Click on the sections in the table to learn about the tenses.

Past Simple. Present Simple. Future Simple.
Past Continuous. Present Continuous. Future Continuous.
Past Perfect. Present Perfect. Future Perfect.
Past Perfect Continuous. Present Perfect Continuous. Future Perfect Continuous.
Used to. About to. Going to .


Try a quiz.

Past Simple Quiz. Past Continuous Quiz. Past Perfect Quiz. Past Perfect Continuous Quiz.
Present Simple Quiz. Present Continuous Quiz. Present Perfect Quiz. Present Perfect Continuous Quiz.
Future Simple Quiz. Future Continuous Quiz. Future Perfect Quiz. Future Perfect Continuous Quiz.
Used To Quiz. About to Quiz. Going To Quiz. All Tenses Quiz.


Extra Quizzes.

Past Simple Statements Quiz. Past Simple Negative Quiz. Past Simple Questions Quiz.
Present Simple Statements Quiz. Present Simple Negative Quiz. Present Simple Questions Quiz.


Help.

Past Simple

The past simple describes something that happened and finished in the past.

Past simple = Subject + past tense form of verb
e.g. I saw Susan.

Past simple negative = Subject + did not + base form of verb +....
or
Subject + was/were not +.......

e.g. I did not see Susan.
e.g. I was not there.

Past simple question = Did + subject + base form of verb + .........?
or
Was/Were + subject + .......?

e.g. Did you see Susan?
e.g. Were you with them?

Past simple in passive voice = Subject + was/were + past participle
e.g. I was paid yesterday.

Past simple negative in passive voice = Subject + was/were + not + past participle
e.g. I was not paid yesterday.

Past simple question in passive voice = Was/were + subject + past participle +............?
e.g. Were you paid yesterday?

Past Simple Quiz.

Past Simple Statements Quiz.

Past Simple Negative Quiz.

Past Simple Questions Quiz.

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Present Simple

The present simple describes things that happen repeatedly in the present.

Present simple = Subject + base form of verb
e.g. I play football.

Present simple negative = Subject + do/does + not + base form of verb
e.g. I do not play football. He does not play football.

or
Subject + am/are/is not +.......

e.g. I am not happy. He is not happy.

Present simple question = Do/Does + subject + base form of verb +......?
e.g. Do you play football? Does he play football?

or
Am/Are/Is + subject + ........

e.g. Are you hot? Is she in the meeting?

Present simple in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + past participle
e.g. I am paid monthly. English is spoken widely. They are paid monthly.

Present simple negative in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + not + past participle
e.g. I am not paid monthly. She is not paid weekly. They are not seen often.

Present simple question in passive voice = Am/Is/Are + subject + past participle + ........?
e.g. Am I needed now? Is she paid monthly? Are they taken for a tour?

Present Simple Quiz.

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Future Simple

The future simple decribes something that will happen in the future.

Future simple = Subject + will + base form of verb.
e.g. They will come on Friday.

Future simple negative = Subject + will not + base form of verb.
e.g. They will not come on Friday. They won't come on Friday. (will not = won't)

Future simple question = Will + subject + base form of verb +......?
e.g. Will she come on Friday?

Future simple in passive voice = Subject + will be + past participle of verb.
e.g. We will be told on Friday.

Future simple negative in passive voice = Subject + will not be + past participle of verb.
e.g. We will not be told on Friday.

Future simple question in passive voice = Will + subject + be + past participle of verb +........?
e.g. Will we be told on Friday?

Future Simple Quiz.

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Past Continuous

The past continuous describes something happening in the past that got interrupted by something else.


It also describes what was happening at one point in the past.


Past continuous = Subject + was/were + present participle.
e.g. I was driving yesterday morning. They were playing football when it started to rain. (started to rain is in the past simple)

Past continuous negative = Subject + was/were + not + present participle.
e.g. I was not working at five o'clock last night.

Past continuous question = Was/Were + subject + present participle +....?
e.g. Was he running quickly?

Past continuous in passive voice = Subject + was/were + being + past participle.
e.g. They were being watched.

Past continuous negative in passive voice = Subject + was/were +not + being + past participle.
e.g. They were not being watched.

Past continuous question in passive voice = Was/Were + subject + being + past participle +.....?
e.g. Were you being watched?

