Last year what is the time in English? English: as soon as what tense should I use? Completed tenses

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. Hint words for tenses in English language That's why they 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. 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 ( 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 time 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

Auxiliary words occupy a special place in Perfect Tenses. 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 actions. 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 a general table here. 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 in each tense. 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!

You have studied all aspects of tenses in English, but when composing the text, you feel unsure about making the right choice grammatical basis? Almost all people learning English experience similar feelings. But few people know about a little trick that eliminates the constant fear of mistakes and gives confidence in their knowledge. We are talking about signal words associated with a specific time aspect. Today we will get acquainted with this phenomenon in detail and try to remember the entire list of tips. A table that we have compiled specifically for this material will help you study time markers in English. But first you need to understand how these signals work.

Circumstances in English not only express conditions and time, but also act as indicators for the use of a certain aspect. Let's trace this relationship in practice.

Igotothegymevery Friday - I go to gym Every Friday.

Pay attention to the phrase everyFriday. It is this that indicates that the sentence must use Present simple, and not, for example, Present Perfect. If we replace these tense indicators, then the grammatical structure of the entire sentence will change.

Ihaven'tgonetothegymthis week – I didn’t go to the gym this week.

Examples prove the influence of circumstances on the use of one or another aspect. But let’s immediately make a reservation that not all time indicators are used with only one aspect. They are not a panacea, but they are a fairly solid support for those who have been learning English for a short time.

Signal words for Simple

Simple tenses are associated with periodicity, regularity, or constancy. Accordingly, the meaning of their markers should be similar. Here is a list of adverbial satellites for different aspects Simple groups and examples of their use.

Present

The present tense is associated with the following clues:

usually (usually), regularly (regularly);
often (often), as a rule (as a rule);
rarely (rarely),rarely (very rarely);
always (always), sometimes (sometimes), from time to time (from time to time);
everyday/week/month (every day, every week, every month).

I rarely use metro – I very rarely use the metro.
She usually doesn’t watch TV in the morning – She usually doesn’t watch TV in the morning.
They always send Christmas cards to their friends – They always send Christmas cards to their friends.

Past

The simple past is characterized by such satellites as:

ago (long ago, years ago),inthosetimes (at those times);
that day (onThatday), the other day (ondays);
yesterday(yesterday), the day before yesterday (the day before yesterday);
lastFriday/week/month (last Friday, last week, last month).

The incident happened the day before yesterday – This incident happened the day before yesterday.
They met the other day – They met the other day.
I saw it last week – I saw this last week.

Future

The use of the simple future is indicated by the following tense markers in English:

tomorrow (tomorrow), the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow);
soon (soon), one of these days (ondays);
inaweek/month (in a week, in a month);
nextweek/year/ (next week, next month);
in the near future (in the near future).

It will be hot tomorrow - Tomorrow it will be hot.
My grandfather will visit us soon - My grandfather will visit us soon.
We will go to Italy next week – Next week we will go to Italy.

Time markers for Continuous

Aspects of the Continuous group, or as they are also called Progressive, are characterized by an indication of a specific time or (in rare cases) a time period.

Present

The present continuous tense describes circumstances such as:

now (now),rightnow (right now);
atthemoment (at the moment);
atpresent (currently);
next (in the next one),soon (soon)*
constantly (constantly), always (always)**

*These tense indicators are used when we are talking about the planned future, and the sentence uses either verbs of motion or the phrase to be going to.

**The designation of regularity is used in the continuous tense to express irritation and dissatisfaction with any constantly occurring actions (for example, bad habits).

We are playing chess now – We are playing chess now.
My friend is leaving soon - My friend is leaving soon.
Jane is always losing her gloves! Jane keeps losing her gloves!

Past

Past events are also marked with a specific time indication:

at 10 o’clock yesterday (yesterdayV 10 hours);
while (while...),when* (when);
the whole dayday);
still (still),allday

*when is a conjunction that joins a subordinate clause, so it can be used with different aspects of time.

While I was cleaning my room, Jack was cooking supper – While I was cleaning my room, Jack was preparing dinner.
Children were still sleeping when their father left – The children were still sleeping when their father left.
She was watching the TV show at 7 o'clock yesterday – Yesterday at 7 o’clock in the evening she was watching a TV show.

