Grammar reference

Grammar & Tenses

Twelve tenses and the essential rules that hold English sentences together.

A complete reference for tense forms and everyday grammar: articles, quantifiers, comparisons, prepositions, questions, conditionals, the passive, verb patterns and reported speech.

tenses: 12 tenses
grammar essentials: 10 grammar essentials
practice questions: 20 practice questions

How to choose a tense

1. Time

Is the situation present, past or future? Start with the time, then choose the aspect.

2. Aspect

Simple = the whole event or a fact. Continuous = in progress. Perfect = seen from a later point.

3. Clues

Check time markers (yesterday, since, by the time) and make sure the verb is not stative.

In a hurry? Learn these four first: present simple, present continuous, past simple and present perfect. They cover most everyday conversations. For articles, prepositions, conditionals and other sentence-level rules, choose the “Grammar essentials” filter below.

Grammar library

Search by name or rule, browse by time, aspect or essentials, and open a card for the full explanation.

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Showing 25 of 25 topics

Form

Positive: Subject + base verb (+ -s/-es with he / she / it)
Negative: Subject + do/does + not + base verb
Question: Do/Does + subject + base verb?

How it works

Habits and routines: I drink coffee every morning.
Facts and general truths: Water boils at 100 °C.
Timetables and schedules: The train leaves at 6:30.
Permanent states: She lives in Madrid and works at a bank.
Future time clauses: When you arrive, call me. (Not “will arrive” — use the present simple after when, if, before, after, as soon as and until.)

Examples

I usually walk to work.
Routine
The sun rises in the east.
General truth
The film starts at 8 p.m.
Timetable
If it rains, we stay at home.
Zero conditional

Tip: Add -es after -s, -sh, -ch, -x or -o (goes, watches). For consonant + y, change y to -ies (study → studies).

Common mistakes

She go to school by bus.
She goes to school by bus.
Third-person singular takes -s.
He doesn't likes coffee.
He doesn't like coffee.
Use the base verb after do/does.
I am agree with you.
I agree with you.
Agree is already a verb.

How it works

Simple: The whole event, a fact, a habit or a completed action.
Continuous: An action in progress around a point in time.
Perfect: An action seen from a later point — finished before it, or connected to it.
Perfect continuous: The duration of an activity up to a point in time.

Tense map

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect continuous
Present	I work	I am working	I have worked	I have been working
Past	I worked	I was working	I had worked	I had been working
Future	I will work	I will be working	I will have worked	I will have been working

Examples

I work / I am working / I have worked / I have been working
Present
I worked / I was working / I had worked / I had been working
Past
I will work / I will be working / I will have worked / I will have been working
Future

How it works

A signal word is a clue, not a guarantee. “I live here” and “I’m living here” are both possible — the meaning decides.
“For” and “since” appear with several tenses. Ask whether the action is still continuing (perfect) or finished (past).

Common time markers

Tense	Typical signal words
Present Simple	always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day/week, on Mondays
Present Continuous	now, right now, at the moment, currently, today, this week, Look!, Listen!
Present Perfect	just, already, yet, ever, never, so far, recently, since, for, this week
Present Perfect Continuous	for, since, all day, how long, lately
Past Simple	yesterday, last night/week/year, ago, in 2010, then, when
Past Continuous	at 8 p.m. yesterday, while, when (interruption), all morning
Past Perfect	already, before, after, by the time, never (before a past moment)
Past Perfect Continuous	for, since, all day (before a past moment)
Future Simple	tomorrow, next week, in 2030, I think, probably, I promise
Future Continuous	at this time tomorrow, this time next week
Future Perfect	by, by the time, before + future time
Future Perfect Continuous	by … for, by the time … for

Examples

I’ve worked here for three years.
Still here
I worked there for three years.
No longer there

How it works

a / an: One of many, or the first time you mention something: “I saw a dog.” Use “an” before a vowel sound: an hour, an apple — but a university, a European country (the sound is /j/).
the: A specific thing that both speaker and listener can identify: “The dog was friendly.” Also for unique things (the sun, the internet), superlatives (the best), and second mentions.
Zero article: General plurals and uncountable nouns: “Cats are independent.” “Water is essential.” Also languages, sports, meals, and most countries, cities and mountains.
the with geography: Use “the” with rivers, seas, oceans, groups of islands and plural country names: the Nile, the Pacific, the Alps, the Netherlands, the USA. No “the” with France, Japan, Mount Everest, Lake Como.
Fixed patterns: once a week, 60 kilometres an hour, a few, a little, in the morning, at night, go to school (general) vs go to the school (the building).

