A2 · Elementary

A2 Grammar Exercises with Answers

A2 grammar is almost entirely about time. At A1 you learned to describe the present and to say that something was or was not the case. A2 gives you the rest of the timeline: a past you can tell stories in, two futures with different jobs, and the present perfect, which connects the two. Nearly every structure at this level exists to let you place an event somewhere other than now.

That makes A2 the level where most self-taught learners stall, because the distinctions are no longer about form but about meaning. Was doing and did are both correct English; choosing between them depends on how you are framing the event, not on a rule you can apply mechanically. The exercises below are built around those choices rather than around conjugation drills.

Each of the three sets ends with a scored test and a written answer key. If a distinction is not clicking, the explanation under each answer names the thing that decides it — usually a single word elsewhere in the sentence.

3 exercise sets 32 questions Answer key included Free, no sign-up

Written and reviewed by Vugar Novruzov, Academy Director · How we write our lessons

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Exercise 1 — past simple and past continuous

Telling a story: the events, and the background they happened against.

English tells stories with two past tenses working together. The past continuous describes what was already going on; the past simple reports the thing that happened. Neither is more correct than the other, and a story told entirely in one of them sounds wrong in a way learners often cannot name — either a flat list of events, or a scene in which nothing ever actually occurs.

Seven questions on the two past tenses.

Complete: I ___ dinner when the phone rang.cooked / was cooking / cook / have cooked
I ______ home when it began to rain.word bank: was walking, started, were sitting, saw
The concert ______ at exactly eight o'clock.word bank: was walking, started, were sitting, saw
They ______ in the garden when I arrived.word bank: was walking, started, were sitting, saw
I ______ her twice last week.word bank: was walking, started, were sitting, saw
While she ___, someone knocked at the door.slept / was sleeping / has slept / sleeps
We ___ to Prague three years ago.were going / have gone / went / go
What ___ when the fire alarm went off?did you do / were you doing / do you do / have you done
He ___ the film because he had already seen it.wasn't watching / didn't watch / doesn't watch / hasn't watched
The sun ___ and the birds were singing.shone / was shining / has shone / shines
I ___ my keys yesterday, but I found them.was losing / have lost / lost / lose
They ___ for two hours before the guide arrived.waited / were waiting / have waited / wait

Show the answer key for past simple and past continuous

I ___ dinner when the phone rang.: was cooking — The cooking was already under way.
I ___ home when it began to rain.: was walking — Background action, interrupted.
The concert ___ at eight.: started — A single event at a precise time.
They ___ in the garden when I arrived.: were sitting — Already in progress on arrival.
I ___ her twice last week.: saw — Finished time, countable completed events.
While she ___, someone knocked.: was sleeping — While introduces the background.
We ___ to Prague three years ago.: went — Ago forces the past simple.
What ___ when the alarm went off?: were you doing — Activity in progress at that moment.
He ___ the film.: didn't watch — A single completed non-event.
The sun ___ and the birds were singing.: was shining — Pure scene-setting.
I ___ my keys yesterday.: lost — Finished time and the problem is resolved.
They ___ for two hours before the guide arrived.: were waiting — Ongoing across a period, then interrupted.

Exercise 2 — going to and will

Plans you already had, and decisions you make as you speak.

English has no future tense. It has several ways of talking about the future, and the two you need at A2 differ by where the decision lives. Going to reports something already settled before you opened your mouth, or something the present evidence makes obvious. Will decides now: an offer, a promise, a prediction, a change of mind. Choosing wrongly is rarely ungrammatical, just inaccurate.

Six questions on the two futures.

The phone is ringing and nobody is moving. Marta stands up: "Don't worry, I ______ answer it."will / am going to / answer / would
Look at those clouds! It ___ rain.will / is going to / rains / would
I have made up my mind: I ___ study medicine.will / am going to / go to / would
That bag looks heavy. I ___ carry it for you.am going to / will / carry / would
We ___ get married in September — the venue is booked.will / are going to / get / would
I think it ___ be a difficult year.is going to / will / is / would
Careful — you ___ drop it!will / are going to / drop / would
The meeting ___ at three, according to the schedule.will start / starts / is going to start / started

Show the answer key for going to and will

Don't worry, I ___ answer it.: will — The decision is made at that instant.
Look at those clouds! It ___ rain.: is going to — Prediction from present evidence.
I ___ study medicine.: am going to — The decision was already made.
I ___ carry it for you.: will — A spontaneous offer.
We ___ get married in September.: are going to — An existing, arranged plan.
I think it ___ be a difficult year.: will — Opinion-based prediction.
You ___ drop it!: are going to — Visible evidence, immediate future.
The meeting ___ at three.: starts — Timetables take the present simple.

