The article presents an experience of studying contemporary Tibetan grammar works, most of which were published in China and India between 1962 and 2010. The Tibetan grammatical tradition dates back to the first grammatical treatises of Sum cu pa and Rtags kyi ‘jug pa. These grammars founded the tradition of the Tibetan grammatical description, which was developed by authors of numerous commentaries until the 20th century. The article describes the history of the creation the first two grammatical treatises, their content and structure. The article also gives a description of the development of linguistic thought by later commentators. Modern grammars are classified on different principles — according to the methods of describing the Tibetan language, main subjects, strength of connection with the grammatical tradition of the first treatises etc.