keywords
Name two keywords for Simple Past
last.., yesterday, in 1995, when I was younger, in my childhood
When you use Present Pefect, it is to describe what kind of activities (3 options)?
activities which started in the past and reach the present
activities which have just/recently been completed (and so are closer to the present => gerade eben, vor kurzem)
activities which started and finished in the past but have consequences for the present
When do you use the Past Perfect?
when you have a Past Tense scenario and you want to talk about something that happened BEFORE this past scenario
What are you highlighting with the help of the Continuous forms?
duration
What is special about the phrase "ago"? How do you translate "vor 7 Stunden"?
You place "ago" BEHIND the time phrase => 7 hours ago
Do you use the Present Pefect in this context?
Ich habe schon länger keine Berichte geschrieben.
yes: keyword "jetzt schon länger" I haven´t been writing any reports for a long time.. (started in the past/ongoing until now/highlighting duration => Present Perfect Continuous)
Is Past Perfect used in context with Present Perfect?
no: it is used in context with Past Tense scenarios when talking about activities BEFORE the past scenarios
Which tense would you use for an activity which started and ended in the past but took a long time?
Past Continuous
I was waiting for you at the mall for about 2 hours.
When using Present Perfect there is a difference between "seit" and "seit". Explain the difference in use and give an example for each.
for + time frame
for many years, for an hour, for a while, for weeks
since + point in time
since my birthday, since yesterday, since 3 April 1995, since my son was born, since the party
Is this the correct context for Simple Past?
Unser Vorgesetzter hat uns vor kurzem diese wichtigen Informationen mitgeteilt.
no: keyword "vor kurzem" => Our superior has recently given us this important information.
Form a sentence with Past Perfect making sure you have the correct context for it!
example:
I was late for work because I had had an accident on my commute.
We did the exercises about the Past forms but prior to that we had revised them.
Which tense would you use for an activity which started and ended in the past but took a long time? And this activity happened before a past activity.
Past Perfect Continuous
My colleagues and I went out together on Friday. We had been working very hard all week.
Translate: Wegen meines gebrochenen Beins habe ich 2005 drei Monate lang keinen Sport gemacht.
In 2005, I didn´t do sports for 3 months due to my broken leg.
I use the Present Perfect Continuous with other keywords than the Present Perfect.
no: keywords are the same BUT the difference is in the use / context (you are highlighting the duration)
Past Perfect highlights the duration of a past activity.
Is this a correct statement?
no: Past Perfect is used to explain that an activity took place before a past activity.
Which tense would you use for activities which started in the past and are still ongoing? And they are longer-lasting.
Present Perfect Continuous:
We have been working very hard in this course (from 12 JAN until today).
Ich mache seit 3 langen Monaten keinen Sport wegen meines gebrochenen Beins.
For three months I have not been doing any sport.
Translate:
Wir haben den Fehler erkannt und dann berichtigt. Somit ist das Problem gelöst.
(see a mistake, correct a mistake, resolve an issue)
Present Perfect: connection to the present/consequences)
We have seen and corrected the mistake so the issue is resolved.
Translate this scenario using TWO alternatives to tell the story:
Klaus und ich haben gestern einen Unfall verursacht, weil wir zuviel Alkohol getrunken haben.
(to have alcohol)
Klaus and I caused an accident yesterday because we had had too much alcohol.
Alternative/chronological order/Simple Past:
Yesterday Klaus and I drank too much alcohol so we caused an accident.
Wo wart ihr? Wir warten auf euch seit einer geraumen Weile! Jetzt kommen wir zu spät zur Kirche.
(quite a while)
Where have you been? We have been waiting for you for a quite a while. Now we are going to be late for church.