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Tenses Class 10: Rules, Examples, Exercises | CBSE

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Grammar

Tenses Class 10 CBSE: Rules, Examples and Practice

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

A tense shows the time of an action and the way it is seen: simple, continuous, perfect or perfect continuous. In the CBSE paper, tenses are tested in Q3 through gap filling, editing and transformation, usually one mark each. You must read the time clues and choose the right verb form.

Find the clue word first: yesterday or ago means simple past, since or for means present perfect, and if or when clauses use the present for the future.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Tenses

A tense is the form of a verb that tells you when something happens. There are three times: present, past and future. Each time can be seen in four ways: simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. The board mostly tests the first three ways, so master those.

Simple tenses state facts, habits and completed events: *She walks to school. She walked to school.* Continuous tenses show an action in progress: *She is walking. She was walking when it rained.* Perfect tenses connect two points in time: *She has walked two miles* (the result matters now). *She had walked two miles before the bus came* (one past event before another).

The reasoning behind most rules is simple: the time clue in the sentence decides the tense. Words like *yesterday, last year, in 2010, ago* fix a finished time, so use the simple past. Words like *since, for, already, yet, just, ever, so far, recently* link the past to now, so use the present perfect. This is why *I have seen him yesterday* is wrong: yesterday is finished, so the sentence needs *I saw him yesterday*.

Some exceptions are tested. Verbs of state such as *know, like, want, belong, believe* do not normally take the continuous form, so say *I know the answer*, not *I am knowing*. In time clauses beginning with *when, before, after, until, as soon as*, the future is shown with a present form: *I will call you when I reach*. In *if* sentences about real future, the *if* part is present: *If it rains, we will stay home*. After *do, does, did* the verb stays in its base form: *Did she reach?*, not *Did she reached?*

Also watch the verb forms. Irregular verbs trap students: *forget, forgot, forgotten; write, wrote, written; begin, began, begun*. After *has, have, had* you need the past participle, never the base form.

Backshift in reported statements. When the reporting verb is in the past (*said, told*), the verb in the reported part usually moves one step back in time:

  • Simple present becomes simple past: *'I like tea'* becomes *she said that she liked tea*.
  • Present continuous becomes past continuous: *'I am reading'* becomes *he said that he was reading*.
  • Present perfect and simple past become past perfect: *'I have finished'* and *'I finished'* both become *he said that he had finished*.
  • Will becomes would: *'I will help'* becomes *she said that she would help*.

Time and place words change with the tenses: *yesterday* becomes *the day before*, *tomorrow* becomes *the next day*, *ago* becomes *before*, *now* becomes *then*, *here* becomes *there*. A universal truth does not move back: *The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun*. Watch for two clues that compete. In *'I have lived here since 2015'*, the word *since* asks for the perfect, and the past reporting verb pushes it back, so the answer is *he said that he had lived there since 2015*.

The board tests this in four ways. In gap filling you put the bracketed verb in the correct form, often in a passage where the clue is in another line. In editing you find one wrong word and supply the correction, often in the format Error | Correction. In transformation (such as reported speech) the tenses shift back as above. In MCQs you choose the option that fixes an error. Each item is worth one mark, so one clue read carefully earns it.

Tenses: rules and format

  1. 1

    Simple present is used for habits, facts and timetables. Third person singular takes -s or -es.

    My brother cycles to coaching every morning.

    Trap: forgetting -s with he, she, it, or a singular noun, as in 'It feel lucky'.

  2. 2

    Present continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing) shows an action happening now or a fixed plan.

    Listen! Our neighbours are playing a song loudly.

    Trap: using it with state verbs like know or want. Say 'I want water', not 'I am wanting'.

  3. 3

    Simple past is used for a finished action at a stated or understood past time.

    We visited the fort last Sunday.

    Trap: using the present perfect with yesterday, last week, ago or a past year.

  4. 4

    Present perfect (has/have + past participle) links the past to now. Clues: since, for, already, yet, just, ever, so far.

    This town has lost its green cover since I was a child.

    Trap: 'since' needs a point in time and 'for' needs a period. Both take the present perfect, not the simple past.

  5. 5

    Past continuous (was/were + verb-ing) shows an action in progress when another past action happened.

    I was revising when the power went off.

    Trap: the interrupting action takes the simple past, not the continuous.

