Present Perfect vs Past Simple Exercises
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Present perfect or past simple?
Use the past simple for finished actions at a finished time. Use the present perfect when the time is not finished, or when the result matters now.
- Past simple:
- finished time: yesterday, last year, in 2015, two days ago → I saw him yesterday.
- Present perfect:
- unfinished time or no time given: today, this week, ever, never → I have seen him today.
- The time test:
- a finished-time expression in the same clause, such as last spring, calls for the past simple
- Life experience:
- Have you ever…? uses the present perfect; the details after it use the past simple
- Signal words:
- present perfect: ever, never, just, already, yet, since, for — past simple: yesterday, ago, last…, in + past year
Examples
I have visited Rome three times. My last visit was last spring.
three visits in total (present perfect); the last visit has a finished date (past simple)
She lost her keys yesterday, but she has found them.
dated event vs present result
Have you ever tried Thai food? — Yes, I tried it in Bangkok in 2022.
experience question, dated answer
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays.
finished life = past simple
My sister has written two books.
she can write more = present perfect
Audio uses a synthetic voice.
Practice exercises
Choose the correct tense
Select the correct option to complete each sentence.
1.I ___ my homework two hours ago.
2.I ___ never seen snow.
3.___ you ___ to the cinema last night?
4.My grandmother ___ born in 1948.
5.This is the best pizza I ___!
Complete the sentences
Type the correct form of the verb in brackets — present perfect or past simple.
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 is true or false.
15."I have seen him yesterday" is correct.
16."Have you ever been to Japan?" asks about your whole life up to now.
17.After answering "Yes, I have", we usually give the details in the past simple.
18.American and British English always use these two tenses in exactly the same way.
Present perfect vs past simple: how to choose
This choice causes many mistakes, because many languages use one past tense for both jobs. English has two. The past simple is for events in a finished time. The present perfect is for events whose time reaches the present, or whose result matters now. To choose, look at the time.
Look at the time expression in the clause. Words that close the past — yesterday, ago, last week, in 2015, when I was a child — need the past simple. Words that keep the time open — today, this month, ever, never, yet, since, for — need the present perfect. When there is no time word, ask if the sentence is about now: "I've lost my keys" is a problem now.
Learn this common pattern. We ask about life experience with the present perfect — "Have you ever driven on the left?" — and when we add a finished time to the next sentence, we use the past simple for that event: "Yes, I drove in Dublin last year. It was difficult." If you stay in the present perfect for the whole story, it sounds vague.
Finished lives take the past simple: "Shakespeare wrote 37 plays." His life is finished. Lives that continue take the present perfect: "My sister has written two books." She can write more. The word 'this morning' can go both ways: at 10 a.m. the morning is open ("I've drunk two coffees this morning"), but at 9 p.m. it is finished ("I drank two coffees this morning").
Finally, remember that American English is a little different. It allows "Did you eat yet?" where British English says "Have you eaten yet?". Neither is wrong, but be consistent in one variety.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to choose between the present perfect and the past simple?
Look at the time. If the sentence names a finished time (yesterday, last year, in 2020, ago), use the past simple. If the time is still open (today, this week, ever) or no time is mentioned and the result matters now, use the present perfect.
Why is "I have seen him yesterday" wrong?
Because the present perfect cannot go with finished-time expressions. 'Yesterday' closes the time, so the past simple is required: "I saw him yesterday."
How do conversations move between the two tenses?
A typical pattern: start with the present perfect to ask about experience ("Have you ever been to Iceland?"), then use the past simple for the details ("Yes — I went in 2023, it was amazing"). The present perfect introduces; the past simple tells the story.
Which tense do I use for people who have died?
Use the past simple for their life: "Shakespeare wrote 37 plays", "The Romans built this wall." The present perfect would suggest that their life is not finished.
Do Americans use the present perfect less than the British?
Yes. With just, already and yet, American English often uses the past simple ("I already ate", "Did you finish yet?"), where British English prefers the present perfect. Both are correct in their variety.
Answer key
1. I ___ my homework two hours ago.
Answer: finished
'Two hours ago' is a finished time — past simple: finished.
2. I ___ never seen snow.
Answer: have
'Never' + your whole life up to now takes the present perfect: I have never seen snow.
3. ___ you ___ to the cinema last night?
Answer: Did / go
'Last night' is a finished time, so use the past simple: Did you go…?
4. My grandmother ___ born in 1948.
Answer: was
A dated, finished event: was born in 1948.
5. This is the best pizza I ___!
Answer: have ever eaten
'The best … ever' about your whole life takes the present perfect: have ever eaten.
6. We ___ that museum when we were in Paris.
Answer: visited
'When we were in Paris' is a finished period: visited.
7. She ___ in this school since 2020.
Answer: has studied
'Since 2020' is an unfinished period that continues now: has studied.
8. I ___ him three times this week.
Answer: have seen
'This week' is still open, so the total may grow: have seen.
9. They ___ to Portugal last summer.
Answer: moved
'Last summer' is finished time: moved.
10. ___ you ever ___ a horse?
Answer: have / ridden
Life experience question: Have you ever ridden…? Type both words, e.g. "have / ridden".
11. never / I / sushi / have / eaten
Answer: I have never eaten sushi
Life experience with 'never': subject + have + never + participle.
12. did / last night / what / you / do / ?
Answer: what did you do last night ?
Finished time question: what + did + subject + base verb.
13. just / the bus / has / left
Answer: the bus has just left
'Just' + present result: has just left.
14. you / how long / have / here / lived / ?
Answer: how long have you lived here ?
'How long' + have + subject + participle: the situation continues now.
15. "I have seen him yesterday" is correct.
Answer: False
False — 'yesterday' is finished time, which forces the past simple: "I saw him yesterday."
16. "Have you ever been to Japan?" asks about your whole life up to now.
Answer: True
True — 'ever' + present perfect covers all your life experience so far.
17. After answering "Yes, I have", we usually give the details in the past simple.
Answer: True
True — "Have you seen it? — Yes, I saw it last week at the cinema." Details come with a finished time.
18. American and British English always use these two tenses in exactly the same way.
Answer: False
False — American English often uses the past simple where British English prefers the present perfect: "Did you eat yet?" vs "Have you eaten yet?"