How is the past tense formed? Past tense. English language. When is the best time to start studying?

Knowing how different tenses are formed in English is very important. It is equally important to be able to distinguish forms from each other. The previous lesson explained how the Present Perfect is used. Today's lesson will make it clear how not to confuse the Present Perfect with the Past Simple, especially when both of these tenses are used in the same sentence.

Using the Past Simple and Present Perfect

So, it is important to remember that the Past Simple is always used to refer to facts in the past. The action expressed by this form has already ended.

The Present Perfect is a form of the present tense and is used to express an action that has either not ended or has ended recently. And, as you remember from the material of the last lesson, Present Perfect always expresses some kind of result. Also, do not forget that both forms have certain signals by which you can understand what time to use.

Table. Features of Past Simple and Present Perfect

Let's systematize the differences between Present Perfect and Past Simple:

Present Perfect	past simple
He has bought new shoes. — He bought new shoes. (Outcome: He has new shoes.)	He bought new shoes yesterday. He bought new shoes yesterday. (Reporting an event in the past)
I' ve lost my passport! - I lost my passport. (Message of new information).	— How did you do that? - How did you do this? — I left it on the table. Someone took it. — I left it on the table. Someone took it. (The details of the event are described).
Margaret has just won the lottery! Margarita has just won the lottery. (Happened recently)
He has worked for this company for ten years. He has worked for this company for ten years. (He still works for this company)	He worked for this company for ten years. Now he is retired. He worked for this company for ten years. Now he is retired. (He has worked for this company for a long time)
I have seen Ellie this morning. — I saw Ellie this morning. (Morning isn't over yet)	I saw Ellie this morning. — I saw Ellie this morning. (Morning is already over)

Important! With the question words "when" and "what time" the Past Simple is used. For example: When did you go to the cinema?

In complex sentences with since, Past Simple is used after since. For example:

She has been a secretary since she moved here. She has been working as a secretary since she moved here.

In American English, it is acceptable to use the Past Simple with the words just, yet, already. In British English, the Present Perfect is preferred.

Tasks for the lesson

Task 1. Open the brackets using the Present Perfect or Past Simple.

1. I (read) this book yesterday.
2. When you (arrive) in Paris?
3. — I (buy) a new dress. — Where you (buy) it? — I (buy) it in H&M.
4. I (not/play) football since I (be) ten.
5. She (live) in Manchester for three years. Now she lives in Edinburgh.
6. I (fix) the car. You can drive now.
7. Beethoven (write) many pieces of music.
8. What time are you (call)?
9. Yesterday he (lose) his glasses.
10. We (do) a lot of work today.

Task 2. Translate into English.

1. I've just returned home.
2. You talked to him this morning. And now it's evening.
3. When did they wake up?
4. She left for work at ten.
5. I haven't played the piano since I left school.
6. We have already visited the art gallery.
7. Anna is upset. She lost her phone.
8. When I was a child, I didn't like beans.

Answer 1.

1. did … arrive
2. have bough, did … buy, bought.
3. haven't played, was.
4. lived
5. have fixed
6. wrote
7. did … you
8. have done

Answer 2.

1. I've just come home.
2. You've talked to him this morning. Now it is evening already.
3. What time did the wake up?
4. She went to work at ten.
5. I haven't played the piano since I finished school.
6. We have already visited the art gallery.
7. Ann is upset. She has lost her mobile phone.
8. When I was a child I didn't like beans.

Hi friends! The Past Simple tense is used to denote an action that happened at a certain time in the past and the time for which has already expired.

To clarify the moment of an action in the past, when using Past Simple time, words such as five days ago (five days ago), last year (last year), yesterday (yesterday), in 1980 (in 1980), etc. P.

When we use the Past Simple

We use the simple past tense when we say:

1. About events or actions that occurred in the past and the time for which has expired. That is, the action or event is completed. (he bought a car last year, they went on vacation last month, the meeting was last week)

2. About events or actions in the past that were repeated regularly, but do not occur now. (she did dance at school, we went to the gym last year)

3. About events in the past that happened one after the other. (they met, walked in the park, went to the cinema)

• My brother was born in 1987. - My brother was born in 1987.
• She moved to the capital 7 years ago. She moved to the capital seven years ago.
• We saw him last month. - We saw him last month.
• The Second World War began in 1939. - The Second World War began in 1939.