  6. 6

    Past perfect (had + past participle) shows the earlier of two past actions.

    The match had started before we reached the ground.

    Trap: using it for a single past event with no second event for comparison.

  7. 7

    Present perfect continuous (has/have been + verb-ing) shows an action begun in the past and still going on, with since or for.

    She has been practising the song for two hours.

    Trap: using the simple present, as in 'She practises for two hours'.

  8. 8

    Past perfect continuous (had been + verb-ing) shows an action that went on for some time before another past action or time.

    The players were tired because they had been practising in the sun for three hours.

    Clues: for/since with a past reference point ('when', 'by the time', 'before').

  9. 9

    Future continuous (will be + verb-ing) shows an action that will be in progress at a future time.

    This time next week, we will be sitting for our first board exam.

    Clues: 'this time tomorrow', 'at 8 p.m. tonight'.

  10. 10

    Future perfect (will have + past participle) shows an action that will be complete before a future time.

    By next June I will have finished Class 10.

    Clues: 'by the time', 'by next week', 'before' with a future reference.

  11. 11

    Future is shown by will/shall + verb, or going to for plans and evidence.

    Look at those clouds. It is going to rain.

    Trap: do not use will in the time clause of a sentence.

  12. 12

    After when, before, after, until, as soon as, use a present form for future meaning.

    I will message you as soon as I reach home.

    Trap: 'as soon as I will reach' is wrong.

  13. 13

    After has, have, had and in the passive, use the past participle (third form), not the base form or the past form.

    He had forgotten his admit card.

    Trap: 'had forget' or 'has wrote'. Learn irregular verbs in three columns.

  14. 14

    Universal truths and scientific facts stay in the simple present, even in past-time sentences.

    Our teacher explained that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.

    Trap: changing a permanent fact to 'boiled'.

  15. 15

    Do, does and did take the base form of the verb. Do not add -s or -ed again.

    Did she complete the project?

    Trap: 'Did she completed' or 'Does he knows'.

  16. 16

    Backshift: after a past reporting verb, simple present becomes simple past, present continuous becomes past continuous, present perfect and simple past become past perfect, and will becomes would. Yesterday becomes the day before, tomorrow becomes the next day, ago becomes before.

    'I will meet you tomorrow,' said Asha. Asha said that she would meet me the next day.

    Trap: moving a universal truth back, or leaving yesterday, tomorrow and ago unchanged.

How to answer Tenses questions

Use this method on any gap-fill, editing or MCQ item on tenses.

  1. 1Read the whole sentence, and the sentence before or after it. The time clue may be in another line.
  2. 2Underline time words: yesterday, since, for, already, just, last year, by the time, when.
  3. 3Decide the time (past, present or future) and whether the action is finished, ongoing or linked to now.
  4. 4Check for a second action. If one past event is earlier than another, the earlier one takes the past perfect.
  5. 5Check subject-verb agreement and the verb form after has, have, had, do, did, will.
  6. 6Write the form, then read the sentence aloud in your head to see if it sounds right.
  7. 7In editing, change only one word and write it in the Error | Correction format, as asked.

Tenses in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Present perfect vs simple past

Imagine your cousin messages from Pune: 'I have visited the science museum yesterday.' Your mother asks why it sounds odd, and you are the one in the family who is good at English.

Identify the error in your cousin's sentence, correct it, and explain the rule in 40-50 words. Then write one sentence that correctly uses the present perfect about the same museum.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Identify the time word: yesterday, a finished time.
  2. A finished time needs the simple past, not the present perfect.
  3. Correct to 'visited'.
  4. Give a present perfect sentence with no finished-time word, such as 'I have visited the museum twice'.

Answer: Error: have visited. Correction: visited. The word 'yesterday' names a finished time in the past, so the action needs the simple past. The present perfect connects a past action with the present and is used with words like 'ever', 'already' or 'this year', never with a fixed past time such as 'yesterday' or 'last week'. Correct sentence: I visited the science museum yesterday. Present perfect example: I have visited the museum twice this year.

Memory hook: Yesterday is gone, so the past simple stays; have is for 'till now'.

Tricks to remember Tenses

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • SPF: Since, Perfect, For

    Since and for both pull the verb into the perfect family: has/have been or has/have done.

    Use it when: Whenever you see since or for in a gap, think present perfect or present perfect continuous.

