Concordanta timpurilor in limba engleza -Este acordul obligatoriu al timpului

verbului din subordonata cu timpul verbului din regenta sa. In limba engleza
timpul verbului din subordonata trebuie sa se subordoneze timpului verbului din
regenta. Cu alte cuvinte timpurile verbelor din regente dicteaza folosirea
anumitor timpuri in subordonatele lor.
Exista in acest sens trei reguli de cunoscut si aplicat.
Regula I: Daca in regenta verbul este la Present Tense sau Present Perfect
Tense in subordonata se poate folosi orice timp:
REGENTA
Verbul este la prezent
sens)
(Present Tense Simple, Present Tense
Continuous, Present Perfect Simple,
Present Perfect Continuous )
We all know that = Noi toti stim ca

SUBORDONATA
Verbul poate fi la orice timp (cerut de

... he had gone = el mersese

... he went = el a mers
... he will go= el va merge

Regula II: Daca in regenta verbul este la trecut in subordonata el trebuie sa fie
la unul din cele trei timpuri trecute ale limbii engleze: The Past Perfect, The Past
Tense, The Future in the Past.
REGENTA
Verbul este la trecut
(Past Tense Simple, Past Tense
Continuous, Past Perfect Simple,
Past Perfect Continuous)

SUBORDONATA
Orice alt timp past"

a) Past Tense actiune simultana Past Tense

He said = El a spus
... he was ill = ca este bolnav
b) Past Tense actiune anterioara Past Perfect
He said = El a spus ... he had returned home a week before
= ca se intorsese acasa cu o saptamna inainte

Atentie: Daca intr-o fraza exista doua propozitii secundara cu actiunea anterioara
celei din principala, se poate folosi Past Perfect in mod repetat.
Ex. She said she had forgotten where she had put her glasses.
(Ea a spus ca uitase unde si-a pus ochelarii.)
c) Past Tenseactiunea posterioar Future-in-the-Past
He said = El a spus
... he would leave the next day = ca va pleca a doua zi
.
Atentie: Daca intr-o fraza exista doua propozitii secundare cu actiune
posterioara celei din principala, dintre care una este temporala sau conditionala.
Future-in-the-Past se poate folosi numai o singura data, dupa care (in temporala
sau conditionala) se intrebuinteaza Past Tense (pentru simultaneitate) sau Past
Perfect (pentru anterioritate).
He said = El a spus ... he would buy a car if he had money = ca va cumpara o
masina daca va avea bani
Regula III: Daca verbul din regenta este la viitor in subordonatele conditionale
si temporale, el trebuie sa fie la Present Tense sau Present Perfect Tense, iar daca
subordonata este completiva directa verbul va fi la viitor.
REGENTA
Verbul este la viitor

SUBORDONATA
Teoretic se poate folosi orice timp cerut
de sens, cu exceptia propozitii

temporale
sau conditionale, care nu pot include
un verb la viitor.
Situatiile cel mai des intlnite sunt urmatoarele:
a) Future actiune simultana Present
I will read this book = Voi citi aceasta carte
timp

when I have time =cnd voi avea

b)Future actiune anterioara Present Perfect

I will go to England = Voi merge in Anglia
after I have received a visa=
dupa ce voi obtine viza
c) verbul va fi la orice timp in subordonata completiva directa
I shall see what = Eu voi vedea ce
I shall do. = voi face.

