Auxiliary verbs in English. Use of auxiliary verbs in English Auxiliary verb TO HAVE

Auxiliary verbs are so called because they help form tenses and voices in English. The main auxiliary verbs in English are the verbs BE, DO and HAVE, each of which has its own forms, which we will discuss below. Auxiliary verbs also sometimes include modal verbs that do not change their form.

A feature of auxiliary verbs (except modal ones) is the absence of any meaning other than the grammatical one.

I have been to London. - I was in London. (The verb to have has no meaning, but simply helps to construct the Present Perfect tense form)

So what are auxiliary verbs for?

• For the formation of times
• For the formation of interrogative and negative sentences.
• To form the passive voice
• To form a dividing question.

Auxiliary verbs for forming tenses.

To form tenses, auxiliary verbs be / do / have / will are used.

Let's look at the table of using auxiliary verbs in different tenses in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

If you look closely at the table, you can draw the following conclusions about how auxiliary verbs work.

• The auxiliary verb do (does/did) is used only to form Present Simple and Past Simple tenses.
• The auxiliary verb be (am / is /are /was /were /will be) is used only to form Continuous tenses.
• The auxiliary verb have (has / had) is used to form Perfect tenses
• The auxiliary verb will is used to form future tenses.

Knowing these 4 points, you can accurately determine which auxiliary verbs to use to form any tense. Take, for example, the Future Perfect Continuous - to form it we need as many as 3 auxiliary verbs:

• will (since it is future),
• have (since it is perfect),
• been (form of to be – since it is continuous).

Auxiliary verbs for forming negative and interrogative sentences.

The tense-appropriate auxiliary verb with the particle not will help you construct negative sentence. It is important to know that auxiliary verbs with the particle not can be written separately or together, forming a short form.

Consider the table:

In order to construct an interrogative sentence, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject. If there is more than one auxiliary verb, only the first of them is placed before the subject, the rest come after the subject.

• Are are you playing tennis now?

• Have did you ever play tennis?

• Will you be playing tennis at two o’clock tomorrow?

• Why is he playing tennis now?

Thus, almost every interrogative sentence in English begins with either an auxiliary verb or a question word followed by an auxiliary verb. For information on how to make a sentence interrogative, read the article - Pay special attention to.

LET'S SUMMARY:

AuxiliaryBE.

As we said earlier, the auxiliary verb to be has 3 forms of the present tense (am / is / are), 2 forms of the past tense (was / were) and 1 form of the future tense (will be).

The auxiliary verb to be is used:

• To form Continuous tenses.
• To form the passive voice.

Molly is reading a magazine. (Present Continuous)

Children were talking. (Past Continuous)

England were beaten by Germany in the final (Past Passive)

AuxiliaryHAVE.

Have (has/had) is used to form perfect tenses as well as perfect forms of the passive voice.

• The judge has asked the witness to speak up. (Present Perfect)

• In some years, they will have established community gardens. (Future Perfect)

• I will have been asked by 3 o'clock tomorrow (Future Perfect Passive)

AuxiliaryDo

The auxiliary verb do (does /did) is used to form negative and interrogative sentences in Present Simple (do /does) and Past Simple (did).

You might find it useful to do and

The auxiliary verb do is sometimes used for emphasis in affirmative sentences.

He did look tired. “He really looked tired.”

You need to understand that the verbs be, have and do have a dual nature, if you like, they lead a double life: they can be both auxiliary and semantic.

So as a semantic verb TO BE is translated - “ to be, to be, to be”

She was at home. - She was at home. (to be (was) is a semantic verb, has a lexical meaning and is translated into Russian)

She was crying. – She cried (to be (was) is an auxiliary verb, has no lexical meaning, cannot be translated).

As a semantic verb TO DO is translated “ do”, and to HAVE – “ have":

I did what I could. – I did what I could.

I have a cat. - I have a cat

Often in an English sentence you can find 2 identical verbs, one of which is semantic, and the second is auxiliary.

