Time English verb - the basis of the grammar of this language. Many people face this problem: they seem to have memorized the rules of use and education, but in practice they still find it difficult to determine what time to set. When we first started studying tenses, we said that the key to success was special words that indicate a specific time. We called these words markers. Markers are words designating periods of time. Only one specific time is used with each marker.
Simple (Indefinite) tenses
Table 1. Time markers in English language. Simple time
Action in general: something that happens always/regularly/usually
| PRESENT Present tense |
PAST Past tense |
FUTURE Future |
|
every day/ week/ month |
yesterday |
tomorrow |
|
usually |
the day before yesterday |
the day after tomorrow |
|
sometimes |
last month* |
next month* |
|
often |
two days ago |
in two days |
|
rarely/rarely |
the other day** |
one of these days** |
|
from time to time |
* Although in Russian we say “Last month”, “On next week", in English you cannot put prepositions before the words next and last.
**Please note that “the other day” is translated differently for the past and future tenses. Under no circumstances should they be swapped or used instead of the other.
Continuous tenses -
Continuous (Progressive) tenses
Present Continuous (Progressive) tense —
action in development, unfinished, occurring at the moment of speech.
Past Continuous (Progressive) tense —
a continuous action that began before a certain point in the past and is still happening at that moment. A moment can be indicated by time notations.
Future Continuous (Progressive) tense —
an ongoing action that will take place at some point or period of time in the future. The moment of action can be indicated by time notations.
Table 2. Time markers in English. Continuous time
* It is known that continuous tenses in the past and future tenses can also denote simultaneous actions. At the same time, it is not necessary that they all be long, one is enough. Therefore, in the Past Continuous and Future Continuous you can often see the conjunctions when (when) and while (while).
- When my mother was talking on the phone, I switched the TV on.
- While/ When my mother was talking on the phone, I was having dinner.
Completed tenses
Remember these definitions of completed time:
Present Perfect tense -
an action that has already taken place; the speaker pays attention to the result arising from the action at the time of speech.
Past Perfect tense —
an action or state that ended before a certain point in the past.
Future Perfect tense —
an action that will be completed before a certain point in the future.
Table 3. Time markers in English. Completed time
* In the Present Perfect, to denote “over a certain period of time,” as many as 6 equivalent expressions are used: over the last/ past two weeks, in the last/ past two weeks, during the last/ past two weeks.
**Always can also be used with simple times, but with a difference in meaning. Let's take the Present Simple, for example.
- We always book tickets in advance.
- We have always booked tickets in advance.
*** To put it simply, yet is an interrogative and negative form of already.
- The twins have already arrived.
- The twins haven't arrived yet.
- Have the twins arrived yet?
Please note that already is placed directly next to the verb, and yet is only placed at the end of the sentence.
Although you can often find already in interrogative sentences:
- Have they already gone to Spain?
Continuous completed tenses -
Perfect Continuous tenses
Let’s remember the definitions, and then study the markers of this time:
Present Perfect Continuous tense -
an action or state that began before the present moment, lasted for a period of time and continues at the moment of speech or ended immediately before the moment of speech.
Past Perfect Continuous tense -
expresses a long-term action or state that began earlier than another action or state, usually expressed by the Past Simple form, and when this action or state occurred was still continuing for some time or was interrupted.
Future Perfect Continuous tense —
an action or state that begins before a certain point in the future and continues up to that point (or continues at that point), indicating the entire period of the action or state.
Table 4. Time markers in English. Continuous completed time
* Note that all day long in the present tense requires the Present Perfect Continuous, and not just the Present Continuous, despite the fact that the action takes place in this moment.
Having a solid knowledge of English tenses and using them correctly can show you off as a professional. And in order to make your learning task easier, you should pay attention to the marker words for each tense of the English language. “Why are they called that?” - you ask. The thing is that most often in the text we highlight the main words that are worth remembering with a marker. That's why the clue words for tenses in English got their name. It is these tips that will be able to show in which case a certain tense should be used, and a table of all tenses of the English language with time indicators will allow you to study this issue especially effectively. However, you should not think that tense indicators can replace a full study of grammar. Therefore, we decided to dwell on this issue in more detail and remind you of the tenses of the English language. Let's get started.
