English Tenses Test

Do you know when to use each English tense? This free tenses test mixes them all: present simple and continuous, past simple and continuous, present perfect, past perfect, used to and every way to talk about the future. You can choose 10, 25 or 50 questions, and each test is a new random selection from a bank of 75. When you finish, you’ll see which tenses you know well and which ones need more practice.

Level B1–B2 25 questions ~10 min

  1. Water   at 100 degrees Celsius.

  2. Look! The kids   in the garden again.

  3. My brother (work) from home this month while his office is being repaired.

  4. How often   to the gym?

  5. The train   at 6:15 tomorrow morning.

  6. She (not / eat) meat. She’s been a vegetarian for years.

  7. Hurry up! The film   in five minutes, and we haven’t bought tickets yet.

  8. He’s always   his keys. It’s so annoying!

  9. She   to work by bike most days.

  10. Tom   in the kitchen. Can you hear him singing?

  11. “What time (the film / start)?” “At 8.”

  12. This soup   delicious.

  13. (you / believe) in ghosts?

  14. We   of selling the house, but we haven’t decided yet.

  15. I   this car. It was my father’s.

  16. While I   dinner, the lights went out.

  17. When the teacher came in, the students (talk) loudly.

  18. I   my wallet on the bus yesterday.

  19. What   at 9 pm last night? I called, but you didn’t answer.

  20. Shakespeare (write) about 39 plays.

  21. They   each other at university in 2015.

  22. I   along the beach when I saw a dolphin.

  23. The phone rang while I (have) a shower.

  24. We   TV when we heard a strange noise outside.

  25. At this time yesterday, I   on a plane to Warsaw.

  26. Have you ever   sushi?

  27. I   him since we left school.

  28. We (just / finish) the report. You can read it now.

  29. When   to London?

  30. This is the third time she   late this week.

  31. My grandfather   in that house all his life. He died in 2010.

  32. (you / see) the news yet?

  33. I can’t find my keys. I think I   them.

  34. She   her phone again. She can’t find it anywhere.

  35. I (not / see) Anna since her wedding.

  36. It’s the best book I  .

  37. I (live) in Kyiv since 2019.

  38. Your eyes are red. Have you been  ?

  39. She   Japanese for three years, and she’s still not fluent.

  40. How long   for the bus?

  41. I   three emails this morning.

  42. It   all day. The garden is flooded.

  43. They   married for 20 years, and they’re still happy together.

  44. Sorry I’m late.   long?

  45. By the time we arrived, the film  .

  46. She was nervous because she (never / fly) before.

  47. After he   his exams, he went on holiday.

  48. I realised I   my passport at home.

  49. They were exhausted because they   all night.

  50. When I got to the station, the train (already / leave).

  51. How long   there before you moved to Berlin?

  52. The streets were wet. It   during the night.

  53. I   play football every weekend when I was a kid.

  54. There (use) to be a cinema here, but it closed.

  55.   you use to have long hair?

  56. Every summer, my grandmother   make jam from the cherries in her garden.

  57. He   smoke, but he gave up five years ago.

  58. When she was younger, she   shy, but now she’s very confident.

  59. Careful! That glass   fall off the table!

  60. “I’m so tired.” “OK, I   the dishes for you.”

  61. We (meet) the clients at 10 tomorrow. It’s in my calendar.

  62. I think robots   most jobs one day.

  63. Don’t call me at 8. I   dinner with my parents.

  64. I’ll call you as soon as I   home.

  65. This time next week, we   on a beach in Greece.

  66. Quick, the bus is about to  !

  67. If you   in Rome next month, give me a call.

  68. I   to the dentist on Friday. I’ve made an appointment.

  69. I’m sure you   the new manager. She’s really friendly.

  70. By next June, I   from university.

  71. By the end of this year, she (work) here for a decade.

  72. By the time you get here, we (eat) everything!

  73. She said she   call me later, but she didn’t.

  74. I (go) to phone you, but I forgot.

  75. I knew the exam   difficult.

0 / 75

Teachers: download these questions as a printable worksheet with an answer key. It’s free to use in class.

Tenses in this test

How to choose the right tense

Most tense mistakes come from translating directly from your own language. Ask yourself two questions instead. First, when is it? Is it now, in general, at a finished time in the past, or connected to now? Second, how do you see it? Is it a complete action, or something still in progress? Time words help a lot: yesterday and ago go with the past simple, since and yet go with the present perfect, and by the time often goes with the perfect tenses.

FAQ

How many tenses are there in English?

Coursebooks usually say 12: present, past and future, each in a simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous form. Strictly speaking, English has only two tenses (present and past), and the future is made with words like will and going to. For learners, though, the 12-form table is the most practical way to think about it, and this test covers all the forms you’ll use regularly.

Which tenses cause the most mistakes?

For most learners, it’s the present perfect vs the past simple (I have seen or I saw?), and the difference between the simple and continuous forms. Many languages don’t have a present perfect at all, so it feels strange at first. If those topics get your lowest scores, start with their exercise pages.

What level is this tenses test?

It’s mostly B1 to B2. The present and past questions are suitable from A2, while the future perfect and the future in the past are B2 structures. To test a whole level, not just the tenses, try the B1 or B2 grammar test.