And now we will look at the basics of composing simple sentences to express past, present and future tenses using examples.
Construction of sentences in the Simple group
Affirmative sentences
Let's start with the Present Simple. All affirmative sentences are constructed according to the following scheme:
- “I” in this example is the subject. It should not be confused with the complement, since the subject performs the action, and the action is performed on the complement. Moreover, in Russian the order of words is not important to us, because it is already clear who is performing the action. We can freely say: “I eat the cake.” But in English you won’t be able to construct a sentence like this, since the one who performs the action must come first, otherwise they will simply laugh at you when you say: “The cake is eating me.” Even in the passive voice, such a phrase will sound very strange.
- In second place should be the predicate, which expresses the action itself. In the Russian language, there are often sentences with an incomplete grammatical basis, where there is no subject or predicate, or both are absent. In the latter case, we are dealing with an impersonal sentence: “It’s dark.” In English there must always be a subject and a predicate. So, if there is no verb in a Russian sentence, then it will definitely appear in English. Let's take, for example, a one-part sentence in which there is no predicate: “The telephone is on the table.” To translate it correctly, we will need to use the verb “to be”, which will connect the subject with the predicate. As a result, the phrase will literally be translated as: “The phone is on the table.”
- In third place, the secondary members of the sentence are lined up according to a certain rule: first comes the direct object (answers the question “who?”, “what?”, “who?”), then the indirect object (answers the same questions, but with the prepositions “with whom?” ?”, “to whom?”, etc.). This rule is not always observed and is not strict.
As in Russian, English verbs are modified depending on the person. The main changes occur in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), where the suffix “s” or “es” is added to the predicate. As a result, we get the sentence: “He goes to school.”
Negative sentences
In addition to affirmation, there is also negation, the diagram of which looks like this:
In this scheme, all the same components are found, except for the linking verb “do” and the particle “not”, which is equivalent to the negative particle “not” in Russian. What is an auxiliary verb and why is it needed? Unlike the Russian language, where we simply put the particle “not” before the verb, in English there must be an auxiliary verb before the particle “not”. It is different for each tense, and in the case of the Present Simple it will be in the form of either “do” or “does” depending on the number and person of the subject. Example: “She does not go to school.”
Interrogative sentences
So, we have considered the affirmation, the negation, and we are left with a question, the formation of which also requires an auxiliary verb:
So, we have discussed with you the basic principles of constructing various types of sentences in Present Simple. Past Simple and Future Simple are constructed in a similar way, the main differences will be in the form of the auxiliary verb.
Constructing sentences in the Future Simple
Statement
The scheme for constructing a statement in the simple future tense (Future Simple) is as follows:
The auxiliary verb will indicates that the action takes place in the future tense, and the phrase will be translated as: “I will go to school.”
Negation
Negation is constructed using the already familiar particle “not” and the auxiliary verb “will”.
Question
Any question begins with an auxiliary verb, so when constructing a question we simply put will in first place.
Past Simple
Statement
When constructing a statement in the past tense of the Simple group, there is a small peculiarity: the suffix “ed” is added to the verb.
I specifically omitted the example with school because it uses an irregular verb. Most verbs form the simple past tense by adding the suffix “ed” to the stem (cook - cooked), but there are about 470 verbs, according to the Oxford Dictionary, that form the past tense according to their own canons. Our verb “go” also falls into their number, which will change its form to “went”: “I went to school.”
Negation
Negation in the simple past tense is constructed similarly to the Present Simple, with the only difference being that the form of the auxiliary verb “do” takes on the past form “did”.
Question
The question is also constructed by analogy with the Present Simple. We only change the form of the auxiliary verb to the past.
So we studied the construction of sentences in the entire Simple group. The main thing is to remember the patterns for all three types (affirmation, negation and question), not to forget how the word forms of verbs in the 3rd person singular change, and to memorize the main irregular verbs in order to achieve automaticity in speech.
