Regular verb
The verb to turn
turn → turned → turned
A1Meaning: to move round; to change direction; to become · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 10 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
turn / turns - Past Simple:
turned - Past participle:
turned - -ing form:
turning
Conjugation of the verb to turn
Present Simple
| I | turn |
| You | turn |
| He / She / It | turns |
| We | turn |
| You (pl.) | turn |
| They | turn |
Past Simple
| I | turned |
| You | turned |
| He / She / It | turned |
| We | turned |
| You (pl.) | turned |
| They | turned |
All the forms of the verb to turn
Present Simple
Full pageturn / turns
“Turn left.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are turning
“I am turning the page right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pageturned
“I turned 30 yesterday.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were turning
“I was turning the page when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has turned
“I have already turned the page.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad turned
“She had already turned the page when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill turn
“I will turn the page tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to turn
“I'm going to turn the page this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould turn
“I would turn the page if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to turn
1. Turning (changing direction)
- Turn left.
2. Turning things on and off
Turn on makes a light or a machine start; turn off makes it stop.
- Turn on the lights.
3. Turning an age
Turn + an age means you reach that age on your birthday.
- I just turned 25.
A common mistake
1. I have 12 years ❌
In English, age goes with be: I'm 12. For the day of your birthday, use turn: I turned 12 last week (my birthday was last week).
Going further
Conjugating to turn is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
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Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to turn. Now say it out loud.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of turn?+
Turn is a regular verb. Its Past Simple and its past participle are both turned: We turned left at the church.
What is the difference between turn on, turn off, turn up and turn down?+
Turn on means to make a light, a TV or music start: Turn on the light, please. Turn off means to make it stop: Turn off the TV. Turn up means to make the sound louder, and turn down means to make it quieter: Can you turn the music down? Turn down can also mean to say no to an offer: She turned down the job.
What does I turn 13 mean?+
Turn + an age means you reach that age on your birthday: I turn 13 next week. I just turned 13 means my birthday was a few days ago. To give your age on a normal day, use be: I'm 13.
Is turn also a noun?+
Yes, with several meanings. In a game, a turn is your moment to play: It's my turn! On a road, it is a change of direction: Take the next left turn. It can also mean a change: The weather took a turn for the worse (it got worse).
What does turn into mean?+
Turn into means to change and become something different: The caterpillar turned into a butterfly. The rain turned into snow.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/turn
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.