How to find out the time of perfect distinctive pastes. Past Perfect Tense (the past of the past) - structure, use, examples

You can navigate the variety of English tenses using special time indicators. Past perfect markers accompany the verb and help highlight the correct contexts for using this tense.

Time circumstances or alliances can act as markers. Such satellites are inextricably linked with the very essence of verb tense. Therefore, before disassemblingPast Perfect indicators, you need to remember what this time represents, in what situations it arises and how it is used in speech.

When to use Past Perfect

Past Perfect - perfect action in the past tense. This means that the verb in the sentence describes a completed action, and the event itself refers to the past.

A perfect paste is formed according to the had + V3 scheme. The auxiliary verb is to have in the past tense (had), and the semantic verb is in the third form: for regular verbs this is the form with the ending -ed, for example, to live (live) – lived, to help (help) – helped. The auxiliary verb can be shortened to "d, but this does not affect the meaning of the expression: He had helped / He"d helped (“He helped”).

Let us clarify the meaning of the Past Perfect form: the verb here denotes an action preceding another action in the past tense. Relative to some moment in the past, the designated event has already ended. This point may be explicitly stated in the sentence, or may only be implied from the general context. Let's look at the situations of using perfect pastes using examples to understand why Past perfect markers include those and not other indicators.

I arrived at 10 p.m. Mark had already gone home - I arrived at 10 pm. Mark has already gone home.

There is no clearly expressed connection between the proposals. However, the action in the first sentence acts as the point in time about which the statement of the second sentence is made. From the given context, we understand that the event of the second sentence had already happened by this moment, it preceded the first, so the Past Perfect form is chosen here.

The antecedent of an action can follow from the logic of the event itself:

I soon realized that I had made a great mistake - I soon realized that I had made a big mistake.

Making a mistake here clearly preceded understanding the consequences of the action.

An event in relation to which another action is considered as antecedent can be clearly expressed in a sentence:

When we got home we found that somebody had broken into the house - When we got home, we discovered that someone had broken into the house.

Where can I get help choosing the right time?

If you are not sure whether you have chosen the correct verb form, pay attention to the temporary satellites. Such markers often accompany specific verb tenses. For each verb form, you can define a set of your own markers, including highlighted andPast perfect indicators.

However, the existence of special lists of markers does not mean that they will necessarily be present in the sentence. In the example we considered“I soon realized that I had made a great mistake” (“I soon realized that I had made a mistake.”) There are no such signs. In addition, sometimes the same markers can refer to different times. Therefore, you must always be alert and remember to analyze the situation itself in the proposal. However, temporary companions often help you make the right choice of verb.

Perfect paste markers

Certain indicators indicate the need to use the Past Perfect. For example, these include the preposition by (to), when it indicates the time of an event. The preposition by can introduce a variety of time indications; various additions are added to it: specific dates, times, or references to a major period.

• by three o’clock - by three o’clock:By three o"clock Merrill had almost finished all of the day’s work - By three o'clock Merrill had practically finished all the work for the day.
• by Sunday - by Sunday:By Sunday, all the snow had turned to slush - By Sunday all the snow had turned to slush.
• by June - by June: He had recovered from his injury by June - He recovered from the injury by June.
• by that time - by that time:The population had reached 38,000 by that time - By that time the population had reached 38,000.
• by the time - by the time:By the time we reached home, he had already gone - By the time we got home, he had already left.

As we see, in the Past Perfect markers with the preposition by indicate the moment at which the action was completed, and act as a point relative to which the end of the event is fixed.

Other type Past Perfect indicators- markers that emphasize the sequence of events and the nature of the precedence of action in the past perfect.

• when - when: Bill had got home when I phoned - Bill had already come home when I called.
• before - before, before:I had seen Peter before I went to the cinema - I met Peter before I went to the cinema.
• after - after:I felt completely at home after I had cooked dinner - I felt completely at home after I cooked dinner.

If "when" is only indirectly used forPast Perfect with time marker, since it only connects two events, “before” and “after” emphasize the sequence of actions itself. An action that happened before another is used in the past perfect. In the case of “after,” the verb in the past perfect comes immediately after this conjunction. “Before”, on the contrary, is placed before the subsequent event and after the Past Perfect.

The indicator “before” can be used not only as a connective, but also as an adverb. Often aspaste perfect markerit is used together with the word "never".

before - before, before: I didn't know her, I had never seen her before “I didn’t know her, I’d never seen her before.”

