Engleski kutak: Improve your English — Chat II (English only)

[kuhanikrompir]

I did not expect this many replies, thank You all.

but I am struggling to learn the tenses (when to use). Can somebody put a good learning link?

Please, correct me if I am wrong somewhere:

Past SIMPLE use:
1. action finished (single or repeated) + *when* it happened:

''I watched a movie every rainy day.'' or ''I did not sing everyday (during?) last month.''

''Did You dance yesterday?'' - ''Yes, I did.'' or ''Yes, I danced.'' or ''Yes, I had danced for 1 hour straight''

2. series of completed actions:
''What were You doing this morning?'' - if we want to know about all actions during morning - is this good question?
''-First I woke up and went straight to bathroom, then I washed my face and went for a walk.'' - how to connect actions in this type of sentences?

3. with Past Continous when Past SIMPLE interrupted an action.
''When do You have an exam and how much have You learned?'' (or how much did You learn?)
''I have a test on Monday and that is tommorow. I was trying to learn the whole lecture so I had learned very fast all weekend''
or
I was trying to learn the whole lecture so I *was learning* very fast this weekend. ''
or
''I wanted to learn the whole lecture so I was learning/had learned very fast this weekend''


I need help with this kind of Past Simple/Perfect/Continous.
1. How long does an action has to last for it to be in Continous?
2. What tense to use when writing a story that happened in the past; What tense to use when having conversation about the past?
3. When to use ''Did You run yesterday, at all?'' or ''Had You ran yesterday, at all?'' - big problem. How to build questions?


I would be very grateful if somebody can help me or send me good link(s) or videos, because online reading sites give bare examples but no explanations (at least I haven't found it).

[richard5]

try:
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/

[Transcendent]

I think KK has a valid point. Firstly actions have to last without interruptions for some time to be continues otherwise they are incontinuous. And determining the length is a problem because it they lasted too short they may be not called Continous.

For the second question I think is more harder and long standing members of IYE should contribute.

[tiziana]

kuhanikrompir kaže:

I did not expect this many replies, thank You all.

but I am struggling to learn the tenses (when to use). Can somebody put a good learning link?

Please, correct me if I am wrong somewhere:

Past SIMPLE use:
1. action finished (single or repeated) + *when* it happened:

''I watched a movie every rainy day.'' or ''I did not sing everyday (during?) last month.''

''Did You dance yesterday?'' - ''Yes, I did.'' or ''Yes, I danced.'' or ''Yes, I had danced for 1 hour straight''

2. series of completed actions:
''What were You doing this morning?'' - if we want to know about all actions during morning - is this good question?
''-First I woke up and went straight to bathroom, then I washed my face and went for a walk.'' - how to connect actions in this type of sentences?

3. with Past Continous when Past SIMPLE interrupted an action.
''When do You have an exam and how much have You learned?'' (or how much did You learn?)
''I have a test on Monday and that is tommorow. I was trying to learn the whole lecture so I had learned very fast all weekend''
or
I was trying to learn the whole lecture so I *was learning* very fast this weekend. ''
or
''I wanted to learn the whole lecture so I was learning/had learned very fast this weekend''


I need help with this kind of Past Simple/Perfect/Continous.
1. How long does an action has to last for it to be in Continous?
2. What tense to use when writing a story that happened in the past; What tense to use when having conversation about the past?
3. When to use ''Did You run yesterday, at all?'' or ''Had You ran yesterday, at all?'' - big problem. How to build questions?


I would be very grateful if somebody can help me or send me good link(s) or videos, because online reading sites give bare examples but no explanations (at least I haven't found it).

Any grammar book will answer your questions.
Look here under Past Simple - Past Progressive:
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar

1) Generally, it has nothing to do with the length, Past Continuous/Progressive denotes action in progress, temporary action.

2) Telling stories, use Past Simple for completed actions, Past Progressive for descriptions (setting the scene) or actions in progress and Past Perfect Simple or Progressive when necessary.

3) Look up under Question Word order: Question Word + Auxiliary + Subject...

