Irregular verbs in English. What is the past tense used for?

Verbs in the past tense in English have 4 forms. They are used in relation to actions that differ in dynamics and moment of commission.

Description of past tense forms

Native English speakers distinguish past actions by duration, completion, and other characteristics. To talk about what happened or has happened up to now they use:

• Past Simple (Simple Past Tense) – reports regular or one-time actions. The key words are: yesterday (yesterday), last week (last week), a year ago (a year ago). The rule for forming the Past Simple involves adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb, that is, the second form: play-played (play), watch-watched (watch, observe), stop-stopped (stop). Negative and interrogative sentences require the auxiliary verb did. In this case, the semantic one is put back into its original form.

I didn't watch this match. – I didn’t watch this match.

Did you watch this match? – Did you watch this match?

In all tenses of the Past group, verbs are divided into regular and irregular. The latter form 2 forms, changing in various ways. They are considered exceptions that need to be remembered: see-saw (see), put-put (put), find-found (find).

• Past Continuous – describes a process that occurred at a certain time in the past. To form this form, the 2nd form of the verb to be – was/were and a semantic verb with the ending -ing are required.

I was doing exercises at 7 a.m. – I did exercises at 7 am.

A moment in the past can be designated not only exact time, but also by another one-time action.

She was listening to the radio when she saw a cat in the street. – She was listening to the radio when she saw a cat on the street. (was listeting – process, saw – one-time action)

• Past Perfect (Past Complete) – expresses an action that has ended at the time of speaking, when the result is important. This tense is formed from 2 components: the 2nd form of the verb to have – had and the past participle of the semantic verb.

I had passed my exams by the 1st of June. – I passed my exams by June 1st.

• Past Perfect Continuous (Simple Complete Long Tense) - a description of a continuous action that began before another event in the past and was still happening at the time of speaking. To form this form, 3 components are required: had + been + semantic verb ending -ing.

Jane had been knitting for an hour when I called her. Jane had been knitting for an hour when I called her.

Table of past tense verbs in English

To better understand the mechanism of formation of sentences with different purposes in the past tense, you can look at the diagram with examples.

If you've gotten to the point of learning verbs, you've already gone through a lot. But there's more to come long road to perfection. The temporary system is based on such a distinction between this part of speech as correct and incorrect. It is the latter that we will talk about and explain how to quickly learn irregular verbs.

So, we already know that with the passage of time, foreign conquests or other interactions of people, the English language also did not stand aside. This is especially true for verbs. If we study tenses, then we have to differentiate according to this category. Irregular Verbs are found in almost every one of them.

Forms of irregular verbs in English

Where to begin? From familiarization. What types are there, when and how are they used. After all, when reading the rule, you often come across the expression 2nd form, 3rd. We will now look at what it is. Once again, it is worth recalling that there are 3 forms of irregular verbs (some linguists distinguish four).

First form is an infinitive or first column of the table. This is how the verb is used in the dictionary: run, swim, give. It is used in Present Simple, Future Simple, in interrogative and negative sentences Past Simple.

Second form - This is the simple past tense: ran, swam, gave (second column). In this form, irregular English verbs are used in the Past Simple (with the exception of interrogative and negative sentences).

Third form- this is the past participle (Past Participle or Participle II): run, swun, given. This form of the verb is used most often. In Perfect times, in all times Passive Voice. You will find it in third column of the table.

Fourth form- this is the present participle (Present Participle or Participle I): running, swimming, giving. It is used by the group tenses Continuous and Perfect Continuous. Not all tables contain a fourth column, only some do.

When considering sentences with irregular verbs, pay attention to the tense.

How are the main irregular verbs of the English language formed?

It is impossible to clearly determine that these words are changed in this way, and others in the second or third way. But it is still possible to trace a certain trend, and then it will not be a collection of words and incomprehensible forms.

1. By changing the vowel in the root of the word: meet - met - met; begin - began - begun.
2. Changing the root and adding a suffix: speak - spoke - spoken; give - gave - given.
3. The ending changes: send - sent - sent; build - built - built.
4. And some verbs are the same in all forms: cut - cut - cut; put - put - put.

How to learn irregular verbs?

