English verb tenses — interactive lesson with all 12 tenses, time signals, and exercises.
Interactive lesson · Grammar
English verb tenses
All 12 tenses, alternative forms, aspect contrasts, grammar structures, and practice exercises
What this lesson covers
English has 12 tenses formed by combining three time frames — past, present, and future — with four aspects: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. Each combination expresses a distinct relationship between an action and time.
4
Past tenses
4
Present tenses
4
Future tenses
4
Aspects
The four aspects
Simple
Completed or habitual actions
Continuous
Actions in progress / temporary
Perfect
Actions with relevance to another time
Perfect continuous
Duration up to a point in time
This lesson covers the 12 core tenses plus 9 additional grammar areas. In Tenses, click any aspect card to open its full entry. Click any time signal chip to explore it and save it to your glossary. Use the exercises to practise everything.
📖
Tenses
All 12 — formula, uses, time signals
🔄
Alternative forms
used to, would, be used to…
⏪
Future in the past
was going to, would, was about to…
⚖️
Aspect contrasts
Side-by-side trickiest pairs
🧠
Stative verbs
know, want, own — no -ing!
🔮
Modal perfect
must have, should have…
📝
Narrative tenses
Tenses working together in text
⏰
Time clauses
when, after, as soon as…
❓
Conditionals
Zero to mixed — tense logic
🔁
Passive voice
Across the main tenses
✏️
Gap fill
Choose the correct form
🔀
Matching
Match sentence to tense
🔍
Error correction
Find and fix the mistake
My glossary
Your saved items
English verb tenses
Tenses
Select a time frame, then click any aspect card to expand its full entry — click 🔖 to save to your glossary
Time signals — tap a card for examples, 🔖 to save
English verb tenses
Alternative & equivalent forms
Forms that express similar meanings to the main tenses — click any card for the full entry with examples and audio
English verb tenses
Future in the past
Forms used to talk about what was going to happen — plans, expectations, and predictions made at a past moment
English verb tenses
Aspect contrasts
The trickiest pairs — same situation, different tense, different meaning — click any pair to explore
English verb tenses
Stative verbs
Verbs that describe states rather than actions — they almost never take the continuous form
English verb tenses
Modal perfect forms
Modal verbs combined with the perfect aspect — deduction, regret, criticism, and possibility — click any card to explore
English verb tenses
Narrative tenses in context
See how past simple, past continuous, and past perfect work together in a real text — click any highlighted sentence to understand its role
English verb tenses
Time clauses & tense rules
After when, after, before, as soon as, by the time — the tense rule that surprises most learners — click any conjunction to explore
English verb tenses
Conditionals
Zero, first, second, third, and two types of mixed — the tense logic behind each type — click any card to explore
English verb tenses
Passive voice across tenses
How to form the passive in the main tenses — click any card to see the passive formula and examples
English verb tenses
Gap fill
Choose the correct verb form to complete each sentence
English verb tenses
Matching
Match each sentence to the tense or form it illustrates — five rounds
English verb tenses
Error correction
One sentence has a grammar error — choose the correct version
English verb tenses
My glossary
All your saved items — tenses, signals, forms, and structures — click ✕ to remove any item