The six core GCSE tenses
Every AQA GCSE paper expects you to recognise — and produce — these six tenses. Each page below has the regular conjugation tables (–ar / –er / –ir), the high-frequency irregulars, time markers, six GCSE-topic model sentences, common-mistake call-outs and a 60-second drill with a best-ever tracker.
El presente
What you do every day. hablo · como · vivo. The foundation tense — used in every other answer.
Open pageEl pretérito
What you did, once. hablé · comí · viví. Completed actions in the past — pairs with ayer, anoche, el año pasado.
Open pageEl imperfecto
What you used to do. hablaba · comía · vivía. Repeated past actions and descriptions — pairs with cuando era pequeño.
Open pageEl futuro próximo
What you're going to do. voy a + infinitivo. The fastest way to add a future tense to any speaking answer.
Open pageEl futuro
What you will do. hablaré · comeré · viviré. Same endings for –ar/–er/–ir, attached to the infinitive. Big mark-grabber.
Open pageEl condicional
What you would do. hablaría · comería · viviría. "Si tuviera dinero, viajaría…" — opinion gold for the writing exam.
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