Present perfect tense exercises -- practise have/has + past participle with interactive games, clear rules, and 10 FAQ answers.
The present perfect (have/has + past participle) is one of the most important -- and most commonly misused -- grammar structures in English. It connects the past to the present in a way that no other tense does, which is why it exists in English but many other languages have no direct equivalent.
Understanding the present perfect requires understanding three things: its form, its core meaning, and crucially, when to choose it over the past simple. The exercises below are designed to practise all three aspects.
Positive: Subject + have/has + past participle
I have finished. She has arrived. They have studied English for two years.
Negative: Subject + haven't/hasn't + past participle
I haven't seen that film. He hasn't called yet.
Question: Have/Has + subject + past participle?
Have you ever been to Japan? Has she finished yet?
Use past simple when you specify the time: "I went to London last week." Use present perfect when time is not specified or the action connects to now: "I have been to London." This is the most tested distinction in IELTS, Cambridge, and B1--B2 grammar exercises.
Fill in the gap using the present perfect -- choose the right auxiliary and participle.
Choose between present perfect and past simple in context.
Multiple-choice present perfect questions -- form, meaning, and use.
Put words in the right order to form correct present perfect sentences.
Identify whether sentences use the present perfect correctly.
See the base verb, produce the past participle -- irregular forms practice.
Practise irregular past participles with flashcard retrieval.
Sort sentences into present perfect vs past simple categories.
No account, no downloads — open any exercise and start immediately.
Browse All ExercisesThe present perfect is a verb tense formed with have/has + past participle (e.g., I have seen, she has arrived, they have finished). It is called "perfect" because it links a past action or state to the present moment. The key question the present perfect answers is: "Is this relevant now?" -- not "exactly when did it happen?" This is why it is used for experiences ("I have never tried sushi" -- relevant to who you are now), recent events ("I have broken my leg" -- explains why you can't walk today), and ongoing situations ("I have lived here since 2010" -- still living there).
Use the past simple when you specify the time: "I called her yesterday." "We visited Paris in 2022." Use the present perfect when no specific time is given or when the action connects to the present: "I have called her" (and she hasn't replied yet -- present relevance). "I have visited Paris" (it's part of my experience). The most common mistake: using present perfect with a specific time reference. Incorrect: "I have gone to Paris last year." Correct: "I went to Paris last year." Incorrect: "Have you seen him yesterday?" Correct: "Did you see him yesterday?"
Present perfect signal words (adverbs and time expressions that trigger this tense): ever ("Have you ever...?"), never ("I have never..."), just ("She has just arrived"), already ("I've already eaten"), yet ("Have you finished yet?" / "I haven't started yet"), recently ("I have recently moved"), so far ("So far, we have visited three museums"), since + point in time ("since Monday / since 2020 / since I was a child"), for + duration ("for three years / for a long time"). These adverbs are tested directly in Cambridge PET/FCE and IELTS grammar tasks.
Both since and for are used with the present perfect to express duration, but they refer to different things. "Since" marks the starting point: "I have lived here since 2020." "For" indicates the length of time: "I have lived here for four years." Common error: confusing the two. "I have worked here since four years" (incorrect) → "I have worked here for four years" (correct). "I have worked here for 2020" (incorrect) → "I have worked here since 2020" (correct). Test: can you replace the time expression with a number? Use "for." Can you replace it with a date or event? Use "since."
The 30 most important irregular past participles: be/been, have/had, do/done, go/gone, see/seen, come/come, give/given, take/taken, make/made, know/known, think/thought, say/said, get/got/gotten, find/found, buy/bought, bring/brought, write/written, read/read, eat/eaten, drink/drunk, speak/spoken, break/broken, choose/chosen, drive/driven, fall/fallen, fly/flown, forget/forgotten, leave/left, lose/lost, tell/told. These must be memorised -- they have no pattern. Use Flash Cards with base form → past participle format for regular retrieval practice.
American English often uses past simple where British English uses present perfect: "Did you eat yet?" (AmE) vs "Have you eaten yet?" (BrE). "I just called him" (AmE) vs "I've just called him" (BrE). This difference is well-documented and accepted. For IELTS (British English standard), use the present perfect with just/already/yet. For TOEFL (American English standard), both past simple and present perfect with these adverbs are acceptable. Cambridge exams require British English present perfect usage.
Most common present perfect errors: (1) Using it with specific past time: "I have seen him yesterday" → "I saw him yesterday." (2) Confusing since/for: "I have lived here since five years" → "for five years." (3) Using past simple for experiences without time: "Did you ever try sushi?" → "Have you ever tried sushi?" (4) Wrong past participle: "I have writed" → "I have written." (5) Missing auxiliary: "She finished already" (spoken AmE informally acceptable, but not standard) → "She has already finished." (6) Confusing have + been vs have + gone: "She has been to Paris" (visited and returned) vs "She has gone to Paris" (is there now).
The present perfect continuous (have/has + been + -ing) emphasises the ongoing nature of an activity up to the present: "I have been studying English for two years" (focus on the ongoing process). Compare with present perfect simple: "I have studied English for two years" (focus on the result/experience). Use continuous when: the activity is ongoing and you want to emphasise its duration; the activity has recently stopped and its effect is visible ("You look tired -- have you been working all night?"). Both forms can be used with for/since. The continuous is not used with state verbs (know, believe, love): "I have known her for years" (not *I have been knowing her).
Best practice methods: (1) Gap-fill production -- see a sentence with a blank; write the correct present perfect form. More effective than multiple choice. (2) Sentence transformation -- given "She started working here in 2020. She still works here." → produce "She has worked here since 2020." (3) Error correction -- identify and correct present perfect mistakes in sentences. (4) Writing practice -- write 10 sentences about your own life using ever/never, just/already, for/since. Personal context dramatically improves retention. (5) Unjumble -- reassemble present perfect sentences from scrambled words -- forces attention to word order.
Yes -- the present perfect is tested directly in IELTS. In Writing Task 2, using present perfect correctly (for background information: "Pollution levels have risen significantly..."; for ongoing situations: "This problem has existed since...") contributes to grammatical range and accuracy, which is 25% of the Writing score. In Speaking, Band 6+ candidates are expected to use a range of tenses including present perfect naturally (not forced). In Listening and Reading, understanding whether a sentence refers to past or present-to-now distinction helps comprehension. Mastering present perfect vs past simple is one of the highest-ROI grammar investments for B1--B2 IELTS candidates.