How is the Past Simple formed?

Statement

In order to form the Past Simple, we add the ending to the verb -ed if the verb is correct (work - worked, learn - learned, ask - asked). If the verb is irregular, then we look for the form for Past Simple in the second column of the table. Most likely, at first it will be difficult for you to immediately determine which verb is in front of you.

Past Continuous - long past tense in English

Time Past continuous indicates a process that lasted at a certain moment or period in the past. Unlike the Past Simple tense, this moment in the past must be named directly (for example, yesterday at 5 o'clock, when you called, when rain started) or be obvious from the context.

• When you called I was taking a shower.
  When you called, I was taking a shower.
• Charlie and me were already driving home when the engine suddenly stopped.
  Charlie and I were driving home when the engine suddenly stopped.

Use of Past Continuous

1. An action that took place at a certain moment in the past. Since this moment is still expressed by a long time, a period can also be indicated.

• From six to seven I was cooking dinner.

The same action can be expressed both through the Past Continuous and through the Past Simple. It depends on whether you want to emphasize the duration of the action or not. Usually, when there is such a choice, the choice of a long tense puts more emphasis on the action being taken.

What did you do last night? — I played cards(more like a fact) or I was playing cards(focusing attention).

2. An action against which another action took place, which must be expressed by Past Simple. The Past Simple is usually inserted into a sentence using when and and conjunctions.

• He was walking home (background action) when somebody called his name.
• She was reading a book and suddenly came across an interesting phrase.

3. An action that takes a certain period of time in the past.

• He told me that he was working at his diploma.

4. A negative evaluation characteristic of a person's constant actions or behavior in an emotionally colored speech. In such sentences, adverbs of frequency are usually used, such as always, constantly, all the time.

• He was always lying on the sofa and doing nothing.
• His parents were quarrelling all the time.

5. To express two parallel actions occurring at a certain moment in the past. None of the parallel actions of the proposal is a background for the rest.

• The boy was reading, and the girl was playing the piano.

6. There are verbs in the present continuous tense ( look, feel, understand etc.), which usually do not have a long form. The same rule applies to these verbs in the past continuous tense.

To express strong emotions or to emphasize the importance of an action, these verbs can be continuous.

• He couldn't believe in what he was seeing and hearing.

In all types of long tenses, it is possible to use several semantic verbs with one linking verb with one subject

• She was driving her car and talking on the phone.

How is the Past Continuous Formed?

Statement

The predicate in the Past Continuous consists of an auxiliary verb and a main verb. In order to form the Past Continuous, we need the past tense forms to be - was, were. Was is used in the singular, were in the plural. We remove the to particle from the main verb and add the -ing ending.

affirmative sentences:

Negative suggestions:

I was not playing	We were not playing
You weren't playing	You weren't playing
He/she/it was not playing	They were not playing

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

Perfect and perfect long past tenses in English.

Time past perfect denotes an action that was completed up to some point in the past. The Past Perfect is characterized by the use of adverbs already, yet, ever, never, as for the Present Perfect. These adverbs show which action happened before, which means for which action you need to use the Past Perfect.

• By the time Mary got to the office, her boss had already left.
• By the time Mary arrived at the office, her boss had already left.

Using the Past Perfect

1. The action happened before a certain time in the past

• By 1995, he had become a famous artist.
• By 1995 he had become a celebrated artist.(i.e. he became a famous artist by a certain time in the past.)

2. The action happened before another time (event) in the past

• I didn't want to go to the cinema yesterday, because I had already seen the film.
• I didn't want to go to the cinema yesterday because I had already seen the film.(I.e. I saw this movie before, before yesterday.)

Statement

The predicate in the Past Perfect consists of two parts: the auxiliary verb had and the third form of the main verb (we add the ending -ed to the regular verb, and take the form of the wrong one from the third column of the table of irregular verbs).

Past Perfect Continuous - Past Perfect Continuous

Time Past Perfect Continuous indicates an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and either ended just before some point in the past or still not finished by some point in the past.

• When Jane came home, Martin was very tired, because he had been working hard all day.
• When Jane came home, Martin was very tired because he had been working hard all day.

