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Present Perfect (the present perfect tense) is considered one of the most difficult to understand. We are not used to what can be represented by a variety of options that differ in what exactly the author focuses on in the sentence (the time the action takes, its result, duration or its absence).

Time Present Perfect- the present perfect tense, but is translated into Russian by the verb of the past tense of the perfect form. And the thing is that this time just tells about past events, completed actions. But these actions or events have a direct connection with the present, their result affects this very present. How not to recall a classic example here:

I have lost my keys. I can't open the door. I lost my keys and can't open the door.

The second effect is the effect of the first, and the first is the cause of the second. This example is simple and straightforward, but there are times when you wonder if you should use the present perfect tense. To make this task a little easier, you need to pay attention to marker words. Present Perfect in a sentence, they are an indicator of this particular time. There are such markers in all tenses of the English language, and knowing them can be a great help in a situation where you are in doubt about choosing the right grammatical form.

Usually companion words Present Perfect presented indefinitely. These temporal indicators emphasize the connection of an action that began in the past and ended not so long ago with. You need to know these adverbs :

• ever- ever, whenever, ever;
• never- never;
• just- just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, now;
• already- already, earlier, even;
• not…yet- still not, not yet, not yet, no, not yet;
• before- before, before, until, already, before;
• lately- a long time ago Lately, recently, lately;
• of late- recently, lately, recently;
• so far- already, by now, at this hour, by now, 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.

According to the meaning of these adverbs with Present Perfect one can already understand that they are all closely connected with the present time, although they serve to explain the action of the past. These words, as a rule, are placed before the semantic verb, but some of them have their own peculiarities of use:

1. with an adverb never the verb is used only in the affirmative form, since the sentence already contains one negation:
   

   I have never seen him. - I AM never didn't see him.

2. These pointer words Present Perfect, how already, lately, recently, of late usually stand in the middle of a sentence, but can also stand at the end:
   

   He has lately seen many films. - Recently he has seen many films.

   I've already been here for an hour. - I am here already hour.

   He has made good progress recently. – Recently he has made significant progress.

   We haven't spoken of late. – Recently we didn't talk.

   Adverbs yet and before are usually used at the end of a sentence:

   I have seen this cartoon before. - I saw this cartoon before.

   He has not finished his work yet. - He more did not finish his work.

   note: adverb yet used in negative and interrogative sentences, and the adverb ever most often used in questions.

   I haven't had lunch yet. - I AM more didn't have lunch.

   Have you ever had a car accident? - You some day got into a car accident?

3. Adverbs so far, up to now, by now most often found at the end of a sentence, but can be at the beginning and sometimes in the middle:
   

   She has read fourteen novels by Stephen King by now. – Nowadays she has read fourteen novels by Stephen King.

He has so far written ten letters to this company. - By now he has already written ten letters to this company.

Up to now I haven't found this book. - Still I didn't find this book.

4. Pointer words just(meaning "just now") already, yet in British English are used in Present Perfect, and in the American Present Perfect and past simple:
   

   The mail has just come (BrE). = The mail just came (Ame). - Mail just came.

   I've already heard this news (BrE). = I already heard this news (AmE). - I AM already heard this news.

   And if we meet a combination just now, then be sure to choose the simple past tense - :

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

5. When we use this adverb with Present Perfect, how recently, we mean "recently":
   

   I haven't heard from her recently. - I haven't heard of her. lately.

   If we need to use in a sentence recently in the meaning of "not so long ago", then we write the sentence in the simple past tense ( past simple):

   I started painting only recently. – I started to draw not so long ago.

   We met quite recently. - We met quite recently.

Now you know all marker words Present Perfect. We hope this will help you better understand the use of this time. Now test your strength and take the next test.

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Test

Adverbs with Present Perfect in English language

Learning English grammar is impossible without the Past Perfect. It is only at first glance that this tense seems extremely complicated and incomprehensible - it does not exist in Russian / Ukrainian languages. If you calmly understand these tables and learn how to analyze time intervals, then you will never get confused. Past Perfect is inextricably linked with time and, since it is used to denote an action that has occurred before some other action in the past.

For instance:
"I didn't go to the cinema because I had already seen the film." Notice that both actions are in the past tense, but the one that happened earlier (first) - “already saw” is used in Past Perfect - “had already seen”, and the one that happened later (second) - “did not go” - in Past Simple - "didn't go."

The past perfect tense (The Past Perfect) is used:

1. for an action completed by a certain point in the past:
   1. The children cleaned the room by 7 pm.
      Children had cleaned the room by 7 p.m.
   2. My sister left before I called her.
      My sister had gone away by the time I called her.
2. for an event(s) that happened before another in the past:
   1. I couldn't find the magazine he lent me.
      I couldn't find the magazine that he had lent me.
   2. After my son told me his story, he felt better.
      After my son had told me his story, he felt better.
   3. Before I returned, my husband had already cooked dinner.
      Before I came back, my husband had already made dinner.
   4. Her boyfriend left the hall before she sang the song.
      When she sang a song her boyfriend had left the hall.
      (sequence: 1. Her boyfriend left the hall, 2. She sang a song)

      When the sequence of events is obvious, the Past Simple can also be used:
      When she sang a song her boyfriend left the hall.
      (sequence: 1. She sang a song, 2. Her boyfriend left the hall)
      After she sang the song, her boyfriend left the hall. When we finished/had finished the meal, she offered some coffee. After we ate, she offered us coffee.

