Help with sentences, please!

[Karura]

Hello Everyone,

I´m having a hardtime with verbs, tenses and all, if you could give me some help, that would be much appreciably! My doubts are basically from how to transform one tense into another.

1st sentence:

"I went to get some popcorn. Why didn´t you told me?"
How would I transform this sentence into PAST SIMPLE?

"What were you doing yesterday?"
Want to transform this into PAST CONTINUOUS

"What have you done yesterday at 9 o`clock?"
In this one I would lie to transform it in PAST PERFECT, if I change "What had you done yesterday at 9 o`clock would it be Past Perfect?:roll:

Thanks for any help.;-)

 

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, Karura. :hi:

I´m having a hardspacetime with verbs, tenses and all,. [STRIKE]i[/STRIKE] If you could give me some help, that would be much apprecia[STRIKE]bly[/STRIKE]ted! My doubts are basically [STRIKE]from[/STRIKE] about how to transform one tense into another.

1. "I went to get some popcorn. Why didn´t you [STRIKE]told[/STRIKE] tell me?"...How would I transform this sentence into PAST SIMPLE?
Both verbs are already in the past simple.

2. "What were you doing yesterday?"...[STRIKE]W[/STRIKE] I want to transform this into PAST CONTINUOUS.
It is already past continuous.

3. "What have you done yesterday at 9 o`clock?"
This is not an acceptable sentence. We do not use the present perfect with reference to a past time.
In this one I would like to transform it in PAST PERFECT,. [STRIKE]i[/STRIKE] If I change it to "What had you done yesterday at 9 o`clock", would it be Past Perfect?
' .... had you done...' is past perfect. However, there are a limited number of contexts in which this form would be natural here.

 

[Frank Antonson]

Karura,

Part of the issue here is that these sentences are questions, and in English we often use forms of "to do" to generate questions.

Perhaps it would help to stick to declarative sentences at first. Then see how the word order changes for questions.

Frank

 

[Nersi]

confused!

 

[5jj]

confused!

Tell us one thing from the threads above that confuses you, and we'll try to sort it out. Then you can tell us another, if there is one.

 

[Karura]

Thanks for your corrections, not only in those sentences but also in my previous text, I must overcome my difficulties. HARD WORK HERE!:-D

 

[Karura]

Thanks Frank, I´m studiyng verbs and grammar by Murphy`s book, so I will get there (some day... :-D)

 

[Karura]

Sorry you all!

I´m the one who is confused here.

The first sentences "I went to get some popcorn. Why didn`t you told me?"

I want please some advice on changing it into PRESENT PERFECT, that`s my doubt..

 

[Karura]

And a couple more:

"when did you saw him." is this PAST SIMPLE?? Or Should I say "When did you see him?":shock:

"I was eating when you called me." PAST CONTINUOUS?

"When you arrived I was dressing myself." PAST CONTINUOUS? or should I say "When You arrive I am dressing my self?"

"I was waiting there for five hours!" PAST CONTINUOUS?

"I have wrote it slowly." PAST PERFECT?

"I have cleanned the kitchen" PAST PERFECT?

"I have gone when you arrive." arrived? PAST PERFECT?

"When I was young, I was thiner." PAST PERFECT??

"I have been studying chinese for five years." PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS?

"I had been waiting for the doctor when you arrived." PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS?

"She has been tired because has been working late." PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS?

"I had brushed my theeth." PAST PERFECT

"She had been playing tennis?" PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS??

If you, Mr Moderator, could help me with these that would be great!

All of you have a great day, please!

 

[5jj]

The first sentences "I went to get some popcorn. Why didn`t you [STRIKE]told[/STRIKE] tell me?"

I want please some advice on changing it into PRESENT PERFECT, that`s my doubt.

You cannot change the tense without changing the meaning completely. "I have gone..." is possible only in a note left to tell people where you are.

 

[5jj]

Should I say "When did you see him?" Yes. It's the auxiliary verb that shows the tense.
"I was eating when you called me." PAST CONTINUOUS? Yes - the underlined verb.
"When you arrived I was dressing myself." PAST CONTINUOUS? - Yes, the underlined verb . or should I say "When You arrive I am dressing myself?" Only if this happens regularly.
"I was waiting there for five hours!" PAST CONTINUOUS? Yes
"I have [STRIKE]wrote[/STRIKE] written it slowly." PAST PERFECT? No, present perfect.
"I have clean[STRIKE]n[/STRIKE]ed the kitchen" PAST PERFECT? No
"I [STRIKE]have[/STRIKE] had gone when you arrived." PAST PERFECT? Now it is.
"When I was young, I was thinner." PAST PERFECT?[STRIKE]?[/STRIKE] No.
"I have been studying [STRIKE]c[/STRIKE]Chinese for five years." PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS? No
"I had been waiting for the doctor when you arrived." PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS?Yes
"She has been tired because she has been working late." PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS? No
"I had brushed my t[STRIKE]h[/STRIKE]eeth." PAST PERFECT Yes
"She had been playing tennis?" PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS?[STRIKE]?[/STRIKE] Yes

If you, Mr Moderator, could help me with these that would be great!

The first thing you need to do is find out the difference between present and past simple forms. Pages 6-10 here may help. The other tenses follow.