Table

Article	Use	Example
a / an	One of many, first mention, jobs	She’s an engineer.
the	Specific, known, unique	Please close the door.
— (zero)	General plural or uncountable	Books are expensive.

Examples

She is a teacher at a secondary school.
Jobs take a/an
I bought a book. The book was excellent.
First mention → second mention
The moon looks bright tonight.
Unique thing
I like music, but I don’t play the piano.
General music; a specific instrument

Tip: Ask: is the listener thinking of the same specific thing? If yes, use “the”. If it is one of many or new information, use “a/an”.

Common mistakes

I am teacher.
I am a teacher.
Jobs need a/an.
She is an university student.
She is a university student.
The sound is /j/, not a vowel.
I like the cats.
I like cats.
General plural takes no article.
He plays the tennis.
He plays tennis.
Sports take no article.

How it works

Countable nouns: Can be singular or plural and take a/an and numbers: a chair, two chairs. Use many, a few, few, how many.
Uncountable nouns: No plural and no a/an: water, information, advice, furniture, luggage, news, money, work, homework, research, equipment, bread, rice. Use much, a little, little, how much.
Some and any: Some in positive sentences and offers; any in negatives and most questions: “We have some bread.” “Do you have any milk?”
a few vs few, a little vs little: a few / a little = some, enough; few / little = not enough, negative: “A few people came” vs “Few people came.”
Both countable and uncountable: Some nouns change meaning: a coffee (a cup), paper (material) vs a paper (a document), glass (material) vs a glass (a cup), chicken (meat) vs a chicken (an animal).
Plural-only and unusual nouns: Scissors, trousers, glasses and jeans are plural. “News” is singular. “People” is plural (person → people).

Table

Quantifier	Countable	Uncountable
much / many	many chairs	much water
a few / a little	a few chairs	a little water
few / little	few chairs (not enough)	little water (not enough)
a lot of	a lot of chairs	a lot of water

Examples

How much information do you need?
Uncountable
How many chairs do we need?
Countable
There is a little milk left.
Some, enough
Few students passed the test.
Not many — negative

Tip: When you learn a new noun, learn whether it is countable. Many common academic nouns (research, evidence, information, advice) are uncountable.

Common mistakes

I need some informations.
I need some information.
Information is uncountable.
How much people came?
How many people came?
People is countable and plural.
She gave me an advice.
She gave me a piece of advice.
Use a piece of with uncountable nouns.
The news are good.
The news is good.
News is singular.

Form

Short adjectives: adjective + -er / -est: tall → taller → the tallest
Long adjectives: more / the most + adjective: more expensive → the most expensive
Equality: as + adjective + as

How it works

Spelling: big → bigger, hot → hotter (double the consonant); happy → happier, easy → easier (y → i); large → larger (drop e).
Irregular forms: good → better → the best; bad → worse → the worst; far → further/farther → the furthest/farthest; little → less → the least.
than and the: Use “than” after a comparative and “the” before a superlative: “She is taller than me.” “It’s the best film of the year.”
Modifiers: much, far, a lot, slightly, a bit + comparative: “This one is much cheaper.” “The second test was slightly easier.”
Double comparatives: “The more you practise, the more confident you become.” Do not use two comparative forms together: “more better” is wrong.