Read the rules and do a lot of grammar practice (free online), but, most importantly, read a lot, books (buy, borrow or online) and newspapers (online Guardian and Huffington Post), listen to the news in English (BBC online) and follow quality television programmes (YouTube or...).
BBC has English Learning free online course.

[Transcendent]

Past continuous. Especially what it's used for in relation to the question of writing stories and books.
Are you considering being an English writer ? I used to dream like that. I found this to be quite relative and that is when you describe the background of something particularly in stories.
For example :
The computer was struggling to load the Forum.hr page due to old servers and my patience was dispersing as I crushed my mouse to death.
You see how the scene was set up for the mouse's death.

Hope it helps.

[Transcendent]

"Today I learned Something in the English Language"

Notice there is not a period at the end of the above sentence meaning it is as a title.
Many Forum members rather visit other world forums to lean English and come here for an occasional lurk.

Since I am at the beginner / intermediate stage (I need guidance) when they come here I would ask them to leave a comment since our moderators forgot that beside having a authority of wrong judgements (because they are students at universities and our future) they used in a good old times to write posts and attract members with their genius.
It appears to be too much of an effort lately.

So today I have learned to capitalize every word in a title and to put an apostrophe (or is a quotation mark) around it. This is a chapter title.

So what have you learned today?

[InterMezzo]

Transcendent kaže:

Since I am at the beginner / intermediate stage (I need guidance) when they come here I would ask them to leave a comment since our moderators forgot that beside having a authority of wrong judgements (because they are students at universities and our future) they used in a good old times to write posts and attract members with their genius.
It appears to be too much of an effort lately.

So what have you learned today?

Today I learned that I am a student and our future!

Feeling great about that!

Small correction - in this part of the sentence you don't need an "a":
"forgot that beside having a authority"

This would be correct:
"forgot that beside having authority"

[Transcendent]

InterMezzo kaže:

Today I learned that I am a student and our future!

Feeling great about that!

Small correction - in this part of the sentence you don't need an "a":
"forgot that beside having a authority"

This would be correct:
"forgot that beside having authority"

Thanks for the correction. I guess, Plato never heard of Marilyn Manson's music, beating drums in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom or drum rolls played before an execution.



So what have you learned today?

I have learned that the gender neutral pronoun is it. And it is the only one of kind.

What's a big deal? Just think of an LGBT community. You can't call them he, you can't call them she, so you call them it.

Right?

Any thoughts?

[inflame]

yes.

You should say: What's the big deal?

All communities are referred as it. Regardless of their members.
Not really sure what you're trying to say here.

[Transcendent]

inflame kaže:

yes.

You should say: What's the big deal?

All communities are referred as it. Regardless of their members.
Not really sure what you're trying to say here.

I researched (WEB) a bit and "the big deal" is used exclusively in an interrogative sentence such as "What's the big deal?". I'm glad it's out of the way for me and other lurkers who weren't sure about it. Thanks.


When I read my question again ten minutes ago I couldn’t understand it either.

For example if a man says that he is not a male nor a female and that he has no gender or sexuality, what pronoun should be appropriate for that person?

[Rakkatakka]

Transcendent kaže:

For example if a man says that he is not a male nor a female and that he has no gender or sexuality, what pronoun should be appropriate for that person?

They usually won't say that they have "no gender or sexuality", but that they identify as other. To be safe, in English the pronouns "they/them" are used to indicate neutral referral, as in the case of not knowing someone's gender – in this case, they are used as if singular. Otherwise, you can just ask the person.

[inflame]

@ Transcendent

Do you ever feel like this

coz that sums it up pretty much.

[forst]

Hi guys,
My last visit here on forum.hr was 4 years ago .

I'm really glad and surprised that my thread (I'm the original poster) is so successful.

Is this thread the most successful under "Jezikoslovlje"?
I could see that we were over 10 000 posts so Nica closed my original thread and created this sequel thread. I suppose forum engine has limitations regarding number of posts per thread

I have some new ideas for improving our English skills, I will share them these days.

In meanwhile how can I say in english "Krenuo sam prije 5 minuta"?

Context:
My wife asks me where I am, I answer "In the car, I commute to home", wife asks "Kad si krenuo?", I answer "Krenuo sam prije 5 minuta".

