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Quizzes > English & Grammar

12 Tenses Quiz: Test Your English Grammar

Quick, free tenses test with instant feedback and results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Derek MartinUpdated Aug 23, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for 12 English grammar tense quiz with question cards, notebooks and clocks on coral background

This 12 tenses quiz helps you practice all English tenses, spot mistakes, and build quick recall. For extra practice, see the english tenses quiz, try a perfect tenses quiz, or compare timelines with a past present future tense quiz. You'll get instant feedback and a score to review weak areas.

Identify the tense: She is cooking dinner right now.
Present simple
Past continuous
Present perfect
Present continuous
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Choose the correct past simple form: Yesterday, I ___ to the store.
go
went
was going
have gone
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Which sentence is in the present perfect tense?
I have visited Rome twice.
I am visiting Rome.
I visited Rome twice.
I will visit Rome.
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Identify the tense used for a prediction: It ___ rain tomorrow.
has
had
is
will
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Which sentence correctly shows a present simple habitual action?
He plays tennis on Sundays.
He will be playing tennis on Sundays.
He has been playing tennis on Sundays.
He is playing tennis on Sundays.
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Choose the sentence that correctly uses the past continuous for an interrupted action.
I watched TV when the phone was ringing.
I was watching TV when the phone rang.
I am watching TV when the phone rang.
I have watched TV when the phone rang.
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Choose the correct use of present perfect with for/since for unfinished time.
I lived here for five years.
I have lived here five years ago.
I have lived here for five years.
I am living here since five years.
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Choose the best option: By the time we arrived, she ___ the report.
finished
has finished
had finished
was finishing
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Which sentence shows the present perfect continuous?
She is studying three hours.
She has been studying for three hours.
She has studied three hours ago.
She studied for three hours.
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Select the future continuous use for an action in progress at a future time.
At 9 pm, I worked.
At 9 pm, I have worked.
At 9 pm, I will be working.
At 9 pm, I work.
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Choose the correct future perfect form to express completion by a future deadline.
I am finishing by Friday.
I will have finished by Friday.
I have finished by Friday.
I will finish by Friday.
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Select the correct way to express a scheduled future event using a present tense.
The train is leave at 6 am.
The train leaves at 6 am.
The train has left at 6 am.
The train will leaves at 6 am.
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Which sentence is grammatically correct with a stative verb?
I am knowing the answer now.
I have been knowing the answer now.
I will be knowing the answer now.
I know the answer now.
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Select the future perfect continuous form showing duration up to a future point.
By 2026, she has been working here for 10 years.
By 2026, she will be working here for 10 years.
By 2026, she worked here for 10 years.
By 2026, she will have been working here for 10 years.
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Choose the correct past perfect continuous form indicating prior ongoing activity.
They had been waiting for an hour before the doors opened.
They have been waiting for an hour before the doors opened.
They waited for an hour before the doors had opened.
They were waiting for an hour before the doors open.
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Identify the structure often called "future in the past".
I had go to call you, but I forgot.
I will go to call you, but I forgot.
I was going to call you, but I forgot.
I am going to call you, but I forgot.
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Choose the correct backshift in reported speech: He said, "I have finished."
He said he finishes.
He said he had finished.
He said he finished.
He said he has finished.
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Identify the tense: They have their house painted every year.
Past simple passive
Present simple passive causative
Present perfect passive
Future passive
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Choose the correct future continuous question form.
Will you staying with us this weekend?
Are you be staying with us this weekend?
Will you be staying with us this weekend?
Do you be staying with us this weekend?
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Choose the correct passive form in the future perfect.
The documents will have signed by noon.
The documents will have been signed by noon.
The documents have been signed by noon.
The documents were being signed by noon.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify the 12 Tenses -

    Quickly recognize and name all simple, perfect, continuous, and perfect continuous tenses in English to build a solid grammatical foundation.

  2. Distinguish Between Tense Forms -

    Learn to differentiate simple, perfect, and continuous structures so you can select the correct form for any situation.

  3. Apply Tenses in Context -

    Practice using each tense accurately in sentences through diverse quiz questions, reinforcing proper grammar usage.

  4. Analyze Tense Usage -

    Develop the skill to evaluate sentence structures and identify which tense is being used and why it fits the context.

  5. Self-Assess Grammar Proficiency -

    Gauge your understanding of English tenses with instant quiz feedback to pinpoint areas for improvement.

  6. Boost Confidence in Communication -

    Strengthen your command of English tenses to communicate more clearly and confidently in both writing and speaking.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Master the 12 Tenses Categories -

    According to Cambridge University Press, English tenses fall into four groups - simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous - across past, present, and future. Use the mnemonic "Silly Cats Perfectly Cuddle Puppies" to recall Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. Recognizing these 12 tenses by category makes any tense question more approachable.

  2. Differentiate Simple vs. Continuous Forms -

    Purdue OWL highlights that simple tenses express habits or facts ("She writes"), while continuous tenses show ongoing actions ("She is writing"). Remember the formula: Subject + be (am/is/are/was/were) + verb-ing for all continuous forms. Spotting -ing forms quickly helps you eliminate wrong answers in a grammar tenses quiz.

  3. Use Perfect Tenses to Connect Timeframes -

    Per the British Council, perfect tenses link actions across different timeframes: present perfect (have/has + past participle), past perfect (had + past participle), and future perfect (will have + past participle). Visualize a timeline: past ↝ completed action → now/future. This timeline trick ensures you pick the right 12 tenses name when comparing events.

  4. Form Continuous and Perfect Continuous Easily -

    Combine the be-verb with verb-ing for continuous ("I am studying") and add have + been + verb-ing for perfect continuous ("I have been studying"). A simple formula sheet - be + ing / have + been + ing - can save you time on tense questions. Rehearsing these formulas aloud before your quiz reinforces muscle memory.

  5. Practice with Tense Transformation -

    Research from Stanford's writing center recommends converting a single sentence through all 12 tenses (e.g., "They play tennis") to solidify your grasp of each form. Create a table with columns for past, present, future and rows for simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. This hands-on exercise turns any grammar tenses quiz into a confidence booster.

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