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Base form, infinitive, past tense, past participle and present participle.
English verbs have several forms that are used to build different grammatical structures.
The principal forms are the base form, third-person singular present, past tense, past participle and present participle.
I work in an office.
Я работаю в офисе.
"Work" is the base form of the verb.
She works in an office.
Она работает в офисе.
"Works" is the third-person singular present form of "work".
They worked yesterday.
Они работали вчера.
"Worked" is the past tense form of "work".
She has worked here for five years.
Она работает здесь уже пять лет.
"Worked" is the past participle used with "has" to form the present perfect.
They are working now.
Они сейчас работают.
"Working" is the present participle used with "are" to form the present continuous.
I can work from home.
Я могу работать из дома.
"Work" is the base form used after the modal verb "can".
Work quietly, please.
Пожалуйста, работайте тихо.
"Work" is the base form used in an imperative.
Did you work yesterday?
Ты работал вчера?
"Work" is the base form used after the auxiliary verb "did".
The base form is the basic dictionary form of a verb.
It is used after modal verbs, in imperatives, after do-support and as the basis for other verb forms.
I usually walk to work.
Я обычно хожу на работу пешком.
"Walk" is the base form used with the first-person subject "I".
You should wait here.
Тебе следует подождать здесь.
"Wait" is the base form used after the modal verb "should".
Please close the door.
Пожалуйста, закройте дверь.
"Close" is the base form used in an imperative.
Do you like coffee?
Ты любишь кофе?
"Like" is the base form used after the auxiliary verb "do".
We did not see him.
Мы его не видели.
"See" remains in the base form after the past auxiliary "did".
They can speak English.
Они могут говорить по-английски.
"Speak" is the base form used after "can".
Let me help you.
Позвольте мне помочь вам.
"Help" is the base form used after "let".
She makes me laugh.
Она заставляет меня смеяться.
"Laugh" is the base form used after the object "me" in the causative construction with "make".
In the present simple, most verbs add -s or -es with third-person singular subjects.
Spelling changes apply to verbs ending in -y, -o, -ch, -sh, -ss, -x and -z.
He works in a bank.
Он работает в банке.
"Works" takes "-s" because "he" is a third-person singular subject.
She watches television every evening.
Она смотрит телевизор каждый вечер.
"Watches" takes "-es" because "watch" ends in "-ch".
He goes to school by bus.
Он ездит в школу на автобусе.
"Goes" takes "-es" because "go" ends in "-o".
She studies English every day.
Она изучает английский каждый день.
"Studies" changes the final "-y" to "-ies" because "study" ends in a consonant plus "-y".
He plays tennis on Sundays.
Он играет в теннис по воскресеньям.
"Plays" takes "-s" because the final "-y" follows a vowel.
She washes the dishes after dinner.
Она моет посуду после ужина.
"Washes" takes "-es" because "wash" ends in "-sh".
The bus passes my house every morning.
Автобус проезжает мимо моего дома каждое утро.
"Passes" takes "-es" because "pass" ends in "-ss".
He fixes computers for a living.
Он зарабатывает на жизнь ремонтом компьютеров.
"Fixes" takes "-es" because "fix" ends in "-x".
The past tense expresses completed actions or states in the past.
Regular verbs add -ed, while irregular verbs have special past forms.
We visited London last summer.
Мы посетили Лондон прошлым летом.
"Visited" is the regular past tense form of "visit".
She cleaned the kitchen yesterday.
Она убрала кухню вчера.
"Cleaned" is formed by adding "-ed" to the regular verb "clean".
He watched a movie last night.
Он смотрел фильм прошлой ночью.
"Watched" is the past tense form of "watch".
I went to the supermarket.
Я пошел в супермаркет.
"Went" is the irregular past tense form of "go".
She bought a new phone.
Она купила новый телефон.
"Bought" is the irregular past tense form of "buy".
They saw an old friend at the station.
Они увидели старого друга на станции.
"Saw" is the irregular past tense form of "see".
We studied for the exam last weekend.
Мы готовились к экзамену в прошлые выходные.
"Studied" changes "-y" to "-ied" in the regular past tense.
He stopped the car outside the house.
Он остановил машину возле дома.
"Stopped" doubles the final consonant before "-ed".
The past participle is used with perfect tenses, the passive voice and some adjective-like constructions.
Regular verbs use the -ed form, while irregular verbs have unique participles.
I have finished my work.
Я закончил свою работу.
"Finished" is the past participle used with "have" in the present perfect.
She has written three emails today.
Она написала сегодня три электронных письма.