Construction of sentences in the Continuous group
In the Continuous group there is always an auxiliary verb “to be”, the change in form of which will tell us when the action occurs: yesterday, now or tomorrow. In this group, the participle I is also always present, similar to the real participle in the Russian language. The participle itself is constructed by adding the suffix “ing” to the verb (go - going).
Statement
Let's not deviate from the structure and consider the formation of time in the Present Continuous.
The forms of the verb “to be” change depending on the person, and here the matter is not limited to changes only in the 3rd person singular. You just need to remember the forms.
In the past tense, the auxiliary verb changes its form to “was” or were” depending on the person and number.
The sentence construction scheme in the Past Continuous will be as follows:
The future tense in this group is formed without any changes, we simply put the future tense verb “will” before the auxiliary “to be”:
Denial and question
The construction of negation and question follows the general scheme for constructing sentences: when negating, we put “not” after the auxiliary verb, and when asking a question, we put the auxiliary verb in first place.
To construct the past form, you need to change the form of the auxiliary verb to “had”.
To build a future form, we additionally put “will”.
Denial and question
Negation and question are constructed in a classical way: the particle not after had (in negation), had in first place (in question).
Denial and question
| Negation | Question |
|---|---|
| I have not been going. | Have I been going to school? |
These sentences are given for the sake of example only; in practice, you are unlikely to find yourself in a situation where you will need to express yourself in the Perfect Continuous. It will be much easier and faster to construct a phrase from the Simple and Continuous groups.
Simplified table of formation of all types of sentences in all tenses
For those who are encountering tenses for the first time, this article may seem a little chaotic, so as a result, I offer you a ready-made table with the formation of sentences in all tenses to make it easier for you to see the whole picture. You can use it as a cheat sheet in the initial stages of studying temporary structures. The table is taken from the Pikabu resource.
Present continuous tense ( Present Continuous) is formed according to the scheme: to be+present participle of the semantic verb
to be+verb ending ing
Examples:
It is important to understand the difference between the simple present and simple continuous tenses.
Simple present tense describes habitual actions in the present tense. Present continuous tense describes actions that occur at the moment of speech or during the period to which this moment relates.
Compare:
Questions with the present continuous tense in English.
1. Interrogative sentences requiring a simple yes/no answer.
In questions subject and verb to be change places. Present participle (ing form) costs after the verb to be and the subject.
Scheme:
to be+subject+verb ending ing
Examples:
| Are you painting the house? | Are you painting the house? |
| Is he going to the hardware store? | Is he going to the hardware store? |
| Is it raining? | It's raining? |
Answers can be detailed or short.
2. Use of question words.
The word order in such questions is the same as in simple questions of the previous type. Question word is put before auxiliary and main verbs:
Wh...+to be+subject+verb ending ing
Examples:
If the question says why (why), the answer uses the word because (because).
Examples:
If the answer is short, then it includes only the second part of the sentence (starting with the words “because”).
Examples:
Negation with the present continuous tense
Negation in the present continuous tense is formed like this: add to the form of the verb to be particle not.
Here you need to remember the short forms: am not = ain't; is not = isn't; are not = aren't.
Example:
She is not working at the moment. She's not working right now.
Spelling forms of the present continuous tense.
Typically for education present participles add at the end of the verb ing.
Examples:
| work (work) + ing = working (working) |
| paint (paint)+ing=painting (painting) |
| I work in Chicago. | I'm working in Chicago this year. |
| I work in Chicago. | I'm working in Chicago this year. |
| I paint the house every summer. | I"m painting the house right now. |
| I paint my house every year. | I'm painting the house now. |
There are other cases of formation of the present participle:
1. If the infinitive ends in “e” and the previous consonant, then when forming participles, “e” is replaced by “ing”.
Examples:
imagine imagine imagining imagining
write write writing writing
Exception: verbs that end in ee.
For example:
free flee freeing fleeing
2. In one-syllable verbs that end in a consonant preceded by a vowel, double the consonant before the ending "ing".
Examples:
run run running running
get receive getting receiving
Exception: Consonants are not doubled: x, w, y.
