Narrative tenses
Nəqli zamanlar: hekayə danışmaq
After this lesson you can
- Can tell a story using Past Simple, Past Continuous and Past Perfect together.
- Can set the background of a story and describe the main events in the correct order.
- Can use linking words such as suddenly, while, as soon as and in the end in a narrative.
Explanation
Three tenses in a story
- Past Continuous sets the scene or describes actions in progress: The sun was shining.
- Past Simple gives the main events in order: Suddenly, the lights went out.
- Past Perfect goes back to something that happened earlier: Someone had cut the cable.
Use while/as with longer actions and when with short actions: While I was reading, the phone rang.
Useful linkers: suddenly, as soon as, after that, eventually, in the end.
Do not overuse the Past Continuous for main events. Short, completed events in a sequence are in the Past Simple.
Azərbaycan dilində ətraflı izah
Hekayənin üç qatı
İngilis dilində hekayə danışarkən adətən üç zaman birlikdə işlənir:
| Zaman | Rolu | Nümunə |
|---|---|---|
| Past Continuous | fon, mühit, davam edən proses | It was raining and people were hurrying home. |
| Past Simple | əsas hadisələr, ardıcıllıqla | Suddenly a man stopped and shouted. |
| Past Perfect | hekayədən daha əvvəl olanlar | He had lost his dog the day before. |
Fon və hadisə
Past Continuous 'səhnəni' qurur, Past Simple isə bu səhnəyə 'girən' hadisəni göstərir:
- I was walking to work when I saw an old friend.
Azərbaycan dilində fon üçün tez-tez -ırdı/-irdi formasından istifadə edirik: gedirdim, yağırdı. Bu, Past Continuous-a uyğundur. Əsas hadisə -dı/-di (gördüm), daha əvvəlki hadisə isə -mışdı (itirmişdi) ilə verilir. Yəni üç qatlı sistem Azərbaycan dilində də var.
Bağlayıcı sözlər
- while / as: uzun proses üçün, While I was cooking, the phone rang.
- when: qısa hadisə üçün, I was sleeping when the alarm went off.
- suddenly, all of a sudden: gözlənilməz hadisə
- as soon as: dərhal sonra, As soon as she had left, I called him.
- eventually, in the end: nəhayət
Ardıcıllıq qaydası
Hadisələri baş verdiyi sırada danışırıqsa, hamısı Past Simple olur: She opened the door, looked around and screamed. Past Perfect yalnız 'geri qayıdanda' lazımdır, yəni hekayə xəttindən əvvələ baxanda.
Tipik səhv
Öyrənənlər bəzən hər cümlədə Past Continuous işlədirlər: Then he was opening the door. Əsas, qısa hadisələr üçün Past Simple daha təbiidir: Then he opened the door.
Examples
It was getting dark and a cold wind was blowing.
Hava qaralırdı və soyuq külək əsirdi.
Fon: Past Continuous
I was waiting for the metro when I noticed a bag on the floor.
Metronu gözləyirdim ki, yerdə bir çanta gördüm.
Somebody had left it there and gone away.
Kimsə onu orada qoyub getmişdi.
Daha əvvəlki hadisə: Past Perfect
While we were having dinner, the power went off.
Biz şam yeməyi yeyərkən işıq söndü.
As soon as she had read the message, she called her mother.
Mesajı oxuyan kimi anasına zəng etdi.
He opened the box, looked inside and smiled.
O, qutunu açdı, içinə baxdı və gülümsədi.
Ardıcıl hadisələr: Past Simple
In the end, we found out that the dog had been in the garden all the time.
Sonda məlum oldu ki, it bütün vaxt bağçada imiş.
Common mistakes
When I was arriving, he was leaving and then he was closing the door.
When I arrived, he was leaving, and then he closed the door.
Qısa, əsas hadisələr üçün Past Simple işlənir. Past Continuous yalnız davam edən proses və ya fon üçündür.
While I walked home, it started to rain.
While I was walking home, it started to rain.
while adətən uzun, davam edən prosesi göstərir, ona görə Past Continuous daha təbiidir.
I couldn't pay because I forgot my card at home.
I couldn't pay because I had forgotten my card at home.
Kartı unutmaq ödəmə anından əvvəl olub. Bunu aydın göstərmək üçün Past Perfect daha yaxşıdır.
Suddenly the phone was ringing.
Suddenly the phone rang.
suddenly gözlənilməz qısa hadisəni göstərir, Past Simple ilə işlənir.
Vocabulary
- disappear verb
- to become impossible to see or findyox olmaq, itmək“When I turned around, the man had disappeared.”
- eventually adverb
- after a long time or after many problemsnəhayət, sonda“We had been searching for hours, and eventually we found the key.”
- go off phrasal verb
- to start ringing (an alarm) or to stop working (lights)səslənmək (siqnal); sönmək (işıq)“The fire alarm went off in the middle of the night.”
- notice verb
- to see or become aware of somethingfərqinə varmaq, görmək“Entering the room, I noticed a smell of smoke.”
- rush verb
- to move or do something very quicklytələsmək, cumamaq“People were rushing to catch the last bus.”
- scream verb
- to shout loudly because of fear or painqışqırmaq“She screamed when she saw the spider.”