Each has its own methodology, its own method, which has its own pros and cons. But first I would like to say a few generally accepted facts. First, learn all three forms at once and with translation. Irregular verbs with translation can be found in almost any grammar textbook, dictionary, on Internet resources and on our website. The entire table can be downloaded. Don’t learn 10 at once, take 5, stretch them out over 3-4 days, do the exercises. Many learn in a row, in alphabetical order, some in groups (depending on the method of education). I believe that the second one is more effective and easier. Therefore, we will divide all irregular English verbs into groups.

1. Completely identical

2. The second and third shapes coincide - p-t

3. The second and third forms coincide - d-t

4. The root vowel changes - ew - own

5. A group of verbs with different root vowels

6. Endings aught/ought

7. Vowel alternation

8. Alternating vowel + ending en

9. Alternation, ending en, doubling a consonant

10. The second and third forms coincide

11.Have two options

12. Completely different shapes

Remembering irregular verbs in English at first seems difficult and tedious. But believe me, if you don’t reboot yourself and study using the groups that we have provided, you will easily master them. And this is very important! All irregular verbs are very often used in speech. Learn grammar and expand your vocabulary.

In this article we will look at the second simple tense form in English - The Past Simple (Indefinite) Tense.It is a tense form of a verb, which is used to express single actions that took place in the past and the time for which has expired. In certain contexts where a past tense verb is used, you may notice the following marker words:

• yesterday (yesterday);
• last week/month/year (last week, last month/year);
• two days ago (two days ago);
• in 1917 (in 1917).

For example:

• I watched my favorite film yesterday.– Yesterday I watched my favorite film.
• My parents bought a new car last week. Last week my parents bought a new car.
• The First World War began in 1914.– The First World War began in 1914.

Marker words can be used both at the end of a sentence and at the beginning. For example:

• Yesterday I walked with my friends.– Yesterday I went out for a walk with my friends.
• In 988 Christianity was adopted in Russia.– In 988, Christianity was adopted in Rus'.

Please note that in the simple past tense the verbs change their form. According to the method of forming the forms of the simple past tense, all verbs are divided into regular and irregular.

Regular verbs– verbs formed by adding the suffix –ed to the base of the infinitive. The suffix –ed is pronounced [d], after voiceless consonants (except t) it is pronounced [t], after t and d it is pronounced . For example:

• The baby stopped crying. – The baby stopped crying.

For irregular verbs There is a special table called “Table of Irregular Verbs”. You can view it here (). The table of irregular verbs consists of three forms. Let's look at some irregular verbs as an example:

• Our team won the football competition two days ago.– Two days ago our team won the football competition.

We have examined the main features of the affirmative form of simple past tense verbs. The negative form of verbs in The Past Simple Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb did and the negation not, which are placed before the semantic verb in the infinitive form without the particle to. Just like in the form of the simple present tense (The Present Simple Tense), the abbreviated form didn’t is used in speech and writing. For example:

• We didn't go to the sea last summer.– We didn’t go to the sea last summer.
• They didn't know anything about that story.“They knew nothing about this story.”

The interrogative form of verbs in the simple past tense is formed using the auxiliary verb did, which is placed after the subject, and the subject is followed by a semantic verb in the form of the infinitive without the particle to. At the same time, the tone of voice at the last stressed syllable supply increases. For example:

• Did you see him yesterday?
• – Did you see him yesterday? Did the pupils visit the museum last week?

– Did the students visit the museum last week?

The answers to the questions in these examples are identical, as is the case with the interrogative form of the simple past tense. The answers will look like this: Yes, I did or No, I didn’t.

• Using The Past Simple Tense designation of events, actions, situations that occurred at a certain time in the past and are not related to the present: Last summer we ofte went to the river.
• — Last summer we often went to the river; designation of completed actions in the past: Yasterday I wrote you a letter.
• - Yesterday I wrote you a letter; designation of habits in the past: My sister liked to play with dolls when she was small.
• — My sister loved to play with dolls as a child;
• denoting a fact that happened once in the past: Mary telephoned an hour ago. — Maria called an hour ago; description of life events of people who have already died:
• Pushkin wrote lots of stories for children. — Pushkin wrote many fairy tales for children; formulating polite questions and requests:

I wondered if you could give me a lift

To summarize, I would like to note that the difference between the simple past tense and the simple present is that actions occur once in the past and are not repeated. The time in which these actions were performed has expired, and the actions themselves are in no way connected with the present. In English, the grammatical meaning of verbs in simple past tense coincides with the meaning of verbs in the past tense, both imperfect and perfect form In russian language. Read about the last simple tense form of the verb in English in the following article.

