Present Perfect Exercises
How the present perfect works
The present perfect connects the past to the present: it describes experiences, changes, and situations that started in the past and still matter now.
- Form:
- have/has + past participle (I have worked, she has gone)
- Use 1 — Experience:
- Things you have done at some time in your life: "I have visited Japan."
- Use 2 — Unfinished time:
- Situations that started in the past and continue now, often with for/since: "She has lived here since 2020."
- Use 3 — Present result:
- Past actions with a visible result now: "I have lost my keys (so I can't get in)."
- Signal words:
- ever, never, just, already, yet, for, since, recently, so far
Examples
I have worked here for five years, and I still love my job.
unfinished time — the situation continues now
She has just finished the report, so you can read it.
recent action with a present result
Have you ever eaten sushi?
life experience — the exact time is not important
They haven't arrived yet — the meeting starts in five minutes.
negative with 'yet'
We have known each other since university.
'since' + starting point
Practice exercises
Choose the correct form
Select the correct option to complete each sentence.
1.I ___ in this city since 2019.
2.She ___ her homework, so she can watch TV now.
3.___ you ever ___ to Australia?
4.They ___ the new museum yet.
5.We ___ each other for more than ten years.
Complete the sentences
Type the present perfect form of the verb in brackets.
Put the words in order
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
11. Build the sentence:
12. Build the sentence:
13. Build the sentence:
14. Build the sentence:
True or false?
Decide if each statement about the present perfect is true or false.
15.The sentence "I have seen that film last week" is correct.
16."She has been to Paris" means she visited Paris and came back.
17.We use 'since' with a period of time, like 'since two hours'.
18.'Yet' is normally used in questions and negative sentences.
Frequently asked questions
What is the present perfect tense?
The present perfect is formed with have/has + past participle (I have worked, she has gone). It links the past to the present and is used for life experiences, situations that started in the past and continue now, and past actions with a present result.
What is the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?
The past simple describes finished actions at a finished time (I saw him yesterday). The present perfect describes actions in an unfinished time or with a connection to now (I have seen him today). If you say when something happened with a finished time expression, use the past simple.
When do I use 'for' and 'since' with the present perfect?
Use 'for' with a period of time (for two years, for a long time) and 'since' with the starting point of the action (since 2020, since Monday, since I was a child).
What is the difference between 'have been to' and 'have gone to'?
'Have been to' means the person visited a place and has come back. 'Have gone to' means the person went there and is still there or on the way.
Where do 'already', 'just' and 'yet' go in a present perfect sentence?
'Already' and 'just' go between have/has and the past participle (I have just eaten; she has already left). 'Yet' goes at the end of questions and negative sentences (Have you eaten yet? I haven't eaten yet).
The present perfect explained in depth
The present perfect is one of the most frequently tested tenses in English — and one of the most confusing for learners, because many languages either don't have an equivalent form or use it differently. The key idea is that the present perfect always creates a bridge between the past and the present: the action happened (or started) before now, but the speaker cares about its connection to the present moment.
Grammatically, the tense is simple to build: have or has followed by the past participle. Regular verbs add -ed (worked, played), while irregular verbs have special forms you need to memorise (gone, seen, eaten, written). Most mistakes, however, are not about the form — they are about choosing between the present perfect and the past simple.
A reliable test is to look at the time expression. Finished time words — yesterday, last week, in 2015, two hours ago — demand the past simple. Unfinished time words — today, this week, so far, ever, never, for, since — usually signal the present perfect. Compare: "I drank three coffees yesterday" (finished day) with "I have drunk three coffees today" (the day continues, the number could still grow).
The present perfect also carries a strong sense of relevance. When you say "I have lost my passport", you are not simply reporting a past event — you are saying that the loss matters now: you can't travel, you need help. That is why news reports often open with the present perfect ("The president has announced...") before switching to the past simple for details.
To master this tense, practise the three core uses separately — experience, unfinished time, and present result — and pay special attention to the signal words. The exercises above mix all three uses, so they are a realistic check of whether you can choose the right form in context.