Examples: to fix, to play
| I"m fixing the sink. | I'm fixing the kitchen sink. |
| The cats are playing. | Cats are playing. |
3. Verbs of two syllables in which the stress falls on the last syllable double the final vowel before the ending "ing".
Examples:
begin start off beginning beginning
4. If the verb ends in "ie", this ending is replaced with "y", then "ing" is added.
die die dying dying
lie lie lying lying
Using the present continuous tense.
1. Action occurring at the moment of speech.
Examples:
| I'm painting the kitchen. | I'm painting the kitchen. |
| My husband is helping me. | My husband helps me. |
2. An action covering a certain period of time in the present.
Example:
Nelly is studying at University. Nellie studies at the university.
3. Emotionally colored facial characteristics. Typically this is a negative rating.
Example:
She is constantly talking about money. She constantly talks about money.
4. A pre-planned action that will occur in the near future.
Used with verbs of motion: move, come, go, leave, return, start.
Examples:
The show is starting soon. The show starts soon.
Are you moving to the new flat? Are you moving to a new apartment?
5. An action in progress that occurs simultaneously with another action (in the simple past tense). This tense is used in subordinate clauses of time and condition after conjunctions: when, while, aslong as, if, in case, unless.
Example:
David always talks when he is eating. David always talks when he eats.
The main difficulty of the English language for beginners is tenses. There are only 12 tenses in the English language, but due to the specifics of some tenses, confusion occurs. In this article I will tell you in detail about the tenses of the English language with an example of use.
From the article you will learn:
English tenses with examples and translation into Russian
In English, there are traditionally 12 tenses. English tenses are divided into 3 groups:
- Simple (Indefinite),
- Continuous (Progressive),
- Perfect.
They, in turn, in combination with the basic tense forms Present, Past and Future, form the corresponding tenses. Let's start with the group Indefinite.
Present Simple (Presen Indefinite) - Present Simple
How is it formed:
I form of the verb. This form is used in all persons and numbers, except for the third person singular: then the endings – s, -es – are added.
When to use:
1. The action occurs with a certain frequency. Used with such adverbs as always (always), rarely (rarely), often (often), usually (usually), never (ever), etc., in addition, with the word every (every day, every month, every year etc.)
She never listens to me.- She never listens to me.
I always go abroad in summer.— In the summer I always go abroad.
He goes to the theater every weekend.— He goes to the theater every weekend.
2. The effect is scientifically proven.
Water boils at 100 degrees.— Water boils at 100 degrees.
3. The sequence of actions is described.
I get up, wash my hands and face, have breakfast etc.— I get up, wash, have breakfast, etc.
Present Continuous - Present Continuous
It should be noted that some English present tenses can indicate the future.
How is it formed:
verb to be + I form of the verb + ing ending.
When used: 1. the action is happening at the moment.
I am watching TV now.- I'm watching TV now.
2. the action will take place in the near future, which is planned (!).
I am flying to New York next month.— Next month I'm flying to New York.
Present Perfect - Present Perfect
The peculiarity is that the English tenses of the Perfect group can denote the past, although they are called present.
Formation: have / has + III form of the verb.
When to use the present perfect tense:
1. the action happened today, this year, this week, etc., i.e. the period has not yet ended.
Has not written 10 books and he is just twenty!- He wrote 10 books, and he’s only twenty! (Life is going)
We have met this month.— We saw each other this month (the month has not ended)
He has met me today.- Today he met me.
2. with adverbs yet (yet), just (only), recently (recently), ever (always), never (never), already (already), etc.
I have just found out about this.- I just found out about this.
I've never been to England.- I have never been to England.
She has already done this work.- She has already done this work.
3. Action in the past affects the present state
We have gone to the forest and now he has a cold.— We went to the forest, and he caught a cold.