Using the Past Perfect Continuous

1. The action took place before a certain time in the past

• When it was 3:00 p.m. I had been waiting for Bob for two hours.
• When it was 3 pm, I had been waiting for Bob for two hours.(That is, by the time it was 3 pm, this moment was in the past, I had already waited two hours.)

2. An action happened before another action (event) in the past

• Yesterday we had been playing for two hours when Tom arrived.
• Yesterday, when Tom arrived, we had already played for two hours.

Education Past Perfect Continuous

In order to put the verb in the Past Perfect Continuous tense form, the auxiliary verb to be in the Past Perfect tense and the present participle (V-ing form) of the semantic verb are required.

To be in time Past Perfect has a single form had been.

affirmative sentences:

Negative suggestions:

I had not been playing	We had not been playing
You had not been playing	You had not been playing
He/she/it had not been playing	They had not been playing

When you leave the page without liking, one cat is sad in the world.

Simple past tense in English

In everyday life, we talk about past events much more often than about present or future actions. To talk about your achievements or interesting cases from life to a foreign interlocutor, you need to know the past tense in English well. And it is fraught with many interesting and sometimes difficult to understand discoveries for a Russian-speaking person. Let's analyze them, try to catch the logic of English grammar and master the rules for creating the past tense.

In a conversation in Russian, in order to talk about actions committed in the past, verbs are used in the past tense. Likewise in English. But, if for us there is only one form, then the British managed to distinguish four categories in the past. We will also learn how to carefully analyze the actions performed, analyzing types of past tense that are possible in English.

Simple (Past Simple)

The most generalized category of the past. It includes facts, actions, events committed some time ago, a year / month / week ago, as well as yesterday and the day before yesterday. But, all this on the condition that we are talking about single or periodic cases that are not related to other events and a moment in time. Also, the use of the simple past is typical for the description of simultaneous actions and the transmission of actual events.

The affirmative construction in the paste simple is created by the second form of the verb. Note that for sentences with to be and have in the past tense, there are two forms: were / have - plural, was / has - singular.

• I watched the 34 episode of the Untouchables yesterday –Iwatched 34series"Untouchables" yesterday.
• She spent allhermoneyonpurchasesandpaymentslastweekLast week she spent all her money on shopping and payments.
• We were at home and our son was at school-WewereHouses,aoursonwasinschool.

Interrogative and negative phrases require the addition of the auxiliary verb did. In questions, it is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and in negations it gets a place immediately after the subject, forming the form did not = didn’t. Please note that in these cases the main predicate is in the first form verb, i.e. has the form of an infinitive.

• Did they sell the flat? -They aresoldapartment?
• Myfriends didn't 't go totheconcertMy friends didn't go to the concert.

This is the simplest category of time for Russian perception, since we can draw an analogy with our language. Next, we will study more specific cases.

Continued (Past Continuous)

As the name implies, this group of times describes the processes of events that took place at a certain moment. It is important for the speaker to express not only the performance of the action, but also the period of time in which it was performed. It is not necessary that the time indicator should be words: whole sentences can also be used in this capacity. In this case, we focus on the fact that one event happened, and the other was still in the process.

Long tenses in English are formed using the verb to be and the first form of the participle (in –ing). To compose questions, such compound predicates are divided: tobe goes to the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject, and the participle remains in its third place. In negation, the affirmative word order is preserved, only the particle not is added to to be.

• Mysister was playing tenniswhenIcalledherMy sister was playing tennis at the moment when I called her.
• Were they writing their work all the day? -They arewrotemyworkwholeday?
• I wasn't 't skating intheparkat5o'clockyesterdayI didn't ride in the park at 5 o'clock yesterday.

The continuous past tense in English is also used to give emotional coloring when talking about any bad habits, negative, annoying actions that happen all the time.

• They are constantly chewing something! -They areconstantlywhat-thenchew!

It should be noted that some English verbs are never used in the continuous tense. These include:

• allow,
• agree,
• arrange,
• decide,
• deserve,
• fail,
• forget,
• hope,
• learn,
• manage
• offer,
• plan,
• mean,
• promise,
• refuse,
• trend,
• threaten

These are exclusion verbs, the verb following them cannot be used in the form. The list of such verbs must be known by heart.

Past simple and past continuous are used by the British in conversations much more often than the remaining categories. However, perfect combinations are not uncommon in written speech, so their constructions must also be known.

