[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":343},["ShallowReactive",2],{"exercise-grammar-present-perfect-vs-past-simple-exercises":3,"exercise-index-for-related":238},{"slug":4,"skill":5,"topic":6,"title":7,"levels":8,"tags":11,"published":15,"updated_at":16,"is_premium":17,"meta_title":18,"meta_description":19,"rule":20,"examples":39,"exercises":55,"faq":214,"article":230},"present-perfect-vs-past-simple-exercises","grammar","present-perfect-vs-past-simple","Present Perfect vs Past Simple Exercises",[9,10],"A2","B1",[12,13,14],"tenses","present-perfect","past-simple",true,"2026-07-20",false,"Present Perfect vs Past Simple Exercises — Free Practice | FluencyRoad","Learn to choose between the present perfect and the past simple with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations of every answer.",{"heading":21,"summary":22,"points":23},"Present perfect or past simple?","The past simple reports finished actions at a finished time; the present perfect connects past actions to now — the time period is open or the result still matters.",[24,27,30,33,36],{"label":25,"text":26},"Past simple","finished time: yesterday, last year, in 2015, two days ago → I saw him yesterday.",{"label":28,"text":29},"Present perfect","unfinished time or no time given: today, this week, ever, never → I have seen him today.",{"label":31,"text":32},"The time test","if you can ask 'when exactly?' and answer with a finished date, use the past simple",{"label":34,"text":35},"Life experience","Have you ever…? uses the perfect; the follow-up details switch to the past simple",{"label":37,"text":38},"Signal words","perfect: ever, never, just, already, yet, since, for, so far — past: yesterday, ago, last…, in + past year",[40,43,46,49,52],{"sentence":41,"note":42},"I **have visited** Rome three times, and I **went** there again last spring.","life total (perfect) vs dated visit (past)",{"sentence":44,"note":45},"She **lost** her keys yesterday, but luckily she **has found** them.","dated event vs present result",{"sentence":47,"note":48},"**Have** you ever **tried** Thai food? — Yes, I **tried** it in Bangkok in 2022.","experience question, dated answer",{"sentence":50,"note":51},"Shakespeare **wrote** 37 plays.","closed life = past simple",{"sentence":53,"note":54},"My sister **has written** two novels so far.","career still open = present perfect",[56,104,148,192],{"id":57,"type":58,"title":59,"instructions":60,"questions":61},"mc","multiple_choice","Choose the correct tense","Select the correct option to complete each sentence.",[62,71,79,87,96],{"id":63,"prompt":64,"options":65,"answer":69,"explanation":70},"mc1","I ___ my homework two hours ago.",[66,67,68],"have finished","finished","finish",1,"'Two hours ago' is a finished time — past simple: finished.",{"id":72,"prompt":73,"options":74,"answer":69,"explanation":78},"mc2","I can't find my phone. I think I ___ it.",[75,76,77],"lost","have lost","lose","No time is given and the result matters now (the phone is missing): have lost.",{"id":80,"prompt":81,"options":82,"answer":69,"explanation":86},"mc3","___ you ___ to the new shopping center yet?",[83,84,85],"Did \u002F go","Have \u002F been","Have \u002F gone","'Yet' signals the present perfect, and for a completed visit we use 'have been'.",{"id":88,"prompt":89,"options":90,"answer":94,"explanation":95},"mc4","My grandmother ___ born in 1948.",[91,92,93],"was","has been","is",0,"A dated, finished event: was born in 1948.",{"id":97,"prompt":98,"options":99,"answer":69,"explanation":103},"mc5","This is the best pizza I ___ in my life!",[100,101,102],"ate","have ever eaten","ever ate","'The best … ever' about your whole life (still going) takes the present perfect: have ever eaten.",{"id":105,"type":106,"title":107,"instructions":108,"questions":109},"gap","gap_fill","Complete the sentences","Type the correct form of the verb in brackets — present perfect or past simple.",[110,117,125,133,140],{"id":111,"prompt":112,"hint":113,"answers":114,"explanation":116},"gap1","We ___ that museum when we were in Paris.","visit",[115],"visited","'When we were in Paris' is a finished period: visited.",{"id":118,"prompt":119,"hint":120,"answers":121,"explanation":124},"gap2","She ___ her leg, so she can't play on Saturday.","break",[122,123],"has broken","'s broken","Present result (she can't play): has broken.",{"id":126,"prompt":127,"hint":128,"answers":129,"explanation":132},"gap3","I ___ him three times this week.","see",[130,131],"have seen","'ve seen","'This week' is still open, so the total may grow: have seen.",{"id":134,"prompt":135,"hint":136,"answers":137,"explanation":139},"gap4","They ___ to Portugal last summer.","move",[138],"moved","'Last summer' is finished time: moved.",{"id":141,"prompt":142,"hint":143,"answers":144,"explanation":147},"gap5","___ you ever ___ a marathon?","run",[145,146],"have \u002F run","have run","Life experience question: Have you ever run…? Type both words, e.g. \"have \u002F run\".",{"id":149,"type":149,"title":150,"instructions":151,"questions":152},"reorder","Put the words in order","Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.",[153,163,174,183],{"id":154,"words":155,"answer":161,"explanation":162},"re1",[156,157,158,159,160],"never","I","sushi","have","eaten","I have never eaten sushi","Life experience with 'never': subject + have + never + participle.",{"id":164,"words":165,"answer":172,"explanation":173},"re2",[166,167,168,169,170,171],"did","last night","what","you","do","?","what did you do last night ?","Finished time question: what + did + subject + base verb.",{"id":175,"words":176,"answer":181,"explanation":182},"re3",[177,178,179,180],"just","the bus","has","left","the bus has just left","'Just' + present result: has just left.",{"id":184,"words":185,"answer":190,"explanation":191},"re4",[186,187,188,189],"in 2018","graduated","my brother","from university","my brother graduated from university in 2018","Dated event: past simple + in + year.",{"id":193,"type":194,"title":195,"instructions":196,"questions":197},"tf","true_false","True or false?","Decide if each statement is true or false.",[198,202,206,210],{"id":199,"prompt":200,"answer":17,"explanation":201},"tf1","\"I have seen him yesterday\" is correct.","False — 'yesterday' is finished time, which forces the past simple: \"I saw him yesterday.\"",{"id":203,"prompt":204,"answer":15,"explanation":205},"tf2","\"Have you ever been to Japan?\" asks about your whole life up to now.","True — 'ever' + present perfect covers all your life experience so far.",{"id":207,"prompt":208,"answer":15,"explanation":209},"tf3","After answering \"Yes, I have\", we usually give the details in the past simple.","True — \"Have you seen it? — Yes, I saw it last week at the cinema.\" Details come with a finished time.",{"id":211,"prompt":212,"answer":17,"explanation":213},"tf4","American and British English always use these two tenses in exactly the same way.","False — American English often uses the past simple where British English prefers the perfect: \"Did you eat yet?\" vs \"Have you eaten yet?\"",[215,218,221,224,227],{"question":216,"answer":217},"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 period is still open (today, this week, ever, so far) or no time is mentioned and the result matters now, use the present perfect.",{"question":219,"answer":220},"Why is \"I have seen him yesterday\" wrong?","Because the present perfect cannot combine with finished-time expressions. 'Yesterday' closes the time period, so the past simple is required: \"I saw him yesterday.\"",{"question":222,"answer":223},"How do conversations move between the two tenses?","A typical pattern: open with the present perfect to raise the topic (\"Have you ever been to Iceland?\"), then switch to the past simple for the details (\"Yes — I went in 2023, it was amazing\"). The perfect introduces; the past narrates.",{"question":225,"answer":226},"Which tense do I use for people who have died or eras that have ended?","The past simple, because their 'time period' is closed: \"Einstein developed relativity\", \"The Romans built this wall.\" The present perfect would wrongly suggest the period is still open.",{"question":228,"answer":229},"Do Americans use the present perfect less than the British?","Yes — with just, already and yet, American English freely uses the past simple (\"I already ate\", \"Did you finish yet?\"), where British English prefers the present perfect. Both are correct within their variety; exams accept either if used consistently.",{"heading":231,"paragraphs":232},"Present perfect vs past simple: mastering the choice",[233,234,235,236,237],"No tense contrast causes more errors for English learners than this one — largely because many languages let one past tense do both jobs. English splits the past in two: events sealed inside a finished time frame (past simple) and events whose time frame reaches the present, or whose consequences do (present perfect). Getting the split right is less about memorising rules than about noticing time.","The most reliable tool is the time-expression test. Words that close the past — yesterday, ago, last week, in 2015, when I was a child — demand the past simple, with no exceptions. Words that keep the period open — today, this month, so far, ever, never, yet, since, for — invite the present perfect. When no time is mentioned at all, ask whether the sentence is really about now: \"I've lost my keys\" is a present problem wearing a past-tense costume.","The experience-then-details pattern is worth internalising because it runs through everyday conversation. We ask about life experience with the perfect — \"Have you ever driven on the left?\" — and the moment the answer acquires a date or a place, the narrative drops into the past simple: \"Yes, I drove in Dublin last year. It terrified me.\" Learners who stay in the perfect for the whole story sound oddly vague; those who start in the past simple sound abrupt.","Two framing effects deserve attention. Closed lives take the past simple: \"Shakespeare wrote 37 plays\" — his writing career is over. Open careers take the perfect: \"My sister has written two novels\" — more may come. Similarly, 'this morning' can go either way: at 10 a.m. it is open (\"I've drunk two coffees this morning\"), but at 9 p.m. it is closed (\"I drank two coffees this morning\").","Finally, be aware of dialect. American English relaxes the rules around just, already and yet, allowing \"Did you eat yet?\" where British English insists on \"Have you eaten yet?