WHAT’S YOUR

ENGLISH LEVEL?

CHECK HOW WELL YOU

KNOW ENGLISH TENSES
 FIRST
TICK THE ANSWERS THAT
YOU THINK ARE CORRECT.

THEN
CHECK YOURSELF. YOU WILL FIND
THE RIGHT ANSWERS DOWN
BELOW BUT TRY NOT TO PEEK
UNTIL YOU’RE DONE.

FINALLY
WRITE DOWN HOW MANY
CORRECT ANSWERS YOU HAVE.
 ELEMENTARY EXERCISES
Tick one correct variant — our PDF-file is editable; you can tick
the box right here:

We rarely ____ to see our relatives as they live far away.

1 a) go
b) are going
c) going

I am afraid Mr. Clark can’t meet you now. He ____ an important

2 phone call at the moment.
a) has
b) is having
c) have

They ____ the football practice yesterday because of the bad weather.
3 a) skip
b) were skipping
c) skipped

My mom ____ never … to Paris. I want to take her there next summer.
4 a) has never been to
b) was never in
c) have never been to

We ____ to the Billie Eilish concert next month.

5 a) go
b) will go
c) will be going

CORRECT ANSWERS: ________

 INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES

He ____ his stuff everywhere. It’s so annoying.

1
a) is always leaving
b) always leaves
c) is leaving always

Mike ____ for Google since 2017. He is proud to be a member of

2 this company.
a) works
b) worked
c) has worked

I’m sorry but I’m running late. ____ here for too long?
3 a) Did you wait
b) Were you waiting
c) Have you been waiting

Mike ____ through his Instagram feed Jean entered the room.
4 a) was scrolling
b) scrolled
c) has been scrolling

My parents ____ to Bali next year. They have already bought the
5 tickets and booked their accomodation.
a) will fly
b) will be flying
c) are flying

CORRECT ANSWERS: ________

 UPPER-INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES

I wish I ____ more when I was younger.

1 a) had travelled
b) travelled
c) had been travelling

This time next week I ____ my first university class.

2
a) will have
b) will be having
c) have

My friends ____ all the pizza before I came. It is such a betrayal.

3 a) ate
b) have eaten
c) had eaten

The pavement was wet. It ____ all night.

4 a) had been raining
b) had rained
c) rained

By 2025 Kate ____ as a teacher for 10 years.

5
a) will be working
b) will work
c) will have been working

CORRECT ANSWERS: ________

1) a, 2) b, 3) c, 4) a, 5) c 3.
1) a, 2) c, 3) c, 4) a, 5) c 2.
1) a, 2) b, 3) c, 4) a, 5) b 1.
 Print out these cards and hang them over your desk so you will
always have them in front of you. Your visual memory will help you
learn English tenses.

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Subject + infinitive + - Subject + infinitive Subject + will +

ed ending for regular (infinitive + -s ending infinitive.
verbs; 2nd form — for for he/she/it).
SIMPLE

irregular verbs.

I go/he goes
I bought some swimming every
flowers for her. Sunday. Jack will finish soon.
I didn’t buy any I don’t/he doesn’t go Kate won’t be here
chocolate. swimming. tomorrow.
What did you buy for Do you/does he go Will you help me
her? swimming every later?
week?

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

CONTINUOUS

Subject + was Subject + am (I) /is Subject + will + be +

(I/he/she/it)/were (he/she/it)/ are verb with -ing ending.
(you/we/they) + (you/we/they) + verb
verb with -ing ending. with -ing ending.

Mike will be lying on

It was raining heavily. I am doing the the sandy beach this
dishes now. time next month.
I wasn’t doing my
homework. He isn’t focusing. He won’t be working.
Were you cooking Are you watching Will she be staying
yesterday evening? the show? with us?
 Print out these cards and hang them over your desk so you will
always have them in front of you. Your visual memory will help you
learn English tenses.

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Subject + had + verb Subject + has Subject + will + have +

with -ed ending for (he/she/it) / have (I, verb with -ed ending
PERFECT

regular verbs; 3rd you, we, they) + verb for regular verbs; 3rd
form of the verb for with -ed ending for form of the verb for
irregular verbs. regular verbs; 3rd irregular verbs.
form of the verb for
irregular verbs.

She had cooked the I will have gone to

dinner by the time we I have been to Italy bed by the time you
arrived. 3 times. come back.
She hasn’t broken her She won't have
He hadn’t finished finished decorating
the project on time. arm. before noon.
Had you graduated by Have you cleaned the Will they have read
the time you were house yet? all the material by
married? the exam time?

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

CONTINUOUS

Subject + had + been + Subject + has Subject + will + have +

verb with -ing ending. (he/she/it) / have (I, been + verb with -ing
PERFECT

you, we, they) + been + ending.

verb with -ing ending.