Table

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
cheap	cheaper	the cheapest
friendly	friendlier / more friendly	the friendliest / most friendly
expensive	more expensive	the most expensive
good	better	the best
bad	worse	the worst

Examples

This book is more interesting than the last one.
Long adjective
He runs faster than anyone in the team.
Adverb comparative
It was the most expensive meal I’ve ever had.
Superlative
The older I get, the less I worry.
Parallel change

Tip: Use “than” with a comparative, but “the” with a superlative. “More” is not used with -er adjectives: say “better”, not “more better”.

Common mistakes

This is more better.
This is better.
One comparative form only.
She is the most tallest.
She is the tallest.
Do not double the superlative.
He is as tall than me.
He is as tall as me.
as … as for equality.
It was the most easiest test.
It was the easiest test.
Short adjectives take -est.

How it works

at: Clock times and points in time: at 7 o’clock, at noon, at midnight, at the weekend (BrE), at Christmas, at the moment.
on: Days and dates: on Monday, on 5 May, on my birthday, on New Year’s Day, on Monday morning.
in: Months, years, seasons and longer periods: in July, in 2026, in winter, in the morning/afternoon/evening. “In a week” can also mean “after a week”.
No preposition: next, last, every, this, today, tomorrow, yesterday: next week, last summer, every day, this morning.
for, since, during, until, by: for + duration (for two hours); since + starting point (since 2020); during + noun (during the film); until + end point (until 5 p.m.); by + deadline (by Friday).

Table

Preposition	Used with	Example
at	clock times, night, the weekend (BrE)	at 8 p.m., at night
on	days, dates, specific mornings	on Friday, on 3 June
in	months, years, seasons, parts of day	in April, in the evening
—	next, last, every, this	last year, every Monday

Examples

The meeting starts at 9:30 on Monday.
at + clock time, on + day
We usually travel in August.
in + month
I’ll call you next week.
No preposition
She has lived here since 2019.
since + starting point

Tip: Think from big to small: in (month/year) → on (day/date) → at (clock time). “In the morning” but “on Monday morning”.

Common mistakes

We meet in Monday.
We meet on Monday.
Days take on.
I get up early at the morning.
I get up early in the morning.
Parts of day take in.
I have lived here since three years.
I have lived here for three years.
for + duration; since + start point.
I will see you in next week.
I will see you next week.
No preposition before next.

How it works

in: Enclosed spaces or areas: in the room, in a box, in London, in the car, in bed.
on: Surfaces: on the table, on the wall, on the floor, on a bus/train/plane/bike, on foot.
at: A point or an event: at the door, at the bus stop, at the cinema (the event), at work, at home.
Movement: to (direction), into (entering), onto (onto a surface), out of, from, through, across, along, over, under, towards.
arrive / get: arrive in a city or country, arrive at a building or event, arrive home (no preposition); get to a place, get home.
between vs among: between two things or distinct items; among a group without clear boundaries.

Table

Preposition	Use	Example
in	enclosed space, city, country	in the drawer, in Spain
on	surface, public transport	on the desk, on the train
at	point, event, building as a location	at the corner, at the party
to	direction of movement	We drove to the coast.

Examples

She is waiting at the bus stop.
Point
The keys are on the table.
Surface
We arrived in Rome at midnight.
City → in
He walked into the room and sat down.
Movement into

Tip: For transport: in a car or taxi, but on a bus, train, plane or bike. “On foot” is the exception for walking.

Common mistakes

I arrived to London yesterday.
I arrived in London yesterday.
arrive in a city; arrive at a building.
I go to home after work.
I go home after work.
Home needs no preposition.
She is in the bus.
She is on the bus.
Public transport takes on.
The book is in the table.
The book is on the table.
Surfaces take on.

Form

Zero: If + present simple, present simple
First: If + present simple, will + base verb
Second: If + past simple, would + base verb
Third: If + past perfect, would have + past participle

How it works

Zero conditional: General truths and automatic results: “If you heat ice, it melts.” “If I drink coffee late, I can’t sleep.”
First conditional: A real possibility in the future: “If it rains, we’ll stay in.” Use the present simple in the if-clause — never “will”.
Second conditional: An unreal or unlikely present/future situation: “If I had more time, I would travel.” “If I were you, I’d apologise.”
Third conditional: An unreal past — regret or criticism: “If I had studied, I would have passed.”
Mixed conditional: A past cause with a present result: “If I had taken that job, I would live in Berlin now.”
Alternatives: unless (= if not), provided/as long as, even if, otherwise. “Unless you hurry, we’ll be late.”