General summary of this article

Four types of past tense in English

Usually, when talking about the past tense in English, they mean four types of tense forms: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous. I propose to remember their main meanings. Detailed articles about each of the forms can be read using the links below.

• - simple past tense. THE MOST common way of expressing action in the past, especially in colloquial speech. Used MUCH more often than others. Basic meaning: an action that happened at a certain point in the past. Including a list of sequential actions.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. – Christopher Columbus opened America in 1492.

My sister and I found this puppet in the street and took him in. - Me and my sister found this puppy on the street and took him home.

Daniel woke up, made his bed, took a shower and made breakfast. – Daniel awoke, ran it bed, accepted shower and prepared breakfast.

There are two difficulties associated with this time:

1. If regular verbs form the past tense using -ed at the end of the word, then with irregular ones it is a little more difficult. But only a little, because there are only about 90 actually used irregular verbs (see), and they are learned quickly.
2. Beginners often get confused when to use time Past Simple, and when Present Perfect, because both forms can be translated into Russian in the same way. In colloquial informal speech, the form Past Simple often used instead Present Perfect(which makes life easier). More details about this are written in the article about.

• - past continuous tense. Basic meaning: an action that occurred at a certain moment or period of time in the past. Since we often have to talk about something that happened (and did not happen) at a certain time, this form is also used quite often.

What were you doing yesterday evening between 6.30 and 7.30 pm? - What do you did last night between 6.30 and 7.30?

You said you were running. But why is your t-shirt dry? - You said that ran. But why is your T-shirt dry?

Unlike Past Simple, this form does not require knowledge of irregular verbs, except for the verb involved in its formation.

Important Note: in colloquial speech you can easily just these two ways past tense expressions.

• - past perfect (long past). An action that ended before another action in the past. Past Perfect- this is an action one step earlier than Past Simple, the “before last” action. It is used much less frequently than the previous two, but is often found in fiction.

Someone had painted (Past Perfect) the bench before I sat (Past Simple) on it. - Somebody painted the bench before I get on it sat down.

One day I was (Past Simple) outside and this weird feeling came over (Past Simple) me. Like something had popped (Past Perfect) me in the chest. - Once I was on the street and it's a strange feeling visited me. As if someone poked me in the chest.

• - an action lasted in the past until a certain moment and ended at that moment or immediately before it. Just like other times Perfect Continuous, is used very rarely.

I had been doing my homework for 3 hours and then my dog ​​eat it. - I wrote three hours of homework and then my dog ​​ate it.

Repeated actions in the past: used to, would

A special case of action in the past is a habitual, repeated action. In Russian, in this case, sometimes they add “byvalo” and verb forms like “wondered”, “read”, indicating the repetition of the action:

As a child, I used to read books about pirates.

In English, this is done using the phrase used to or verb would.

I used to

I would read books about pirates in my childhood.

Turnover used to also used to express an action that used to occur regularly but no longer occurs.

My dog used to howl like a wolf but now he is very quiet. - My dog ​​before howled like a wolf, but now he is very quiet.

I used to be an adventurer like you then I took an arrow in the knee. - Me too was an adventurer like you, but then I was shot in the knee with an arrow.

Past tense in English and modal verbs

They can only be conditionally attributed to ways of expressing actions in the past, because they can express not the action itself, but the attitude towards the action. Here are the main examples.

Verbs could and might combined with an infinitive can mean probability, the possibility of some action in the past. In this case, there is almost no difference between could and might, they are almost synonymous, except that could can express physical possibility, and might- just a probability. But this difference only appears in a certain context.

Someone stole my wallet. It could be John. - Someone stole my wallet. It could be John (since John has the key to the room).

Someone stole my wallet. It might be John. - Someone stole my wallet. It was probably John (or maybe not John, since I don't lock the room).

If you ask what is the most difficult thing about learning English, I think most would say that it is the tenses of the verb. After all, in the Russian language there are only three of them, and in English there are as many as twelve. In this article we will take a closer look at the past tense in English. With its help we talk about the events of the past. In English, as many as five tenses can be used for this purpose. These are the four times of the Past group: , and time . In addition, you can express the past using the phrase used to and the verb would.