Future

The continued future is characterized by the markers already listed, only adjusted for upcoming events:

atthistimenextSunday (this time next Sunday);
at 7 o’clock tomorrow (tomorrowV7 o'clock);
in a week (viaa week);
all day long tomorrow (alltomorrowday).

In a week she will be meeting with her friends – In a week she will meet with her friends.
I will be working at 5 o'clock tomorrow – Tomorrow at 5 o’clock I will work.
At this time tomorrow we will be flying to Moscow - Tomorrow at this time we will be flying to Moscow.

Perfect usage indicators

Perfect tenses indicate completed (or near completion) actions and have a fairly impressive list of signal words.

Present

The perfect present helps to denote such circumstances as:

ever (ever),never (never);
already (already) , not… yet (yet)No);
just (just now)before (before, before...);
lately (last time),recently (recently);
for (during),since(since).
thisweek (this week),today (Today)*

*Characteristic of other aspects as well.

My little brother has never been to Norway – My younger brother has never been to Norway.
They have already written it – They have already written it.
I have been in hospital for six days – I stayed in the hospital for 6 days.

Past

For the Past Perfect, similar signal words are used:

for (during);
since (with...);
by (to..., to that moment);
after (after),before (before...).

We had cleaned our room by 3 o’clock – By three o’clock we cleaned our room.
She had bought the dress the week before her wedding – She bought this dress a week before her wedding.
I was hungry. I hadn't eaten for 10 hours already – I was hungry. I haven't eaten for 10 hours.

Future

This aspect is not used very often, so it does not have unique time markers:

by the time (by that time);
by (to...);
before (before...).

We will have read this book by the time - By then we will have read this book.
She will have cooked supper before her son return – She will cook dinner before her son returns.

Tense indicators for Perfect Continuous

This group of tenses is intended to describe processes that have already produced some results, but the action is still not completed. Accordingly, at any time, circumstances will describe the duration of events. Typical aspect indicators:

for (during...);
since (with...);
allday/night (all day, all night);
by (to...);
when (when).

The dog was tired. It had been running all day . The dog is tired. She ran all day.
I have been writing this novel since 2012 – I have been writing this novel since 2012.
We have been playing this game for 2 hours already – We have been playing this game for two hours already.

Now that you have familiarized yourself with these useful tips, the question of what tense should be used in a given sentence will not be difficult for you. In order to summarize the information received and memorize the list of signal words, below is a summary table of English tenses with time markers. You can easily print it out and carry it with you as a cheat sheet, gradually learning the information by heart.

Time markers in English table (with translation of words)

Present	Past	Future
Simple tense
usually (usually),regularly (regularly),often (often),asarule (as a rule),rarely (rarely),rarely (very rarely),always (always),sometimes (sometimes),fromtimetotime (from time to time),everyday(every day).	ago (long ago, years ago),inthosetimes (in those days),thatday (on that day),theotherday (the other day),yesterday (yesterday),thedaybeforeyesterday (the day before yesterday),lastweek (last week).	tomorrow (tomorrow),thedayaftertomorrow (the day after tomorrow),soon (soon),oneofthesedays (the other day),inaweek (in a week),nextweek (next week),inthenearfuture (in the near future).
Continuous tense
now (now),rightnow (right now),atthemoment (at the moment),atpresent (currently). next (in the next one),soon (soon)* constantly (constantly),always (always)**	at 10o'clockyesterday (yesterday at 10 o'clock),while (while...),when** (when),thewholesaleday (all day),still (still),alldaylong (all day).*	atthistimenextSunday (this time next Sunday),at 7o'clocktomorrow (tomorrow at 7 o'clock),inaweek (in a week),alldaylongtomorrow (all tomorrow).
Perfect tense
ever (ever),never (never),already (already),not...yet (not yet),just (just now)before (before, before...),lately(last time),recently (recently),for (during),since(since).thisweek (this week),today(Today)****	for (during),since (with...),by (to..., by that time),after (after),before (before...).	bythetime (by that time),by (to...),before (before...).
PerfectContinuoustense
for (for...),since (with...),allday/night (all day, all night),by (to...),when (when).
* Used with verbs of motion and the phrase to be going to. About annoying constant actions, habits. when is a conjunction of a subordinate tense, characteristic of different aspects. *** Can be used with other aspects.