Table

Type	If-clause	Main clause	Meaning
Zero	present simple	present simple	general truth
First	present simple	will + verb	real future
Second	past simple	would + verb	unreal present
Third	past perfect	would have + participle	unreal past

Examples

If you press this button, the machine stops.
Zero
If the weather is good, we’ll have a picnic.
First
If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
Second
If she had left earlier, she wouldn’t have missed the train.
Third

Tip: Do not use “will” in the if-clause, and do not use “would have” in the if-clause: “If I had known” (not “If I would have known”).

Common mistakes

If it will rain, we will stay in.
If it rains, we’ll stay in.
Present simple in the if-clause.
If I would have known, I would have called.
If I had known, I would have called.
Past perfect in the third conditional.
If I was you, I would apologise.
If I were you, I’d apologise.
“Were” is the formal choice for unreal advice.

Form

Present simple: am/is/are + past participle
Past simple: was/were + past participle
Present perfect: have/has been + past participle
Future: will be + past participle
Modal: modal + be + past participle

How it works

How it works: Move the object to the subject position and put the verb into be + past participle: “They built the house” → “The house was built.”
When to use it: The doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious; the action or result matters more; or the writing is formal, scientific or news reporting.
By + agent: Include the doer only when it is important: “The novel was written by Orwell.”
Tense stays visible: The form of “be” carries the tense: is made, was made, is being made, has been made, will be made, must be made.
Two objects: “They gave me a book” → “I was given a book” or “A book was given to me.”
Intransitive verbs: Verbs without an object have no passive: happen, arrive, sleep, die, come, go. “The accident happened”, not “was happened”.

Table

Tense	Active	Passive
Present simple	They make cars.	Cars are made.
Past simple	They made cars.	Cars were made.
Present continuous	They are making cars.	Cars are being made.
Present perfect	They have made cars.	Cars have been made.
Future	They will make cars.	Cars will be made.
Modal	They must make cars.	Cars must be made.

Examples

This bridge was built in 1890.
Past simple passive
The results will be announced tomorrow.
Future passive
English is spoken in many countries.
Present simple passive
The room is being cleaned at the moment.
Present continuous passive
The form must be signed by hand.
Modal passive

Tip: If you can add “by someone” without changing the meaning, the passive is possible. If not, the verb is probably intransitive.

Common mistakes

The house was build in 1990.
The house was built in 1990.
Use the past participle.
The accident was happened last night.
The accident happened last night.
Happen is intransitive.
It was wrote by a famous author.
It was written by a famous author.
Write → wrote → written.

How it works

Verb + -ing: enjoy, finish, mind, suggest, avoid, keep, practise, consider, look forward to, be used to: “I enjoy reading.” “She suggested going early.”
Verb + to + verb: want, decide, hope, plan, need, try, promise, afford, manage, would like: “We decided to leave.” “I hope to see you soon.”
Verb + object + to + verb: ask, tell, want, expect, invite, remind, persuade: “She asked me to wait.” Not “asked me waiting”.
Preposition + -ing: After every preposition, use -ing: good at singing, interested in learning, instead of waiting, before leaving.
Meaning changes: stop doing = quit; stop to do = pause in order to do. remember/forget doing = a past memory; remember/forget to do = a task. try doing = experiment; try to do = attempt.
Infinitive of purpose: Use “to + verb” to explain why: “I went out to buy milk.” Not “for buying milk”.

Table

Pattern	Common verbs	Example
verb + -ing	enjoy, avoid, finish, mind	I avoid driving at night.
verb + to	want, decide, hope, plan	We hope to arrive early.
verb + object + to	ask, tell, invite, remind	She told me to sit down.
preposition + -ing	good at, interested in, before	He’s good at solving problems.