Past Continuous Quiz.

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Present Continuous

The present continuous describes what is happening now.



The present continuous can also describe a plan for the future if we add words describing a time in the future.

Present continuous = Subject + am/is/are + present participle.
e.g. I am watching a movie right now. I am driving home tomorrow.

Present continuous negative = Subject + am/is/are + not + present participle
e.g. I am not watching a movie.

Present continuous question = Am/is/are + subject + present participle +.....?
e.g. Are you feeling well?

Present continuous in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + being + past participle of verb.
e.g. Dinner is being served.

Present continuous negative in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + not + being + past participle of verb.
e.g. Dinner is not being served now.

Present continuous question in passive voice = Am/Is/Are + subject + being + past participle of verb +........?
e.g. Is the floor being cleaned?

Present Continuous Quiz.

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Future Continuous

The future continuous describes what will be happening at one particular point in the future.


The future continuous can also describe what we think is likely to be happening at the present, but cannot see.
E.g. It is midday, I think Roy will be having his lunch now.

Future continuous = Subject + will be + present participle.
e.g He will be working late tomorrow.

Future continuous negative = Subject + will not be + present participle.
e.g. He will not be working late tomorrow.

Future continuous question = Will + subject + be + present participle + ....?
e.g. Will you be working late tomorrow?

Future continuous in passive voice = Subject + will be being + past participle of verb
e.g. This room will be being cleaned on Friday night.

Future continuous negative in passive voice = Subject + will not be being + past participle of verb
e.g. This room will not be being cleaned on Friday night.

Future continuous question in passive voice = Will + subject + be being + past participle of verb +........?
e.g. Will this room be being cleaned on Friday night?

Future Continuous Quiz.

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Past Perfect

The past perfect describes something that started in the past and continued up to another point in the past before something else started.

Past perfect = Subject + had + past participle of verb
e.g. I had finished the job by midday.

Past perfect negative = Subject + had not+ past participle of verb
e.g. I had not finished the job on time.

Past perfect question = Had + subject + past participle of verb +....?
e.g. Had you eaten enough?

Past perfect in passive voice = Subject + had been + past participle of verb
e.g. The room had been cleaned when we arrived. The food had all been eaten.

Past perfect negative in passive voice = Subject + had not been + past participle of verb
e.g. The room had not been cleaned when we arrived.

Past perfect question in passive voice = Had + subject + been + past participle of verb +....?
e.g. Had the room been cleaned when you arrived? Had all of the food been eaten?

Past Perfect Quiz.

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Present Perfect

The present perfect describes something that started in the past and just finished recently or hasn't finished yet. It can also describe our experiences.

Present perfect = Subject + have/has + past participle of verb.
e.g. I have cleaned the car. I have been to Italy. He has finished work. He has worked in London before.

Present perfect negative = Subject + have/has + not + past participle of verb.
e.g. I have not cleaned the car. He has not finished work yet. I have never been to Italy. (use never with experiences)

Present perfect question =Have/Has + subject + past participle of verb +...?
e.g. Have you washed the car yet? Has he finished work yet? Have you ever been to Italy? (use "have you ever?" to ask about experiences)

Present perfect in passive voice = Subject + have/has + been + past participle of verb
e.g. The room has been cleaned. The food has all been eaten.

Present perfect negative in passive voice = Subject + have/has + not been + past participle of verb
e.g. The room has not been cleaned. I have not been paid yet.

Present perfect question in passive voice = Have/Has + subject + been + past participle of verb +....?
e.g. Has the room been cleaned? Have you been paid yet?

Present Perfect Quiz.

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Future Perfect

The future perfect tells us what will be completed by a certain point in the future.

The future perfect can also describe what we think is likely to be have been completed at the present, but cannot see.
E.g. It is midday, I think Roy will have finished his lunch by now.

Future perfect = Subject + will have + past participle.
e.g. I will have finished the job by Thursday.

Future perfect negative = Subject + will not have + past participle.
e.g. I will not have finished the job by Thursday. I won't have finished the job by Thursday. (will not = won't)

Future question = Will + subject+ have + past participle +......?
e.g. Will you have finished the job by Thursday?

Future perfect in passive voice = Subject + will have been + past participle.
e.g. The car will have been fixed by next week.