Hi there! Today we’ll talk about the main secret of the English language - the Present Perfect and its adverbs. In this article, we will remind you how the Present Perfect is constructed and when it is used, what markers can be used with it, and we will tell you about the nuances of their use.

Present Perfect - past or present?

In English, the past tense can be presented in different variations, depending on what the author places emphasis on (the result of the action, time or duration).

Present Perfect —present perfect tense. It has no analogue in Russian and is translated by a perfective verb in the past tense (I have found it. - I found it.)

To construct the Present Perfect, take have/has as an auxiliary verb, and the main one will always be in the third form (the ending “-ed” or the third column in the table). In both negation and question, the verb will retain the third form.

I have finished my project. - I finished your project.
I haven't finished my project. - I didn't finish your project.
Have you finished your project? - You finished your project?

By using the Present Perfect we mean past actions that are related to the present. How can they be connected?

The action began in the past and is still ongoing.

I have learned English since childhood. - I learned English since childhood (and still learning).

The present is the result of a past action.

I have broken my leg and I am at hospital now. - I broke leg and I'm in the hospital now.

The job is done, but the time is not over yet.

I have made all the tasks this week. - I did all the tasks for this week (and the week is still going on).

On simple examples everything is easy. And when you are faced with atypical contexts and experience doubts and the torment of choosing between the Present Perfect and other times, then special ones will come to the rescue markers.

Marker words Present Perfect

Usually Present Perfect markers are represented by adverbs, which very vaguely tell us about the time of action. For example, “already” - when exactly? Today? Yesterday?

In order not to be confused and doubtful, it is enough to learn these adverbs and always use the Present Perfect with them:

ever- ever, ever, ever;
never- never;
just- just, exactly, barely, just, only, completely, just, only, now;
already- already, earlier, even;
not … yet- still no, no yet, not yet, no, not yet;
before- before, before, not yet, already, before;
lately- a long time ago, recently, recently, lately;
of late- recently, lately, recently;
so far- already, by now, at this hour, so far, until now, up to this moment;
recently- recently, the other day, recently, just now, not so long ago;
by now- Nowadays;
up to now- until now, until now;
since- since (from some point);
still- still.

Where to put markers in a sentence?

Some Present Perfect adverbs have specific usage patterns.

The most common Present Perfect markers "already" and "just" used before the semantic verb and after “have/has”.

I have already bought a gift. - I already bought a gift.
He has just started this task. - He only started this task.

There are cases when we will put " already” at the end to express surprise.

You have come already! - You came already!

"Never"- a word that already contains a negation, so with its participation the verb will only be in the affirmative form.

I have never seen him. - I have never seen him (note, in the Russian version there is a double negative - “never + not”, in English “I have never seen him”).

« Already», « lately», « recently», « of late" usually appear in the middle of a sentence (before the semantic verb), but they can also be placed at the end.

He has lately read many books. - He recently I read a lot of books.
She has made good progress recently. - She has made progress in Lately.
They have not spoken of late. - Lately they didn't talk.
I have already been here. - I already was here.

« Before" And " yet", as a rule, are placed at the end of the sentence.

I have seen this film before. - I saw this film earlier.
They haven't finished their project yet. - They more haven't finished your project.

« Yet"—for denials and questions. " Ever» - for questions only.

I haven't had lunch yet. - I more didn't have lunch.
Have you ever been to New York? - You When-someday been to New York?
Have you cooked dinner yet? - You already have you prepared dinner?

In questions " yet"used to find out something, to get information. Often " not yet" used for a short answer - " Not yet»:

- Have you congratulated Bill? - Not yet. I "ll call him right now. - Did you congratulate Bill? - Not yet. I'll call him right now.

« So far», « up to now», « by now" are most often found at the end, but can be placed at the beginning and before the semantic verb.

She has read all his books by now. - To date she read all his books.
He has so far written ten letters to her. - By this time he had already written her ten letters.
Up to now I haven’t found my keys. - Still I didn't find my keys.