So I would like to know how would you ask "Kad si krenuo" and how would you answer "Krenuo sam prije 5 minuta".
maybe: I started 5 minutes ago; I left 5 mins ago; I went 5 mins ago OR something completely different?

I'm glad that I'm back

[Dilberth]

forst kaže:

Hi guys,
My last visit here on forum.hr was 4 years ago .

I'm really glad and surprised that my thread (I'm the original poster) is so successful.

Is this thread the most successful under "Jezikoslovlje"?
I could see that we were over 10 000 posts so Nica closed my original thread and created this sequel thread. I suppose forum engine has limitations regarding number of posts per thread

I have some new ideas for improving our English skills, I will share them these days.

In meanwhile how can I say in english "Krenuo sam prije 5 minuta"?

Context:
My wife asks me where I am, I answer "In the car, I commute to home", wife asks "Kad si krenuo?", I answer "Krenuo sam prije 5 minuta".

So I would like to know how would you ask "Kad si krenuo" and how would you answer "Krenuo sam prije 5 minuta".
maybe: I started 5 minutes ago; I left 5 mins ago; I went 5 mins ago OR something completely different?

I'm glad that I'm back

In the context you have given, your wife obviously wanted to know when did you leave the work, so the answer would be, "I left 5 minutes ago".

P.S.
Your first answer to your wife, "In the car, I commute to home", doesn't sound right to me. When the wife was asking you, where you were, you should've answered: In the car, I'm "commuting" to home.

[inflame]

Commuting is somewhat odd: at least to me.
I'm heading home - is what people usually say.. It's much more common.

Welcome back. ☺

[Dilberth]

inflame kaže:

Commuting is somewhat odd: at least to me.
I'm heading home - is what people usually say.. It's much more common.

Welcome back. ☺

Of course, but I thought perhaps he has some kind of car pool arrangement on his mind and I didn't want to go into it any further.

[forst]

inflame kaže:

Commuting is somewhat odd: at least to me.
I'm heading home - is what people usually say.. It's much more common.

Welcome back. ☺

Thanks.

Yes, communting is very odd to me, but I heard an American english native speaker using it, so...
I didn't hear for "I'm heading home" -but it sounds pretty natural for me, I like it.

Dilberth kaže:

Of course, but I thought perhaps he has some kind of car pool arrangement on his mind and I didn't want to go into it any further.

No I didn't have any car pool arrangement , but good thinking (I want to say "ali dobra pretpostavka").

[Dilberth]

forst kaže:

Thanks.

Yes, communting is very odd to me, but I heard an American english native speaker using it, so...
I didn't hear for "I'm heading home" -but it sounds pretty natural for me, I like it.




No I didn't have any car pool arrangement , but good thinking (I want to say "ali dobra pretpostavka").

Now you have opened a whole new can of worms.
It is odd that an American would say, "I commute home" in that situation, unless you have forgotten or overlooked couple of things.

I can see the following scenario. The man has a nagging wife who watches his every step. If she always calls him on his mobile and wants to know where he is, it's normal that he angrily answers, "In the car, I commute home, (..you dumb shit, remember?). Most likely he said the last part to himself or after he hung up and you forgot about it.

Her next question, wanting to know exactly when and how long ago he left the work, kind of supports my theory. What do you think?

[linuks]

Names of languages are always capitalized, thus English instead of english. (@forst, I'm talking to you).

[forst]

Dilberth kaže:

Now you have opened a whole new can of worms.
It is odd that an American would say, "I commute home" in that situation, unless you have forgotten or overlooked couple of things.

I can see the following scenario. The man has a nagging wife who watches his every step. If she always calls him on his mobile and wants to know where he is, it's normal that he angrily answers, "In the car, I commute home, (..you dumb shit, remember?). Most likely he said the last part to himself or after he hung up and you forgot about it.

Her next question, wanting to know exactly when and how long ago he left the work, kind of supports my theory. What do you think?

I really don't know if this is correct but I'm for sure that I asked American English native speaker how I should say when I want to express "da se upravo vozim kući s posla" -yes I used Croatian because that native English speaker can understand a lot of Croatian, and she anwered with "commute", though not sure if she used "I commute" or "I'm commuting"