in each of the presented groups, different categories of tenses are distinguished: Simple(simple), Continuous(continued), Perfect(Perfect) and Perfect Continuous(perfect continuous). Why is this necessary? a large number of times? This greatly facilitates the understanding of the interlocutor during the communication process. Each of these times has its own meaning. Having understood this issue, you will never again make mistakes in the process of using English sentences.

Simple tenses

Present Simple

This is the simple present tense. It is used to denote a sequence of different actions or a general fact:

She gets up, washes her face and has breakfast.
She wakes up, washes her face and has breakfast.

My name is Jane, I'm from London.
My name is Jane. I'm from London.

Present Simple is also used to express scientifically proven facts and regularly recurring events:

I always help my mother.
I always help my mom.

Ice melts at 0 degrees.
Ice melts at 0 degrees.

Past Simple

Expresses an ordinary fact or action in the past tense:

Yesterday I played football.
Yesterday I played football.

Just like the Present Simple, it can denote a regular action, but in the past:

This house was built 20 years ago.
The house was built 20 years ago.

Using the simple past tense - Past Simple, we are interested in conveying the fact itself.

Future Simple

And in this case, the overall value of time does not change.

The Future Simple can be used either for regular future actions:

I will visit you very often.
I will visit you very often.

Or to convey a simple fact in the future:

She will move to her mother next year.
Next year she will move in with her mother.

Brief conclusion:
English tenses of the Simple group are the most commonly used. They are used to exchange information. Attention is not focused on either the duration or the completion of actions.

Continuous tenses

Here it is necessary to remember the main value of the entire group - process.

Present Continuous is any process that occurs in the present time. The action could begin in the recent past and may end within a certain period of time:

She is sleeping now.
She's sleeping now.

It's raining at the moment.
It's raining at the moment.

Another variant of use is an expression of dissatisfaction, irritation:

You are always playing computer games!
You're always playing computer games!

The same goes for Past Continuous. It expresses a certain process at a specific moment in the past:

She was sleeping at 10 p.m. yesterday.
Yesterday at 10 pm she was asleep.

The Future Continuous also expresses a process at a certain point in the future:

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. I will be helping my best friend.
Tomorrow at 9 am I will help my best friend.

Brief conclusion:
English Continuous tenses are used to demonstrate a fragment of continuous time. This tense is almost always used with words such as now(now) and also at the moment(currently).

Perfect tenses

At this time, people have a lot of confusion. The key value of this group is the result. In the process of using this tense, we are interested precisely in the final outcome of some action or event.

Present Perfect

This is the result we have achieved so far:

I have already done my homework and I can go for a walk.
I did it already homework and I can go for a walk.

It turns out that the action itself (preparing lessons) is no longer being performed, it is completely completed. But in the current moment we can see the result of the action: the opportunity to go for a walk.

Verbs in the Present Perfect, as a rule, are translated into Russian in the past tense. However, the action in this time is perceived in the present, since it is tied to the current moment by the result.

Past Perfect

Used to indicate the result of a specific moment in the past:

He had done the task by 11 p.m.
By 11 pm he had completed the task.

The Past Perfect can also be used to denote a sequence of actions in the past and, accordingly, the coordination of tenses:

James said that he had noticed his old friend.
James said he spotted an old friend.

Thus, James noticed his old friend first, and then told about it. There was no way it could have happened the other way around.

Future Perfect

This time is necessary to transmit the future result:

I will have cleaned my room by 5 p.m.
I will clean the room by 5 pm.

At 5 o'clock the action will no longer be performed, but the result will remain - a clean room.

Thus, the Future Perfect tense is used to express an action that will begin and end before a certain point in the future with a certain result.

Brief conclusion:
Perfect is a perfect tense, which necessarily presupposes a certain result, which can also be negative.

Perfect Continuous tenses

Present Perfect Continuous

She has been sleeping for 2 hours already.
She has been sleeping for 2 hours already.

That is, the action began in the past and continues at the present moment.

Past Perfect Continuous

This is a process that began a long time ago and continued until a specific point in time in the past.

She had been sleeping for 3 hours when I came back.
By the time I returned, she had already slept for 3 hours.

Return is the very moment of the past before which the process (dream) took place.

Future Perfect Continuous

It is a process that continues for a specific amount of time to a specific point in the future.

She will have been sleeping for 4 hours when you come back.
By the time you return, she will have slept for 4 hours.

Brief conclusion:
The rather cumbersome construction of this tense can be “lightened” by using the Perfect tense. True, this advice is appropriate if you are not preparing for some important exam: they like to test knowledge of all tenses on tests.