Exercise 3 — present perfect

just, already, yet, for and since — and why the time is never stated.

The present perfect is the structure that most often survives into advanced English still slightly wrong, because many languages have a form that looks identical and is used differently. The English rule is narrow: the present perfect never appears with a finished time expression. The moment you say yesterday, last week or in 2019, the sentence must switch to the past simple, no matter how relevant the event still feels.

Seven questions on the present perfect.

Which sentence is correct?I have seen him yesterday. / I saw him yesterday. / I have saw him yesterday. / I did see him yesterday already.
I have lived here ______ six years.word bank: for, since, yet, already
She has worked here ______ 2021.word bank: for, since, yet, already
Have you finished ______?word bank: for, since, yet, already
We have ______ eaten, thanks.word bank: for, since, yet, already
I ___ my homework, so I can come out.finish / have finished / finished / am finishing
___ you ever been to Japan?Did / Have / Are / Do
He ___ his leg last winter.has broken / broke / has break / breaks
We have known each other ___ ten years.since / for / from / during
She hasn't called ___.already / yet / just / since
The train ___ just left.is / has / was / did
How long ___ you had this car?did / have / are / do

Show the answer key for present perfect

Which sentence is correct?: I saw him yesterday. — A stated finished time blocks the present perfect.
I have lived here ___ six years.: for — For introduces a duration.
She has worked here ___ 2021.: since — Since introduces a starting point.
Have you finished ___?: yet — Yet belongs in questions and negatives.
We have ___ eaten.: already — Already belongs in positive statements.
I ___ my homework.: have finished — Past action with a present consequence.
___ you ever been to Japan?: Have — Ever asks about experience up to now.
He ___ his leg last winter.: broke — Finished time expression.
We have known each other ___ ten years.: for — A length of time.
She hasn't called ___.: yet — Negative sentence.
The train ___ just left.: has — Just plus a recent event takes the present perfect.
How long ___ you had this car?: have — A period continuing to now.

The A2 timeline at a glance

Almost every A2 structure is a way of pointing at a different part of the timeline. Read down this table before starting, and again after the third set — most A2 confusion is really a confusion about which row you are in.

Structure	What it points at	The word that usually gives it away
Past simple	a finished event at a finished time	yesterday, last week, in 2019, ago
Past continuous	the background an event happened against	while, as, at 8 o'clock
going to	a plan already made, or visible evidence	already decided, look at those clouds
will	a decision made now, a prediction, an offer	I think, probably, I'll get it
Present perfect	a past event still relevant now	ever, never, just, already, yet, since, for

The two contrasts that decide most A2 answers

Past simple against past continuous

The past continuous sets a scene; the past simple reports what happened in it. "I was cooking when the phone rang" — the cooking was already under way and continued, the ringing interrupted it. Swap them and the sentence says something different and slightly strange: the phone was in the middle of ringing when the cooking happened.

Going to against will

Going to reports a decision that already exists; will makes one now. If a friend asks what you are doing tonight and you have already decided, the answer is "I'm going to see a film". If you decide as you speak, it is "I'll come with you". Both are correct English and they carry different information, which is why exercises about them cannot be answered by form alone.

Frequently asked questions

What grammar is covered at A2 level?

The past simple of regular and irregular verbs, the past continuous, used to, going to and will, the present perfect with just, already, yet, for and since, comparatives and superlatives, and the common modals.

Do these A2 exercises have answers?

Yes. Every set is marked as you go and carries a written answer key underneath explaining each item.

What is the difference between the past simple and the present perfect?

The past simple places an event at a finished time; the present perfect leaves the time open because the event still matters now. "I lost my keys" is a report; "I have lost my keys" means they are still missing.

When do I use going to instead of will?

Going to reports a plan you already had or evidence you can see. Will makes a decision at the moment of speaking, or offers a prediction. Both are correct — they simply say different things.

Is A2 the same as elementary?

Yes. A2 is the second CEFR level and is usually labelled elementary or pre-intermediate in course materials.

How do I know when I have finished A2?

When you can tell a short story about last weekend in the past tenses, explain your plans in both futures, and give news with the present perfect without stopping to work out the form.