Par l'equipe ActionBRITISH
Mis a jour le 27 fevrier 2026 • Lecture 16 min
TL;DR - L'essentiel en 30 secondes
- 12 temps principaux : 4 au present, 4 au passe, 4 au futur
- Present simple : sujet + verbe (+ s a la 3e pers.) - habitudes et verites generales
- Present continuous : sujet + am/is/are + V-ing - action en cours maintenant
- Past simple : sujet + V-ed (ou forme irreguliere) - action terminee dans le passe
- Present perfect : sujet + have/has + participe passe - lien passe-present
- Futur : will + verbe (prediction) / be going to (intention) / present continuous (planifie)
- Verbes irreguliers : environ 200 a memoriser (go/went/gone, see/saw/seen...)
La conjugaison est souvent perçue comme le plus grand defi de la grammaire anglaise pour les francophones. Pourtant, la bonne nouvelle est que la conjugaison anglaise est infiniment plus simple que la conjugaison francaise. En francais, un verbe peut avoir plus de 50 formes conjuguees differentes. En anglais, un verbe regulier n'en a que 4 ou 5 (base form, -s form, -ing form, past form, past participle). La difficulte reside donc moins dans la memorisation des formes que dans le choix du bon temps selon le contexte.
Ce guide exhaustif vous presente les 12 temps verbaux de l'anglais sous forme de tableaux clairs et synthetiques, avec pour chacun : la regle de formation, des exemples commentes, les marqueurs temporels associes et les erreurs les plus frequentes a eviter. Pour une progression structuree et personnalisee en conjugaison, les formations anglais CPF d'ActionBRITISH vous offrent un accompagnement sur mesure.
📚 Combien de temps verbaux existe-t-il en anglais et comment sont-ils organises ?
L'anglais compte 12 temps verbaux principaux, organises en trois groupes temporels (present, passe, futur), chacun decline en quatre aspects (simple, continuous/progressive, perfect, perfect continuous). Cette organisation est parfaitement symetrique et constitue l'architecture complete de la conjugaison anglaise.
| Aspect | Present | Passe | Futur |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I work | I worked | I will work |
| Continuous | I am working | I was working | I will be working |
| Perfect | I have worked | I had worked | I will have worked |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been working | I had been working | I will have been working |
Comprendre les 4 aspects
- Simple : action comme un fait, une habitude, un evenement ponctuel
- Continuous (be + V-ing) : action en cours, en progression, temporaire
- Perfect (have + participe passe) : action terminee avec un lien vers un autre moment
- Perfect Continuous (have been + V-ing) : action en cours pendant une certaine duree, avec emphase sur la duree
Comprendre cette logique est la cle pour maitriser la conjugaison anglaise sans memoriser mecaniquement des tableaux. Chaque combinaison de temps et d'aspect correspond a une situation communicative precise. Avec cette grille mentale, vous pouvez deduire la formation de n'importe quel temps anglais de maniere logique.
🔶 Comment conjuguer les 4 temps du present en anglais ?
Present Simple - I work
Le present simple est le temps le plus fondamental de l'anglais. Il exprime des habitudes, des verites generales, des faits permanents et des horaires fixes. Sa formation est extremement simple : le verbe reste a sa forme de base pour tous les sujets, sauf a la troisieme personne du singulier (he, she, it) ou l'on ajoute un -s.
| Sujet | Affirmatif | Negatif | Interrogatif |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I work | I don't work | Do I work? |
| You | You work | You don't work | Do you work? |
| He/She/It | He works | He doesn't work | Does he work? |
| We | We work | We don't work | Do we work? |
| They | They work | They don't work | Do they work? |
Marqueurs temporels du present simple
always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day/week/month, on Mondays, twice a week, in general
- "She always drinks coffee in the morning." (habitude)
- "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius." (verite generale)
- "The train leaves at 8:15 AM." (horaire fixe)
Present Continuous - I am working
Le present continuous (ou present progressive) decrit une action en cours au moment ou l'on parle, une situation temporaire ou un projet futur planifie. Sa formation repose sur l'auxiliaire be conjugue au present (am/is/are) suivi du verbe principal avec la terminaison -ing.
| Sujet | Affirmatif | Negatif | Interrogatif |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am working | I'm not working | Am I working? |
| You | You are working | You aren't working | Are you working? |
| He/She/It | He is working | He isn't working | Is he working? |
| We | We are working | We aren't working | Are we working? |
| They | They are working | They aren't working | Are they working? |
Marqueurs temporels du present continuous
now, right now, at the moment, currently, today, this week, these days
- "I am reading a book right now." (action en cours)
- "She is living in London this year." (situation temporaire)
- "We are meeting the client tomorrow at 10." (projet planifie)
Verbes d'etat : pas de continuous !