Examples

I enjoy learning new words.
enjoy + -ing
They decided to move abroad.
decide + to
He stopped smoking last year.
Quit the habit
She stopped to answer the phone.
Paused in order to answer
I’m looking forward to meeting you.
look forward to + -ing

Tip: “Look forward to” ends in a preposition, so it takes -ing — even though it feels like a future form: “I look forward to seeing you.”

Common mistakes

I enjoy to read.
I enjoy reading.
enjoy + -ing.
I want going home.
I want to go home.
want + to + verb.
I look forward to see you.
I look forward to seeing you.
Preposition + -ing.
She suggested to go early.
She suggested going early.
suggest + -ing.

How it works

Backshift: When the reporting verb is past, move the tense back: present → past, past → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might, must → had to.
Pronouns and possessives: Change them to fit the new speaker: “I’ll call you” → She said she would call me.
Time and place words: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, here → there, this → that.
say vs tell: tell + person (“She told me…”); say + clause (“She said that…”). Do not say “She said me”.
Reported questions: Use asked + if/whether for yes/no questions, and statement word order: “She asked if I was ready.” “He asked where I lived.”
Commands and requests: told/asked + object + to + verb: “She told me to wait.” Negative: “She told me not to go.”
No backshift: If the information is still true, the tense can stay: “She said she is tired.” Both are correct; backshift is more formal.

Table

Direct	Reported	Change
“I work here.”	She said she worked there.	present → past; here → there
“I saw him.”	She said she had seen him.	past → past perfect
“I will help.”	She said she would help.	will → would
“Can you swim?”	She asked if I could swim.	can → could; if

Examples

“I’m busy.” → She said she was busy.
Present → past
“I’ll call you.” → He said he would call me.
will → would
“Did you enjoy it?” → She asked if I had enjoyed it.
Yes/no question with if
“Where do you live?” → He asked where I lived.
Statement order
“Close the door.” → She told me to close the door.
Command

Tip: Reported questions do not use do/does/did or inversion: “He asked where I was going”, not “where was I going”.

Common mistakes

He said me that he was tired.
He told me that he was tired.
tell + person.
She asked where was I.
She asked where I was.
Statement order in reported questions.
He said to me to go.
He told me to go.
Use told/asked + object + to.
She asked did I like it.
She asked if I liked it.
Use if/whether, not do-support.

Grammar practice

20 quick questions with explanations

Question 1 of 20Score: 0

My brother ___ at a hospital in the city centre.

How to choose a tense

Grammar library

Present SimpleA1Habits, facts, timetables and permanent situations.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Present ContinuousA2Actions happening now, temporary situations and future arrangements.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Present PerfectB1A past action or state connected to the present.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Present Perfect ContinuousB1An activity that started in the past and is still going, or has just stopped with a visible result.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Past SimpleA2Completed actions and states at a definite time in the past.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Past ContinuousA2An action in progress at a moment in the past, often interrupted by another action.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Past PerfectB1An action completed before another past action or time.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Past Perfect ContinuousB2The duration of an activity up to a point in the past.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Future Simple (will)A2Predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises and future facts.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Future ContinuousB1An action that will be in progress at a particular future time.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Future PerfectB2An action that will be completed before a specific future time.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

Future Perfect ContinuousC1The duration of an activity up to a point in the future.

Form

How it works

Examples

Common mistakes

The 12 tenses at a glanceReferenceHow time (present, past, future) combines with aspect (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous).

How it works

Tense map

Examples

Stative verbs: when not to use -ingReferenceVerbs about states, thoughts, feelings and possession usually avoid the continuous form.

How it works

Examples

Signal words cheat sheetReferenceTime expressions that often point to a particular tense — useful clues, not strict rules.

How it works

Common time markers

Examples

Articles: a, an, the, or nothingEssentialsHow to choose between a/an, the and the zero article.

How it works

Table

Examples

Common mistakes

Countable & uncountable nounsEssentialsPlurals, much/many and the quantifiers that go with each type of noun.

How it works