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Complete English Tenses with exercises and answers

Nov 30, 2025

Learn English Tenses| English grammar

Tenses are forms of verbs that show the time an action happens. In simple terms, tenses help us know when something took place — in the past, present, or future.

Why tenses are important

Tenses are used to express:

  • Time of an action (now, before, or later)

  • Duration of an activity

  • Whether an action is completed or still happening

  • Order of events in speech and writing

A. PRESENT TENSES

1. Simple Present Tense

Used for: Daily routines, habits, and facts.
Structure:

  • Affirmative → Subject + Verb (s/es)

  • Negative → Subject + do/does not + verb

  • Question → Do/Does + Subject + verb?

Examples

  • Amina studies at Athena Secondary School.

  • Juma wakes up early every day.

  • Shazma does not live in Tanga.

  • Do you come from Dar es Salaam?

2. Present Continuous Tense

Used for: Actions happening right now or currently.
Structure: am/is/are + verb+ing

Examples

  • Amina is reading English notes.

  • Sir Mhini is teaching tenses.

  • Juma is not staying in Kibaha this week.

  • Are they travelling to Pwani?

3. Present Perfect Tense

Used for: Past actions with results now / experiences.
Structure: has/have + past participle (V3)

Examples

  • Amina has completed her homework.

  • Juma has visited Tanga before.

  • Shazma has not seen the new library.

  • Have they travelled to Kibaha before?

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Used for: Actions started earlier and still continuing.
Structure: has/have + been + verb+ing

Examples

  • Amina has been reading for two hours.

  • Juma has been staying in Dar es Salaam since January.

  • They have not been coming early.

  • Has Sir Mhini been teaching for long?

B. PAST TENSES

5. Simple Past Tense

Used for: Completed actions in the past.
Structure: Subject + past verb

Examples

  • Juma visited Chalinze yesterday.

  • Amina cooked dinner.

  • Shazma did not attend class.

  • Did Sir Mhini mark the exams?

6. Past Continuous Tense

Used for: Actions ongoing at a certain time in the past.
Structure: was/were + verb+ing

Examples

  • Amina was studying when Juma called.

  • They were walking to Kibaha.

  • Shazma was not listening in class.

  • Was Sir Mhini teaching at 10 a.m.?

7. Past Perfect Tense

Used for: An action completed before another past event.
Structure: had + past participle (V3)

Examples

  • Amina had finished homework before Juma arrived.

  • Shazma had travelled to Pwani earlier.

  • They had not eaten lunch.

  • Had Sir Mhini corrected the tests?

8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Used for: Long ongoing action before another past moment.
Structure: had + been + verb+ing

Examples

  • Amina had been studying for hours before the bell rang.

  • They had been walking to school when it rained.

  • Juma had been preparing notes since morning.

C. FUTURE TENSES

9. Simple Future Tense

Used for: Actions that will happen later.
Structure: will + verb

Examples

  • Amina will travel to Dar es Salaam tomorrow.

  • Juma will help Shazma with homework.

  • They will not stay in Tanga.

  • Will Sir Mhini conduct the meeting?

10. Future Continuous Tense

Used for: Future action happening at a specific time.
Structure: will + be + verb+ing

Examples

  • Amina will be studying tonight.

  • Juma will be travelling to Pwani.

  • They will not be staying in Chalinze.

  • Will Sir Mhini be teaching during prep time?

11. Future Perfect Tense

Used for: Action completed before a future time.
Structure: will + have + past participle (V3)

Examples

  • Amina will have completed her project by Friday.

  • Juma will have travelled to Tanga next week.

  • They will not have finished the work.

  • Will Sir Mhini have prepared the exams by Monday?

12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Used for: Action continuing up to a point in the future.
Structure: will + have + been + verb+ing

Examples

  • Amina will have been studying for 3 hours by evening.

  • Juma will have been staying in Pwani for a month.

  • Students will have been reading for exams continuously.

Tense exercises with answers

A. Simple Present Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (go) to school every day.

  2. Juma ____ (not/live) in Tanga.

  3. ____ Shazma ____ (study) English?

  4. They ____ (play) football on Fridays.

  5. Sir Mhini ____ (teach) at Athena Secondary School.

Answers

  1. goes

  2. does not live

  3. Does, study

  4. play

  5. teaches

B. Present Continuous Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (read) notes now.

  2. They ____ (not/walk) to Kibaha today.

  3. Juma ____ (travel) to Pwani this week.

  4. ____ she ____ (cook) dinner?

