Tenses
I think in learning languages the most interesting (and difficult at the same time) thing are tenses. You can learn a lot words and phrases, you can understand the logic of your target language, but there is the difference between people of different countres: they feel and perceive time in different ways. That always confuses me a lot. It is no use to try to translate tenses from your native language to target. I can speak about it as Russian, who tries to realise English tenses. If I try to translate Russian's tenses (for example telling about past event) it would be only Past Simple. When English-speaking people use Present Perfect, Russians use Past Simple, it is usual past event for us. I always think what tense I have to use, but in real lif it is really difficult, so I have a lot of mistakes. I really want to understant how English-speaking people perceive time. But it is extremely complicated to think in other way.
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Tenses
I think that in learning languages, both the most interesting and most difficult part is learning tenses. You can learn many words and phrases, you can understand the logic behind the sentence construction of your target language, but behind it all, there remains a major difference between people of different countries: they perceive time in different ways. This difference greatly confuses me, and I feel that it is of no use trying to translate tenses from your native language to your target one. Of course, I can only speak about it as a Russian, who tries to construct English tenses properly within my sentences. Whenever I try to translate tenses from Russian (for example, telling you something about a past event), I would only use Past Simple, while English-speaking people would use Present Perfect. Given that we consider the past as a whole, and do not divide it as in English, I am always thinking about what tense I need to use, which is difficult, and causes me to make many mistakes. I hope to understand how English-speaking people perceive time, as I know how to do so in Russian, but it is extremely complicated for me to think about it in another way.*
Hi, Alyona. Good job! Whatever changes I made were to allow your sentences to sound more natural to my native ears, to clarify your thoughts, and for ease of reading. My sincerest apologies if I have misinterpreted. I hope that this helps you, Jonathan
*This is an interesting topic, thanks for posting it. My opinion is that in trying to reconcile or superimpose Russian tenses on English tenses, you are inadvertently confusing yourself, as a square peg will not fit into a round hole. Just simply accept the differences, and more importantly, learn how to use them. It is a process, as well as difficult, even for native speakers.
I truly wish that I could provide you with some better advice, but this goes beyond my small reptilian brain’s knowledge. (*-^) However, it might be of help to read, “Time Perception Across Russian and American Cultures,” by Maria Lebedko. Similarly, if you have access to Kindle, try to find, “What Mean? Where Russians Go Wrong In English,” by Lynn Visson. Best of luck!
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