Master All 12
English Tenses

Read a sentence. Pick the tense. Get the explanation.
Free — no sign-up needed.

  • All 12 tenses — Present, Past & Future families
  • 1,200 real English sentences to practise with
  • Instant grammar explanations after every answer
  • Hearts system — lose a heart on a wrong answer
Tense Trainer ♥ ♥ ♥
"She had been waiting for two hours when he finally arrived."
Present Past Future
Past Perfect Continuous ✓
Action ongoing up to a past moment, emphasising duration.
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Why practise English tenses?

English has 12 tenses that each communicate a precise meaning — when something happened, whether it was ongoing, and how it connects to other events in time. Choosing the wrong tense changes the meaning of a sentence entirely. Regular tense practice helps you internalise these rules so you apply them naturally, without pausing to think.

Lingutube's tense trainer turns grammar study into a fast, focused game. Each round shows you a real English sentence and asks you to identify the tense — first the family (Present, Past, or Future), then the branch (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, or Perfect Continuous). Get it right and you see a clear explanation of exactly why that tense was used. Get it wrong and you lose a heart, keeping every round meaningful.

All 12 English tenses covered

Present
  • Present Simple
  • Present Continuous
  • Present Perfect
  • Present Perfect Continuous
Past
  • Past Simple
  • Past Continuous
  • Past Perfect
  • Past Perfect Continuous
Future
  • Future Simple
  • Future Continuous
  • Future Perfect
  • Future Perfect Continuous

Tense Trainer

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English Tenses — Quick Reference

Present
Present Simple
subject + verb (base / +s for 3rd person)
Habits, routines, permanent states, general truths.
"She works from home." · "Water boils at 100°C."
Present Continuous
am / is / are + verb-ing
Action in progress right now, or a temporary situation.
"She is reading." · "I am staying with friends this week."
Present Perfect
have / has + past participle
Past action with present relevance; unspecified time.
"I have lost my keys." · "Have you eaten yet?"
Present Perfect Continuous
have / has + been + verb-ing
Ongoing action from the past up to now; emphasises duration.
"I have been waiting for an hour." · "She has been crying."
Past
Past Simple
verb (past form: -ed / irregular)
Completed action at a specific past time.
"She graduated in 2018." · "He called yesterday."
Past Continuous
was / were + verb-ing
Action in progress at a past moment; interrupted actions.
"I was sleeping when the alarm went off."
Past Perfect
had + past participle
Action completed before another past event.
"She had left before he arrived."
Past Perfect Continuous
had + been + verb-ing
Duration of an action that led up to a past moment.
"He had been driving for six hours when they stopped."
Future
Future Simple
will + verb
Spontaneous decisions, predictions, promises.
"I will help you." · "It will rain tomorrow."
Future Continuous
will + be + verb-ing
Action in progress at a specific future moment.
"This time tomorrow I will be flying to Tokyo."
Future Perfect
will + have + past participle
Action completed before a future point; used with "by".
"By Friday I will have submitted the report."
Future Perfect Continuous
will + have + been + verb-ing
Duration of an ongoing action up to a future point.
"By next year I will have been living here for a decade."