3. in indirect (indirect) speech:
   1. Maria said that she had bought apples yesterday.
      Mary said she had bought the apples the day before yesterday.
   2. Alice asked if I had been to London.
      Alice asked if I had ever been to London.

Past perfect markers

Markers for The Past Perfect Tense is:

1. adverbs and expressions denoting certain periods of time: just, already, yet, for, since, ever, never, it was the first / second time, it was the most ... For example: “We met again. We hadn't seen each other for several months."

2. subordinate clauses with: when, before, after, until, as soon as, by that time, by the winter, by 5 p.m. For instance: "Most of the engineers had arrived by 10 a.m."

To consolidate knowledge about Past Perfect, watch this video carefully:

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past perfect tense

affirmative form
+

Interrogative form
?

Wh-?
Special questions

(begin with special words)

negative form
—

Interrogative-negative form
(colloquial speech)
?-

Exercise.
Translate into English the sentences in Past Perfect (past perfect tense):

1. The girl was happy because she talked to her mother.
2. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything since morning.
3. Most of the children arrived before 9 am.
4. She told me that her friend invited her to the cinema.
5. Unfortunately, we had not read the novel until that time.

1. The girl was happy because she had talked to her mum.
2. I suddenly remembered that I had eaten nothing (hadn't eaten anything) since morning.
3. Most of the children had arrived by 9 a.m.
4. She told me that her friend had invited her to the cinema.
5. Unfortunately, we hadn't read the novel by that time.

Tenses in English.

It is widely believed that English grammar, like Sherwood Forest, has dense bushes and impassable derbies, subject only to Robin Hood or, at least, Little John. But, in fact, the proverb is more appropriate here that fear has large eyes.

As such, there are no apparent reasons to classify English as a complex language. Many will object that, they say, the English have more than a dozen times alone, to say nothing of stable phrases and exceptions. Yes, indeed, we will not talk about them yet, but let's dwell on the system of times. Are you saying that it is difficult to distinguish between all these perfects and continiuses?

Have you ever heard about time indicators, which are often used in English? Here is a vivid example of how the language system itself gives hints on the correct construction of various constructions. Is it difficult to understand the perfect, and even in the past tense? Yes, nothing is easier when you know how to use markers for the past perfect. Today we will share with you the magical secret of conquering this group of times.

As you know, perfect tenses are used to denote completed actions. Accordingly, we need the past perfect to tell about the events of bygone days, preceding other acts, or completed by a certain point in time. It is precisely these circumstances of time that play the role of a kind of clue. Let's find out what auxiliary words a text composed in the past perfect tense can contain.

By and its derivatives

The surest sign is to use the perfect tense. By - translated into Russian by the preposition " To", and allows you to express phrases such as" to such and such an hour, day, month, year, etc.". Sometimes the circumstance with by has a more generalized meaning: by that/that time. Consider examples.

• Jessica had cooked dinner by 2o 'clock and was watching a new series of cartoon "The Simpsons" - Jessica cooked dinner for 2 o'clock and watched a new series of cartoon "The Simpsons".
• I promised that I had finished my work by Monday I promised that I would finish my work by Monday.
• By that time Nick had already lived in Germany for 3 years - By that time, Nick had already lived in Germany for 3 years.
• Angela Crouns had written her first book by 2003 – Angela Crowns finished her first book by 2003.
• June Leonardo had painted 80 new pictures – By June, Leonardo had painted 80 new pictures.

Such phrases are the most frequent companions of this time, but sometimes you can find the use of other expressions.

before/after

Another popular circumstance adjacent to the predicate in the perfect group. These time markers in relation to each other are antonyms. before has the meaning " before before...", and after " after". According to the semantic meaning and emphasis of the sentence, constructions with a completed action are used before or after these words.

• After the concert had finished, the musicians began to give autographs - After the concert ended, the musicians began to sign autographs.
• I had corrected a lot of mistakes before I gave the teacher my workbook - I corrected many mistakes before I gave the teacher my workbook.

Until/till

These circumstances of time are also signals indicating the possibility of using perfect pastes. Both expressions mean " until, until... and are essentially interchangeable. The only caveat: at the beginning of a sentence, only until is used.

• Until he had come to the party we were bored - Until he came to the party, we missed him.
• I dated her till she had moved in Novgorod - I dated her until she moved to Novgorod.

just/since

Another antagonistic, but both used in the past perfect, additional words are time markers . Just denotes relatively recent actions and is translated by the phrase " just". Since - duration marker, measures the period of validity: " since…».

