Practice
Present perfect exercise: choose the natural form in context
A colleague asks whether you can join a meeting. You say, "I have finished the report, so I can come." The work happened before this moment, but its result matters now.
Choose the present perfect when a past action, experience, change, or unfinished period matters now, and form it with have or has plus a past participle.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I have finished, she has arrived, have you seen it? /aɪ həv ˈfɪn.ɪʃt/, /ʃiː həz əˈraɪvd/, /həv juː ˈsiːn ɪt/
The short answer
Choose the present perfect for a past experience, a recent result, a change, or a situation in an unfinished time period when it connects to now. Use have with I, you, we, and they; use has with he, she, it, and singular nouns. Add the past participle after have or has.
Nora has misplaced her keys, so she cannot open the door.
Why it works: The loss happened earlier, and the missing keys create a present problem.
5 more examples
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I have already sent the invoice.
The sending is complete before now, and already shows that the result is relevant at this point.
Not this:I
sentthe invoice yesterday afternoon. What changes: Yesterday afternoon is a finished past time, so the past simple is natural there. -
Mina has lived in Bristol for three years.
For three years measures a situation that began earlier and continues to the present.
Not this:Mina
livedin Bristol in 2021. What changes: In 2021 names a completed time, so lived describes a finished period. -
Have you ever tried Korean food?
Ever asks about life experience up to now without asking for a particular date.
Not this:
Did you tryKorean food at the festival last Saturday? What changes: Last Saturday identifies a finished occasion, so the question uses the past simple. -
The weather has become warmer this week.
This week is still in progress, and the sentence describes a change visible now.
Not this:The weather
becamewarmer last week. What changes: Last week is complete, so became places the change in a finished period. -
We have not chosen a restaurant yet.
Yet is common in a negative present-perfect sentence when the decision is still open now.
Not this:We
did not choosea restaurant for the trip in May. What changes: The trip in May is over, so did not choose refers to that finished event.
Read the full guide
Before you choose a tense, look for the time meaning. Does the sentence name a finished time such as yesterday or in 2022? Then a past simple form is often needed. Does it focus on a result, experience, or period that reaches the present? The present perfect may fit. Read the whole situation, not one word alone.
Connect an earlier action to now
The present perfect does not simply mean past. It presents an earlier event as part of the situation now. A lost key, a completed task, or a new skill can all affect the present conversation. That link is why speakers often leave out the exact date.
The café has closed, so we need another place to meet.
The café closed at six gives a finished time. The café has closed focuses on the result: it is not open now.
Choose have or has, then the participle
Match have or has to the subject. Use have after I, you, we, and they. Use has after he, she, it, or one named person or thing. The main verb must be a past participle, not always the ordinary past form.
They have written three emails. Omar has taken the earlier train.
Choose the complete verb phrase: My brother ___ the map.
Use has found: My brother has found the map. My brother is singular, so it takes has, followed by the participle found.
Use it for experience without a finished date
Use the present perfect when you ask or talk about experience up to now and do not say when it happened. Ever, never, before, and several times can help express this meaning. If you add a completed date, switch to the past simple.
I have never ridden a horse before.
I rode a horse during my holiday in 2024 names a finished trip, so it uses rode rather than have ridden.
Use since and for with situations that continue
Since gives the starting point of a continuing situation: since Monday, since I moved here. For gives its length: for two hours, for a long time. The present perfect is common when the situation began earlier and is still true now.
Our teacher has worked at the school since September.
Our teacher worked at the school from 2018 to 2020 describes a job that ended. Since September points to a period that continues.
Make questions and negatives with have or has
Put have or has before the subject to ask a question. Put not after have or has to make a negative. The participle stays the same. In ordinary writing, use have not and has not; contractions such as haven't and hasn't are common in speech.
Has the parcel arrived? No, it has not arrived yet.
Has the parcel arrived? asks about the result now. Did the parcel arrive on Monday? asks about a named finished day.
Do not combine it with a finished past time
A finished time expression closes the connection to now. Last year, yesterday, in 2019, and two days ago usually need the past simple. Today, this week, and this year can work with the present perfect if that time period has not finished.
I have spoken to two clients today. I spoke to two clients yesterday.
Today may still be open when you speak, but yesterday is complete. That difference changes the tense.
Before you go
Remember this
Use have or has plus a past participle when the past connects to now. Check whether the time period is still open, whether the result matters now, and whether the sentence avoids a finished past date. If it gives a completed time, choose the past simple instead.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Present perfect exercise: choose the natural form in context"
When do I use the present perfect?
Use the present perfect when a past action has a present result, when you describe an experience up to now, or when a situation began earlier and continues. Nora has misplaced her keys explains a present problem caused by an earlier action.
I have already sent the invoice.
How do I make the present perfect tense?
Use have with I, you, we, and they, and has with he, she, it, and singular nouns. Add a past participle after it. Mina has lived in Bristol for three years uses has lived because Mina is one person.
I sent the invoice yesterday afternoon.
Can I use the present perfect with yesterday or last year?
Usually no. Yesterday and last year name finished past times, so use the past simple: I sent the invoice yesterday afternoon. Use the present perfect when the time is not finished or when the exact past time is not given.
Mina has lived in Bristol for three years.
What is the difference between since and for in the present perfect?
Since introduces the starting point of a continuing situation, while for gives its length. Mina has lived in Bristol for three years measures duration. A phrase such as since September would identify when the continuing period began.
Mina lived in Bristol in 2021.
Why do people use ever, never, already, and yet with the present perfect?
These words often help express the link to now. Have you ever tried Korean food asks about experience up to now. Already can show an earlier-than-expected result, and yet is common in questions and negatives when something is still expected.
Have you ever tried Korean food?
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