Certains verbes ne s'utilisent pas au continuous car ils decrivent des etats, pas des actions : know, believe, like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, understand, remember, belong, own, seem, appear. On dit "I know the answer" (et non "I am knowing"). Exception : certains verbes changent de sens au continuous ("I think" = je pense / "I am thinking" = je suis en train de reflechir).
Present Perfect - I have worked
Le present perfect est le temps qui pose le plus de difficultes aux francophones car il n'a pas d'equivalent exact en francais. Il cree un pont entre le passe et le present, decrivant une action passee qui a un impact ou une pertinence dans le present. Sa formation utilise have/has + participe passe (V-ed pour les reguliers, 3e colonne pour les irreguliers).
| Sujet | Affirmatif | Negatif | Interrogatif |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I have worked | I haven't worked | Have I worked? |
| He/She/It | She has worked | She hasn't worked | Has she worked? |
| We/They | They have worked | They haven't worked | Have they worked? |
Les 4 usages du present perfect
- Experience de vie : "I have visited Japan three times." (a un moment dans ma vie)
- Action recente avec resultat present : "She has lost her phone." (elle ne l'a plus)
- Action commencee dans le passe, continue : "I have lived here for 10 years." (j'y vis toujours)
- Avec just/already/yet : "He has just arrived." / "Have you finished yet?"
Present Perfect Continuous - I have been working
Ce temps met l'accent sur la duree d'une action qui a commence dans le passe et continue dans le present, ou qui vient de se terminer avec des consequences visibles. Formation : have/has been + V-ing.
Exemples du present perfect continuous
- "I have been waiting for two hours." (et j'attends toujours)
- "She has been studying all day." (emphase sur la duree de l'effort)
- "It has been raining since this morning." (et il pleut encore)
- "Why are you so tired? - I have been running." (consequence visible)
🔶 Comment conjuguer les 4 temps du passe en anglais ?
Past Simple - I worked
Le past simple (ou preterit) designe une action terminee dans le passe a un moment precis, revolu. C'est le temps du recit, de la narration et des evenements dates. Pour les verbes reguliers, on ajoute -ed a la base verbale. Pour les irreguliers, il faut memoriser la forme specifique (2e colonne des verbes irreguliers).
| Type | Affirmatif | Negatif | Interrogatif |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulier | I worked | I didn't work | Did I work? |
| Irregulier | I went | I didn't go | Did I go? |
| Verbe be | I was / They were | I wasn't / They weren't | Was I? / Were they? |
Marqueurs temporels du past simple
yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2020, when I was young, at that time, in those days
- "I visited London last summer." (action terminee, moment precis)
- "She didn't call me yesterday." (negatif au passe)
- "Did you see the film?" (interrogatif - verbe a la base)
Past Continuous - I was working
Le past continuous decrit une action en cours a un moment precis du passe, souvent interrompue par une autre action (au past simple). Formation : was/were + V-ing.
Usages du past continuous
- Action en cours interrompue : "I was cooking when the phone rang."
- Actions simultanees : "While she was reading, he was watching TV."
- Decor d'un recit : "It was raining and the wind was blowing hard."
- Action longue dans le passe : "At 8 PM, I was still working."
Past Perfect - I had worked
Le past perfect (ou plus-que-parfait) designe une action qui s'est produite avant une autre action passee. Il permet d'etablir une chronologie claire entre deux evenements passes. Formation : had + participe passe.
Exemples du past perfect
- "When I arrived, she had already left." (elle est partie AVANT mon arrivee)
- "He had never seen snow before he visited Canada." (jamais vu AVANT la visite)
- "They had finished dinner by the time I got home." (fini AVANT mon retour)
Past Perfect Continuous - I had been working
Ce temps souligne la duree d'une action passee qui etait en cours avant qu'un autre evenement passe ne se produise. Formation : had been + V-ing.