I had had dinner before my mum came. (the first had is an auxiliary verb for the formation of the Past Perfect, the second had is the semantic verb “have dinner - have dinner / have dinner”).

Did you do what you could? (did – auxiliary, do – semantic)

Auxiliary verbs in English - an overview.

First, let's remember, what is a verb? A verb is a part of speech that denotes an action - run, work, laugh, and so on... Today we will talk about two types of verbs: semantic and auxiliary. Semantic verbs are those verbs that denote an action or state, just like in Russian, and answer the question “what to do?” - think to think, jump to jump, dream to dream, sleep to sleep - all these are semantic verbs. What are these auxiliary verbs and what are they eaten with? We'll talk about this today! My name is Nastya and this is the Puzzle English channel!

First of all, remember that auxiliary verbs are not translated in any way. They perform an exclusively grammatical function - they help us determine, firstly, the time of what is happening, and secondly, the number of characters (one or more).

So what auxiliary verbs are there in English?: (diagram)
be (am, are, is, was, were, been);
do (do, does, did);
have (have, has, had);

We'll talk more about each of them later!

In the meantime, let's figure out what an auxiliary verb is? Indeed, in Russian, to express an action in the present or past tense, an ending is sufficient. For example, if you say “sang” about someone, we will understand that they are talking about one female character (well, a woman, a girl, a bird) and all this action took place in the past

But the word dances tells us that one character is currently having a great time.

Taaks, what is going on in our English language? Native English speakers don't rely so much on endings, they just get lazy, it's nice to be lazy sometimes, right? Why invent something, complicate it, if you can simply put additional small words before actions and thus make it clear who performs the action and at what time. These little words are auxiliary verbs. Just remember that we do not translate the auxiliary verb, but it helps us translate the semantic verb it is paired with in the correct time and number.

Now let's take a closer look at the auxiliary verb be. The verb be is used to form Continuous tenses, remember how this tense is formed? - be + verb in ing form (be + Ving). Moreover, in the present tense it has three forms am is are, depending on the person, we use Am - for I; are – for we you they; is – for he she it., By the way, with you are is always used, no matter what it means “you” (singular h) or “you” (plural h). In the past tense, two forms are used - was for I, he, she, it and were for the rest - we, you, they.
I am writing a letter. - I'm writing a letter.
Are you cooking the dinner tonight? -Are you cooking dinner tonight? - remember that in questions, auxiliary verbs change places with the subject?
The dogs were barking. - The dogs were barking.
Sam wasn't sleeping. - Sam didn't sleep. - of course, you already know that in order to construct a negation, you need to add the particle not to the auxiliary verb, and its shortened form is n’t, for example, as in our example - wasn’t

Be as an auxiliary verb is also involved in the formation of the passive voice, when an action is performed not by an object, but on it - it looks like this - be + third form of the verb. (be + V3)
The letter was written - The letter was written.
Is everyone invited? - Is everyone invited?

The verb be can also be a linking verb (it connects the subject and information about it):
The weather is nice. - Good weather.
Is the weather nice? - Good weather?
The weather is not nice. - The weather is bad.
By the way, even in this case, be can independently construct questions and negations, such an independent fellow she is! Unlike ordinary action verbs, which require do/does or did for this.

The semantic verb be also exists; it can be translated into Russian by the words be, is, appear, be, and so on, or it may not be translated. It all depends on the Russian wording. Look at the examples!

Are you at the station? -Are you at the station?
Josh is away now. - Josh isn't here right now. That is, Josh walked away.

The auxiliary verb do has three forms: do/ does in the present tense and did in the past. Attention! This auxiliary verb is needed to form questions and negatives. Does is used with the third person singular, in other cases we choose what? of course, do! This applies to the simple present tense - Present Simple.

I don’t speak French - I don’t speak French. Does she know the answer? - Does she know the answer?
In the simple past tense – Past Simple – we use did.
What did you decide? - What have you decided?
They didn’t like the lesson - they didn’t like the lesson.