  • Finished clock rule

    If the time has a finished clock (yesterday, last week, in 2019, ago), only the simple past fits.

    Use it when: Use it to reject present perfect options in MCQs.

  • Earlier one goes 'had'

    Two past events: the one that happened first wears 'had'. Picture it as a step back in time.

    Use it when: Use it in sentences with before, after, by the time and in reported speech.

Tenses: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Gap filling with a time clue · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets: The village library ____ (remain) closed since the floods damaged its roof.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The clue is since, which links the past to now.
  2. Present perfect is needed: has/have + past participle.
  3. The subject 'library' is singular, so has.
  4. The past participle of remain is remained.

Answer: has remained

Example 2: Editing with error and correction · 1 mark · Short answerBoard level

Identify the error and give the correction. Use the format Error | Correction.
The cyclist told the crowd that he had trained for months but he had fell near the finish line.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Both verbs sit in the past perfect: had trained, had fell.
  2. Only 'fell' is wrong. 'Had' is correct and stays.
  3. After had, the past participle is needed, and the past participle of fall is fallen.

Answer: fell | fallen

Example 3: MCQ with subject-verb link · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Choose the option that corrects the error in: I know the song well. The tune sound sweet to me.
(a) know / knows
(b) well / good
(c) sound / sounds
(d) sweet / sweetly

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The subject of the second sentence is 'tune', which is singular.
  2. The simple present verb needs -s.
  3. Option (a) is wrong because I takes know.
  4. Well and sweet are both correctly used, so (b) and (d) add errors.

Answer: (c) sound / sounds

Example 4: Two past events · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level

Fill in the blank: By the time the rescue team arrived, the villagers ____ (leave) the flooded area.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Two past events: arrival of the team and leaving of villagers.
  2. By the time signals that leaving was earlier.
  3. The earlier action takes the past perfect.
  4. Form: had + left.

Answer: had left

Example 5: One blank, two past events · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

Fill in the blank: Riya had been waiting at the bus stop for an hour when her friend arrived. By then, the last bus ____ (go).

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The story is told in the past, and 'by then' points to a moment already in the past.
  2. The bus left before her friend arrived, so the bus had gone.
  3. The earlier of two past events takes the past perfect: had + gone.

Answer: had gone

Example 6: Editing a time clause · 1 mark · Short answerHarder board level

The following sentence has one error. Identify it and correct it. Use the format Error | Correction.
When the results will be announced, we will celebrate with sweets.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The time clause begins with when.
  2. In a time clause, the future is shown with a present form, so 'will' goes.
  3. Will be announced should be are announced (plural subject results).

Answer: will be announced | are announced

Example 7: Passage gap filling: clues in other lines · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Meera joined her school in 2019. She ____ (be) there ever since. Last year the school ____ (hold) a science fair, and Meera ____ (win) the first prize. Before that day, she ____ (never, speak) on a stage. (four blanks, 1 mark each)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Joined in 2019 and ever since show a stay that began in the past and continues now: has been.
  2. Last year fixes a finished time: held.
  3. Winning is one finished event in the same story: won.
  4. Before that day compares two past moments, and speaking came earlier: had never spoken.

Answer: has been; held; won; had never spoken

Example 8: Editing in a paragraph, no clue given · 1 mark · Short answerHOTS / competency

One word in the paragraph is wrong. Identify it and correct it. Use the format Error | Correction.
Our school bus reaches the stop at seven every day. Yesterday it was late because a truck had blocked the road. We waits for forty minutes before it arrived.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Check each verb with its time word.
  2. 'Reaches' is right for a daily habit, and 'had blocked' is right for an event earlier than the lateness.
  3. Yesterday sets the last sentence in the past, and 'arrived' is already past, so 'waits' does not fit.
  4. 'Waits' is a present form (and does not agree with 'we'); the past action needs the simple past 'waited'.

Answer: waits | waited

Example 9: Reported statement with backshift · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Complete the report.
Ravi said to his teacher, 'I finished the project yesterday and I will submit it tomorrow.'
Ravi told his teacher that he ____ the project the day before and ____ it the next day. (two blanks, 1 mark each)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The reporting verb told is in the past, so the tenses move back.
  2. Finished (simple past) becomes had finished, and yesterday becomes the day before.
  3. Will submit becomes would submit, and tomorrow becomes the next day.

