English verb tenses are the basis of the grammar of this language. Many people face this problem: they seem to have memorized the rules of use and education, but in practice they still find it difficult to determine what tense should be set. When we first started studying tenses, we said that the key to success was special words that indicate a specific time. We called these words markers. Markers are words designating periods of time. Only one specific time is used with each marker.
When studying English verb tenses, we indicated all of these markers, but it makes sense to collect them in one summary table.
Simple tenses (Indefinite/ Simple tenses)
* Although in Russian we say “Last month”, “Next week”, in English you cannot put prepositions before the words next and last.
**Please note that “the other day” is translated differently for the past and future tenses. Under no circumstances should they be swapped or used instead of the other.
Continuous/ Progressive tenses
* It is known that continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also denote simultaneous actions. At the same time, it is not necessary that they all be long, one is enough. Therefore, in the Past Continuous and Future Continuous you can often see the conjunctions when (when) and while (while).
- When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on.
- While/ When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner.
Perfect tenses
* In the Present Perfect, to denote “over a certain period of time,” as many as 6 equivalent expressions are used: over the last/ past two weeks, in the last/ past two weeks, during the last/ past two weeks.
**Always can also be used with simple tenses, but with a difference in meaning. Let's take the Present Simple, for example.
We always book tickets in advance. - We always book tickets in advance. (= We still do this and will continue to do this).
We have always booked tickets in advance. - We always booked tickets in advance. (= Until today, today for some reason we didn't book or won't do that again).
*** To put it simply, yet is an interrogative and negative form of already.
- The twins have already arrived.
- The twins haven't arrived yet.
- Have the twins arrived yet?
Please note that already is placed directly next to the verb, and yet is only placed at the end of the sentence.
Although you can often find already in interrogative sentences:
- Have they already gone to Spain?
Perfect Continuous tenses
As the name of this group of tenses suggests, it uses the markers needed for continuous and completed tenses.
*Note that all day long in the present tense requires the Present Perfect Continuous, not just the Present Continuous, even though the action is happening at the moment.
- She has been studying French (is studying) all day long.
As we know, the British love order in everything, and the English language is no exception. In their opinion, every action should have its own order. In Russian, we use one tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then go back to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman will never tolerate such “chaos” in his speech. If he forgot about an important event that happened before everyone else, then he will report it in a specially designated time called Past Perfect. This is what we will talk about today. C"mon!
What is Past Perfect
Past Perfect Tense is the past perfect tense. We usually use it to talk about an action that ended at or before some point in the past.
For example: When he read the book, he went to bed.
What was the first action? First he read the book and then went to bed. That is, by the time he went to bed, he had already read the book. To show that the first action ended before the second happened, we use the Past Perfect in the first part of the sentence - “When he had read the book, he went to bed.” In other words, we use the Past Perfect to show the order of actions, i.e., that one action in the past occurred before another.
How is Past Perfect formed (formulas + examples)
- Statement. The predicate in the Past Perfect consists of two parts: the auxiliary verb " had" And third form of the main verb(we add the ending “-” to the correct verb ed", and we take the irregular form from the third column of the table of irregular verbs).
- Negation. In a negative sentence between the auxiliary verb " had" and the particle " appears as the main verb not».
As with many other tenses, the Past Perfect has shortened forms that are used in colloquial speech. IN affirmative sentence " had» unites With pronoun, V negative- with the particle " not" For example:
I'd come.
You'd finished.
I hadn't come.
You weren't finished.
- Question. An interrogative sentence begins with an auxiliary verb " had", followed by subject And main verb.