"Written" is the past participle of "write".
They have eaten already.
Они уже поели.
"Eaten" is the past participle of "eat" used with "have".
The window was broken by the children.
Окно было разбито детьми.
"Broken" is the past participle of "break" used in the passive voice.
The letter was written yesterday.
Письмо было написано вчера.
"Written" is the past participle used with "was" to form the passive.
We have seen this film before.
Мы уже видели этот фильм.
"Seen" is the past participle of "see".
The door is closed.
Дверь закрыта.
"Closed" is a past participle used in an adjective-like construction.
He has taken the wrong train.
Он сел не на тот поезд.
"Taken" is the past participle of "take" used to form the present perfect.
The present participle ends in -ing and is used in continuous tenses and other constructions.
It also functions as a participial adjective and in reduced clauses.
She is reading a book.
Она читает книгу.
"Reading" is the present participle used with "is" in the present continuous.
They were playing football.
Они играли в футбол.
"Playing" is the present participle used with "were" in the past continuous.
The man standing by the door is my brother.
Мужчина, стоящий у двери, — мой брат.
"Standing" is a present participle in a reduced relative clause.
The children ran out of the room laughing.
Дети выбежали из комнаты, смеясь.
"Laughing" is a present participle describing an accompanying action.
The movie was frightening.
Фильм был пугающим.
"Frightening" functions as a participial adjective.
Walking home, I saw an old friend.
Идя домой, я увидел старого друга.
"Walking" introduces a participial clause referring to the subject "I".
The woman talking to John is my manager.
Женщина, разговаривающая с Джоном, — моя начальница.
"Talking" forms a reduced relative clause modifying "woman".
He sat on the sofa watching television.
Он сидел на диване и смотрел телевизор.
"Watching" describes an action occurring at the same time as "sat".
English has bare infinitives and to-infinitives.
The choice depends on the preceding verb or grammatical construction.
I want to learn Spanish.
Я хочу выучить испанский.
"To learn" is a to-infinitive after "want".
She decided to leave early.
Она решила уйти пораньше.
"To leave" is a to-infinitive after "decided".
You must wear a seat belt.
Ты должен пристегиваться ремнем безопасности.
"Wear" is a bare infinitive after the modal verb "must".
He can speak three languages.
Он может говорить на трех языках.
"Speak" is a bare infinitive after "can".
We agreed to meet at six.
Мы договорились встретиться в шесть.
"To meet" is a to-infinitive after "agreed".
Let him go.
Позволь ему уйти.
"Go" is a bare infinitive after "let".
She made me wait outside.
Она заставила меня ждать снаружи.
"Wait" is a bare infinitive after the causative verb "made".
I would like to speak to the manager.
Я хотел бы поговорить с менеджером.
"To speak" is a to-infinitive after "would like".
Finite forms express tense and agree with the subject, while non-finite forms do not.
Infinitives, participles and gerunds are non-finite forms.
She works every day.
Она работает каждый день.
"Works" is a finite verb because it expresses present tense and agrees with the subject "she".
She wants to work abroad.
Она хочет работать за границей.
"Wants" is finite, while "to work" is a non-finite infinitive.
They are working now.
Они сейчас работают.
"Are" is finite because it carries tense, while "working" is a non-finite present participle.
He has finished the report.
Он закончил отчет.
"Has" is finite, while "finished" is a non-finite past participle.
To travel alone can be difficult.
Путешествовать в одиночку может быть трудно.
"To travel" is a non-finite infinitive and does not express tense or agreement.
Walking home, she called her friend.
Идя домой, она позвонила подруге.
"Walking" is a non-finite present participle, while "called" is finite.
They were invited to the meeting.
Их пригласили на собрание.
"Were" is finite and expresses past tense, while "invited" is a non-finite past participle.
I saw him running across the street.
Я видел, как он бежал через улицу.
"Saw" is finite, while "running" is a non-finite present participle.
Each verb form performs specific grammatical functions in English.
Verb forms combine with auxiliary verbs to create tense, aspect, voice and mood.
She writes emails every morning.
Она пишет электронные письма каждое утро.
"Writes" expresses the present simple and agrees with the third-person singular subject.
She is writing an email now.
Она сейчас пишет электронное письмо.
"Writing" combines with "is" to form the present continuous.
She has written several emails today.
Она написала сегодня несколько электронных писем.
"Written" combines with "has" to form the present perfect.
The email was written yesterday.
Электронное письмо было написано вчера.
"Written" combines with "was" to form the passive voice.
You should check the figures carefully.