« Still»indicates that the situation remains unchanged; The process has been delayed and has not yet been completed.

I still haven"t finished writing my composition. - I no way I won't finish writing my essay.
He still hasn't found a new job! - He no way won't find a job!

What to choose: Past Simple or Present Perfect?

In American English the markers " just», « already», « yet” are accompanied by both Present Perfect and Past Simple. Don't be surprised if you come across:

The mail just came. - The mail just arrived (American version).
The mail has just come(British version).
I already heard the news. - I have already heard this news (American).
I've already heard the news (British).

The combination " just now» is used exclusively with the Past Simple.

She was here just now. - She was just here.

At the marker recently There are 2 meanings: “not so long ago” and “lately”.

In the meaning of “not so long ago” we will use the Past Simple.

I started playing the piano only recently. - I started playing the piano not so long ago.

To mean “lately” we use the Present Perfect.

I haven't heard from her recently. - I haven't heard of her V Lately.

Conclusion

And that’s all for today! Not so scary Present Perfect how they write about him. We hope our secrets have helped you understand these slightly treacherous times.

May your English be perfect! And don't forget, there's always a better You living inside!

Big and Friendly family EnglishDom

06.11.2014

Three English adverbs of time that often cause confusion are: still, yet And already.

They are all used when an action will happen, is expected to happen, or has already unexpectedly happened in the present tense.

In this article we will look in more detail about the difference in use still, yet And already.

Adverb STILL

Still used to describe an unfinished action or situation that continues to the present, and is translated as "still, until now."

This often refers to a situation that takes longer to occur than expected.

Pay attention to the position still- before a verb or adjective, not after.

My grandfather is sixty-nine and he still works every day at the shop he owns.
Do you still live with your parents?
It’s 6 p.m., and I can’t leave the office because I still have work to do.
Are you still angry with your mom?
He is still asleep so don’t wake him up.

If the verb has two parts, still is placed between these parts:

He started his exam an hour ago and he is still answering the questions.
Is it still snowing? (= it continues to snow, it hasn’t stopped)
When I went to bed, John was still working.

But if one of the parts of the verb has a negative connotation or particle not, still is placed before a verb with a negation:

Adam has stopped smoking but his brother still hasn't quit.
I took the clock to the repair shop though it still isn't working.

Using YET

Adverb yet used to clarify about an action that was expected. This adverb cannot be used regarding the past. Translated as “more, already.”

It is important to remember: as a rule, yet placed at the end of the sentence.

Are we there yet? (Typical question asked by children while traveling with their parents)
Is the report ready yet?
Hasn't dad told you yet? We're moving to Alaska!

Similar yet can be used to say that the expected action did not occur:

Mary can't go home yet, she hasn’t finished her work.
They haven't paid me yet. (And I expected them to pay me before this moment)
His parents haven’t kicked him out of their house yet.

Yet sometimes used in affirmative sentences, carrying a similar meaning as still. Please note that this is in a more formal version of the language, rather than in common parlance.

We have yet to hear the big news from Aunt Martha.
= We are still waiting to hear the big news from Aunt Martha.

Also still And yet often used together to explain why something is still going on:

I am still studying at the university because I haven’t graduated yet.
We still don’t know who will be our new boss. The owners haven't told us yet.
I haven't decided yet if I’m going to quit my job to go travel. I'm still thinking about it.

Use of ALREADY in English

Already used to indicate an action that occurred earlier than expected.

This adverb is used in affirmative sentences in the present or past, but never in the future tense.

Ask Katie to send the article to her editor. – She has already sent it.
I already know what I’m going to buy you for your birthday.
They've already seen “Spiderman” and really don’t want to see it again.

Pay attention to the location already in the examples below:

Is Mary already here? She must have driven very quickly to get here before me.
How does he already have the answers to tomorrow’s test?
Have them already obtained their visas?

In sentences in the present tense, already placed between the subject of the action and the verb.

IN interrogative sentences Present and Present Perfect, already comes immediately after the subject.

However, in Present Perfect affirmative sentences, the order is as follows: subject + have+ already + past participle.

So we looked at adverbs of time in English. If anything remains unclear, write, I will be happy to help.

Good luck learning English!