By the way, We can use do, did, does in affirmative sentences to strengthen the meaning of the semantic verb (the action we are talking about). This strengthening of do is translated into Russian as “really”, “in fact”, “still”, “yet”, “exactly”, “necessarily”.
For example
I do help my mom! - I really help my mom!
Rachel did tell him everything. “Rachel actually told him everything.”

Just do not confuse the semantic verb do - to do with the auxiliary one!!! To do this, you must understand the meaning of the sentence
What do you usually do on the weekends? - What do you usually do on weekends?
I didn't do anything yesterday. - I didn’t do anything yesterday.
And know that, omit one of the “dos” so as not to repeat “What do you usually do on the weekends?” or “I didn’t do anything yesterday” would be a blunder. So don't be lazy!

The auxiliary verb have has three forms - have, has, had. As with do/does, have is used in the present tense with all persons except the third person singular - he she it, for the third person we use has. In the past we change have to had. Have is also used to form the forms of present, past and future perfect tenses - tenses of the Perfect group, for example, Jane has already read that book - Jane has already read that book

I called Polly too late, she had already left.
I called Polly too late, she had already left

Next year we will have been together for 7 years. Next year we will be together for 7 years.

Let’s not forget, of course, about perfect continuous tenses (Present Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect Continuous / Future Perfect Continuous). To form them, you need to use two auxiliary verbs - have/has or had and to be in the form been:

We have been building the house for 2 years - We have been building a house for 2 years
I had been dating Jack for 2 years before we broke up.
I dated Jack for two years before we broke up.
By the time my mom wakes me up I"ll have been sleeping for 8 hours. When my mom wakes me up, I will have been sleeping for 8 hours.

And of course, have/has and had together with be participate in the formation of the passive voice in the perfect:
I have been offered a new job. - I was offered a new job.
Has Tom been given the instructions? - Was Tom given instructions?

The semantic verb have is usually translated as “to have, to possess,” and is also often part of expressions, for example, have breakfast, have a shower, have fun, and so on. Be careful not to omit it when using Perfect tenses:
Have you ever had your own car? -Have you ever had your own car?
I haven't had breakfast yet. - I haven't had breakfast yet.

Of course, this topic is not an easy one, but I hope that you now know how to distinguish a semantic verb from an auxiliary one? And to make sure of this, follow the link below and complete the exercises. If this lesson was useful for you, give it a thumbs up, Nastya was with you, bye!

A verb is a mandatory integral component of any English sentence. There are 2 types: auxiliary verbs and semantic ones. Let's break down the difference between these two.

• I live in China. (action)
• It sounds great! (state)

What are auxiliary verbs for?

Auxiliary verbs(auxiliary verbs) do not carry any semantic load, they only help, as we, in fact, can guess from their name. They help to create an interrogative or negative sentence, indicate time, person, number, and are also part of a compound predicate. That is, they perform a grammatical function.

Auxiliary verbs in English are:

• Be (am, is, are, was, were);
• do (does, did);
• have (has, had);
• will (would).

Have(have), Do(to do) and Be(to be) are the main auxiliary verbs in English. They refer to and can also perform the function of main (semantic) verbs.

Let's compare:

Verb to have

So, auxiliary verbs are widely applicable in the English language, because it is a pronounced representative of analytical languages ​​(when grammatical changes are transmitted through individual words, and not internal inflections), in contrast to the Russian language.

Auxiliary verbs These are helping verbs. They express only different grammatical meanings. Auxiliary verbs are very important because they show tense, number, person and voice. They are used together with semantic verbs that express the action itself.

What auxiliary verbs are there in English?

First of all, of course, to be, to have And to do, which are used almost everywhere, as well as modal verbs: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, ought to, will and would.

To be, to do and to have differ from other auxiliary verbs in that they can also be used in a sentence as semantic verbs.

Let's take a closer look at the verbs to be, to do and to have. (We will talk about modal verbs in a separate article).

Auxiliary verb TO BE

How and where is it used?