\". Neither is wrong — but consistency matters, and understanding the underlying logic of open versus closed time lets you switch varieties consciously rather than accidentally.",[239,250,261,271,281,288,296,303,309,312,321,328,336],{"slug":240,"skill":5,"topic":241,"title":242,"levels":243,"tags":244,"meta_description":248,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"future-tenses-exercises","future-tenses","Future Tenses Exercises",[9,10],[12,245,246,247],"future","will","going-to","Practice English future forms (will, going to, present continuous, present simple) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and explanations.",18,{"slug":251,"skill":5,"topic":252,"title":253,"levels":254,"tags":256,"meta_description":260,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"gerund-infinitive-exercises","gerund-infinitive","Gerund and Infinitive Exercises",[10,255],"B2",[257,258,259],"gerund","infinitive","verb-patterns","Practice gerunds and infinitives (enjoy doing vs decide to do) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and explanations of every verb pattern.",{"slug":262,"skill":5,"topic":263,"title":264,"levels":265,"tags":266,"meta_description":270,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"irregular-verbs-exercises","irregular-verbs","Irregular Verbs Exercises",[9,10],[267,263,268,269],"verbs","simple-past","past-participle","Practice English irregular verbs (past simple and past participle) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and memory-friendly explanations.",{"slug":272,"skill":5,"topic":273,"title":274,"levels":275,"tags":276,"meta_description":280,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"modal-verbs-exercises","modal-verbs","Modal Verbs Exercises",[9,10],[273,277,278,279],"can","must","should","Practice English modal verbs (can, could, must, have to, should, may, might) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations.",{"slug":282,"skill":5,"topic":283,"title":284,"levels":285,"tags":286,"meta_description":287,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"past-perfect-exercises","past-perfect","Past Perfect Exercises",[10,255],[12,283],"Practice the past perfect tense with free interactive exercises: sequencing past events, before\u002Fafter\u002Fwhen clauses — with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":289,"skill":290,"topic":291,"title":292,"levels":293,"tags":294,"meta_description":295,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"phrasal-verbs-exercises","vocabulary","phrasal-verbs","Phrasal Verbs Exercises",[10,255],[290,291],"Practice common English phrasal verbs with free interactive exercises: multiple choice, gap-fill, sentence building and true\u002Ffalse — with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":297,"skill":5,"topic":298,"title":299,"levels":300,"tags":301,"meta_description":302,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"present-perfect-continuous-exercises","present-perfect-continuous","Present Perfect Continuous Exercises",[10,255],[12,298],"Practice the present perfect continuous (have been doing) with free interactive exercises comparing it with the present perfect simple — instant feedback included.",{"slug":304,"skill":5,"topic":13,"title":305,"levels":306,"tags":307,"meta_description":308,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"present-perfect-exercises","Present Perfect Exercises",[9,10],[12,13],"Practice the present perfect with free interactive exercises: multiple choice, gap-fill, sentence ordering and true\u002Ffalse questions with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":4,"skill":5,"topic":6,"title":7,"levels":310,"tags":311,"meta_description":19,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},[9,10],[12,13,14],{"slug":313,"skill":5,"topic":314,"title":315,"levels":316,"tags":317,"meta_description":320,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"present-simple-vs-present-continuous-exercises","present-simple-vs-present-continuous","Present Simple vs Present Continuous Exercises",[9,10],[12,318,319],"present-simple","present-continuous","Learn to choose between the present simple and present continuous with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations of every answer.",{"slug":322,"skill":5,"topic":268,"title":323,"levels":324,"tags":326,"meta_description":327,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"simple-past-exercises","Simple Past Exercises",[325,9],"A1",[12,268],"Practice the simple past tense with free interactive exercises covering regular and irregular verbs, negatives and questions — with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":329,"skill":5,"topic":330,"title":331,"levels":332,"tags":333,"meta_description":335,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"simple-past-vs-past-continuous-exercises","simple-past-vs-past-continuous","Simple Past vs Past Continuous Exercises",[9,10],[12,268,334],"past-continuous","Practice choosing between the simple past and the past continuous (was\u002Fwere doing) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations.",{"slug":337,"skill":5,"topic":338,"title":339,"levels":340,"tags":341,"meta_description":342,"updated_at":16,"question_count":249},"simple-present-exercises","simple-present","Simple Present Exercises",[325,9],[12,338],"Practice the simple present tense with free interactive exercises: third-person -s, negatives, questions and adverbs of frequency — with instant feedback and explanations.",1785358988124]