Mastering the verb tenses of the Bardo language is essential for establishing good communication between speakers. Well, if verb tenses in English are considered easier than those in Portuguese, why can it be so difficult for Portuguese speakers to use them correctly?
It's simple, our brain is molded to Portuguese. So, then, how to evolve these grammatical structures in English and never make mistakes again?
Understand that Portuguese and English are two different languages. Check out, for example, some of these differences:
1. Portuguese has the subjunctive mode. Example: If I have/Whenever he wants...
2. Portugal has phrases with the hidden subject because the termination of the English irregular verbs normally indicates to us who the subject is. On the other hand, if we build subjectless sentences in English, we will not be able to know who is responsible for the action. See these examples:
The public will one children's book last year. (Subject: I, determined by the conjugation of the verb.)
Published a child book last year. ( Who? Who published the book? With the absence of a specific subject – which in Portuguese we could refer to the hidden subject – in the structure of the sentence in English, we do not know whom we are referring to, therefore, we do not know the subject of the sentence and this is not grammatically acceptable.
3. Verbs are conjugated for all people, making changes, keeping the root. Negative and interrogative sentences in English contain auxiliary verbs and have a change in word order. Note these examples:
I have published a book. /I published a book.
She has published a book ./She has published a book – note that the auxiliary verb has changed from having, 1st person singular, to has, 3rd person singular.
The same happens in the structuring of the sentence in its negative and interrogative forms. And this is a grammatical ordering that we don't have in Portuguese. We rely much more on the verbal and nominal agreement and verbal and nominal rulership when structuring our sentences. Watch:
