Present Perfect Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on have/has, just/already/yet, for/since, and when to choose present perfect over simple past. B1 level.
Present Perfect — FAQ
We use the present perfect to talk about past experiences without specifying when they happened (I have visited Paris), recent events with present relevance (She has just left), situations that started in the past and continue now (They have lived here for ten years), and actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past (Have you ever tried sushi?).
'For' is used with a period of time (for three days, for a week, for years), while 'since' is used with a specific point in time (since Monday, since 2019, since she was a child). Both are used with the present perfect to describe situations that began in the past and continue to the present.
'Just' means a very short time ago and comes between have/has and the past participle (I have just finished). 'Already' means earlier than expected and is used in affirmative sentences (She has already eaten). 'Yet' means up to now and is used in questions and negative sentences (Have you finished yet? / I haven't finished yet).
The simple past is used when the time is specified or clearly in the past (I saw him yesterday). The present perfect is used when the time is unspecified or the action is connected to the present (I have seen him recently). American English often uses the simple past where British English uses the present perfect.
Common mistakes include using the simple past instead of the present perfect with 'just', 'already', and 'yet'; using 'since' instead of 'for' with periods of time; forgetting the auxiliary verb 'have/has'; using the wrong past participle; and mixing up the present perfect with the past perfect.
The present perfect continuous (have/has been + -ing) emphasises the duration or ongoing nature of an action (I have been studying for three hours). The present perfect simple focuses on the result or completion (I have studied the whole chapter). Use the continuous when you want to emphasise that an activity has been in progress up to now.
To form a present perfect question, move have/has before the subject: Have you finished? / Has she arrived? For Wh-questions, place the question word first: Where have you been? / How long have they known each other? Remember that the main verb stays as the past participle.
The most common irregular past participles include: go → gone, come → come, see → seen, do → done, take → taken, make → made, give → given, know → known, think → thought, find → found, become → become, write → written, speak → spoken, and eat → eaten.
No. The present perfect cannot be used with specific past time expressions such as 'yesterday', 'last week', 'in 2010', 'ago', or 'when I was young'. These expressions require the simple past. However, it can be used with 'today', 'this morning/week/year' if the period is not yet finished.
No. 'Have got' in British English means 'have/possess' (I've got a car = I have a car) and is not a past tense form. The present perfect of 'get' is 'have gotten' (American) or 'have got' in the sense of receiving or obtaining (I've got your email = I received your email). Context usually makes the meaning clear.