1. Having firmly decided to master the tenses of the English language, first of all, make yourself a table with the theory and some examples of the use of tenses. Similar tables can be easily found on the Internet. As you write, you will inevitably remember some information.

2. Do not try to focus specifically on theoretical material. Try to immediately translate the examples and understand their meaning. It would be great if you have the opportunity to consult with a specialist who will clarify unclear points.

3. Don't try to learn everything at once. Organize the material by topic. For example, you will devote a week to getting acquainted with the times of the Simple group, a week to Continuous, and so on. There is definitely no need to rush: there are many pitfalls, subtleties of use and even exceptions awaiting you.

4. Practice constantly. As experienced people and qualified teachers say, the best way to learn English tenses is through constant practice. The more exercises you do, the faster you will be able to achieve positive results. It’s especially good if you decide to do translations from Russian into English: you’ll improve your timing and at the same time expand your own vocabulary.

5. Is there an opportunity to communicate with a foreigner who knows English well? Be sure to take advantage of this chance. Don't underestimate the benefits of virtual communication.

6. Use any modern opportunities to improve your own knowledge. For example, on GooglePlay you can find many useful applications for learning English tenses.

What aids should I use to study tenses?

1. First of all, you need a decent book with theoretical material. It is worth paying attention to the Round-Up manual from Virginia Evans. This is a modern, colorful edition. The books are presented in different difficulty levels: from 1 to 7. Contains quite a lot of material on grammar.

2. Table of English tenses and table of irregular verbs. Indispensable materials for successful language learning. At first, be sure to keep these manuals in front of your eyes during classes. Over time, you will look at such a “cheat sheet” less and less. It is also worth finding various exercises on the Internet on the topic of interest. There are plenty of them freely available.

3. Golitsinsky's grammar. This Russian-language publication is positioned as a textbook for schoolchildren, but it does not contain the most simple tasks. Using this collection of tasks, you will have to work a lot, because the book contains quite a lot of translation exercises. If you decide to study on your own, be sure to buy or download the correct keys to the textbook. Mistakes made should be highlighted with a marker and carefully worked through. During your studies, try to formulate on your own the reason for using a particular tense.

4. Textbooks for preparing for various international tests: TOEFL, IELTS and so on. These exams are quite demanding in terms of knowledge of all aspects of grammar, so after just a few weeks you will notice positive effect. In addition, you will have to complete written assignments: write an essay or an essay. It would be great if you could find a qualified person to check the work.

Thus, mastering the tenses of the English language is quite possible. To do this, you just need to understand their correct meaning, after which you can immediately begin working on it in practice. The main thing is not to despair if any difficulties arise that you will definitely encounter along the way. Make an effort - and everything will definitely work out!

Here you can find English tenses in tables with examples / Tenses in English in tables with examples.

1. The Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb have/has and the past participle form of the verb (Past Participle). The ways of forming sentences with regular and irregular verbs are different.

With regular verbs

With irregular verbs.

Please note these rules in the examples in the table below.

Education Present Perfect
Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
He (she, it) has seen her We have seen her You have seen her They have seen her	I have not seen her He (she, it) has not seen her We have not seen her You have not seen her They have not seen her	Have I seen her? Has he (she, it) seen her? Have we seen her? Have you seen her? Have they seen her?
Cases of using the Present Perfect
1. If an action is described, the result of which is visible in the present tense	The prisoners have laid an escape plan; here it is.	The prisoners made an escape plan; here he is.
2. Instead of Present Perfect Continuous with verbs that are not used with Continuous tenses (know, recognize, see, etc.)	Tom has known Mary for ten years	Tom has known Maria for 10 years

2. The Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb had and the past participle form of the verb (Past Participle). The ways of forming sentences with regular and irregular verbs are different.

With regular verbs

The ending -ed is added to the infinitive form.

With irregular verbs.

The Past Participle form is used (third column of the table of irregular verbs).

Education Past Perfect
Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
He (she, it) had seen her You had seen her They had seen her	I had not seen her He (she, it) had not seen her We had not seen her You had not seen her They had not seen her	Had he (she, it) seen her? Had we seen her? Had you seen her? Had they seen her?
Uses of Past Perfect
1. When describing an action that occurred before a certain point in the past or before another past action.	The students had shown us the presentation by three o"clock We had called them when you came	The students gave us a presentation at three o'clock We called them when you arrived
2. An action that began before another action in the past and was still being performed at the time of its occurrence.	Mary had waited for me for several hours, when I found her	Maria had already been waiting for me for several hours when I found her

3. The Future Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb have in the form of the future tense (will have) and the past participle form of the verb (Past Participle). The ways of forming sentences with regular and irregular verbs are different.