Answer: had finished; would submit

Example 10: Universal truth and 'ago' · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Complete the report.
Mother said to Anil, 'The sun rises in the east, and your cousin left an hour ago.'
Mother told Anil that the sun ____ in the east and that his cousin ____ an hour before. (two blanks, 1 mark each)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The sun rising in the east is a universal truth, so it stays in the simple present: rises.
  2. Left is a simple past event, so it moves back to the past perfect: had left.
  3. Ago becomes before, which the sentence already shows.

Answer: rises; had left

Example 11: Two clues compete · 1 mark · Very short answerHOTS / competency

Complete the report.
Kabir said, 'I have lived in this lane since 2015.'
Kabir said that he ____ (live) in that lane since 2015.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Since 2015 asks for a perfect form.
  2. Said is in the past, so the present perfect has to move back to the past perfect.
  3. Have lived becomes had lived, and this becomes that.

Answer: had lived (had been living is also acceptable)

Where students lose marks in Tenses

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Using present perfect with a finished time

    Students notice have and ignore yesterday or last year.

    Wrong working

    She has gone to Delhi last week.

    Right working

    She went to Delhi last week.

    Do this: Underline time words before choosing the tense.

    Usually costs: 1 mark in gap filling or editing.

  • Mistake: Base form after had or has

    Irregular verb forms are not revised.

    Wrong working

    He had forget his book.

    Right working

    He had forgotten his book.

    Do this: Learn the irregular verbs in three columns and revise a few daily.

    Usually costs: 1 mark in editing.

  • Mistake: Missing -s with a singular subject

    Students read fast and feel the sentence sounds fine.

    Wrong working

    It feel like a lucky day.

    Right working

    It feels like a lucky day.

    Do this: Find the subject of each verb and check its number.

    Usually costs: 1 mark in MCQ editing.

  • Mistake: Will in a time clause

    Students copy the future from the main clause.

    Wrong working

    I will call you when I will reach.

    Right working

    I will call you when I reach.

    Do this: After when, before, after, until and as soon as, use the present.

    Usually costs: 1 mark in editing.

  • Mistake: Changing more than the asked word

    Students rewrite the whole sentence.

    Wrong working

    Error: had forget the place | Correction: forgot all the place

    Right working

    Error: forget | Correction: forgotten

    Do this: Give only the wrong word and its correction in the requested format.

    Usually costs: 1 mark when the answer is not in the format.

Exam tips

  • In Q3, the passage helps you: read the lines around a blank to find the time clue, since a single sentence may not show it.
  • In editing, only one word is wrong. Find it, change it, and write it in the Error | Correction format.
  • In MCQ editing, test each option by checking the subject and the verb form before choosing.
  • In gap filling, write only the verb form the question asks for. Writing the whole sentence is not required, and copying wrongly can lose the mark.
  • Attempt ten of the twelve items and spend the extra time checking spelling in your answers, since a misspelt correct word may not earn the mark.

Practice questions on Tenses

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level

    Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb: My uncle ____ (live) in Jaipur since 2015.

    Hint

    Look at the word since.

    Answer

    has lived. Since links past to present, so the present perfect is needed.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · Short answerHarder board level

    Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets: Hurry up! By the time you reach the station tomorrow, the 6 a.m. train ____ (leave) already.

    Hint

    'By the time' with a future reference point.

    Answer

    will have left. The leaving will be complete before a future moment (when you reach the station tomorrow), so the future perfect is needed.

  3. Q3 · 1 mark · Short answerBoard level

    Identify the error and correct it. Use the format Error | Correction.
    The students had completed the project before the teacher ask for it.

    Hint

    Only one word is wrong.

    Answer

    ask | asked. The asking is a past event, so it needs the simple past.

  4. Q4 · 1 mark · Short answerHarder board level

    Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets: Please do not call me at ten tomorrow morning; I ____ (sit) in the examination hall at that time.

    Hint

    An action in progress at a fixed future time.

    Answer

    will be sitting. 'At ten tomorrow morning ... at that time' shows an action in progress at a future moment, so the future continuous is used.

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

    Choose the option that corrects the error: Ever since the bridge collapsed, the villagers walk five extra kilometres.
    (a) collapsed / collapses
    (b) walk / have been walking
    (c) five / fifth
    (d) extra / extras

    Hint

    Read the whole sentence before choosing.