Simple Tenses: Simple Indefinite Tenses
As we said earlier, you should not think that tense indicators in English can replace your knowledge of grammar. They form the basis of language knowledge. This means it’s a good idea to remind you of the basic rules.
So, simple tenses in English are also called Indefinite. It is worth remembering this fact so that it does not mislead you when reading literature on language learning.
The following tenses are considered simple:
- Present Simple: The action is happening at the present moment. Accordingly, helping words in English times will indicate this fact.
- Past Simple: Shows that an action was done in the past and ended before the present. This tense also has its own tense markers in English, which we will look at below.
- Future Simple: Indicates actions that will be performed in the future. Naturally, we use our own hint words for tenses in English.
Continuous Complete Tenses: Perfect Continuous Tenses
Next we will look at the second group of basic tenses, which form the basis of English grammar. They also have their own tense indicators in English. But first we should talk about this category of tenses.
First of all, it is worth noting that this category combines two categories. These are Continuous Tense and Perfect Tense. This means that the action has already lasted for some time, and will continue in the future.
Continuous completed tenses include:
- Present Perfect Continuous – present continuous completed tense. It indicates that the action began earlier and continues to the present. This is where time markers in English help, because they make it easier to determine a given time.
- Past Perfect Continuous – past continuous completed tense. It shows that the action began earlier and continued for a certain period of time.
- Future Perfect Continuous – future continuous completed tense. It shows that the action began in the future and will last for a certain period of time.
As we already mentioned, there are special markers for the Present Continuous that are worth remembering. Basically they indicate a certain period of time. Below we will dwell on this issue in more detail. In the meantime, we will move on to consider time indicators in English.
Signal words for Simple
In order to make it easier to consider the time indicators, we decided to systematize the information in a table. Thus, through visualization, it will be easier for you to learn and remember them.
Simple Tenses and time markers in English
| Always - always | Yesterday - yesterday | Tomorrow – Tomorrow |
| Often - often | The day before yesterday - the day before yesterday | The day after tomorrow - the day after tomorrow |
| Usually - usually | Tree hour ago – three hours ago | Tonight - this evening |
| Regularly - regularly | Just now - just now | One of these days - one of these days |
| Sometimes - sometimes | The other day - the other day | Next week - next week |
| Seldom - occasionally | Last week - last week | week |
| From time to time - from time to time | Last month - last month | Next year - next year |
| Never - never | Last year - last year | In an hour - within an hour |
| Rarely - rarely | Last century - in the last century | In a minute - within a minute |
| Every day/ week/ month – every day/week/month | Two week ago – two weeks ago | Later - later |
| On Sunday - on Sundays | In 1997 – in 1997 | Soon - soon |
| At the weekend - on the weekend | At 7 o’clock - at 7 o’clock | In (the) future - in the future |
| At weekends - on weekends | ||
| At 5 o’clock - at 5 o’clock |
Time markers for Continuous tenses
In this table we have considered only simple times. And as we mentioned earlier, there is another large category of times. We will talk about them below.
Let's consider markers for the group of continuous tenses:
Completed times
In Perfect Tenses special place occupied by auxiliary words. But first, you should say a few words about each time in this category.
- Present Perfect Tenses - denotes an action that has already taken place. It is about the outcome that is being discussed in the present.
- Past Perfect Tenses - indicates an action or state that completed before a certain point in the past.
- Future Perfect Tenses - an action that will be completed before a certain point in the future.
Present Perfect
Let us draw your attention to the use of the word always in this tense. You may have noticed that it was previously used as a marker for Simple Tenses. However, it is worth understanding that these pointers are used in different circumstances.
For example:
We always book tickets in advance. — We always book tickets in advance.
We have always booked tickets in advance. — We always booked tickets in advance.
That is, in the first case we are talking about simple actions of the present time, and in the second - about the result of their action. And we move on.