With regular verbs

The ending -ed is added to the infinitive form.

With irregular verbs.

The Past Participle form is used (third column of the table of irregular verbs).

Education Future Perfect
Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
I will have seen her He (she, it) will have seen her We will have seen her You will have seen her They will have seen her	I will not have seen her He (she, it) will not have seen her We will not have seen her You will not have seen her They will not have seen her	Will I have seen her? Will he (she, it) have seen her? Will we have seen her? Will you have seen her? Will they have seen her?
Uses of Future Perfect
1. When a future action is described that will occur before a certain point in the future.	The students will have shown the presentation when your manager comes	The students will have already shown the presentation when your manager arrives.

Perfect Continuous Times

1. The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense is formed using the verb to be in the Present Perfect form (have been/has been) and the present participle form of the verb (Present Participle). In other words, the Present Perfect Continuous is formed by using the auxiliary verb have/has been and adding the ending -ing to the semantic verb.

Education Present Perfect Continuous
Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
I have been waiting for you He (she, it) has been waiting for you We have been waiting for you You have been waiting for me	I have not been waiting for you He (she, it) has not been waiting for you We have been waiting for you You have been waiting for me They have been waiting for you	Have I been waiting for you? Has he (she, it) been waiting for you? Have we been waiting for you? Have you been waiting for me? Have they been waiting for you?
Cases of using the Present Perfect Continuous
1. A continuous action that occurs in the present tense with an indication of how long it takes to complete.	They have been painting the walls since nine o"clock	They've been painting the walls since nine o'clock.
2. A long-term action that began in the past and ended immediately before the moment of speech.	Although the sun is shining, it is still cold as it has been raining hard.	Although the sun is shining, it is still cold as it has been raining heavily.

2. The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense is formed using the verb to be in the Past Perfect form (had been) and the present participle form of the verb (Present Participle). In other words, the Present Perfect Continuous is formed by using the auxiliary verb had been and adding the ending -ing to the semantic verb.

Formation Past Perfect Continuous
Affirmative form	Negative form	Interrogative form
I had been waiting for you He (she, it) had been waiting for you We had been waiting for you You had been waiting for me They had been waiting for you	I had not been waiting for you He (she, it) had not been waiting for you We had not been waiting for you You had not been waiting for me They had not been waiting for you	Had I been waiting for you? Had he (she, it) been waiting for you? Had we been waiting for you? Had you been waiting for me? Had they been waiting for you?
Cases of using Past Perfect Continuous
1. A continuous action in the past that occurred at the time of the occurrence of another past action, indicating how long it took to occur.	They had been painting the walls for three hours when we came	They had already been painting the walls for three hours when we arrived.
2. A long action in the past that ended just before the moment of another past action.	John felt tired as he had been playing tennis for four hours.	John felt tired because he had been playing tennis for four hours.

Anyone who went through this in school remembered with horror the huge diagrams, the abundance of additional particles, and complex structures.

Both events happened in the past. Perhaps there is a difference? Of course have! She “sat” for several hours. The action when she “sat down” just happened. Also, various questions are asked for these proposals.

What did you do? - I was sitting.

What did you do? - She sat down.

In our language this is called the imperfect and perfect forms of the verb. This means that within each time we have its varieties.

You can say “Masha was relaxing by the lake in the morning.” She was there for a long time, but then she left. What happens lasts, but not indefinitely.

So it is in Russian - without explanation it is unclear.

The British - smart guys - clearly laid everything out on the shelves.

Only three tenses in English?

They are divided into three groups:

The past has happened before. The present, accordingly, is happening here and now, and the future is just about to happen.

Now let's look at the duration

Simple. This is an action in general: regular, repeated. I am going to school. In general: yesterday, today, tomorrow. I am, was and will be a student.
Continuous. Means a specific long-term action. I'm going to the university. I'm not saying that I'm a student and attend lectures every day, but that I'm on my way there.
Perfect. We need sentences in this tense to show how actions in the past influenced the present. I went to the store and bought a large bag of groceries. I did this an hour ago, but now we have something to make a delicious dinner from.
Perfect Continuous. Applicable when I did something for a long time and finished it. Let's say, since I cooked borscht, my wife washed the dishes.

If you combine all 12 tenses of the English language into a table with examples, it will become clearer.

Plus, you don’t need to use qualifying words: “now,” “from five to seven,” and so on.

So many versions... How are they formed?

Group Simple

Present Simple

It tells us about some regular events. Or about things for which time does not play a special role.

Often accompanied by the following words:

usually (usual), every day, week, month (every day, week, month), often (often), always (always).

This is the form given in the dictionary. Denoted Verb 1.

