Present Perfect Tense Guide

What is Present Perfect?

The Present Perfect tense connects the past with the present. We use it to talk about:

Actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past
Actions that started in the past and continue to the present
Experiences in our lives
Recent actions with present results

Formula

Subject + have/has + Past Participle (V3)

Remember: Use have with I, You, We, They. Use has with He, She, It.

When to Use Present Perfect

1. Unspecified Time: "I have visited Paris." (when doesn't matter)
2. Recent Actions: "She has just finished her homework."
3. Life Experiences: "I have never seen a whale."
4. Continuing Actions: "We have lived here for 5 years."

Common Time Words with Present Perfect

These words often appear with Present Perfect:

already yet just ever never before so far recently lately for since

Important: We DON'T use Present Perfect with specific past times like "yesterday", "last week", "in 2020". Use Past Simple for those!

Activity 1: Fill in Have or Has

Remember: Use have with I, You, We, They. Use has with He, She, It.

1. I finished my homework.

2. She visited London three times.

3. We never been to Japan.

4. He already eaten lunch.

5. They just arrived.

6. It stopped raining.

7. You changed a lot since last year.

8. My sister bought a new car.

Activity 2: Fill in the Blank - Affirmative Sentences

Complete each sentence with the correct form. Use the words from the word box.

Word Box:

have has finished eaten visited seen done studied lived been gone bought

1. I my homework already.

2. She Paris three times.

3. We never to Japan.

4. He already lunch.

5. They just to the store.

6. It raining.

7. You a lot of work today.

8. My sister English for 3 years.

Activity 3: Write the Negative Form

Change these sentences to negative:

1. I have seen that movie. →

2. She has finished her homework. →

3. They have arrived yet. →

4. He has eaten lunch. →

5. We have visited Paris. →

Activity 4: Write Questions

Write questions using Present Perfect:

1. (you / ever / visit) New York?

2. (she / finish) her book yet?

3. (they / ever / see) a shark?

4. (he / already / leave) ?

5. (we / study) for the test?

Activity 5: Choose the Correct Answer

1. I _____ to Tokyo twice.

have been

has been

was

2. She _____ her keys yet.

hasn't found

didn't find

doesn't find

3. _____ you ever _____ sushi?

Have / eaten

Did / eat

Have / eat

4. We _____ here for five years.

have lived

lived

live

Activity 6: Complete the Sentences

Complete each sentence with Present Perfect:

1. I (never / try) bungee jumping.

2. She (already / read) that book.

3. We (live) in this city since 2020.

4. They (just / arrive) at the hotel.

5. He (work) here for ten years.

Present Perfect vs Past Simple

Key Differences

Main Rule: Past Simple = specific time in past | Present Perfect = connection to now (no specific time)

Past Simple:

yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago, when...

Present Perfect:

already, yet, just, ever, never, for, since

Past: "I went to Paris last year."
Perfect: "I have been to Paris." (no specific time)

Past: "She finished work an hour ago."
Perfect: "She has just finished work."

💡 Quick Guide: Specific time? → Past Simple | No time/experience/recent? → Present Perfect

❌ Common Mistakes: WRONG: "I have seen him yesterday." → RIGHT: "I saw him yesterday."

Activity 7: Past Simple or Present Perfect? (Choose the Correct Tense)

Look for time expressions to help you decide!

1. I (go) to Paris last year.

Hint: "last year" = specific time

2. I (go) to Paris twice in my life.

Hint: "in my life" = experience

3. She (finish) her work an hour ago.

Hint: "ago" = specific time

4. She (finish) her work already.

Hint: "already" = Present Perfect

5. We (live) here for five years.

Hint: "for" = continuing to now

6. They (visit) London in 2019.

Hint: "in 2019" = specific year

7. Have you ever (try) sushi?

Hint: "ever" = Present Perfect

Activity 8: Fill in "For" or "Since"

Use for with periods of time. Use since with a specific point in time.

1. I have lived here three years.

2. She has worked here 2020.

3. We have known each other a long time.

4. He has been sick Monday.

5. They have been married ten years.

Activity 8B: Multiple Choice - Present Perfect or Past Simple?