Past Perfect and Future Perfect
As we can see again, the past and future tenses use the same markers in almost every category. And this, you see, makes them much easier to remember. So let's look at the English tense marker words that fit this category.
- By - to… / to….
- By Monday - by Monday.
- By evening - towards the evening.
- By the morning - by the morning / until the morning.
- Before - before… / before… / before….
Perfect Continuous Tenses
We have already examined in detail this category of English tenses from the point of view of grammar. Now it’s time to talk about the indicators of this time, as well as their features.
The first feature of this category is that there is no gradation by time. That is, markers are suitable for both the present and the future and past tense. And also it is in this category of the English language that prepositions act as indicators. But more on this a little later, but for now it’s worth listing the main markers of the continuous completed tense.
Pointers for Perfect Continuous Tenses:
We have indicated the main markers, but these tenses of the English language are characterized by the use of prepositions. First of all, it is worth noting that we are talking about the prepositions for (for some time) and since (from some point in the past, since).
For example:
I haven’t heard him since he left Moscow. “I haven’t heard from him since he left Moscow.”
Mary has written a composition for an hour. Mary wrote the essay in an hour.
Time markers in English: table with word translation
To summarize this section, we would like to place here general table. Save it and come back to it if you have any difficulties while learning.
| usually (usually) | ago (long ago, years ago) | tomorrow (tomorrow) | |
| regularly (regularly) | in those times (in those times) | the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow) | |
| often (often) | that day (on that day) | soon (soon) | |
| as a rule (as a rule) | the other day (the other day) | one of these days (the other day) | |
| rarely (rarely) | yesterday (yesterday) | in a week (in a week) | |
| rarely (very rarely) | the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday) | next week (next week) | |
| always (always) | |||
| every day (every day) | last week (last week) | in the near future (in the near future) | |
| sometimes (sometimes) | |||
| from time to time (from time to time) | |||
|
Continuous Tense |
|||
| now (now) | at 10 o’clock yesterday (yesterday at 10 o’clock) | at this time next Sunday (at this time next Sunday) | |
| right now (right now) | while (while...) | at 7 o’clock tomorrow (tomorrow at 7 o’clock) | |
| at the moment (at the moment) | when(when) | in a week (in a week) | |
| at present (currently) | still (still) | all day long tomorrow (all tomorrow) | |
| next (in the next one) | the whole day (all day) | ||
| soon (soon) | all day long (all day long) | ||
| constantly (constantly) | |||
| always (always) | |||
| ever (ever) | for (during) | by the time (by that time) | |
| never (never) | since (with...) | by (to...) | |
| already (already) | by (to..., by that time) | before (before...) | |
| not...yet (not yet) | after (after) | ||
| just (just now) | before (before...) | ||
| before (before, before...) | |||
| lately (lately) | |||
| recently (recently) | |||
| for (during) | |||
| since(since) | |||
| this week (this week) | |||
| today(today) | |||
Today we looked at one of the features of the tenses of the English language. Markers are a great option for language learning tips. However, you should understand that English is not only about tips; you should still devote time to full study. To do this, we strongly recommend that you read articles on grammar, it is also worth considering interesting examples and exceptions at each time. The English language is multifaceted and interesting if you are willing to spend time learning all its intricacies. And we wish you good luck in this matter! Refer to our articles on English grammar, and you will definitely succeed!
Tenses in English. Many people faced with English grammar They are horrified by the number of tenses in the English language. There are 12 of them!!! How to understand them all? What time should I use? Why are they different? Tenses in English.
All these questions arise in a person and he realizes in horror that without outside help he will not understand the tenses of verbs.
Understand in general outline What is verb tense in English is not difficult. This can be explained in words. That's what I'll try to do.
How to understand Times in English?
1. VERB. — Let's start again with the connection with the Russian language. Time has a part of speech called a verb. No verb - no tense. In English, almost every sentence needs a verb, even if in Russian there is no trace of it:
Petrov is a student. Petrov is a student. is is the present tense form of the verb to be. It serves to connect a noun with another noun (who + who), or who the subject is (Petrov is a student), a noun with an adjective (what + which) - an apple is red. — The apple is red. Or indicates the location of an item - An apple is on the table. — The apple (is) on the table.