Nota: In limba engleza contemporana, se poate observa uneori o oarecare

tendinta de a nu se respecta concordanta timpurilor atunci cnd verbul din
propozitia principala este la trecut. Se poate intlni, de exemplu, o formulare de
tipul: He said he loves me". Este posibil ca ceea ce apare acum ca tendinta, cu
timpul, sa ajunga regula. Pentru moment insa, sfatuim pe vorbitorii romni de
limba engleza sa respecte regulile de concordanta a timpurilor asa cum sunt
prezentate mai sus.
EXCEPTII (deci cazuri cand nu se aplica regulile de concordanta a timpurilor)
1. Cand in subordonata se exprima un adevar stiintific /general.
Everybody knew that gold is a metal. = Toata lumea stia ca aurul este metal.
I told you that silver is gray. = Ti-am spus ca argintul este gri.
2. Cand subordonata este:
a) cauzala
He will not go to school because he didn't learn his lessons. = El nu va merge la
scoala pentru ca nu si-a invatat lectiile.
We shall go on the trip because they gave us the money. = Vom merge in
excursie pentru ca ei ne-au dat banii.
b) atributiva
You will see the man who wrote that book. = Il vei vedea pe omul care a scris
cartea aceea.
I saw the girl who will play the piano. = Am vazut fata care va canta la pian.
c) comparativ modala
Tomorrow I shall work more than I worked yesterday. = Maine voi munci mai
mult decat am muncit ieri

Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened,
and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the
word if. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the

past tenses. This usage is referred to as "the unreal past" because we use a past tense but we are not
actually referring to something that happened in the past. There are five main ways of constructing
conditional sentences in English. In all cases, these sentences are made up of an if clause and a main
clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using
"unless" instead of "if".
Condit
ional
senten
ce type

Usage

If clause
verb tense

Main clause verb tense

Zero

General truths

Simple
present

Simple present

Type 1

A possible condition and its

probable result

Simple
present

Simple future

Type 2

A hypothetical condition and

its probable result

Simple past

Present conditional or Present continuous conditio

Type 3

An unreal past condition and

its probable result in the past

Past perfect

Perfect conditional

Mixed
type

An unreal past condition and

its probable result in the
present

Past perfect

Present contditional

THE ZERO CONDITIONAL

The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the situation
is real and possible. The zero conditional is often used to refer to general truths. The tense in both
parts of the sentence is the simple present. In zero conditional sentences, the word "if" can usually
be replaced by the word "when" without changing the meaning.
If clause

Main clause

If + simple
present

simple present

If this thing
happens

that thing happens.

If you heat ice

it melts.

If it rains

the grass gets wet.

TYPE 1 CONDITIONAL
The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real. The type
1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these sentences the if clause is
in the simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future.
If clause

Main clause

If + simple
present

simple future

If this thing
happens

that thing will happen.

If you don't hurry

you will miss the train.

If it rains today

you will get wet.

TYPE 2 CONDITIONAL
The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and a situation that
is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact. The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a
hypothetical condition and its probable result. In type 2 conditional sentences, the if clause uses the
simple past, and the main clause uses the present conditional.
If clause

Main clause

If + simple past

present conditional or present continuous conditional

If this thing happened

that thing would happen. (but I'm not sure this thing will happen) OR
that thing would be happening.

If you went to bed

earlier

you would not be so tired.

If it rained

you would get wet.

If I spoke Italian

I would be working in Italy.

TYPE 3 CONDITIONAL
The type 3 conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is contrary to
reality. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The type 3 conditional is
used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable past result. In type 3 conditional sentences,
the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the perfect conditional.
If clause

Main clause

If + past perfect

perfect conditional or perfect continuous conditional

If this thing had

happened

that thing would have happened. (but neither of those things really happened) OR
that thing would have been happening.

If clause

Main clause

If you had studied

harder

you would have passed the exam.

If it had rained

you would have gotten wet.

If I had accepted that

promotion

I would have been working in Milan.

MIXED TYPE CONDITIONAL

The mixed type conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that
is ongoing into the present. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The
mixed type conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the
present. In mixed type conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause
uses the present conditional.
If clause

Main clause

If + past perfect or
simple past

present conditional or perfect conditional

If this thing had

happened

that thing would happen. (but this thing didn't happen so that thing isn't happening)

If I had worked
harder at school

I would have a better job now.

If we had looked at
the map

we wouldn't be lost.

If you weren't afraid

of spiders

you would have picked it up and put it outside.