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We have already become acquainted with the English language, with its formation and use in earlier articles, and today we will get acquainted with the remaining two tenses of the Perfect group - past and future.
Past Perfect Tense
Let's start with the formation of the past perfect tense. As you probably remember, the tenses of the Perfect group are formed according to the same pattern - an auxiliary verb to have+ (that is, the third form in the table irregular verbs). Because we form the past tense, then the auxiliary verb takes the form of the past tense had and this form applies to all persons without exception.
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Pay attention to the table of formation of the past perfect tense, and everything will immediately become clear.
For education interrogative form we put the auxiliary verb had before the subject, and to form a negative form we put “not” after auxiliary verb:
Negative form
Interrogative form
Using the Past Perfect
Having understood the formation of the past tense Perfect, let's move on to its application. We use this tense to express an action that has already been completed at a certain point in the past. This point can be expressed in two ways:
- An exact indication of the time with the preposition “by” by which the action was performed in the past.
- Mary had completed knitting the sock by 10 o’clock - Mary finished knitting the sock by 10 o’clock
— The children had solved the sums by 3 o’clock - the children solved the problems by 3 o’clock. - Indicating another action (usually translated into English by the Past Indefinite form) that completed in the past. That is, if we have 2 actions, and both happened in the past, but one earlier than the other, then the Past Perfect will denote the one that happened earlier (that’s why the Past Perfect is also called “pre-past tense”).
- When you called me I had already ironed the clothes - when you called me, I already ironed the clothes
- When mother came I had prepared the supper - when mother came, I had already prepared dinner.
The Future Perfect Tense - future perfect tense
As for the future perfect tense - The Future Perfect Tense, it is used to express an action that will end at a certain point in the future, for example, “Tomorrow by 12 o’clock I will finish everything homework» — I shall have completed the housework by 12 tomorrow. To form the future perfect tense we need future forms of the auxiliary verb have– shall have and will have and the invariable perfect participle – the third form of the verb
Affirmative form
Negative form
Interrogative form
As with the past perfect tense, in the future perfect a specific moment in the future can be expressed in two ways:
- Preposition by
I will have finished my translation by 7 o’clock - I will finish the translation by 7 o’clock - Another action:
When you come, I will have passed all the exams - When you arrive (by the time you arrive), I will have already passed all the exams
In all the diversity of times in English language tenses Perfect(perfect or completed) are notable for the fact that you will not find their analogues in Russian grammar. Perhaps for this reason, many people have difficulty mastering perfect tenses. Let's learn to understand and use these useful and interesting English verb tenses.
Strictly speaking, in English there are only two tenses (tense), where only the semantic verb is present: present (We walk) And past (He left).
All other tenses of verbs in English, and there are about thirty of them, use auxiliary verbs.
There are six main tenses, which, once understood, will help you understand the entire temporal structure of English verbs.
- Present Simple (Present Indefinite): We play. - We play.
- Present Perfect: We have played. - We played.
- Past Simple (Past Indefinite): We played. - We played.
- Past Perfect: We had played. - We played (before a certain event in the past).
- Future Simple(Future Indefinite): We will play. - We will play.
- Future Perfect: We will have played. - We'll play (until a certain event in the future).
Students of English as a foreign language most often experience problems with perfect tenses. This is due to the fact that they are formed a little more complex than their “simple” counterparts: with the help of an auxiliary verb and the past participle (III form of the verb).
- Run (run)- run - run
- Play (play)- played - played
Auxiliary verbs are usually forms of the verbs be, can, do, may, must, ought, shall, will, have, has, had. It is these verbs and their forms that should be given attention.
Present Perfect Tense (present perfect tense)
Tom will repair his car on Monday. (Future Simple) - Tom will be repairing his car on Monday.
She hopes that Tom will have repaired his car by Monday evening. (Future Perfect) - She hopes Tom will have his car repaired by Monday evening.
Listen to a story about the formation and nuances of using Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous (in English with English subtitles):
Past Perfect– past perfect tense. Its peculiarity is that it is not used independently in speech and is necessarily tied to another action. Why do the British need this? The reason lies in their love of order and organization. In Russian, we use one tense to express all past actions. We list a few events, then go back to another event that happened before all the others. An Englishman will never allow such “chaos” in his speech. If he forgot about an important event that happened before everyone else, he will report it at a time specially designated for this - Past Perfect.
How is the past perfect formed?
Statement
Predicate in Past Perfect consists of two parts: an auxiliary verb had and the third form of the main verb (we add the ending to the regular verb - ed, and take the irregular form from the third column).
Negation
In a negative sentence between an auxiliary verb had and the particle appears as the main verb not.
As in many other times, in Past Perfect There are shortened forms that are used in colloquial speech. In an affirmative sentence had combined with a pronoun, in the negative – with a particle not. For example:
- I'd done.
- You'd decided.
- I hadn't done.
- You hadn't decided.
Question
An interrogative sentence begins with an auxiliary verb had followed by a subject and a main verb.
In order to consistently study Past Perfect, we have divided all its functions into three levels. In the green block you will find what you need to know at a basic level, in the yellow block - at an intermediate level, in the red block - at a high level.
Using the Past Perfect
First level
Past Perfect always goes hand in hand with another action in the past. Past Perfect shows an action that occurred before another action or a specific point in the past. Another action in the past is most often indicated Past Simple, and special words may be used: by... (at some time/moment), after(after), before(before, before) when(When), earlier(earlier), first(first, first).
We arrived at the station at 7.30, but the train had left. – We arrived at the station at 7:30, but the train was already gone. (first the train left, then we arrived at the station)
He had been a usual clerk before he became a successful businessman. - He was an ordinary clerk before that, How became a successful businessman.
Often Past Perfect explains the reason: we want to show that the action expressed Past Perfect, caused another action to occur.
He was hungry. He hadn't eaten for eight hours. - He was hungry. He did not eat eight hours.
She couldn’t buy a new pair of shoes as she had lost her credit card – She couldn’t buy a new pair of shoes because lost credit card.
Time Past Perfect similar in meaning to Present Perfect with the difference that the time of action does not take place in the present (now), but in the past (then).
They are not at home. They have gone shopping. → They were not at home. They had gone shopping.
Their No Houses. They gone go shopping. → Their did not have Houses. They gone go shopping.
Another common feature Present Perfect And Past Perfect– adverbs just(just now), already(already), yet(already, yet).
They were moving to another country, but they hadn't told their parents yet. – They moved to another country, but haven't said yet about this to your parents.
The most common mistake made with Past Perfect– use this tense where it is not necessary, most often instead Past Simple. For example, when we talk about simple action which happened a long time ago. remember, that Past Perfect only works when there are two actions.
I learned English at school. - I learned English at school.
I had learned English before I entered the university. - I learned English before that, How entered the University.
Where else is the past perfect found?
Average level
- Past Perfect shows that an action began in the past and continued until a certain point in the past. Prepositions already familiar to us are often used here. for(during) and since(since).
He didn't want to drive that car anymore. He had driven it for 30 years. “He didn’t want to drive that car anymore.” He drove her 30 years old.
Her speech was impressive. She had worked on it since Monday. “Her speech was impressive. She worked over it since Monday.
This feature is not fully applicable to Past Perfect, she belongs by right Past Perfect Continuous. Past Perfect in this sense it is used with stative verbs (), that is, verbs that cannot "last".
Before we talked, Mary had been upset for three days. She had been crying all this time. – Before we talked, Mary was upset for three days. She cried all this time.
- IN Past Perfect, As in Present Perfect, there is a function with which we talk about personal experience. The difference is that Past Perfect we use when talking about our experiences in the past.
The last week of my holidays was the worst week I had ever had. – The last week of my vacation was the worst week I’ve ever had. was.
By the time I moved to Dublin I had written seven books and I was working hard on the eighth. – By the time I moved to Dublin, I wrote seven books and actively working on the eighth.
Complex cases of using Past Perfect
High level
- Past Perfect used after if in conditional sentences of the third type (). This type of conditional shows regret about the past. We could have done something in the past if we had fulfilled the condition, but in the present we can no longer change the situation.
If I had known about your problem, I would have helped you. – If I knew about your problem, I would help you.
If you had read the morning newspaper, you would have agreed with me. – If You read morning newspaper, you would agree with me.
- Past Perfect used in structures hardly ... when And no sooner ... than. These constructions show that one action happened immediately after another. The peculiarity is that they use reverse word order, as in a question. Such sentences are translated into Russian using the words “as soon as”, “I didn’t have time”, “as soon as I did”.
Hardly had the plane landed at the Miami airport, when it started to rain. – Barely airplane landed at Miami airport, How it started to rain.
No sooner had I chewed my sandwich than somebody knocked at the door. – Did not have time I chew your sandwich How someone knocked the door.
- In modern English Past Perfect are increasingly being replaced by Past Simple, this is especially true for American English. We can use Past Simple instead of Past Perfect, if the sequence of events is clear from the context. In such sentences there are words after(after), before(before), earlier(earlier), first(first, first), etc.
After he had finished repairing his car, he took a shower. = After he finished repairing his car, he took a shower. – After He finished repairing the car, he took a shower.
I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we had quarreled earlier. = I agreed to meet her though I was angry with her as we quarreled earlier. “I agreed to meet her, although I was angry with her, because we had a fight.
This rule does not work with the conjunction when(when): changing tense may change the meaning of the entire sentence.
When we came home, she had cooked already prepared dinner. (Past Perfect means dinner was done before we got home)
When we came home, she cooked dinner. - When we came home, she prepared dinner. (Past Simple shows that first we came home and then she cooked dinner)
The more complex time seems, the less meaning it has. This rule also applies to Past Perfect. The main thing to remember is that next to Past Perfect there must be another action in the past. To better remember this time, take the test and download the table, which you can always look at and refresh your knowledge.