2. TIMES. Frankly there are only 3 of them. As in the Russian language. These are the past - Past, the present - Present and the future - Future. Isn't that familiar? I won't explain.
3. In each of the 3 times there is 4 types:
- Simple or also called Indefinite - a simple or indefinite type of time.
- Continuous or Progressive. - Long-term type.
- Perfect. — Perfect type or also called perfect.
— Perfect Continuous. - Continuous perfect.
That’s why they think that there are 12 times))) That’s the whole problem with the types. If you understand them, almost half the job is done))) Time is easy to determine: Masha cooked porridge. - Cooked - past tense. What about the type? Oops!
Well, let's look at the types: what they express, what their main points are and how one differs from the other. The differences are very subtle, but they can be understood and remembered. I repeat: there is nothing to worry about. Chew it and put it in your mouth. All that remains is to swallow!
- fact (The dress is red, I am a doctor);
- regular action (I go on vacation every year; I get up at 7 am; Masha often wears jeans, I work, I go to school) Any action to which words can be substituted: always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, never.
— Well-known truths (The Earth is spherical, water boils at 100 degrees, Pushkin was born in Moscow, the End of the World will come in 20...)
— For train schedules, bus schedules, television programs, sports commentaries.
Remember that the SIMPLE type can be applied to the present, past and future tense. Don't focus on the present tense. This would be a mistake. Try to find examples of this type in all three tenses. (I'm going on vacation, I went on vacation, I will go on vacation\ I'll go on vacation; the train arrives at 6 o'clock, the train arrived yesterday, the train arrives tomorrow)
They play chess every day. — I play chess every day. My sister played chess yesterday.- My sister played chess yesterday. My brother and I will play chess after school tomorrow. — My brother and I will play chess tomorrow after school.
If this is clear, you can study the times of the SIMPLE group: , . (click)
- For example, in the present tense. You call and ask: “What are you doing now?” -What are you doing now? ”, and I answer: “I’m playing chess” - I’m playing chess.
- In the past tense - process: What were you doing yesterday at 3 o'clock? - a common question for a police officer interrogating a suspect))) “What were you doing at 3 o’clock yesterday?” - I was watching TV (it was at this time that I was in the process of watching TV) - I was watching TV.
- In the future tense. For example, your friend wants to buy movie tickets and wants to invite you to a certain time tomorrow. It is important to him what you will be doing at this particular time (that is, what process you will be busy with at a specific moment in the future). — What will you be doing tomorrow at 6 pm?— What will you be doing tomorrow at 6? ; Tomorrow at 6 pm I think I will be finishing doing my homework.— Tomorrow at 6 o'clock I think I will finish my homework.
PERFECT - group of perfect tenses. Expresses the result of an action in the present, past and future.
There was an action and there is the result of this action. The action is over, and the result can be seen in the present. For example: I broke a glass. — I’ve broken a glass. - The glass is broken (the action has already been completed), but it was not broken a long time ago, but recently, or just now. That is, the fragments have not yet been removed (the result of breaking a glass). The fragments are the result of an action.
This type is also used when the period of time when the action was performed is not important, but the result of this action itself is important. -I bought a new car. I've bought a new car. - It is not specified when I bought it, the result itself is important - the presence of the car. Usually it is assumed that the action was performed recently.
- In the past tense - when the result in the past is important before some other action in the past. I had bought a car. - Usually used in stories about the past, and in this past there was a purchase of a car. The result of purchasing at an earlier period is important. Usually this tense is used in texts when there was an action in the past, and before it there was another action. That is, before before))) For example: I bought a car before I got married. — I had bought my car before I got married.
— A process completed at some time in the past. By that time I had already bought a car.-By that time I had already bought a car. Fortunately the rain had stopped before we left the house.“Luckily, the rain stopped before we left.” — (we left BEFORE the moment the rain stopped)
This group of tenses is the most difficult for students to understand, since it has almost no analogues in the Russian language (except for verbs of the perfect form: did - did, came - came).
— A process completed at some time in the future. — I will have finished the meeting by 5 o’clock tomorrow.— I will have finished the meeting tomorrow by 5 o’clock. (That is, by this time the meeting will already be over)
PERFECT CONTINUOUS. - group of perfect continuous type.
Expresses process, which just ended. Your face is red and you are sweating.-Your face is red and you're sweaty. What have you been doing? - What did you do? (just now). -I've been running. - I ran. (Here he just ran up, all out of breath and sweaty). 
— Or we show the duration in the present tense. I have been singing for 1 hour.“I’ve been singing for an hour now.” (The process - sings, it’s already an hour - past tense, that is, the action began in the past and continues now). Or you can also say if you have already stopped singing. In this case, clarification is needed - another sentence that shows whether the action is completed. Tenses in English
- The past tense needs context for this type. 1. Action in the past. 2. The process occurring during this action in the past. - When you came in, I was doing homework an hour. — When you came in, I had been doing my homework for an hour. That is, by the time you arrived, I had already been doing my homework for an hour (but that was in the past)
- In the future tense. We also need some kind of point (tomorrow at 7 o’clock) and a process that has already been going on for some time.
We are leaving for London in May. When you come there in August, we will have been staying in England for three month.– We will leave for London in May. When you arrive there in August, we will have already been in England for three months. (We will have already been in England for 3 months by the time you arrive, but that’s still to come).
They are divided into 4 groups: simple (Simple/Indefinite), continuous (Continuous/Progressive), perfect (Perfect) and perfect continuous (Perfect Continuous) tenses. What will help us choose the right option?
Marker words tenses in English help to correctly determine the tense form, so it is recommended to learn them by heart. With an asterisk* Ambiguous time indicators that may occur in different cases are marked.
Table of satellite words for all tenses of the English language
Used to describe actions in the present that occur regularly, with repetition, and not just at the moment of speech. Used to describe a routine, schedule, habits, etc.
Usually- usually
I usually wake up at 7 o’clock. I usually wake up at 7 o'clock.
Always- Always
Alice always gets good marks at school. Alice always gets good grades at 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
– On weekends / Saturdays / Fridays
We have a party on Fridays. On Fridays we have a party.
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 films.
2. Companion words Past Simple
Used to describe actions that happened in the past.
Yesterday- yesterday
Yesterday we were at home. Yesterday we were at home.
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. Last month Fred sold his car.
When*- When
I was in the kitchen, when you came. I was in the kitchen when you came.
3. Future Simple satellite words
Used to describe actions that will occur in the uncertain 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. Companion words Present Continuous
Used to describe actions occurring at the moment, at the time 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 washing the dishes.
5. Companion words Past Continuous
Used to describe actions that occurred 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 yesterday watched a movie at the cinema from 5 to 7.
- all day
He was working hard all day long. He worked hard all day.
6. Future Continuous satellite words
Used to describe actions that will occur at a specific 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 work 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 write the article all night.
7. Companion words Present Perfect
Used to describe actions that have completed at the time of speech or the present as a whole.
Just- just now
Harry has just made a cake. Harry has 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 chosen flowers.
Since- With
I haven’t played football since finishing the university. I haven't played football since graduating from university.
Recently- recently
Sally has recently been at the theater. Sally was recently at the theater.
Never* / ever*– never / ever
I have never been to London. I've never been to London.
8. Companion words Past Perfect
Used to describe an action that was 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 at 12 o’clock yesterday. Yesterday at 12 o'clock Ann spoke to her boss.
9. Future Perfect satellite words
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. Word-markers of Perfect Continuous tenses
As the name suggests, the band's Perfect Continuous times 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'll be reading for 5 hours already.
WARNING: marker words are not a panacea! As we see, some of them occur in 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 an action, and duration can be in the past, present and future tenses. However, the presence of a companion word is very good sign correct type and tense form.
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