Past Perfect marker words
If a sentence contains the following words, then it belongs to the Past Perfect Tense:
by- To;
hardly… when / no sooner… than- as soon as I barely had time;
after- after;
earlier- earlier, before - before;
first- first;
when- When;
just- just now;
already- already;
yet- already, not yet.
| Marker | Example | Translation |
| by | Unfortunately, most of the audience didn’t stay by the end of the play. | Unfortunately, by the end of the performance most of the audience left. |
| hardly...when | Hardly had they crossed the road when the accident happened. | They had barely crossed the road when the accident happened. |
| no sooner...than | No sooner he had came in than he heard congratulations and his friends gathered around him.a | As soon as he entered, he heard congratulations and friends gathered around him. |
| after | After the boy had done his hometask he went out to play football with his friends. | After the boy did his homework, he went for a walk. |
| earlier | She knew how to cook a cake because she had made it earlier. | She knew how to bake a cake because she had made it before. |
| before | James easily won this game because he had played it many times before. | James played this game easily as he had played it many times before. |
| first | First we had taken all our bags, then understood that we forgot our tickets on the table. | First we took our things, and then we realized that we had forgotten the tickets on the table. |
| when | John had sat to work when his boss called for him. | John sat down at his desk to work when his boss called him. |
| just | I just had sat to have lunch when my friend called me. | I had just sat down to lunch when my friend called me. |
| already | We had already bought a cake when Jill called us and told that she bought a cake too. | We had already bought a cake when Jill called us and said that she also bought a cake. |
| yet | I hadn’t served the table yet when the guests came. | I had not yet set the table when the guests arrived. |
Cases of using Past Perfect:
- The past perfect shows an action that happened before another action or a specific moment in the past. Another action in the past is most often denoted by the Past Simple, and special words may be used: “ by"(to some time/moment), " after" (after), " before"(before, before), " when" (When), " earlier" (earlier), " first"(first, first).
Before Anna called her husband she had finished all the work. - Before Anna called her husband, she finished all the work.
Nota bene: if actions are placed in chronological ok, then you need to use Past Simple:
Anna finished all work and called her husband. - Anna finished all the work and (then) called her husband (chronological order).
- The Past Perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed by the Past Perfect has become cause that another action has taken place.
He was hungry. He hadn't eaten for eight hours. - He was hungry. He didn't eat for eight hours.
She couldn’t buy a new pair of shoes as she had lost her credit card. - She couldn't buy a new pair of shoes because she lost her credit card.
- Past Perfect is used after " if"in conditional sentences of the third type ( third conditional). This type of conditional shows regret about the past. We could have done something in the past if we had fulfilled the condition, but in the present we can no longer change the situation.
If I had known about your problem, I would have helped you. - If I knew about your problem, I would help you.
If you had read the morning newspaper, you would have agreed with me. - If you read the morning newspaper, you would agree with me.
- Past Perfect is used in the constructions " hardly … when" And " no sooner … than" These constructions show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use back order words, as in the question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words “as soon as...”, “I didn’t have time...”, “as soon as I...”.
Hardly had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. - As soon as the plane landed at Miami airport, it started to rain.
No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. - Before I had time to chew my sandwich, someone knocked on the door.
- Enumeration of actions happened in the past until the time of the story generally:
I finally caught Lucky and looked around. The nasty dog had scratched the furniture, had torn the wallpapers and had eaten my lunch on the table. - I finally caught Lucky and looked around. The nasty dog scratched the furniture, tore the wallpaper and ate my lunch on the table.
Formation Past Perfect Passive
Like most tenses, the Past Perfect has passive design .
- Statement: subject + had been + verb 3 forms + [by an object].
The test had been finished by the end of the day.- The test was completed by the end of the day.
The picture had been painted by the Monday. - The picture was painted by Monday.
Negation: subject + had + not + been + verb 3 forms + [by an object].
The test had not been finished by the end of the day. - The test was not completed by the end of the day.
The bicycle had not been repaired by 2 o’clock. - The bicycle was not repaired by two o'clock.
Question: had + subject + been + verb 3 forms + [by object]?
Had the questions been discussed before the exam?- Were the questions discussed before the exam?
Had the picture been painted by the Monday?- Was the picture painted by Monday?