• We were happy because we had just won a prize - We were happy because we had just won a prize.
• My father had worked at the factory since he graduated from the institute - My father has been working at this factory since he graduated from the institute.

Compound Combinations

When using this tense, there are not only individual words, but also whole signal phrases. These include the expressions as soon as», « hardly…when», « no sooner…than" and " scarcely…when". The first construction stands apart in this group, since it does not change the word order of the sentence, unlike the other three expressions. As soon as is the English equivalent of the Russian expression " once". The phrase can be placed in any part of the sentence.

• As soon as I had read this book I took another one - As soon as I finished reading this book, I took another one.
• I locked the door as soon as I had found my keys - I closed the door as soon as I found my keys.

The rest of the phrases mean " barely like...; didn’t have time to…” It is important to note that when these words are used in a sentence, the word order changes slightly. Auxiliary had takes a position before the subject.

• No sooner had she typed message for Chris, when he called her - Before she could finish writing a message to Chris, he called her.
• scarcely had Jack cleaned the flat when his parents came home - As soon as Jack cleaned the apartment, his parents returned home.

But in cases where these constructions are not at the beginning of a sentence, the usual word order is preserved. In this case, the first part of the phrase, as a rule, is wedged between the bases of the compound predicate.

• He had hardly opened his eyes when his mobile phone rankHebarelyopenedeyes,howheresameranghismobile phone.

More than a dozen English words and combinations signal the need to use the past perfect tense group. So, no English Difficult language, you just need to be able to select suitable keys for it or look for magic words. And then the grammar of English will definitely open up for you from its best side. We advise you to test your knowledge by completing the exercises on our website. Good luck and success in your new studies!

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Verb tenses in English table.

Legend:

S - subject,

V - verb

Let's start from now.

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.

Verb tenses table: future tense.

Let's move on to the future tense of the verb in English. I offer you a table of the future tenses of the English language.

Have you studied all aspects of tenses in English, but, when composing the text, you feel insecure in choosing the right grammatical basis? Almost all people who study 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 temporal aspect. Today we will get acquainted with this phenomenon in detail and try to remember the entire list of clues. And it will help to study the time markers in English in the table that we have compiled specifically for this material. 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 see this relationship in practice.

• Igotothegymevery Friday – I go to the gym every Friday.

Pay attention to the phrase everyFriday. It is it that indicates that in the sentence it is necessary to use Present simple, and not, for example, Present Perfect. If we replace these time markers, then the grammatical construction of the entire sentence will also change.

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

Examples prove the influence of circumstances on the use of one aspect or another. But, let's make a reservation right away that not all indicators of time are used with only one aspect. They are not a panacea, but a solid enough support for those who are learning English not so long ago.

Signal words for Simple

Simple tenses are associated with periodicity, regularity or constancy. Accordingly, the value of their markers should also be similar. Here is a list of adverbial satellites for various aspects of the Simple group 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);
• seldom (rare)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 (a long time ago, years ago),inthosetimes (in those days);
• that day (atthatday), 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 yesterday.
• They met the other day - They met the other day.
• I saw it last week - I saw it last week.

Future

The use of the future simple is indicated by the following time 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 - It will be hot tomorrow.
• My grandfather will visit us soon My grandfather will visit us soon.
• We will go to Italy next week We will go to Italy next week.

Time Markers for Continuous

Aspects of the group Continuous, 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 (th),soon (soon)*
• constantly (constantly), always (always)**

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

** The designation of regularity is used in a long time 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 stamp:

• at 10 o'clock yesterday (yesterdayv 10 hours);
• while (while...),when* (when);
• the whole dayday);
• still (still),allday

*when is a conjunction that attaches a subordinate clause, so it can be used with various aspects of tense.

• While I was cleaning my room, Jack was cooking supper - While I was cleaning my room, Jack was cooking 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 She was watching a TV show at 7 pm yesterday.

Future

For the continued future, the already listed markers are typical, only adjusted for upcoming events:

• atthistimenextSunday (at this time next Sunday);
• at 7 o'clock tomorrow (tomorrowv7 o'clock);
• in a weekweek);
• 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 I will be working tomorrow at 5 o'clock.
• At this time tomorrow we will be flying to Moscow - Tomorrow at this time we will fly 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 indicate circumstances such as:

• ever (someday),never (never);
• already (already) , not… yetNo);
• just (just now),before (before, before ...);
• lately (lately),recently (recently);
• for (during),since (since then).
• thisweek(this week),today (today)*

*Characteristic for 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 was in the hospital for 6 days.

Past

For Past Perfect, similar signal words are used:

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

• We had cleaned our room by 3 o'clock - By three o'clock we had 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, therefore 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.

Time Pointers 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 (since…);
• 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've been playing this game for two hours now.

Now that you have read these useful tips, the question of what time to use in a particular 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. It can be easily printed out and carried with you like a cheat sheet, gradually memorizing the information.

Time markers in English table (with translation of words)

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