    Answer

    (b) walk / have been walking. Ever since needs the present perfect continuous for an ongoing action.

  6. Q6 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level

    Fill in the blank: I ____ (not see) such a beautiful sunset before I visited Kanyakumari.

    Hint

    Compare the two events.

    Answer

    had not seen. The earlier of two past events takes the past perfect.

  7. Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    Fill in the four blanks with the correct tenses.
    Ishaan ____ (cycle) to school for three years now. Yesterday, as he ____ (turn) the corner, a dog ran across. He braked hard and ____ (fall). By the time his friends reached him, he ____ (already, get) up. (four blanks, 1 mark each)

    Hint

    Read all the lines before you decide.

    Answer

    has been cycling; was turning ('turned' is also acceptable); fell; had already got up. For three years now links the past to the present; turning was in progress when the dog ran; falling is one finished event; getting up was earlier than the friends' arrival.

  8. Q8 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Complete the report.
    Sana said, 'My brother is preparing for the exam and he will take leave next week.'
    Sana said that her brother ____ for the exam and that he ____ leave the following week. (two blanks, 1 mark each)

    Hint

    The reporting verb is in the past.

    Answer

    was preparing; would take. Present continuous becomes past continuous, and will becomes would.

  9. Q9 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Choose the correct option: Look at those dark clouds! It ____ soon.
    (a) will rain
    (b) is going to rain
    (c) rains
    (d) rained

    Hint

    The speaker can see evidence now.

    Answer

    (b) is going to rain. Going to is used for a prediction based on what you can see.

  10. Q10 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

    Choose the correct option: The players were exhausted after the match because they ____ in the sun for three hours.
    (a) practised
    (b) are practising
    (c) had been practising
    (d) have practised

    Hint

    An action that went on for a period before a past moment.

    Answer

    (c) had been practising. The practice went on for three hours before the past moment when they were exhausted, so the past perfect continuous fits. (b) and (d) are present forms in a past context; (a) does not show the earlier, continuing action.

  11. Q11 · 1 mark · Short answerBoard level

    Identify the error and correct it. Use the format Error | Correction.
    Did your sister reached the station before the train left?

    Hint

    Look at the verb after Did.

    Answer

    reached | reach. After did, the verb takes its base form.

  12. Q12 · 1 mark · Short answerBoard level

    Imagine you are writing a school blog. Correct the error in: If I will score well in the board exam, I will join a science stream. Write Error | Correction.

    Hint

    Compare the two clauses.

    Answer

    will score | score. After if, the present tense shows future meaning.

  13. Q13 · 1 mark · Short answerHOTS / competency

    Suppose your friend says, 'I have been waiting since morning, but the courier has not come yet.' Report her words to your mother in one sentence, using said that.

    Hint

    Two perfect forms and a past reporting verb.

    Answer

    My friend said that she had been waiting since morning but the courier had not come yet. Have been waiting becomes had been waiting, and has not come becomes had not come.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Which tense goes with since and for?Show answer

    The present perfect or the present perfect continuous.

  2. 2.Which tense follows yesterday, ago and last year?Show answer

    The simple past.

  3. 3.Which tense shows the earlier of two past events?Show answer

    The past perfect (had + past participle).

  4. 4.What form follows has, have and had?Show answer

    The past participle (third form).

  5. 5.How is the future shown after when, before and as soon as?Show answer

    With a present form, not will.

  6. 6.Which verbs usually avoid the continuous form?Show answer

    State verbs such as know, like, want, belong and believe.

Tenses: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between present perfect and simple past?

The simple past is for an action finished at a definite past time, such as yesterday. The present perfect links the past action to now, with clues like since, for, already or yet.

How many tense questions come in the CBSE Class 10 paper?

Tenses are tested within Q3, the grammar section, where you attempt ten out of twelve one-mark items. Tense forms can appear in gap filling, editing and transformation, so there is no fixed count for tenses alone.

How do I remember irregular verb forms?

Write them in three columns: base, past and past participle. Revise five a day and use them in your own sentences, as in 'write, wrote, written'.

Can I use will after if?

Not in the if clause of a real future condition. Say 'If it rains, we will stay home', not 'If it will rain'.