Need someone to explain past and future tense before TOKI

[Andromedashun]

I did some grammar exercises with Mondaisyu I and I've made lots of error with those phrases with toki without understanding clearly. It seems Japanese grammar on past/future tense is a lot different from English. Anyone mind explain when and why you have to put past (present) verb before toki?

 

[Toritoribe]

What are the examples of your mistakes, for instance?

 

[Andromedashun]

I forgot them but here I type all the example from the books:

（疲れる、疲れた）とき、熱いおふろにはいって、はやく寝ます。

うちを（出る、出た）とき、電気を消しませんでした。

朝（起きる、起きた）とき、家族の写真に「おはよう」と言います。

きのうの夜（寝る、寝た）とき、少しお酒を飲みました。

パスポートを（なくします。。。）とき、どしますか。

けさここへ（来ます。。。）とき、駅で新聞を買いました。

病院へ（行きます。。。）とき、保険証を持って行きます。

初めて富士山を（見ます。。。）とき、ほんとうにきれいな山だと思いました

 

[Toritoribe]

The tense of the とき clause doesn't express whether the actual tense of the clause is past or present/future (i.e. absolute tense), but is determined by whether the event of the とき clause have already done or not at the time of the event of the main clause(i.e. relative tense).

Relative and absolute tense - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For instance, in the first sentence, the speaker/writer is already tired at the time when he/she takes a hot bath and go to bed early, so the past tense 疲れた is used. On the other hand, in the fourth sentence, when he/she drank a bit, he/she didn't sleep yet, so the present tense 寝る is used. You can think "～するとき" as "～する前に i.e. before doing", and "～したとき" as "～した後で i.e. after doing", respectively.

疲れたとき、熱いおふろにはいって、はやく寝ます。 ≒ 疲れた後で、熱いおふろにはいって、はやく寝ます。

きのうの夜寝るとき、少しお酒を飲みました。 ≒ きのうの夜寝る前に、少しお酒を飲みました。

 

[Andromedashun]

Thanks alot dude, I perfectly understand it now. Tried doing it again and make no error. Although I feel it a bit hard to remember what to do.