(*.pdf, 183 Kb)
Test
Past Perfect – past perfect tense in English
Exercises on the topic:
Intermediate lesson "Past Perfect declarative sentences"
Intermediate lesson "negative sentences Past Perfect"
Intermediate lesson "Interrogative sentences Past Perfect"
Errors when using Past Perfect tense
Method of formation Past Perfect
had + past participle
For example:
You had studied
You studied
Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
You studied English before you moved to New York?
You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
You didn't study English before moving to New York.
Verb conjugation in the Past Perfect
| Number | Face | Positive form | Negative form | Interrogative form |
| unit | 1 | I had finished. | I had not finished. | Had I finished? |
| 2 | You had finished. | You had not finished. | Had you finished? | |
| 3 | He had finished. She had finished. It had finished. |
He had not finished. She had not finished. It had not finished. |
Had he finished? Had she finished? Had it finished? |
|
| plural | 1 | You had finished. | You had not finished. | Had you finished? |
| 2 | We had finished. | We had not finished. | Had we finished? | |
| 3 | They had finished. | They had not finished. | Had they finished? |
For forms of irregular verbs, see the third column (past participle column) in the list of irregular verbs.
Using the Past Perfect
An action that has already taken place before a certain point in the past
Past Perfect describes actions that have already completed before the beginning of another action that happened in the past. The Past Perfect also describes actions that have already taken place before a certain point in the past, which is either indicated by a time circumstance or context.
For example:
I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I never saw such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
I didn't have money because I lost wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because been there there several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
Susan someday studied Thai before you moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
She understood the film only because I read it book.
Christine had never been to an opera before last night.
Christine, until last night, had never was at the opera.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
We couldn't get a number because didn't book in advance.
"Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?" "Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before."
Have you ever was in the USA before going there in 2006? - Yes I was there once before.
An action that began before a specified moment in the past and continued until that moment (non-continuous verbs)
The past perfect is used with non-continuous verbs and with mixed verbs that cannot be used in the continuous tense, to denote an action that began in the past and continued until the beginning of another action in the past, or until some specified point in the past.
For example:
We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
Car was We've had it for ten years now when it broke.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
By the time Alex graduated, he stayed in London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.
They really didn't want to sell the house because they owned they are over forty years old.
Although the use of the Past Perfect in this meaning is limited to non-continuous verbs and mixed verbs that cannot be used in the continuous tense, verbs live, work, teach And study can also sometimes be used in this way, although they are not verbs of the non-continuous group.
Important: the exact point in time in the Past Perfect
Unlike the Present Perfect, in the Past Perfect you can use the exact specified moment in time of the action, although such use is not obligatory.
For example:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before
She once visited in 1993, before she moved to live with them in 1996.
Important
If the action expressed in the Past Perfect actually happened at the exact moment in time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when the sentence contains words such as before– before, before; after- after. Adverbs of time before And after already show which action happened first, so using the Past Perfect in this case is not necessary. For this reason, both of the following sentences are acceptable.
For example:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives one in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
She once visited their Japanese relatives in 1993, before I moved to live with them in 1996.
However
If the action expressed in the Past Perfect does not refer to any specific point in time, the use of the Past Perfect is mandatory. Compare the examples below. In the case of using the Past Perfect, the lack of experience experienced is emphasized rather than the action itself. For this reason, the Simple Past cannot be used in this case.
For example:
She never saw Wrong.)
She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. ( Right.)
She never saw bear before moving to Alaska.
Hello, hello, my dears.
There are only three tenses in the Russian language. And the past is just the past, without any additions. But in English everything is much more complicated. Have you heard about Past Perfect? Such a small and completely inconspicuous brother of the painful Present Perfect for many.
So, if this “miracle” caused you any difficulties - or maybe you have never heard of it at all - then today I will tell you everything. Past Perfect: rules and examples- topic of the lesson. We are waiting for an explanation of the rules, many, many examples, but there will be exercises. After all, practice takes a lot of time.
How is it formedPast Perfect
Construction affirmative proposals in this tense is identical to the formation in the present perfect tense with minor changes. In short, the diagram looks like this:
Subject +had + V3 + Object.
She had done her homework by 9 p. m. - She had done her homework by 9 pm.
They had already visited the place before. - They have already come to this place before.
Let's take a short break here! Because I hope you remember that V3 is the third form of the verb. TO correct verbs we just add the ending – ed, but we remember by heart and use the form from the third column!
I won’t be lazy to remind you that English grammar can be studied in a very interesting and exciting way with the help of the course « Grammar for Beginners» or online intensive « Competently, like Shakespeare» , which are offered by those who have gained well-deserved popularity online service for learning English Lingualeo.
WITH negative sentences everything is even simpler - we just add a piece not.
Subject +had not + V3 + Object.
I hadn't had breakfast before I set off to the university. -I Not had breakfast before, how go V university.
I hadn't ’ t slept until my parents came