Present Perfect vs Past Perfect
Very often, when translating from Russian into English, you can get confused in choosing the right tense, because they both have similar features. Let's look at the table to get rid of doubts about the differences between Present Perfect and Past Perfect.
| Indicates that an action expressed by the Present Perfect has been completed by now or during the present time: The shopping center has just opened. - The shopping center has just opened. |
Indicates that an action expressed by the Past Perfect happened before another action or a specific moment in the past: We came to the office, but the administrator had already gone away. - We arrived at the office, and the administrator had already left. |
| Shows that the action occurred in the past, it is unknown and no matter when exactly, but its result is visible in the present: He knows her name. They have already met. - He knows her name. They've already met. |
Shows that an action occurred in the past and caused or led to another action occurring in the past: My brother felt hungry. He had not eaten since yesterday. - My brother was hungry. He hasn't eaten since yesterday. |
Nota bene: We recommend that you read the short theory again and complete the task in our online simulator so that you never have doubts about using the Past Perfect again.
Conclusion
So, today we looked at the forms of formation of affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences in the Past Perfect, both in active and passive voice. We remembered which markers you should pay attention to, and figured out how not to confuse the Present Perfect and Past Perfect. But the most important thing to remember is that next to the Past Perfect there must be another action in the past.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language
Learn English easy and get skillful!
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Time markers in English
English verb tenses are the basis of the grammar of this language. Many people face this problem: they seem to have memorized the rules of use and education, but in practice they still find it difficult to determine what tense should be set. When we first started studying tenses, we said that the key to success was special words that indicate a specific time. We called these words markers. Markers are words denoting periods of time. Only one specific time is used with each marker.
When studying English verb tenses, we indicated all of these markers, but it makes sense to collect them in one summary table.
Simple time (Indefinite/ Simple tenses)
Present
Past
Future
every day/ week/ month
every day/week/month
yesterday yesterday
tomorrow Tomorrow
usually
usually
the day before yesterday day before yesterday
the day after tomorrow day after tomorrow
sometimes Sometimes
last month* last month
next month* next month
often often
two days ago 2 day back
in two days through 2 day
rarely/rarely rarely
the other day** on days
one of these days** on days
from time to time occasionally
* Although in Russian we say “Last month”, “Next week”, in English you cannot put prepositions before the words next and last.
**Please note that “the other day” is translated differently for the past and future tenses. Under no circumstances should they be swapped or used instead of the other.
Continued time (Continuous/ Progressive tenses)
Present
Past*
Future*
now - Now
all day long - whole day
still - still
at the moment - At the moment
* It is known that continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also denote simultaneous actions. At the same time, it is not necessary that they all be long, one is enough. Therefore, in the Past Continuous and Future Continuous you can often see the conjunctions when (when) and while (while).
When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on.
While/ When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner.
Perfect tenses
Present*
Past
Future
never - never
by - To…
before - before…
just - just now
always** - Always
yet - not yet (-), already (?)
already*** - already (.)
this week - this week
lately/of late - recently
recently - recently
* INPresent PerfectFor designations « behind Which- That interval time» are used whole 6 equivalent expressions: over the last/ past two weeks, in the last/ past two weeks, during the last/ past two weeks.
**Always can also be used with simple tenses, but with a difference in meaning. Let's take the Present Simple, for example.
We always book tickets in advance. –We Always in advance make a reservation tickets. (= We still do this and will continue to do this).
We have always booked tickets in advance. –We Always in advance booked tickets. (= Until today, today for some reason we didn't book or won't do that again).
*** To put it simply, yet is an interrogative and negative form of already.
The twins have already arrived.
The twins haven't arrived yet.
Have the twins arrived yet?
Please note that already is placed directly next to the verb, and yet is only placed at the end of the sentence.
Although you can often find already in interrogative sentences:
Have they already gone to Spain?
Perfect Continuous tenses
As the name of this group of tenses suggests, it uses the markers needed for continuous and completed tenses.
Present
Past
Future
all day long* - whole day
by - To…
before - before…
since – since... (any time)
for – for... (any time)
*Note that all day long in the present tense requires the Present Perfect Continuous, not just the Present Continuous, even though the action is happening at the moment.
She has been studying French (is studying) all day long.