Future perfect negative in passive voice = Subject + will not have been+ past participle.
e.g. The car will not have been fixed by week. The car won't have been fixed by next week.(will not = won't)

Future question in passive voice = Will + subject+ have been+ past participle +......?
e.g. Will the car have been fixed by next week?

Future Perfect Quiz.

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Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous describes something that started in the past and continued up to another point in the past before something else started. It is usually interrupted by the next event.

Past perfect continuous = Subject + had been + present participle.
e.g. I had been living there for twenty years.

Past perfect continuous negative = Subject + had not been + present participle.
e.g. I had not been living there for very long.

Past perfect continuous question = Had + subject + been + present participle.
e.g. Had you been living there for long?

Past perfect continuous in passive voice = Subject + had been being + past participle of verb.
e.g. Alan had been being watched for a week.

Past perfect continuous negative in passive voice = Subject + had not been being + past participle of verb.
e.g. Alan had not been being watched for long.

Past perfect continuous question in passive voice = Had + subject + been being + past participle of verb +………?
e.g. Had Alan been being watched for long?

Past Perfect Continuous Quiz.

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Present Perfect Continuous

The present perfect continuous describes something that started in the past and continued up to now. It is often being interrupted by the next event.

Present perfect continuous = Subject + have/has + been + present participle.
e.g. I have been living there for twenty years.

Present perfect continuous negative = Subject + have/has + not been + present participle.
e.g. He has not been living there for very long.

Present perfect continuous question = Have/has + subject + been + present participle +……?
e.g. Have you been living there for long?

Present perfect continuous in passive voice = Subject + have/has + been being + past participle of verb.
e.g. Alan has been being watched for a week.

Present perfect continuous negative in passive voice = Subject + have/has + not been being + past participle of verb.
e.g. Alan has not been being watched for long.

Present perfect continuous question in passive voice = Have/has + subject + been being + past participle of verb +………?
e.g. Have you been being watched for long?

Present Perfect Continuous Quiz.

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Future Perfect Continuous

The future perfect continuous describes something that happens up to a certain point in the future and is usually interrupted by the next event.

The future perfect continuous can also describe what we think is likely to be have been happening for some time up to the present, but cannot see.
E.g. I think Roy will have been travelling for two hours by now.

Future perfect continuous = Subject + will have been + present participle.
e.g. I will have been living there for twenty years.

Future perfect continuous negative = Subject + will not have been + present participle
e.g. He will not have been living there for very long.

Future perfect continuous question = Will + subject + have + been + present participle +……?
e.g. Will you have been living there for long?

Future perfect continuous in passive voice = Subject + have + been being + past participle of verb.
e.g. I will have been being driven to work for a year.

Future perfect continuous negative in passive voice = Subject + will not have + been being + past participle of verb.
e.g. I will not have been being driven to work for a year.

Future perfect continuous question in passive voice = Will + subject + have been being + past participle of verb +………?
e.g. Will he have been being paid on time for the whole year?

Future Perfect Continuous Quiz.

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Used to

The phrase "used to" can describe something that happened repeatedly in the past.

Sentence with the phrase "used to" = Subject + used to + base form of verb.
e.g. I used to work nights.

Negative sentence with the phrase "used to" = Subject + did not used to + base form of verb
e.g. I did not used to work nights.

Question with the phrase "used to" = Did + subject + used to + base form of verb +......?
e.g. Did you used to work nights?

Passive sentence with the phrase "used to" = Subject + used to be + past participle of verb
e.g. She used to be paid on time.

Negative passive sentence with the phrase "used to" = Subject + did not used to be + past participle of verb
e.g. She did not used to be paid on time.

Question with the phrase "used to" in the passive voice = Did + subject + used to be + past participle of verb +.......?
e.g. Did he used to be driven to work?

Used To Quiz.

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About to

The phrase "about to" describes something that will happen in the near future.

Sentence with about to =Subject + am/is/are + about to + base form of verb
e.g. We are about to go out. (We will go out in the next two minutes)

Negative sentence with about to = Subject + am/is/are + not about to + base form of verb
e.g. They are not about to leave.

Question with the phrase "about to" = Am/Is/Are + subject + about to + base form of verb + .....?
e.g. Are they about to leave?

Sentence with "about to" in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + about to be + past participle of verb
e.g. We are about to be paid.