  5. Students ____ (revise) for exams.

Answers

  1. is reading

  2. are not walking

  3. is travelling

  4. Is, cooking

  5. are revising

C. Simple Past Tense – Exercises

  1. Juma ____ (visit) Chalinze yesterday.

  2. Amina ____ (not/attend) class.

  3. ____ Sir Mhini ____ (mark) the tests?

  4. They ____ (walk) to Dar es Salaam.

  5. Shazma ____ (cook) pilau last night.

Answers

  1. visited

  2. did not attend

  3. Did, mark

  4. walked

  5. cooked

D. Past Continuous Tense – Exercises

  1. They ____ (walk) to Kibaha when it rained.

  2. Amina ____ (not/study) when Juma called.

  3. Juma ____ (drive) to Tanga at 9 p.m.

  4. ____ Sir Mhini ____ (teach) at 10 a.m.?

  5. Students ____ (discuss) the lesson.

Answers

  1. were walking

  2. was not studying

  3. was driving

  4. Was, teaching

  5. were discussing

E. Simple Future Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (travel) to Dar es Salaam tomorrow.

  2. They ____ (not/stay) in Tanga.

  3. ____ Juma ____ (help) Shazma?

  4. She ____ (cook) rice later.

  5. The students ____ (revise) tonight.

Answers

  1. will travel

  2. will not stay

  3. Will, help

  4. will cook

  5. will revise

F. Future Continuous Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (be/study) at 8 p.m.

  2. They ____ (not/be/travelling) tomorrow.

  3. Juma ____ (be/working) on his project.

  4. ____ Sir Mhini ____ (be/teaching) during prep time?

  5. Students ____ (be/preparing) for exams.

Answers

  1. will be studying

  2. will not be travelling

  3. will be working

  4. Will, be teaching

  5. will be preparing

G. Present Perfect Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (complete) her homework.

  2. They ____ (not/visit) Kibaha before.

  3. ____ Juma ____ (see) the new library?

  4. Students ____ (finish) the assignment.

  5. She ____ (travel) to Pwani before.

Answers

  1. has completed

  2. have not visited

  3. Has, seen

  4. have finished

  5. has travelled

H. Present Perfect Continuous Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (be/read) for two hours.

  2. They ____ (not/be/come) early.

  3. Juma ____ (be/stay) in Dar es Salaam since January.

  4. ____ Sir Mhini ____ (be/teach) for long?

  5. Students ____ (be/practise) English.

Answers

  1. has been reading

  2. have not been coming

  3. has been staying

  4. Has, been teaching

  5. have been practising

I. Past Perfect Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (finish) her work before Juma arrived.

  2. They ____ (not/eat) lunch.

  3. ____ Shazma ____ (travel) to Pwani earlier?

  4. Students ____ (complete) their tasks.

  5. He ____ (leave) before the rain started.

Answers

  1. had finished

  2. had not eaten

  3. Had, travelled

  4. had completed

  5. had left

J. Future Perfect Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (complete) the project by Friday.

  2. They ____ (not/finish) homework by night.

  3. ____ Juma ____ (travel) to Tanga by next week?

  4. The students ____ (learn) all tenses by exams.

  5. He ____ (reach) Kibaha before 5 p.m.

Answers

  1. will have completed

  2. will not have finished

  3. Will, have travelled

  4. will have learned

  5. will have reached

K. Past Perfect Continuous Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (be/study) for three hours before the lights went off.

  2. They ____ (not/be/live) in Tanga for long.

  3. ____ Juma ____ (be/work) at the school before 2020?

  4. Students ____ (be/discuss) the topic for a while.

  5. She ____ (be/wait) when the bus arrived.

Answers

  1. had been studying

  2. had not been living

  3. Had, been working

  4. had been discussing

  5. had been waiting

L. Future Perfect Continuous Tense – Exercises

  1. Amina ____ (be/read) for two hours by noon.

  2. They ____ (not/be/waiting) long by the time we arrive.

  3. ____ Juma ____ (be/travel) for a month by next week?

  4. Students ____ (be/revising) for three hours by exam time.

  5. She ____ (be/work) at the school for 10 years by 2030.

Answers

  1. will have been reading

  2. will not have been waiting

  3. Will, have been travelling

  4. will have been revising

  5. will have been working

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