IN Past Perfect tense indicatorsmay have a more complex, compound form:

• hardly… when - as soon as:I had hardly stepped into the room when the light went off - As soon as I entered the room, the light went out.
• as soon as - as soon as:We paid all the debts as soon as we had done the job - We paid all debts as soon as we completed the work.
• scarcely…when - barely, as soon as:He had scarcely made this decision when he got a phone call - As soon as he made this decision, the phone rang.

To the typical Past Perfect markers The following words also apply:

• just - just now: We weren't hungry because we had just had lunch - We weren't hungry because we had just had lunch.
• already - already: When Martin arrived, Mary had already gone home - When Martin arrived, Mary had already gone home.
• yet - still, for now:To a worker who had not yet specialized, the threat was less serious - For an employee who had not yet completed specialization, the danger was less serious.
• ever - ever: He thought it was the most important information he had ever heard - He thought that this was the most important information he had ever heard.

As you can see, everythingPast perfect indicatorsare determined by the very essence of this time and emphasize its significance. Tense markers serve as clues to us in what situations we need to use this verb form.

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 a very good sign of the correct tense form.

Russian-speaking people often come to their aid." auxiliary words", indicating time in English. The fact is that the tense systems in English and Russian languages ​​are strikingly different: in Russian there are three tenses (past, present, future), and in English there are 4 groups of active tenses, each of which consists of past, present, future tense... Fortunately, the distinctive feature of each tense is certain words that help to understand what time it is.

Below is a table with "auxiliary words" indicating tense in English:

	INDEFINITE	CONTINUOUS	PERFECT	PERFECT CONTINUOUS
P A S T	yesterday X days ago last week in xxxx year and other words indicating that the action was performed some time ago	at x o'clock yesterday from x to x yesterday for x hours last week the whole day all day long yesterday when he came and other words indicating that the action was performed some time in the past	by x o'clock yesterday before we came by the end of last week and other words indicating that the action was completed at a certain point in the past	FOR...WHEN all words characteristic of CONTINUOUS and PERFECT those. the action continued to be performed for some time up to a certain point in the past time
P R E S E N T	usually/generally sometimes those. words that make it clear that the action is routine. No attention is paid to the exact execution time and duration of the action itself. Replaces the future tense when talking about a schedule, schedule	at the moment at present Replaces the future tense when the action is planned in advance	recently this week and other words showing the connection between the action performed to date	FOR…SINCE/WHEN those. the action has been running for some time and has not yet finished
F U T U R E	tomorrow next year in x days in xxxx year and other words indicating that the action will be performed	at x o'clock tomorrow from x to x tomorrow for x hours next week the whole day all day long tomorrow when he cames and other words indicating that the action will be performed some time in the future	by x o'clock tomorrow before we come by the end of next week and other words indicating that the action will be completed by a certain point in the future	FOR...WHEN those. the action will be performed some time at some point in time in the future

Here are some illustrative examples:

Group " Indefinite»:

Past: I cooked dinner* yesterday(2 hours ago, last Friday) – I was cooking dinner yesterday.

Present: I always(very often) cook dinner – I always cook dinner.

Future: I will cook dinner tomorrow(next Monday) – I’ll cook dinner tomorrow.

Group " Continuous"(the speaker wants to emphasize the duration of the action):

Past: I was cooking dinner for two hours last Sunday(from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). – I cooked dinner for two hours last Sunday.

Present: I am cooking dinner right now(at the moment) – I’m cooking dinner right now.

Future: I will be cooking tomorrow for all day(at 5 o’clock tomorrow) – I’ll be cooking dinner all day tomorrow.

Group " Perfect»:

Past: I had cooked dinner by 10 o’clock yesterday– I cooked dinner at 10 o’clock yesterday.

Present: I have cooked dinner today– I cooked dinner today.

Future: I will have cooked dinner by 10 o'clock tomorrow– I will prepare dinner tomorrow at 10 o’clock.

Group " Perfect continuous»:

Past: I had been cooking dinner for all day, when he came - I had been preparing dinner all day when he came to me.

Present: I have been cooking dinner all day, that's why I am tired – I’ve been cooking dinner all day, so I’m tired.

Future: I will have been cooking for hours, when you will go to work - I will already be cooking for hours when you go to work.

* In modern English (especially in American), the word “dinner” is increasingly used to mean dinner, and the word “lunch” is used for lunch

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 takes place 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

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 did not book or will not do so 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.