Exemples du past perfect continuous
- "I had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally arrived."
- "She had been studying for three years before she passed the exam."
- "They had been living in Paris for a decade when they decided to move."
🔶 Comment exprimer le futur en anglais : les 4 temps et alternatives ?
Future Simple - I will work
Le futur simple avec will s'utilise pour les predictions spontanees, les decisions prises au moment de parler, les promesses et les offres. C'est le temps futur le plus polyvalent. Formation : will + base verbale (identique pour tous les sujets).
| Usage | Exemple | Contexte |
|---|---|---|
| Prediction | It will rain tomorrow. | Ce qu'on pense du futur |
| Decision spontanee | I'll have the pasta, please. | Decision prise maintenant |
| Promesse | I will always love you. | Engagement personnel |
| Offre | I'll help you with that. | Proposition d'aide |
| Menace / avertissement | If you touch that, you'll burn yourself. | Consequence future |
Be going to - I am going to work
La structure be going to + verbe exprime une intention planifiee ou une prediction basee sur des indices presents. C'est la forme la plus courante pour parler de projets futurs.
Will vs Be going to : la difference cruciale
- Will : "I'll have a coffee." (decision spontanee, je decide maintenant)
- Going to : "I'm going to have a coffee." (intention preexistante, c'etait deja prevu)
- Will : "I think it will rain." (prediction basee sur une opinion)
- Going to : "Look at those clouds. It's going to rain." (prediction basee sur un indice visible)
Future Continuous - I will be working
Le future continuous decrit une action qui sera en cours a un moment precis du futur. Formation : will be + V-ing. Exemple : "At 3 PM tomorrow, I will be presenting the project." (a 15h demain, je serai en train de presenter). Ce temps est aussi utilise pour des actions futures considerees comme normales ou attendues : "I will be seeing John later, shall I pass on a message?"
Future Perfect - I will have worked
Le future perfect designe une action qui sera terminee avant un moment precis du futur. Formation : will have + participe passe. Exemple : "By next June, I will have finished my degree." (d'ici juin prochain, j'aurai termine). Marqueurs : by tomorrow, by next week, by the time you arrive, before 2027.
📖 Quels sont les verbes irreguliers essentiels a connaitre pour conjuguer en anglais ?
Les verbes irreguliers sont la principale difficulte de la conjugaison anglaise. Contrairement aux verbes reguliers qui forment leur passe et leur participe passe en ajoutant -ed, les verbes irreguliers ont des formes uniques qu'il faut apprendre par coeur. Voici les 30 verbes irreguliers les plus utilises en anglais courant.
| Base verbale | Preterit | Participe passe | Traduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been | etre |
| have | had | had | avoir |
| do | did | done | faire |
| go | went | gone | aller |
| see | saw | seen | voir |
| come | came | come | venir |
| take | took | taken | prendre |
| make | made | made | faire, fabriquer |
| get | got | got/gotten | obtenir |
| give | gave | given | donner |
| know | knew | known | savoir |
| think | thought | thought | penser |
| say | said | said | dire |
| tell | told | told | raconter |
| find | found | found | trouver |
| write | wrote | written | ecrire |
| read | read | read | lire |
| speak | spoke | spoken | parler |
| eat | ate | eaten | manger |
| drink | drank | drunk | boire |
| run | ran | run | courir |
| buy | bought | bought | acheter |
| sell | sold | sold | vendre |
| send | sent | sent | envoyer |
| leave | left | left | partir, laisser |
| put | put | put | mettre |
| begin | began | begun | commencer |
| break | broke | broken | casser |
| choose | chose | chosen | choisir |
| stand | stood | stood | se tenir debout |
Astuce de memorisation
Regroupez les verbes irreguliers par type de changement sonore : les verbes en -ought (think/thought, buy/bought, bring/brought), les verbes en -ew/-own (know/knew/known, grow/grew/grown), les verbes identiques aux 3 formes (put/put/put, cut/cut/cut, let/let/let). Ces patterns facilitent enormement la memorisation.
💡 Comment fonctionne le conditionnel en anglais : les 4 types ?