Тебе следует внимательно проверить цифры.
"Check" is the base form used after the modal verb "should".
He had left before I arrived.
Он ушел до того, как я приехал.
"Had" combines with the past participle "left" to form the past perfect.
Having finished the report, she went home.
Закончив отчет, она пошла домой.
"Having finished" forms a perfect participial clause expressing an earlier action.
The manager wants to reduce costs.
Менеджер хочет сократить расходы.
"To reduce" is a to-infinitive functioning as the complement of "wants".
Every English verb follows a paradigm consisting of its principal forms.
Understanding verb paradigms makes it easier to produce correct verb forms in different grammatical contexts.
The verb "work" has the forms work, works, worked, worked and working.
У глагола "work" формы work, works, worked, worked и working.
The principal forms of a regular verb show how it is used in different grammatical structures.
The verb "write" has the forms write, writes, wrote, written and writing.
У глагола "write" формы write, writes, wrote, written и writing.
"Wrote" is the past tense, while "written" is the past participle.
The verb "go" has the forms go, goes, went, gone and going.
У глагола "go" формы go, goes, went, gone и going.
"Went" and "gone" are different forms with different grammatical functions.
She goes to work every day, but she went home early yesterday.
Она ходит на работу каждый день, но вчера рано пошла домой.
"Goes" is the third-person singular present form, while "went" is the past tense form.
He has gone to the store.
Он ушел в магазин.
"Gone" is the past participle of "go" and is used with "has".
She wrote the report and has written several more since then.
Она написала отчет и с тех пор написала еще несколько.
"Wrote" is the past tense, while "written" is the past participle of "write".
They are studying while their teacher prepares the lesson.
Они занимаются, пока их учитель готовит урок.
"Studying" is the present participle, while "prepares" is the third-person singular present form.
Understanding the principal forms helps learners recognize unfamiliar verb forms.
Понимание основных форм помогает учащимся распознавать незнакомые формы глаголов.
A verb paradigm connects the different forms of the same lexical verb.
English grammar relies on systematic relationships between the principal verb forms.
Recognizing these relationships improves both comprehension and production.
I write emails every day, and she writes reports.
Я пишу электронные письма каждый день, а она пишет отчеты.
"Write" and "writes" are related present-tense forms, with "-s" marking third-person singular agreement.
He wrote the letter yesterday and has written another one today.
Он написал письмо вчера и сегодня написал еще одно.
"Wrote" is the past tense, while "written" is the past participle.
She is reading the report she wrote yesterday.
Она читает отчет, который написала вчера.
"Reading" forms a continuous construction, while "wrote" expresses a completed past action.
They had finished the work before the manager arrived.
Они закончили работу до того, как приехал менеджер.
"Had finished" combines the past form of "have" with the past participle "finished" to form the past perfect.
The documents were signed after the manager had reviewed them.
Документы были подписаны после того, как менеджер их проверил.
"Were signed" is passive, while "had reviewed" is past perfect.
She wants to improve her English.
Она хочет улучшить свой английский.
"Wants" is finite, while "to improve" is a non-finite infinitive.
Having completed the project, they celebrated together.
Завершив проект, они отпраздновали это вместе.
"Having completed" expresses an earlier action in relation to the finite verb "celebrated".
The forms "write", "wrote" and "written" belong to the same verb paradigm.
Формы "write", "wrote" и "written" относятся к одной парадигме глагола.
Different verb forms are systematically related and perform different grammatical functions.
Learn the function of each verb form and use it in the correct grammatical structure.
Common mistakes include confusing the past tense with the past participle, omitting the third-person -s, using the wrong infinitive form and confusing gerunds with present participles.
She works in a hospital.
Она работает в больнице.
Use "works", not "work", with the third-person singular subject "she".
I have seen this movie before.
Я уже видел этот фильм.
Use the past participle "seen", not the past tense "saw", after "have".
She went home early.
Она рано пошла домой.
Use the past tense "went" to describe a completed action in the past.
He has gone to the office.
Он ушел в офис.
Use the past participle "gone", not the past tense "went", after "has".
You should speak to your manager.
Тебе следует поговорить со своим менеджером.
Use the base form "speak" after the modal verb "should".
They are working from home today.
Сегодня они работают из дома.
Use the present participle "working" after "are" in the present continuous.
Did she call you yesterday?
Она звонила тебе вчера?
Use the base form "call", not "called", after the past auxiliary "did".
He wants to learn English.
Он хочет выучить английский.
Use the to-infinitive "to learn" after "wants", not the bare infinitive.