He had been planning Mike has been Sarah will have

this for a long time. writing that paper been working
since morning. remotely for over
She hadn't been a year next
working that hard. I haven’t been month.
working all day, I
have just started. I won’t have been
Had he been planning sleeping for that
this for a long time? Has he been long.
playing in the
garden all day? Will you have
been staying
here?
 These words will help you identify the correct tense
in a sentence.

Present Simple Past Simple

Usually Yesterday
Every (day, week, etc.) The day before yesterday
Often Last week (month, year, etc.)
Seldom, rarely A week (a month, a year, etc.) ago
Always The other day
Never In 1994
Sometimes Once
As a rule When
Hardly ever That day
On Sunday
From time to time Present Progressive

Now
Future Simple Right now
At the moment
Tomorrow
Today
The day after tomorrow
Look!
Next week (month, year, etc.)
Listen!
In an hour (second, minute, etc.)
Still
In the 22nd century
At this very moment
Soon
Currently
Later
These days/This week/This
Some day
month/This year
In a day/in a week/in five years
Сonstantly
In the future
One of these days
 Past progressive Future progressive
All day long All day long
All night All night
All the time All the time
At 10 o’clock yesterday This time tomorrow / next
While week
When For
The whole day At this time next Sunday
Still At 7 o’clock tomorrow
All day long In a week
All day long tomorrow
Present Perfect
Ever Past Perfect
Never
For
Just
Since
Already
After
Yet
Before
Recently
By
Lately
By Monday
Before
By evening
Always
By the morning
So far
Before
At last
It’s the first time
All my life Present, Past and Future
All morning Perfect Continuous
All day
All day long*
Future Perfect
By
By the time By the time
By Before
By Monday Since
By evening Since yesterday
By the morning For – в течение…
Before When
 HOW TO MEMORIZE
IRREGULAR VERBS EASILY?

1 group the easiest one — all three forms are the same:

cost cost cost

cut cut cut

hit hit hit

hurt hurt hurt

let let let

put put put

shut shut shut

quit quit quit

2 group 3rd form of the verb is formed by adding -n to the

2nd form of the verb:
break broke broken

choose chose chosen

speak spoke spoken

steal stole stolen

wake woke woken

wear wore worn

 HOW TO MEMORIZE
IRREGULAR VERBS EASILY?

1 group the easiest one — all three forms are the same:

cost cost cost

cut cut cut

hit hit hit

hurt hurt hurt

let let let

put put put

shut shut shut

quit quit quit

2 group 3rd form of the verb is formed by adding -n to the

2nd form of the verb:
break broke broken

choose chose chosen

speak spoke spoken

steal stole stolen

wake woke woken

wear wore worn

3 group 3rd form of the verb is formed by adding -n ending to the
infinitive and sometimes by doubling the final consonant:

bite bit bitten

drive drove driven

give gave given

forgive forgave forgiven

hide hid hidden

ride rode ridden

rise rose risen

write wrote written

4 group 2nd form has -ew ending, 3rd form has -own/-awn ending:

blow blew blown

draw drew drawn

fly flew flown

grow grew grown

know knew known

throw threw thrown

5 group -aught/-ought ending in 2nd and 3rd forms of the verb:

bring brought brought

buy bought bought

catch caught caught

fight fought fought

teach taught taught

think thought thought

6 group vowel alternation in all verbal forms — ee-e-e:

feed fed fed

feel felt felt

keep kept kept

meet met met

sleep slept slept

7 group verbs of the 2nd and 3rd groups have -t ending:

build bulit built

burn burnt burnt

deal dealt dealt

dream dreamt dreamt

learn learnt learnt

leave left left

lend lent lent

lose lost lost

mean meant meant

shoot shot shot

sit sat sat

 HOW TO LEARN
IRREGULAR VERBS?

1 When you start learning irregular verbs surround

yourself with them. Print out our charts or create your
own cards for each individual verb and hang them on the
walls. You need to see these verbs constantly so your
visual memory will help you memorize them.

2 Do not learn all the irregular verbs at once! The English

language has so many of them so it is really difficult (and
useless) to learn them all at the same time. Learn them
gradually, step by step, and start with the verbs that you
need in order to present your ideas and to use in your
speech.

3 Practice spaced repetition. Make cards for each verb

you’re learning — one side should have a definition of a
verb or its translation into your native language, while
the flipside should have 2nd and 3rd forms of the verb.
Revise verbs from time to time (for instance, on the 3rd,
7th and 10th day after you have learnt them and then
every month).

4 Use irregular verbs in your speech. You can tell some

amusing news to your English-speaking friend or write
your own story about the past.

5 When you master the most essential and frequently used

verbs and your level of English is more advanced, stick to
a habit of checking out if an unknown verb that you’ve
just learnt is irregular and memorize its forms by heart
right away.