You can read more about each verb tense in the corresponding grammar section. Here we will focus on comparison when using these verb tenses and will only briefly repeat them.

Past Simple

This is the most understandable and used tense. Formed by adding the ending – ed to correct verbs. Irregular ones use the second form of the verb. To ask a question, we put the auxiliary verb did in first place, and take the main verb from the dictionary (that is, we do not change it). For negation we use did not + main verb without change.

We use the Past Simple in all cases when we talk about a past event as an accomplished fact. This may be a single action, an event that has been repeated several times in the past, or a chain of successive events. In this case, time indicators are often (but not necessarily) used: last week, yesterday, fife years ago, in 1969 and so on:

I saw this movie last month.
I saw this movie last month.

She came home, watched TV, cooked dinner and wrote a letter.
She came home, watched TV, cooked dinner and wrote a letter.

Every day I had lunch at this café last year.
Last year I had lunch at this cafe every day.

PastContinuous

This tense is used when it is important for us to emphasize the duration of an action in the past, to show the process itself, and not the fact of the action. To form this tense, we use the past tense of the verb to be: was/were and add the ending – ing to the main verb.

When you called me, I was watching TV.
When you called me, I was watching TV.

Yesterday I was waiting for him for three hours.
Yesterday I waited for him for three hours.

I think that the use of Past Continuous will be more understandable if we do literal translation: I was watching TV, I would be waiting. This translation allows us to see that action is a long process. This is the logic of the English language.

PastPerfect

This time is also called completed. The past form is used to form it verb have: had and the third form of the main verb. This tense is used when they want to emphasize the completion of an action before a certain point in time or before the start of another action. It is often used in indirect speech when agreeing on tenses. In this case, the sentence may contain the preposition by with a specific date or time (by three o’clock) or the words when, after, before and others. There is one secret: when translating into Russian, you can put the word “already” before the verb in the Past Perfect.

I had done my homework by seven o’clock yesterday.
Yesterday by seven o'clock I (already) had done my homework.

She thought she had lost money.
She thought that she had (already) lost the money.

PastPerfectContinuous

It is a continuous action in the past that was going on and ended or was still going on when another past action occurred. That is, we can use it when we want to emphasize the duration of a past action and at the same time its completeness. The period during which this first action lasted is indicated in the text using the prepositions for, since, or in some other way. To form this tense, the verb to b e is placed in the Past Perfect: had been, and the main verb takes on the ending - ing. Fortunately, in conversational practice this time is almost never used.

When I came home yesterday my mother had been cleaning home for two hours.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother had been cleaning the apartment for two hours.

PresentPerfect

Although this tense refers to the present, it is most often translated into Russian as the past tense. Therefore, there is confusion when using it. The secret is that although this time is called completed, it is directly related to the present: either the action ended immediately before the moment of speech, or the action ended, and the period of time when it occurred is still ongoing, or the result of this action had an impact on situation in the present. There is another option: the period of time when the action took place has ended, but the action itself is still ongoing. The Present Perfect is formed using the verb have/has and the third form of the main verb.

I have seen her this week.
I saw her this week.

He has lived in Krasnodar for ten years.
He lived in Krasnodar for ten years. (But he still lives here).

Which past tense should I use?

In order not to get confused in the use of the past tense and to use the tense construction correctly, I propose to consider several examples.

Let's take the following situation: yesterday my mother baked a cake. And depending on what we want to emphasize in this situation, we will use different tense forms of the verb.

1. If we are simply talking about this as a fait accompli, then we need to use the Past Simple:

Yesterday my mother baked a very delicious cake.
Yesterday my mother baked a very tasty cake.

2. If it is important to show that mom baked the cake for a long time, that is, the process itself, then use the Past Continuous:

My mother was baking this cake for two hours yesterday.
Yesterday my mother baked this cake for two hours (literally, she spent two hours baking this cake).

We will use the same tense in the next phrase:

When I came home yesterday my mother was baking a cake.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother was baking a cake (she was the baker).

Because in this sentence it is important for you to show what your mother was doing (process) when you returned home.