Past Simple - Past Simple
How to form the past simple tense:
II form of the verb, i.e. verb + ending –ed (regular verbs), or II form of an irregular verb.
When to use:
1. The presence of a time marker yesterday (yesterday), last (past, last) or other.
He visited doctor last week.— Last week he visited the doctor.
I met him when I studied at the University.— I met him when I was at university.
2. The action happened in the past without any conditions.
I knew you would come.- I knew you would come.
3. Sequence of actions.
He took the taxi, asked to stop at the Time Square, looked through the window etc.— He took a taxi, asked to stop at Time Square, looked out the window, etc.
Past Continuous - Past Continuous
How to form the past continuous tense:
Verb to be in 2nd form + verb+ ing ending.
When to use:
1. The process lasted for a long time without interruption.
For example.
He was playing the piano the whole evening.— He played the piano all evening.
2. The process was interrupted by another activity.
They came in when she was speaking by the phone.— They came in while she was talking on the phone.
Past Perfect - Past Perfect
How is it formed:
2nd form of the verb have + 3rd form of the verb.
When to use:
1. When agreeing on times.
He said that he had not noticed you.- He said he didn't notice you.
2. One action happened before the other.
Example: He had left before I could figure out something.“He left before I could understand anything.”
3. There is a temporary excuse by.
He had made his decision by summer.— By the summer he made a decision.
Future Simple - Future Simple
How is it formed:
Shall (used only with 1st person) will+I form of the verb.
When to use:
The action will take place in the future. Used with time markers tomorrow, next, or a deadline is indicated.
I will call you tomorrow.- I'll call you tomorrow.
He will visit us in 3 weeks.— He will visit us in 3 weeks.
Future Continuous - Future Continuous
How it is formed.
Auxiliary verb will/shall+be+1 verb form+ing
When used. The process continues into the future.
She will be dancing the whole day tomorrow.- Tomorrow she will dance all day.
Present Perfect Continuous - Present Perfect Continuous
How is it formed:
Have/has + been + verb+ing
When to use:
1. The action lasts from a moment in the past to a moment in the present (translated by the present)
I have been waiting for this moment all my life.“I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”
2. with the preposition since (s).
Their family has been owning this castle since 17th century.— Their family has owned this castle since the 17th century.
Past Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous
How is it formed:
Had + been + verb+ing
When to use:
One action is interrupted by another or is its cause.
I had been working hard the whole year, so I was exhausted. “I worked hard all year and was just exhausted.
Future Perfect Continuous - Future Perfect Continuous
English tenses such as Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous are used extremely rarely.
How is it formed:
Will/shall + have + been + verb+ ing
When to use:
The period of past and future is affected, the preposition of time by.
For example: I will have been working in this company for 10 years by 1st May.— By May 1, it will be 10 years that I have been working in this company.
Thus, we looked at 10 tenses of the English language (all based on 3 main ones).
Today we will talk about the differences in Present Simple And ) Tenses(present simple and present continuous).
Present Simple
When do we use this time? Let's look at an example and analyze the use of the simple present tense.
I live . — I live.
If we say that we live somewhere, it means that we are talking about something more or less permanent.
The simple present tense is also used to indicate actions that are always happening. For example:
The sun rises in the East. — The sun rises in the east.
Also used to describe regular actions Present Simple:
Every day I wake up up at this time. I take a shower. — Every day I get up at this time. I am taking a shower.
A little later we will look at the simple present tense in more detail. Now we will look at the present continuous tense for comparison with the simple present tense.
Present Continuous (Progressive))
I am staying. — I am standing.
I am working. — I am working.
I am speaking— I am talking.
You are listening or you are writing. — You listen or write.
We use the present continuous tense to describe actions that are happening right now or temporarily for a long time - a period of time. Those. for example, you can say about someone that he is writing a book, he has been writing it for some time, but at the very moment he may not be writing it, but we still say: He is writing a book.
This period of time can be anything - two minutes, a week or 10 years. The main thing here is that this is not a permanent action, but a temporary one that is happening now.