Le conditionnel anglais n'est pas un temps a proprement parler mais une structure grammaticale qui combine differents temps pour exprimer des conditions et leurs consequences. L'anglais distingue 4 types de conditionnel, chacun correspondant a un degre de probabilite different.
| Type | Structure | Usage | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | If + present, present | Verite generale, certitude | If you heat water, it boils. |
| First | If + present, will + verbe | Situation probable, reelle | If it rains, I will take an umbrella. |
| Second | If + past simple, would + verbe | Situation hypothetique, peu probable | If I won the lottery, I would travel. |
| Third | If + past perfect, would have + pp | Situation irreelle du passe | If I had studied, I would have passed. |
Erreur classique a eviter
Ne mettez JAMAIS "will" dans la proposition introduite par "if". On dit "If it rains, I will..." (et non "If it will rain"). C'est l'une des erreurs les plus frequentes chez les francophones. Le present simple dans la clause conditionnelle exprime deja le sens futur.
📋 Tableau de synthese : tous les 12 temps anglais sur une seule page
Voici le tableau recapitulatif ultime de la conjugaison anglaise. Imprimez-le ou enregistrez-le pour l'avoir toujours a portee de main. Pour chaque temps, vous trouverez la formation, un exemple et le signal temporel typique.
| Temps | Formation | Exemple | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | S + V (+ s) | She works every day. | always, every day |
| Present Continuous | S + am/is/are + V-ing | She is working now. | now, at the moment |
| Present Perfect | S + have/has + pp | She has worked here since 2020. | since, for, already, yet |
| Present Perfect Cont. | S + have/has been + V-ing | She has been working all day. | for, since, all day |
| Past Simple | S + V-ed / V2 | She worked yesterday. | yesterday, last week, ago |
| Past Continuous | S + was/were + V-ing | She was working at 8 PM. | when, while, at that time |
| Past Perfect | S + had + pp | She had worked there before. | before, after, by the time |
| Past Perfect Cont. | S + had been + V-ing | She had been working for hours. | for, since, before |
| Future Simple | S + will + V | She will work tomorrow. | tomorrow, next week |
| Future Continuous | S + will be + V-ing | She will be working at 3 PM. | at this time tomorrow |
| Future Perfect | S + will have + pp | She will have worked 10 years by then. | by tomorrow, by next year |
| Future Perfect Cont. | S + will have been + V-ing | She will have been working for a decade. | by, for + duree future |
Pour des explications detaillees sur chaque temps, consultez nos articles dedies : le present simple, la formation du present simple et notre guide complet des phrases negatives en anglais.
✍️ Exercices pratiques : testez votre maitrise de la conjugaison anglaise
Exercice 1 : Choisir le bon temps
Completez les phrases suivantes en choisissant le temps verbal correct parmi les options proposees.
- She _______ (work) here since 2019. [present perfect / present simple]
- I _______ (read) when the lights went out. [past simple / past continuous]
- By next year, they _______ (finish) the project. [future perfect / future simple]
- Water _______ (freeze) at 0 degrees. [present simple / present perfect]
- Look at those clouds! It _______ (rain). [will / be going to]
- If I _______ (have) more time, I would learn Japanese. [had / have / will have]
- She _______ (never / visit) Asia before her trip last year. [past perfect / present perfect]
- Right now, they _______ (prepare) for the meeting. [present simple / present continuous]
Corrige
- She has worked here since 2019. (present perfect - since)
- I was reading when the lights went out. (past continuous - interrompu par past simple)
- By next year, they will have finished the project. (future perfect - by + moment futur)
- Water freezes at 0 degrees. (present simple - verite generale)
- Look at those clouds! It is going to rain. (be going to - indice visible)
- If I had more time, I would learn Japanese. (second conditional - hypothetique)
- She had never visited Asia before her trip last year. (past perfect - avant un evenement passe)
- Right now, they are preparing for the meeting. (present continuous - right now)
Exercice 2 : Transformer les phrases
Mettez les phrases suivantes au temps indique entre parentheses.
- "I play tennis." → (present continuous)
- "They eat lunch." → (past simple)
- "She writes emails." → (present perfect)
- "We study English." → (future simple)
- "He drives to work." → (past continuous)
Corrige
- I am playing tennis.
- They ate lunch.
- She has written emails.
- We will study English.
- He was driving to work.
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