3. If we want to tell that the action ended at some point, that is, the cake was already ready, then the Past Perfect tense is what we need:

Yesterday when I came home my mother had baked a delicious cake.
Yesterday my mother baked a delicious cake for my arrival.

Yesterday my mother had baked a cake by the celebration beginning.
Yesterday, for the beginning of the celebration, my mother baked a cake.

4. And here is a case when the Past Perfect Continuous tense can be used: you came home yesterday, and your mother was preparing a cake, and she had been doing this for two hours:

When I came home yesterday my mother had been baking a cake for two hours.
Yesterday, when I came home, my mother had already been baking a cake for two hours.

Please note that if we remove the period of time during which the first action lasted (the cake was being prepared) to the moment when the second action occurred (I came home), then in this case we need to use the Past Continuous tense (see example above).

5. In the case when it is important for us to emphasize the presence of the cake that mom made yesterday, we can use the Present Perfect tense. At the same time, it is not so important who, when and how long it took to prepare this cake, but what is important is that it exists and you can try it, and everything else is incidental information:

Has your mother baked a cake?
Did your mother bake a cake? (Meaning: Do you have cake?)

My mother has baked a cake. Would you like to try it?
My mother baked a cake. Want to try it? (Meaning there is cake to try).

Another situation

Let's take another example: you thought about something in the past.

I never thought about this.
I never thought about it. – You emphasize the fact of the absence of thoughts (about it) ever in the past.

I thought about this last week.
I thought about this last week. – You say that in the past the thought (about this) came to you.

2. Past Continuous

I was thinking about this all day.
I've been thinking about this all day. – You want to emphasize that the thinking process was long.

I was thinking about it when you came back.
I was thinking about this when you came back. – You want to emphasize that at the time of her return you were in the process of thinking.

I had thought a lot about this before.
I've thought about this a lot before. – You want to emphasize that you used to think (about this), but this process has ended and you no longer think about it.

When you called, I already had thought about this.
When you called, I already thought about it. – You want to emphasize that by the time she called, you had already thought about everything and are not thinking about it anymore.

4. Past Perfect Continuous

I told her that I had been thinking about it for three months.
I told her that I had been thinking about this for three months. – You want to emphasize that your thoughts (about this) continued for three months before the moment of conversation with her.

5. Present Perfect

I have thought about this. I agree.
I thought about it. I agree. – You want to emphasize the result of your thoughts – agreement.

Two More Ways to Express the Past

In order to talk about the past, in addition to the tense forms of verbs, in English there are also the constructions used to and would.

Usedto can be used instead of the Past Simple when a habitual or repeatedly repeated action takes place in the past, which no longer occurs in the present. Or when we describe a state or situation that was in the past, but now it does not exist. For example:

She used to go for a walk in this park every morning.
She used to walk in this park every morning (but now she doesn’t).

When I lived in Sochi, I didn’t use to have a car.
When I lived in Sochi, I didn’t have a car (but now I do).

If you are in doubt about what is best to use, turnover used to or Past Simple, then pay attention to what action you want to describe. If the action or state was familiar, routine, often repeated in the past, then it is better to use used to in a declarative sentence. However, in interrogative and negative sentence It is preferable to use the Past Simple.

If the sentence contains an indication of a specific point in time ( last month, last year, yesterday and others), then the used to phrase cannot be used. This phrase is also not used if the sentence indicates the duration of the action (for five years - within five years) or its frequency (three times - three times). In this case, the Past Simple tense is used. For example:

She went for a walk in this park last year.
Last year she walked in this park.

She went for a walk in this park every morning for five years.
She walked in this park every morning for five years.

She went for a walk in this park three times.
She went for a walk to this park three times.

Verb would can also be used to describe repeated actions in the past that no longer occur, but it is not used to describe states. For example:

When I was young I would play volleyball.
When I was young, I played volleyball.

But if you want to describe a situation or state in the past, then you need to use the used to phrase:

I used to live in Moscow.
I used to live in Moscow.

As you can see, if you understand the past tense in English, it turns out that not everything is so complicated. Depending on what you want to emphasize: the duration of the action, its completion, repetition in the past, influence on the present, or the fact of the action itself, you can use the tense or construction you need. The more conversational practice you have, the easier it is to navigate verb tenses. Practice English with us on the channel “English - Speak Freely!” and be successful in learning the language!