Auxiliary to be used in both affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences in the tenses of the Continuous group, as well as in the formation of all tenses in the passive voice.

Shape Features:

In the table below you can see all forms of the verb to be in the Present Simple. It is these forms that are involved in the formation of the Present Continuous tense.

The forms of the verb to be in the Past Simple can be found in the table below. It is these forms that are involved in the formation of the Past Continuous. The negative form is also formed by adding a particle not.

In interrogative sentences, the verb to be is used before the subject. In short answers to general questions (= questions that can be answered with “Yes” or “No”) - after the subject. This applies to both Present Simple and Past Simple (and, accordingly, Present Continuous and Past Continuous).

For example:

—Is he writing a letter now?

-Yes, he is./ No, he isn't.

—Was he doing his homework at 6 p.m. m. yesterday?

-Yes, he was./ No, he wasn't.

N.B.: in a short affirmative answer, the full form of the verb to be (are, was etc.) is used, and in a short negative answer, as a rule, the abbreviated form is used (aren’t, wasn’t etc.).

The negative form of the imperative mood is formed using don't (don't), i.e. according to the general rule.

For example:

Don't be sad. = Don't be sad.

Also to be participates in the formation of tenses in the passive voice.

For example:

The dinner is being served now.

The book was read yesterday.

AuxiliaryTO DO

How and where is it used?

Auxiliary to do used in interrogative and negative sentences, in short answers to general questions, as well as in affirmative sentences to enhance the emotional coloring of the statement in the Present Simple and Past Simple tenses.

Shape Features:

IN Present Simple verb has one form for pronouns I / you / we / they and another form for He /She / It in both affirmative and negative sentences. The negative form is formed by adding a particle not. In the table below you can see what forms the verb to do has in the Present Simple.

In interrogative sentences, the verb to do (in the appropriate form) is used before the subject in both the Present Simple and Past Simple. In short answers to general questions - after the subject.

—Do do you work long hours?

— Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

-Did he tell you about it?

— Yes, he did. / No, he didn't.

Also to do used to enhance emotional coloring in affirmative sentences. In such sentences, after to do, the first form of the semantic verb is used (infinitive without the particle ‘to’).

For example:

I do love yoga! = I really / really love yoga!

He does appreciate it! = He really appreciates it!

We did try to help! = We really tried to help!

In such sentences it is very important to place emphasis on the verb to do(= say it louder and in a higher pitched voice than usual).

Auxiliary verb TO HAVE

How and where is it used?

Auxiliary tohave used in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences, as well as in short answers to general questions in group tenses Perfect.

Shape Features:

Let's look at how the verb is used in the Present Perfect and Past Perfect tenses.

In time Present Perfect verb to have has one form for pronouns I / you / we / they and another form for pronouns he / she / it. The negative form is formed by adding a particle not.

NB: it is important to remember that if the verb have used as semantic in Present Simple time, then the negation is constructed by adding a particle not to auxiliary verb do, not have.

For example:

She doesn't have any time.

However, if the sentence uses the construction have got, then the negation is constructed according to the rule described in the table above. For example: She hasn't got a car.

In the Past Perfect tense, the verb to have has the same form for all persons and numbers. The negative form is also formed by adding a particle not.

In interrogative sentences, the verb to have is used before the subject in both the Present Perfect and Past Perfect. In short answers to general questions - after the subject.

For example:

-Has she bought a car yet?

-Yes, she / No, she hasn't.

—Had he made dinner before 6 p.m.?

Yes, he had./ No, he didn't.

When studying this part of speech, most attention is paid to irregular verbs. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to know them, but it is much more important to be aware of the use of auxiliary verbs. Teachers often compress the topic to a minimum, while without this knowledge it is impossible to freely express your thoughts in English.

Dividing verbs by meaning

All English verbs are divided into two categories:

Independent verbs are characterized by the presence of lexical meaning; express the action or state being performed:

• She works at office and walks to work through the park every day. - She works in an office and walks to work through the park every day.

Functional verbs do not have their own meaning, but only help in the structure of grammatical structures and clarify the meaning of an independent verb.

