Why don't you have only one past tense in English?

Why don't you have only one past tense in English? I'm lost in your past tenses.
For example:

I was home when he came. ( Byłem w domu, kiedy przyszedł. )
I have been home when he came. ( Byłem w domu, kiedy przyszedł. )
I had been home when he came. ( Byłem w domu, kiedy przyszedł. )

I was = Byłem ( for man )
I have been = Byłem ( for man )
I had been = Byłem ( for man )

It's so complicated. Many Polish don't get it. We have only one past tense. That's enough.

Macie "aspekty" po polsku, z. pr. "isc", "chodzic", "pojsc" itd. Mamy "czasy" (tenses) po angielsku, n. pr. "I came" (jeden raz) przeciwko "I have been coming" (wiele razow), aby pokazowac roznice cynnosci.

Marek

I was going to try and explain but here is a link that you will probably find a darn sight easier to understand. :)

owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/esltensverb.html

this isnot said in english

we may say: i have been home SINCE he came.

The reason why you are making past tenses in English so hard is that you have thought up examples in English that do not exist. In English it is incorrect to say 'I have been home when he came' and 'I had been home when he came' as you are mixing up past tenses'. It is all right to simply say for example, I was home when he came though. Does this help?

Try simply 'I was home when he came' ja bylem w domu kiedy on przyszedl.

Ah conjugation (for years I thought you would be arrested for it)

Overview follows

1. Judy saved thirty dollars. (past)
2. Judy will save thirty dollars. (future)
3. Judy has saved thirty dollars. (present perfect)
4. Judy had saved thirty dollars by the end of last month. (past perfect)
5. Judy will have saved thirty dollars by the end of this month. (future perfect)

In total there are about (as I recall) thirty different tense combinations. The five above should be enough to srat with. Imperfect tenses next (I was planning to do them now but work got in the way)

Thank you szarlotka, a good selection of sentences and grammar terms. I just rely on what looks right!

The main principle is practice and learning through mistakes. It is all right learning grammar terms but they have to be used too.

Very true Michal. A lot of the tenses have fallen into disuse anyway. Its a pareto distribution, you will be correct 90% of th etime with 10% of the knowledge. Anyway I notice you are studying law which is a far more complex language!

It's all in the teaching.

There are two tenses: Present and Past.

The future is formed by using Present tenses. Example: I'm meeting John next week.

Think of Grammar this way:
Present.
Part A ..........Present Simple.
Part B...........Present Continuous.
etc.

Czesc, Panu Wroclawie!

Present continuous = Pisze Piotrowi dlugi list. = niedokonany (I'm writing Peter a long letter.)
Present simple = Napisze Piotrowi list. = dokonany (I will have written Peter a letter.)

Wszystcie czasy (tenses) po angielsku zwiazku z aspektami po polsku.
Marek

there are not as many past tenses in English as there are in Spanish.. Im sure, this is totally unhelpful to know, but just wanted to join in.

Sapphire!

Indeed, it's quite helpful. To be sure, comparisons between Polish and other languages can only aide our ability to understand the target language (in this case Polish). :)

Thanks very much,
Marek

Tylko dalej:

Napisalem/-am Piotrowi dlugi list. = I WROTE (dokonany!!) Peter a long letter.
Pisalem/-am Piotrowi dlugi list. = I WAS WRITING (niedokonany!!) Peter a long letter.

Marek

Ja napisalem do Piotra dlugi list
Ja pisalem do Piotra dlugi list
Ja dalem Piotrowi prezent w Bozym Narodzeniu
Ja daje Piotrowi prezent jutro, na przyklad.
Pisze do Piotra dlugi list
ja napisze do Piotra list is I will write Piotr a letter to Piotr

I would not have thought that 'napisze' could be the present simple case as it refers to a future action

Michal,

Foolish me! Maybe I'm translating from German (AGAIN :) :) "Ich werde Peter einen (langen) Brief geschrieben haben." = I will have written Peter a long letter.

Marek