In order to better understand the difference in the use of these tenses, I will give another example:
Where are you live? — I live in Canada, Toronto. — Present Simple
While you are in Toronto where are you staying? — I’m staying at the hotel. — Present Continuous
Present Simple Tense - in more detail
The “s” ending on verbs with third person nouns is very important. Many students forget about it at the initial stage.
These were examples positive suggestions. Now let's see what the simple present tense will look like in negative sentences.
More examples of sentences with the simple present tense:
He works in the office.
He doesn’t work in the office.
Does he work in the office?
They live in Toronto.
They don't live in Toronto.
Do they live in Toronto?
English Joke
Old farmer Johnson was dying. The family was standing around his bed. With a low voice he sad to his wife: “When I’m dead I want you to marry farmer Jones.”
wife: “No, I can’t marry anyone after you.”
Johnson: "But I want you to."
wife: “But why?”
Johnson: “Jones once cheated me in a horse deal!”
Present is translated as “present” and tells us that the action is being performed at the moment. Continuous is translated as “long/long” and indicates that the action began some time ago and is still ongoing.
Present Continuous is a long time. We use it when we want to say that something is in progress. For example, I am swimming, that is, I am in the process of swimming. Present Simple simply shows the fact of one or another action without a process. Let's look at examples.
1. Present Simple
I drive a car.
I drive a car.
2. Present Continuous
I am driving a car.
I'm driving.
In Russian, these two sentences are translated almost identically, n But in English they express completely different meanings:
1) the simple fact that I know how to drive a car: I have a license and I can drive it.
2) I'm driving: I've been driving a car for some time now and now I'm still driving the car, that is, I'm in the process of driving.
Now let's take a closer look at the exact cases in which we use Present Continuous.
Using Present Continuous Tense
The simple continuous tense is used in several cases.
1. When we talk about an action that is happening now (at the moment).
That is, the action began some time ago and is now still ongoing (in process).
Example: “She is dancing” - she is in the process of dancing; “Children play with toys” - they are in the process of playing.
2. An action that is currently being performed, but not necessarily at the moment.
By this we emphasize the process of its duration.
Example: “He is studying at the university” - he is in the process of studying; “She's working on a big project” - she's in the process of working on a project.
Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous Tense
An affirmative sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense (am, are, is) and the ending -ing, which is added to the verb denoting action.
The one in question + am/are/is + verb + -ing.
| I | am | |
| You | ||
| We | are | playing |
| They | swimming | |
| She | cooking | |
| He | is | |
| It |
For example
They are watch ing TV.
They are watching TV.
I am drink ing tea
I'm drinking tea.
He is smoke ing now.
He smokes now.
Rules for adding the ending -ing
There are several things to consider when adding -ing endings to verbs.
- If the verb ends in -e, then the letter e we remove and add to the verb -ing:
danc e- danc ing- dance;
mov e-mov ing-; move.
- If the verb is short, we double the last consonant:
si t- si ting- sit;
ba n-ba nning- forbid.
Exceptions: verbs ending in -x And - w:
mi x- mi xing- to mix;
flo w-flo wing- leak.
- If the verb ends in -ie, then we replace this ending with -y:
l ie-l ying- lie;
t ie-t ying- bind.
Words indicating time
The following words can help us determine that this is the Present Continuous:
- now - now;
- at the moment - at the moment.
Let's look at examples.
They are running now.
They are running now.
I am eating now.
I am eating now.
We are working at the moment.
We are working at the moment.
She is having a break at the moment.
She's on a break at the moment.
Verbs not used in Present Continuous Tense
Some English verbs are never used in this tense.
1. Verbs expressing feelings
The Present Continuous does not use verbs that are associated with the senses (sight, hearing, touch, etc.).
- hear - to hear,
- smell - smell,
- feel - feel, etc.
2. Verbs expressing mental state
- forget - forget,
- know - to know
- understand - to understand, etc.