Negative sentence with "about to" in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + not about to be + past participle of verb
e.g. They are not about to be driven home.

Question with the phrase "about to" in passive voice = Am/Is/Are + subject + about to be + past participle +.....?
e.g. Are they about to be driven home?

When used with the past tense the phrase "about to" describes one thing that might have happened immediately after another thing in the past.

Past tense sentence with about to = Subject + was/were + about to + base form of verb
e.g. We were about to go out. (We planned to go out in the next two minutes)

Negative sentence with about to in the past = Subject + was/were + not about to + base form of verb
e.g. They were not about to leave.

Question with the about to in the past = Was/Were + subject + about to + base form of verb + .....?
e.g. Were they about to leave?

Past tense sentence with "about to" in passive voice = Subject + was/were + about to be + past participle of verb
e.g. We were about to be paid.

Negative sentence in the past tense with about to in passive voice = Subject + was/were + not about to be + past participle of verb
e.g. They were not about to be driven home.

Question with the phrase "about to" in passive voice = Was/Were + subject + about to be + past participle +.....?
e.g. Were they about to be driven home?

When used with the future tense, the phrase "about to" describes something that will happen soon after another thing in the future.

Sentence with about to in the future = Subject + will be about to + base form of verb
e.g. We will be about to go out.

Negative sentence with about to in the future = Subject + will not be about to + base form of verb
e.g. They will not be about to leave.

Question with the phrase "about to" = Will + subject + be about to + base form of verb + .....?
e.g. Will they be about to leave?

Sentence with "about to" in passive voice in the future tense = Subject + will be about to be + past participle of verb
e.g. We will be about to be paid.

Negative sentence with "about to" in passive voice in the future tense = Subject + will not be about to be + past participle of verb
e.g. We will not be about to be paid.

Question with the phrase "about to" in passive voice in the future tense = Will + subject + be about to be + past participle +.....?
e.g. Will they be about to be driven home?

About To Quiz.

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Going to

The phrase "going to" describes something already planned.

Going to as a statement = Subject + am/is/are + going to + base form of verb
e.g. I am going to play football on Friday.

Going to as a negative statement = Subject + am/is/are + not going to + base form of verb
e.g. I am not going to play football on Friday.

Going to as a question =Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base form of verb +...?
e.g. Are you going to play football on Friday?

Going to in passive voice = Subject + am/is/are + going to be + past participle of verb.
e.g. He is going to be told on Friday.

Going to negative in passive voice= Subject + am/is/are + not going to be + past participle of verb.
e.g. He is not going to be given a company car.

Going to question in passive voice = Am/is/are + subject + going to be + past participle of verb +.....?
e.g. Are we going to be told on Friday?


The phrase "going to" can also be used in the past tense. It describes a plan made in the past that did not happen.
Sentence with "going to" in the past = Subject + was/were + going to + base form of verb
e.g. We were going to play football, but it started to rain.

Negative sentence with "going to" in the past = Subject + was/were + not going to + base form of verb
e.g. We were not going to go home, but the shops closed early. (We went home)

Question with "going to" in the past = Was/Were + subject + going to + base form of verb +........?
e.g. Was he going to come?(he didn't come)

Sentence in passive voice with "going to" in the past = Subject + was/were + going to be + past participle of verb
e.g. They were going to be told about it on Monday. (They were not told on Monday.)

Negative sentence in passive voice with "going to" in the past = Subject + was/were + not going to be + past participle of verb
e.g. They were not going to be told about it on Monday. (Maybe they were told about it on Monday, but that was not planned.)

Question in passive voice with "going to" in the past = Was/Were + subject + going to be + past participle of verb +......?
e.g. Were they going to be told about it on Monday?

Going To Quiz.

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Help.

Forms of verbs.

Have a look at the table below for some examples of different verb forms.

Base form.

Past tense form.

Past participle.

Present participle.

be was/were been being
do did done doing
have had had having
go went gone going
speak spoke spoken speaking
play played played playing

Active voice vs passive voice.

In the active voice, the subject does something.
In the passive voice, something is done to the subject.
Subject means the person, animal or thing that does something.

Sentence in active voice: John bought a car.
Same sentence in passive voice: The car was bought by John.

When we use the passive voice we don't need to say who or what did something.
e.g. The car was stolen. (We don't know who stole the car)

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