Learning English grammar is impossible without the Past Perfect tense. It is only at first glance that this tense seems extremely complex and incomprehensible - it does not exist in the Russian/Ukrainian languages. If you calmly understand these tables and learn to analyze time intervals, you will never get confused. Past Perfect is inextricably linked with time and, since it is used to denote an action that happened before some other action in the past.
For example:
“I didn’t go to the cinema because I had already seen the film.” Note that both actions are in the past tense, but the one that happened earlier (first) - “already saw” is used in the Past Perfect - “had already seen”, and the one that happened later (second) - “didn’t go” - in the Past Simple - “didn't go.”
The Past Perfect is used:
- for an action completed at a certain point in the past:
- The children cleaned the room by 7 pm.
Children had cleaned the room by 7 p.m. - My sister left before I called her.
My sister had gone away by the time I called her.
- The children cleaned the room by 7 pm.
- for an event(s) that happened in the past before another:
- I couldn't find the magazine he lent me.
I couldn't find the magazine that he had tape me. - After my son told me his story, he felt better.
After my son had told me his story, he felt better. - Before I returned, my husband had already prepared dinner.
Before I came back, my husband had already made dinner. - Her boyfriend left the audience before she sang the song.
When she sang a song her boyfriend had left the hall.
(sequence: 1. Her boyfriend left the hall, 2. She sang a song)When the sequence of events is obvious, you can also use the Past Simple:
When she sang a song her boyfriend left the hall.
(sequence: 1. She sang a song, 2. Her boyfriend left the hall)
After she sang the song, her boyfriend left the hall. When we finished/had finished the meal, she offered some coffee. After we ate, she offered us coffee.
- I couldn't find the magazine he lent me.
- in indirect (indirect) speech:
- Maria said that she bought apples yesterday.
Mary said she had bought the apples the day before yesterday. - Alice asked if I had been to London.
Alice asked if I had ever been to London.
- Maria said that she bought apples yesterday.
Markers for the past perfect tense
Markers for The Past Perfect Tense are:
1. adverbs and expressions denoting certain periods of time: just, already, yet, for, since, ever, never, it was the first/second time, it was the most... For example: "We met again. We hadn’t seen each other for several months.”
2. subordinate clauses with: when, before, after, until, as soon as, by that time, by the winter, by 5 p.m. For example: "Most of the engineers had arrived by 10 a.m."
To consolidate your knowledge about Past Perfect, watch this video carefully:
THE PAST PERFECT TENSE
Past perfect tense
Affirmative form
+
Interrogative form
?
Wh-?
Special questions
(start with special words)
Negative form
—
Interrogative-negative form
(Speaking)
?-
Exercise.
Translate the sentences in Past Perfect into English:
- The girl was happy because she talked to her mother.
- I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t eaten anything since the morning.
- Most of the children arrived before 9 am.
- She told me that her friend invited her to the cinema.
- Unfortunately, we did not read the novel until then.
- The girl was happy because she had talked to her mum.
- I suddenly remembered that I had eaten nothing (hadn’t eaten anything) since morning.
- Most of the children had arrived by 9 a.m.
- She told me that her friend had invited her to the cinema.
- Unfortunately, we hadn’t read the novel by that time.
Tenses in English.
Verb tenses in English table.
Legend:
S – subject,
V – verb
Let's start from the present time.
|
Present Simple |
Present Continuous |
Present Perfect |
Present Perfect Continuous |
|
How to form? V/V(e)s I go to school every day. Molly goes to school every day Don't/doesn't V I don't go to school every day. Molly doesn't go to school every day. Do/Does + S + V Do you go to school every day? |
How to form? Am/is/are Ving. They are playing. Am/is/are not +Ving I am not playing. He isn't watching. We are not listening. Am/Is/Are + S+ Ving |
How to form? Have/has +V3 I have watched this film. She has done her homework. Have/has not +V3 I haven't met her before He has not watched the film. Have/Has +S+V3. Have we met before? |
How to form? Have/has been Ving I have been working. She has been waiting. Have/hasn't been Ving I haven’t been waiting for you. She hasn't been running. Have/ has + S+ been Ving Have you been working all day long? |
|
When to use? A common, regularly repeated action. Molly often visits her granny. Schedule. The ship leaves at 8 sharp. Facts, laws of nature. |
When to use? The action is happening (lasting) at the moment. She is watching TV now. The action takes place during this period. I am reading M.Twain these days. Planned action. |
When to use? The action is completed, but there is no indication of when it was completed. She has done her homework. The action is completed, there is no indication of the moment of completion and there is a result that is important at the moment. I have bought some flour, so we can bake a cake. |
When to use? An action that has lasted up to the present moment (perhaps the action is still ongoing). |
|
Usually, generally, once a month, twice a week, always, every day/week/month, never, often, rarely, sometimes, rarely |
Pointer words. Time markers. |
Pointer words. Time markers. lately, recently, twice, several times, ever, never, just, already, yet, for, since |
Pointer words. Time markers. |
Table of verb tenses in English: past tense.
