Verb Tenses Exercises: Grammar Practice (A1-B2) with Answers

⏱ Time: 10:00 📝 Questions: 20 📊 Level: A1, A2, B1, B2 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +22 (on pass)
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Can you use Verb Tenses correctly in everyday English? These 20 practice questions for Level A1-B2 go beyond memorisation — they put grammar rules into realistic sentences and situations. Detailed explanations help you understand not just the what, but the why.

⏱ You have 10:00 to answer 20 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  20
Q1 20

Question 1: She ___ to school every day.

Question 1 options
'goes' is correct because the present simple tense is used for habitual actions, signaled by 'every day.' 'Go' lacks the third-person -s ending. 'Going' is a participle, not a finite verb. 'Gone' is a past participle and doesn't fit here.
Q2 20

Question 2: I ___ happy now.

Question 2 options
'am' is correct because the present simple of 'be' with 'I' is 'am.' 'Is' is used with he/she/it. 'Are' is used with you/we/they. 'Was' is past tense and conflicts with 'now.'
Q3 20

Question 3: They ___ football yesterday.

Question 3 options
'played' is correct because 'yesterday' signals a completed past action, requiring the past simple tense of 'play.'
Q4 20

Question 4: Look! The cat ___ on the sofa.

Question 4 options
'is sleeping' is correct because 'Look!' signals an action happening right now, which requires the present continuous. 'Sleeps' is present simple for habits. 'Slept' is past tense. 'Has slept' is present perfect and doesn't fit an action in progress at this moment.
Q5 20

Question 5: The present simple tense is used for actions happening right now at this moment.

Question 5 options
False because actions happening right now at this moment use the present continuous (e.g., 'She is reading'). The present simple is used for habits, routines, and general truths.
Q6 20

Question 6: We ___ dinner when the phone rang.

Question 6 options
'were having' is correct because the past continuous describes an action in progress that was interrupted by another event ('the phone rang'). 'Had' and 'have' don't convey the ongoing nature. 'Are having' is present continuous and doesn't match the past context of 'rang.'
Q7 20

Question 7: I ___ this book yet.

Question 7 options
'haven't finished' is correct because 'yet' at the end of a negative sentence signals the present perfect tense. 'Didn't finish' would need a specific past time. 'Don't finish' is present simple and unnatural here. 'Won't finish' expresses future refusal, not the intended meaning.
Q8 20

Question 8: She ___ in London since 2015.

Question 8 options
'has lived' is correct because 'since 2015' indicates a duration from a point in the past to the present, which requires the present perfect. 'Lived' is past simple and suggests the action ended. 'Lives' is present simple and doesn't pair with 'since.' 'Is living' doesn't collocate naturally with 'since 2015' for a permanent situation.
Q9 20

Question 9: By the time we arrived, the film ___.

Question 9 options
'had already started' is correct because the past perfect describes an action completed before another past action ('arrived'). 'Already started' lacks the auxiliary. 'Has already started' is present perfect and doesn't match two past events. 'Was already starting' implies the film was still beginning, not that it had begun before arrival.
Q10 20

Question 10: Next summer, we ___ to Japan.

Question 10 options
'are going to travel' or 'will travel' is correct because the time marker 'next summer' indicates a future action. Both the 'going to' future (for plans) and 'will' future are acceptable here.
Q11 20

Question 11: I ___ for two hours when you called me last night.

Question 11 options
'had been studying' is correct because the past perfect continuous describes an action that was in progress for a duration before another past event ('when you called'). 'Was studying' doesn't emphasize the two-hour duration as well. 'Studied' is simple past and doesn't convey the ongoing nature. 'Have been studying' is present perfect continuous and doesn't match the past context.
Q12 20

Question 12: Match each sentence to the correct verb tense.

Question 12 options
I eat breakfast at 7 a.m.
I am eating lunch right now.
I ate dinner at 8 p.m. yesterday.
I have eaten sushi before.
Present perfect
Present continuous
Present simple
Past simple

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

'I eat breakfast at 7 a.m.' is a daily routine (present simple). 'I am eating lunch right now' is an action in progress (present continuous). 'I ate dinner at 8 p.m. yesterday' is a completed past action (past simple). 'I have eaten sushi before' describes a life experience (present perfect).
Q13 20

Question 13: This time tomorrow, I ___ on the beach.

Question 13 options
'will be lying' is correct because 'this time tomorrow' signals an action that will be in progress at a specific future moment, requiring the future continuous. 'Will lie' is future simple and doesn't convey the ongoing aspect. 'Am lying' is present continuous. 'Lay' is past simple or a different verb.
Q14 20

Question 14: The present perfect tense can be used with specific past time expressions like 'yesterday' or 'last week.'

Question 14 options
False because the present perfect (e.g., 'I have seen') is not used with specific past time expressions like 'yesterday' or 'last week.' Those require the past simple. The present perfect is used with unspecified time or with 'ever,' 'never,' 'already,' 'yet,' 'since,' and 'for.'
Q15 20

Question 15: By next December, they ___ in that house for ten years.

Question 15 options
'will have been living' is correct because the future perfect continuous is used for an action that will have been in progress for a duration up to a specific future point ('by next December... for ten years'). 'Will live' is future simple and lacks the duration aspect. 'Have lived' is present perfect. 'Are living' is present continuous.
Q16 20

Question 16: She ___ three novels so far this year, and she is working on a fourth.

Question 16 options
'has written' is correct because 'so far this year' indicates a time period that includes the present, requiring the present perfect. 'Wrote' is past simple and doesn't connect to the present. 'Writes' is present simple for habitual actions, not accomplishments. 'Had written' is past perfect and is used only when relating to another past event.
Q17 20

Question 17: Put these words in the correct order to form a present perfect continuous sentence:

Question 17 options
  • here
  • since March.
  • She
  • has been working

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'She has been working here since March.' The present perfect continuous follows the pattern: subject + has/have + been + -ing verb + rest of sentence.
Q18 20

Question 18: I wish I ___ harder for the exam last month.

Question 18 options
'had studied' is correct because 'wish' + past perfect expresses regret about a past action. 'Studied' after 'wish' would express an unreal present situation. 'Have studied' is present perfect and is not used in wish clauses about the past. 'Would study' expresses willingness, not past regret.
Q19 20

Question 19: By the time the guests arrive at 8 p.m., I ___ everything.

Question 19 options
'will have prepared' is correct because the future perfect describes an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future ('by the time the guests arrive'). 'Will prepare' doesn't guarantee completion before arrival. 'Prepare' is present simple. 'Am preparing' is present continuous and doesn't express future completion.
Q20 20

Question 20: He ___ at the company for five years before he was promoted.

Question 20 options
'had been working' is correct because the past perfect continuous describes an action in progress for a duration before another past event ('before he was promoted'). 'Had worked' is also acceptable as past perfect simple for duration with 'for.'