Choose the correct form. Pay attention to time expressions!

1. I _____ to Japan three times.

went

have been

was

2. She _____ her keys yesterday.

has lost

lost

loses

3. _____ you ever _____ a whale?

Did / see

Have / seen

Do / see

4. We _____ here since 2020.

lived

have lived

were living

5. He _____ his homework two hours ago.

has finished

finished

finishes

6. I _____ that movie already.

saw

have seen

see

Activity 8C: Correct the Mistakes - Present Perfect vs Past Simple

Each sentence has a mistake with the tense. Find and correct it:

1. I have seen him yesterday.

2. She finished her work already.

3. They went to Italy three times.

4. I have lost my keys two hours ago.

5. Did you ever try sushi?

6. We lived here since 2018.

Activity 8D: Complete the Dialog - Choose the Correct Tense

Fill in the blanks with Past Simple or Present Perfect:

Sarah: Hi Tom! 1. (you / be) to the new restaurant yet?

Tom: Yes, I 2. (go) there last Friday. What 3. (you / order)?

Tom: I 4. (try) their pasta. I 5. (never / taste) anything so delicious!

Sarah: 6. (you / visit) Italy? The chef is Italian.

Tom: Yes, I 7. (go) there in 2019. But I 8. (not have) pasta like this before!

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

Activity 9: Write Your Own Sentences

Write 3 sentences about yourself using Present Perfect:

1. Something you have done recently:

2. A place you have visited:

3. Something you have never done:

Activity 10: Correct the Mistakes

Each sentence has one mistake. Find and correct it:

1. I have went to the store yesterday.

2. She has never see a whale.

3. We have live here since five years.

4. They has finished their homework.

5. I have eat breakfast already.

Activity 11: Word Scramble - Put the Words in Order

Put the words in the correct order to make Present Perfect sentences.

1. Affirmative:

have I finished homework my already

2. Affirmative:

has she visited paris three times

3. Negative:

yet they haven't arrived

4. Negative:

never I have seen a whale

5. Question:

you have ever been to italy ?

6. Question:

finished she has her book yet ?

Activity 12: Matching and Time Words

Part A: Match the questions with the correct answers:

Questions

1. Have you ever been to Italy?

2. Has she finished her work?

3. How long have you lived here?

Answers

A. Yes, she has just finished.

B. I have lived here for five years.

C. Yes, I went there last summer.

Match: 1 = , 2 = , 3 =

Part B: Add the correct time word:

4. I have finished my homework. (just/already/yet)

5. Have you seen that movie ? (already/yet/ever)

6. She has been to Japan. (never/just/yet)

Activity 13: Reading Comprehension

Read the email and answer. Circle True, False, or Not Given.

To: Noah | Subject: Fun times

Hi Noah, Sorry I haven't written until now. We've been so busy. We arrived in Cape Town three days ago and it's really beautiful. We've done a lot already.

I've just been hang gliding along the coast. We've both been snorkeling. Trudi has already been scuba diving in Egypt, but I haven't.

We haven't been on safari yet, but we're going on Friday. See you soon! Alec and Trudi

1. Alec and Trudi have just arrived in Cape Town.

True

False

Not Given

2. They still haven't done much.

True

False

Not Given

3. Alec has just been hang gliding.

True

False

Not Given

4. Trudi has already been scuba diving.

True

False

Not Given

5. They haven't been on safari yet.

True

False

Not Given

Activity 14: Fill in the Gaps Using the Words in the Panel

Fill in each blank with the correct word from the panel below. Each word can be used more than once.

Example: I haven't been to Los Angeles yet.

1. We have come back from the beach.

2. They haven't tried hang gliding .

3. I haven't been on safari.

4. Alexia has been snorkeling before.

5. I haven't tried windsurfing .

6. We have arrived at the hotel 10 minutes ago.

7. He's been skydiving before.

8. Tom has called us a minute ago.

Words in the Panel:

yet already yet just still just still already yet