Perfect (Past Perfect)

This grammatical form is responsible for describing the completion of actions. Traditionally considered the most difficult to understand, as it can be confused with simpler forms of the past. Let's try to learn how to separate it from others by considering the theory and examples of sentences.

The perfect tense is used to indicate completed actions. Of course, we can also express the past in the simple past in English. , however, there is a key difference between these methods. Simple time expresses either the simultaneity of several actions, or regular actions, or a single event. That is, in these cases, the very fact of what happened is important. If it is necessary to establish its connection with other events or a specific moment in time, it is necessary to use the perfect. Remember that the continius is also used with a specific time, but it shows the process, not the completed action!

So, the perfect construction allows you to reproduce the sequence of events and establish a connection between actions, since perfect denotes what ended first. The second action, if it was completed, is put in Past Simple, and if it was in progress, it gets Past Continuous. Therefore, the perfect past tense in English, as a rule, is more common in indirect speech and complex expressions, but sometimes its use is also justified in simple sentences with an indication of the time period.

To compose a predicate in the past perfect, you must use the auxiliary had and participle II. The participle always remains unchanged, while had comes forward in questions and receives a part of not in negations.

• Shewonderedhowlongwe had worked atthefactoryShe was interested in how long we had been working at this factory.
• Jack hadn 't repaired mycomputerby3o'clockJack had not repaired my computer by three o'clock.
• Had you written thissongbeforeyoubecameafamousperson? - Did you record this song before you became a famous person?
• She had read all magazines and was speaking on the phoneShe isreadallmagazines,andafterchattedonphone.

We have analyzed the purpose of the perfect, it remains to consider the last combined tense, which is used in English speech.

Completely continued (Past Perfect Continuous)

These constructions are used to describe the processes of the actions that took place. How then do they differ from the Past Continuous? The fact that, paradoxical as it may sound, they point to events close to completion. Let's try to clear up this confusion.

Combinations with the perfect continius express that some action that began before the specified moment or the onset of the following events was still going on when a certain point in time came or the next event happened. But, unlike the Pasta Continius, in these situations the action is not just happening, but is approaching completion. In Russian, we would translate continuous perfect sentences in the past tense, for example, “ I was writing a letter when…” and a simple continuum like “ I was writing a letter when...". The use of Perfect Continuous is also typical for describing recently completed actions, if their result is expressed on the face.

The formation of the construction depends on several elements: the verb had, the third form to be and participle I. For interrogative sentences, had is brought forward and not is added for negative ones.

• Had Nick Croud been writing this novel for a 2 year when he decided to publish the first chapter of the book? -NickCrowdwrotethisnovelalreadytwoof the year,whenis heI decidedpublishfirstchapterbooks?
• She hadn 't been cooking dinnerfor3 hoursbeforeIcame She had not cooked dinner for three hours before I arrived.
• By the evening I was very tired. I had been playing tennisallday By the evening I was very tired. I played tennis all day.

Note that the Perfect Continuous is rarely used, and mostly in writing.

Past tense in English - a summary table with circumstance hints

We have completed the development of the material and learned that the English language expresses the past tense in several ways. For quick memorization and correct implementation of practical exercises, we will make a cheat sheet for ourselves. Note that English past tenses often coexist with specific circumstances. Let's use this hint.

Past Tenses
Category	+	?	—	Circumstances
Simple Regular, single actions; simultaneity of events	Subject + second form of the verb She wrote the letter. She wrote a letter.	Did+ subject. + infinitive Did you read this newspaper? Have you read this newspaper?	Subject+did not(didn't) +infinitive We didn't spend money. We didn't spend money.	last day/week/month/year; ago, yesterday, those times, the day before…
continuous Action process	Due+ tobe+ plus. I I was walking in the park at 3 o'clock yesterday. Yesterday at 3 pm I was walking in the park.	Tobe+ subject. + plus. I Was he driving to the office when you called him? Was he on his way to the office when you called him?	Subject + to be not +incl. I They weren't singing at that time. They didn't sing at the time.	now, at ... o'clock; all the time, constantly, at the moment, that time
Perfect Completed events, order of action	Due + had+ plus. II She had already gone to the party, when Bob came home. She had already left for the party when Bob came home.	Had+ subject. + plus. II Had cat jumped into the window before you called it? The cat jumped out the window before you called her.?	Subject + had not+ plus. II He hadn't cleaned the flat by 5 o'clock. He didn't clean the apartment until 5 o'clock.	for, by, already, until, before, yet, scarcely…when, as soon as
Perfect Continuous The process of events ending in the past; reason for the current result.	d.+ had + been +incl. II He couldn't get up early because he had been working all night. He couldn't wake up early because he worked all night.	Had +subject + been +incl. II Had she already been cooking supper for 30 minutes, when guests arrived? She had been cooking dinner for 30 minutes when the guests arrived?	d.+ had not + been +incl. II I hadn't been watching TV for 5 hours, when you came! I hadn't watched TV for 5 hours when you came.	for, by, since, all day/week/month; before