Types of service verbs

• connectives used to form complex verbs(linking verbs):

• - help the speaker express his opinion regarding the action (modal verbs):

• auxiliary- without them it is impossible to form a compound predicate (auxiliary verbs):

Let's focus on the last group.

Why are auxiliary verbs needed?

To understand the importance of auxiliary verbs, let's make an analogy. When it is necessary to express number, gender or time of an action, the ending in Russian verbs changes; The British and Americans at this time simply use an auxiliary one.

For example:

• She swims here every morning. - She swims here every morning.
• They are swimming now. - They are swimming now.
• I swam on this beach a year ago. - I swam on this beach a year ago.

Be careful! Auxiliary verbs are not translated, so do not confuse them with similar semantic verbs.

• I am a student. - I am a student (the verb to be is translated as “to be, to appear”).
• I am going to be come a student. - I am going to become a student (the auxiliary verb tobe is part of the construction “to be going to” - to gather).

• Forest have a lot of money. - Mr. Forest has a lot of money (to have - to have);
• Mr. Forest have a lot of money when he is young. - Mr. Forest had a lot of money when he was young (in the first case “to have” is used to create the past perfect tense, in the second the verb is semantic).

Auxiliary verb to be

Usage

Together with the semantic verb it forms tense(action currently happening):

• I'm watching an interesting film now. - I am watching an interesting film now.
• She is cleaning now. - She is doing the cleaning now.
• They loudly discuss the results of the competition. - They are loudly discussing the results of competitions.

No homework. No cramming. No textbooks

From the course “ENGLISH BEFORE AUTOMATION” you:

• Learn to write competent sentences in English without memorizing grammar
• Learn the secret of a progressive approach, thanks to which you can reduce English learning from 3 years to 15 weeks
• You will check your answers instantly+ get a thorough analysis of each task
• Download the dictionary in PDF and MP3 formats, educational tables and audio recordings of all phrases

Formation of questions and negatives in tenses

(periodic execution of the process in the present time):

• Does Anna visit her grandmother every weekend? - Does Ann visit her grandmother every weekends?
• They don't watch TV every night, they're too busy. - They don’t watch TV every evening. they are very busy.

(single action in past tense):

• Did you read this article last month? - Did you read this article last month?
• Nick never made such delicious desserts for me. - Nick didn’t cook such tasty desserts for me.

Verb to have

1. Present tense forms: I/you/they have, he/she/it has.
2. For the past tense, a single form is used - had.
3. The negative form is also with the particle “not/(-n’t)”: have not/haven’t, hasn’t. didn't.
4. It comes at the beginning of questions: Hashe? Had they?

Participates in the formation of perfect forms of the past and present tenses

• I haven’t played this musical composition before. - I have not played this piece of music before ();
• I have been playing this musical composition for 3 hours. - I’ve been playing this piece for three hours already ();
• I have finished to play this musical composition by 4 o’clock yesterday. - Yesterday at 4 o’clock I finished playing this piece ();
• I had been playing this musical composition for 5 hours when he called. - I had been playing this piece for five hours when he called (Past Perfect Continuous).

Verbs will and shall

Both verbs are involved in creating all future tenses: I/we. he/she/it/you/they will. However, thanks to the Americans, only the will form is increasingly used, which makes memorizing the rules much easier.

• Kate will draw her dog tomorrow. - Kate will draw her dog tomorrow (Future Simple);
• Kate will be drawing her dog all day long. - Kate will draw her dog all day (Future Continuous);
• Kate will have drawn her dog by 10 o’clock next Friday. - Kate will draw her dog by ten o'clock next Friday (Future Perfect);
• By the end of the week Kate will have been drawing her dog for a month. - By the end of the week, Kate will have been drawing her dog for a month (Future Perfect Continuous).

To understand and master some of the rules for using auxiliary verbs, you may need a lot of time and exercises. Also pay attention to the detailed study of the formation of complex tenses, as these topics are directly related.