Lilli always sleeps till 9 o’clock. Lily always sleeps until nine o'clock.

My friend usually goes to the beach after work. My friend usually goes to the beach after work.

Past Simple

Reports some actions performed in the past. It simply talks about the fact of the action, without focusing on the duration.

❗In this tense we are talking about actions in the past that have nothing to do with the present.❗

Signal words:

yesterday (yesterday), last week (last week), quite a long time ago (a long ago).

It is formed by adding the particle -ed to the semantic verb, or we take the verb we need from the second column.

My father worked on this company. Dad worked in this company. ( Only the fact itself is important.)

Ann was very beautiful. Anna was very beautiful.

Future Simple

It simply reports something that takes place in the future.

Add the following words:

tomorrow (tomorrow), next year (next year).

❗Be sure to put will before the predicate.❗

My uncle will call you tomorrow. My uncle will call you tomorrow.

My sister will do it next week. My sister will do it next week.

❗The Simple group is used most often in normal conversation. Therefore, we advise you to start studying with it. In addition, it is also quite easy to learn.❗

Group Continuous

❗It’s important when this happens.❗

This is not a regular activity. It happens simultaneously at a certain time.

Words to help:

now (now), tomorrow/yesterday at 5 o’clock (tomorrow/yesterday at 5 o’clock), when you came (when you came), etc.

To form this tense correctly, we need the verb to be and the ing form of the verb.

Natasha is drinking tea. Natasha is drinking tea (now).

Steve was listening to the radio. Steve was listening to the radio. (when they called him.)

Alice will be cooking after classes. After class, Alice will cook.

❗Belonging to the past and present is determined by the form of the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were). The first 3 are for the present tense, the remaining 2 are for the past (and remember about the person and number☺). When we are talking about the future, we use will be.❗

Group Perfect

Let us remind you that this is already something accomplished.

In the proposals you can find:

before this time (by the time), until (until), when (when), as soon as (as soon as), ever (ever), never (never), already (already, earlier), so far (until still), lately (long ago, recently)

Present Perfect

We talk about an action or event that happened earlier, but is related to the present.

❗The uniqueness of this time is that an action done in the past has a result in the present.❗

Place have or has (depending on the person and number) before the semantic verb, which must be placed in the 3rd form. To do this, we add the ending -ed to the regular verbs, and in the list of irregular verbs we take the one we need from the 3rd column. Linda has lost her passport. Linda has lost her passport. (She did this recently, for this reason she will not be able to fly abroad.)

Aunt Mary has learned these rules already. Aunt Mary has already learned these rules. (She has learned them and will be able to put them into practice now.)

Past Perfect

It is used when you have finished doing something at a certain point in the past, it is formed in the same way as the previous one, only has changes to had.

We express the moment at which the action has completed with a verb in the Past Simple.

Father had cooked dinner before I came. My father had prepared dinner before I arrived.

Jane had finished her homework when we arrived. Jane had finished doing her homework when we arrived.

Future Perfect

Indicates that an action has been completed by a specific time or event in the future.

To express the moment of the end of an event by some action, the Present Simple is used.

Use the formula: will have + past participle.

Helen will have arrived by tomorrow evening. Helen will arrive tomorrow evening.

Michael will have typed it when his friend returns. Michael will have typed this by the time his friends arrive.

Group Perfect Continuous

It differs from the Perfect family mainly in that the duration of action is emphasized.

❗This group of tenses is used extremely rarely in ordinary conversation.❗

The construction looks like this: have/has (had/will have) + been + verb1 + ing.

Victor had been reading an article for half an hour before his friend called him. Victor read the article for about half an hour before his friend called him.

Chloe has been traveling for 5 years. Chloe has been traveling for five years. (still continues to travel).

Andrew will have been playing the piano for 10 years next month. Next month it will be 10 years since Andrew played the piano.

To make everything easy to remember, let's look at the table with the formula for each time.

How are Verb1, Verb2 and Verb3 formed? And why helped, but wrote (and not written)?

The infinitive is always written in dictionaries. It looks like this:

to help, to write (sometimes without the to particle).

This is the main form (Verb1) in which it is used in the Present Simple.

Verb2 and Verb3 are formed directly from the main form. We add the ending ed to our semantic verb.

Help + ed = helped.

This rule is. But there are exceptions to it.

They are presented in. And write also applies to them. Therefore, we do not use writed, but wrote (the second column of the table). And in the third form - written (third column).

For final reinforcement, we suggest you repeat the 12 tenses of the English language using the example of the charming cat Boni, who has fun catching mice.

How to remember everything?