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General issues

Did + subject + semantic verb

Special Issues

Special questions begin with the question words What (color, size, kind, flavor ..), Where, When, Who, How (much / long), which are placed before the turnover with did.

What did you do yesterday? - What did you do yesterday?

What color dress did you buy? What color dress did you buy?

What size did you buy? - What size did you buy?

What kind of book did you like? - What book did you like?

What flavor ice cream did you buy? What flavor of ice cream did you buy?

Where did you go yesterday? – Where did you go yesterday?

When did you go? - When did you go?

How did you go? - How did you get there?

Who did you go with? - Who did you go with?

How much did you pay? - How much did you pay?

How long did you stay? - How long did you stay there?

English Joke

The very convivial gentleman left his club happy, but somewhat dazed. On his homeward journey, made tackingly, he ran against the vertical iron rods that formed a circle of protection for the trunk of a tree growing by the curb. He made a tour around the barrier four times, carefully holding to one rod until he had a firm grasp on the next. Then, at last, he halted and leaned despairingly against the rock to which he held, and called aloud for succor:

Hellup! hellup! Somebody let me out!"

14.11.2013

The past tense in English is divided into three main types:

• past simple(past simple).
• past perfect(past perfect).
• Past Continuous(past continuous).

There are also more complex options (like Past Perfect Continious), but they are still based on the same three types.

Education Past Simple

Sentences in the Past Simple are formed using the auxiliary verb to do (in the past tense, did) and the second form of the main verb. In the case of a regular verb, the ending -ed is simply added to it.

listen (listen) - listened (listened)

I listened to music and danced. (I listened to music and danced.)

Irregular verbs in English formed according to their own rules. Most often, the list of basic irregular verbs is simply memorized (although some patterns can be found).

Auxiliary did in the Past Simple is used in the same way as the verb does in the Present Simple. It is used in interrogative and negative sentences:

Did you listen to this song? (Have you listened to this song?)

No, I didn't listen to this song. (No, I haven't listened to this song.)

Please note: if the sentence has an auxiliary verb, then the main verb is put in the first form!

In affirmative sentences there is no auxiliary verb, but the main one is in the second form. Below is a short list of irregular English verbs and their second form. Unlike Present Perfect, Past Perfect does not force you to follow the person of pronouns and, depending on it, change the form of the auxiliary verb.

Using the Past Simple

Past Simple, as simple past tense, is used in cases where it is necessary to show that the action:

Happened at a certain point in time (with an indication of this time) and has already been completed at the moment.

We were there last year. (We were here last year.)

Yesterday, she didn`t wait near the shop! (She didn't wait for us outside the store yesterday!)

It was repeated regularly in the past, but is no longer undertaken.

When I worked here, I woke up at six o'clock. (When I worked here, I got up at six o'clock.)

My husband came to me when I was ill. (My husband came to see me when I was sick.)

There was not one, but there is a chain of certain actions that are listed in chronological order.

He went home, looked up his sister and sang a song. (He walked home, looked after his sister and sang a song.)

Did her son eat and have fun with you? (Did her son eat and have fun with you?)

That is, the markers that you need to use the simple past tense (Past Simple) are:

• Pointing to a specific point in time (yesterday, last month, at 5 o`clock, etc.).
• The completion of an action and/or an indication of the dry fact that it took place.
• List of completed actions.
• The action is no longer being repeated.

Some irregular English verbs

	Infinitive (Indefinite Active)	Past Simple Active
become
start off
buy
choose
to come
drive a car)
feel; feel
receive
leave
let
produce
meet
speak
sell
send
put
show
speak
distribute
tell
understand
wear clothes)
win