Let's move on to the past tense of the verb in English. I offer you the following table.
|
Past Simple |
Past Continuous |
Past Perfect |
Past Perfect Continuous |
|
Howform? I played hockey. Molly went to the zoo. Didn't +V I didn't play hockey. Molly didn't go to the zoo. Did+S+V Did you play tennis? |
Howform? Was/were+Ving She was sleeping. They were dancing Was/were not Ving She was not crying. We were not waiting for him. Was/were +S+Ving Was she writing a letter? Were you dreaming? |
How to form? Had +V3 I had done my homework by 6 o’clock. Had not +V3 She hadn’t finished cooking before her mother came. Had+S+V3 |
How to form? Had been Ving I had been crying before he came. Had not +S+ been Ving I hadn’t been cooking by midnight. Had + S + been + Ving |
|
When to use? An ordinary single action in the past. I visited my granny last month. Chain of events in the past. I opened my bag, found the key and started the car. |
When to use? An action that lasted at a certain point in the past. She was dancing at 5 o"clock yesterday. She was sleeping when her brother came. |
When to use? The action ended before the moment in the past. I had watched the film before we went to the cinema. She had fallen asleep before midnight yesterday. |
When to use? The action lasted until a moment in the past. Sally had been waiting for half an hour and then she decided to go home. |
|
Words- pointers. Markerstime. yesterday, last (that) month, the day before yesterday, last (that) week\month\year, in 2010, on the 10 of April, ago |
Pointer words. Time markers. all day/night long, at that moment/time, while, at 5 o"clock, when +Past Simple |
Pointer words. Time markers. |
Pointer words. Time markers. |
Verb tense table: future tense.
Let's move on to the future tense of the verb in English. I offer you a table of future tenses in English.
|
Future Simple |
Future Continuous |
Future Perfect |
Future Perfect Continuous |
|
Howform? Will V I will stay with you forever. Won't (will not) V Won't help you. Will +S+V Will you come to my party? |
Howform? Will be Ving I will be reading at 2 o’clock tomorrow. Won't be Ving She won't be sleeping if you come later. Will +S+be Ving Will you be waiting for me? |
Howform? Will have +V3 I will have read the book by tomorrow. Won't have V3 She won’t have dinner cooked by that time. Will+ S+have V3 Will you have finished homework by midnight? |
Howform? Will have been Ving I will have been waiting for you till midday. Won't have been Ving I won’t have been reading for so long. Will +S + have been doing Will you have been doing your homework till 5 o’clock? |
|
When to use? Single or sequential actions in the future I will meet you at the station. She will come home and then she will take a shower. |
When to use? The action lasts at a certain point in the future. I will be lying on the beach at this time tomorrow. |
When to use? The action will end until a point in the future. I will have written all the letters by 5pm. |
Whenuse? The action lasts until a moment in the future. Molly will have been living in Kongo for three years next November. |
|
Words- pointers. Markerstime. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow , tonight, one of these days, next week/month, in an hour /minute, later, soon, in (the) future |
Words- pointers. Markerstime. all day/night long, at that moment/time, while, at 5 o"clock, when |
Words- pointers. Markerstime. |
Words- pointers. Markerstime. all day long, by, before, since, for, till |