Don't try to learn everything at once. Start with one group (for example, Simple). Move on to the next one only after the previous one has been well consolidated.
Practice to become automatic.
Try to really understand when what time is used. Without a clear understanding, you will be confused about them.
Do different types of exercises: text and audio.
Try to mentally determine when your actions occur. You woke up. Is this Present Simple? Or you wash the dishes. This is probably the Present Continuous. Try to apply your knowledge in everyday life.
Learn the most frequently used ones Irregular Verbs. It is impossible to speak without their participation.
Relax! If you force yourself, you will not achieve much success. Better less, but more often.

The formation of tenses in English is subject to strict rules of grammar. It is important to observe the order of words and the coordination of tenses. For each life situation, a certain temporary structure is chosen.

In English, the form of a verb is not affected by gender, so, for example, in the phrases “He said” and “She said” only the pronouns will differ, and the verb (the verb) will not change and will sound like said. But this is little consolation for those who have decided to become pros in English. After all, you will have to master 12 tenses. And we will talk below about what these temporary forms are, how they are formed, and, in fact, why you need to learn to operate with this very time.

How are times formed?
in English?

English tenses are formed using auxiliary verbs. Also, depending on the tense form, the ending of the semantic verb changes.

Why is it important to differentiate between tenses when teaching a language?

If you don’t want to get lost in time and completely confuse your interlocutor, then first you will have to master at least the Present group. Of course, in everyday life, native speakers themselves do not operate with all 12 tenses. Much depends on whether we are talking about British English or American English. It is believed that Americans are not so scrupulous in matters of grammar, so some mistakes are easily forgiven to foreigners. But still, in order not to find yourself in the situation of lost in translation, that is, not to get confused in the translation, it is important to understand how tenses are formed in the English language.

Russian and English times: similarities and differences

We are accustomed to three tenses: present, past and future. This is why English grammar seems so difficult. In fact, in Russian there are three tenses for us. For those who study our language as a foreign language, the situation with temporary forms does not look so rosy. They say that foreigners can spend more than one month studying the verb “to go” alone. In English there are also present, past and future tenses, which are called Present, Past and Future, respectively. Everything is simple here: if we, for example, talk about a fact that happened in the past, then we use Past. But the problem is that in English the past tense alone can have 4 forms.

Formation of tenses in English: table

In each of the three tenses (Present, Past and Future) there are four more subgroups:

· Simple
Continuous
Perfect
Perfect Continuous

This is where 12 times arise. The main questions about English tenses usually arise when a student moves from the Simple group to the more complex Continuous or Perfect. It is not easy for a Russian to understand why continuous and perfect forms are still needed, and why the same phrase, like “I worked,” can be said both as “I worked” and “I have worked.”

Using tenses in English: table with examples

Questions about English tenses will disappear by themselves if you master the main rules for constructing tense forms and learn to automatically determine which group a particular situation can be classified into. In short, the Simple tenses are used to denote single actions. The Continuous group combines actions extended over time. Perfect characterizes processes completed at some point in the past, present or future. The tenses of the Perfect Continuous group are considered the most difficult and least used of all tenses in the English language. The perfect continuous tense also characterizes actions completed by a certain moment, but these actions are extended over time.

How are the times of the Simple group formed?

Even those who need to learn only the simplest spoken English will have to master the Simple tenses. Without knowing the forms of the simple verb to be, you simply cannot tell basic information about yourself. The Simple temporary group is used for general characteristics action without focusing on its duration or completion.

Formation of tenses in English. Table for the Simple group:

Present Simple, or Simple present tense in English

Present tenses in English are used to characterize actions occurring in the present tense. We turn to the Present Simple in situations where we want to convey some general information about a person (talk about his belonging to a certain class, profession, etc.). For example, “I am a student” (I am a student). Also, the present simple tense is necessary to report an action that is repeated systematically. For example, “He cooks” (he cooks). In this example, it is meant that he, in principle, knows how to cook food, and does it constantly, and not at any specific period of time. Present simple is also used for:

· Descriptions natural phenomena and facts (The Earth goes around the Sun - the Earth revolves around the Sun);

· Sports commentary (Messi scores a goal - Messi scores a goal);

· Transport schedules, broadcasts, film shows, etc. (The train from Moscow arrives at 6:05 p.m. - The train from Moscow arrives at 18:05);

· Internal state, feelings (Do you want to go away? - Do you want to leave?).

You can also recognize the Present Simple in speech by marker words that determine the frequency of the action:

· always (always);
· usually (usually);
· never (never);
· sometimes (sometimes);
· rarely (infrequently);
· rarely (rarely);
· regularly (regularly);
· every day (every day);
· often (often).