3. Verbs expressing emotions and desires
- love - to love,
- want - want,
- like - like, etc.
4. Verbs expressing possession of something
- have - to have,
- possess - to possess, etc.
Why aren't these verbs used in the Present Continuous?
As we have already seen, this tense is used to emphasize that the action is in progress: we started doing it some time ago, we are doing it now, but after some time we will finish doing it.
To be used in our continuous tense, a verb must be able to last. For example: to cook - you started cooking, you are cooking now, after some time you will finish.
Returning to our exception verbs. We cannot start smelling (smelling) or hearing (hearing) and finish this process after some time. This is what we do all the time. We are talking about the fact that we can smell and hear. Likewise, forgetting, understanding, or emotions cannot be processes, because otherwise it turns out that these processes began once, are now continuing, and will end someday.
Negative form in Present Continuous Tense
Negation is constructed as an affirmative sentence, only the negative particle not is added to our verb to be.
The one in question + am/are/is + not + verb + -ing.
| I | am | ||
| You | |||
| We | are | playing | |
| They | not | cooking | |
| She | swimming | ||
| He | is | ||
| It |
Examples
We are not do ing our homework now.
We don't do homework now.
She is not driv ing at the moment.
She is not driving at the moment.
I am not listen ing music now.
I don't listen to music now.
Question form in Present Continuous Tense
To ask if someone is doing something right now, we put the verb to be first.
Am/are/is + the one in question + verb + -ing?
| Am | I | |
| you | ||
| Are | we | playing? |
| they | cooking? | |
| she | swimming? | |
| Is | he | |
| it |
Statement
I am read ing the book.
I am reading a book.
You are swimm ing in a pool.
You are swimming in the pool.
She is clean ing her room now.
She is cleaning the room now.
The question and a positive answer (our “yes”) will look like this:
| Question | Short answer (contains the verb to be) | Full answer (constructed as an affirmative sentence) |
| Am I read ing the book? I am reading a book? |
Yes, I am. |
Yes, I am read ing the book. Yes, I'm reading a book. |
| Are you swimm ing in a pool? Do you swim in the pool? |
Yes, you are. |
Yes, you are swimm ing in a pool. |
| Is she clean ing her room now? Is she cleaning the room now? |
Yes, she is. |
Yes, she is clean ing her room now. Yes, she is cleaning the room now. |
Negative answers (our “no”) will look like this:
| Question | Short answer (contains the verb to be + not) | Full answer (constructed as a negative sentence) |
| Am I read ing the book? I am reading a book? |
No, I amnot. |
No, I am not read ing the book. No, I'm not reading a book. |
| Are you swimm ing in a pool? Do you swim in the pool? |
No, you arenot. |
No, you are not swimm ing in a pool. No, you don't swim in the pool. |
| Is she clean ing her room now? Is she cleaning the room now? |
No, she isnot. |
No, she is not clean ing her room now. No, she's not cleaning the room now. |
Examples
Are are they playing tennis?
They are playing tennis?
Yes, they are.
Yes, they are playing.
Are are they playing tennis?
They are playing tennis?
No, they are not.
No, they don't play.
Is he sleepingnow?
He is sleeping now?
Yes, he is sleeping now.
Yes, he's sleeping now.
Is he sleeping now?
He is sleeping now?
No, he is not sleeping now.
No, he's not sleeping now.
Special questions in Present Continuous Tense
When we ask a question with the following question words:
- what - what;
- where - where;
- who - who;
- which - which one;
- why - why.
These words are placed first in the sentence, and the further order of words will be the same as in a regular question. The scheme is like this:
Question word + аm/are/is + the person in question + verb + -ing?
| am | I | ||
| you | |||
| What | are | they | reading? |
| Where | we | playing? | |
| Why | she | cooking? Reinforcement taskNow for some practice. Translate the following sentences into English. Be careful, hidden among them are sentences that belong to the Present Simple. 1. She is flying on a plane at the moment. As always, leave your answers in the comments below the article. |
