Present Perfect tense
1,960 fill-in-the-gap exercises across 4 forms
For things that happened before now and still matter now. English marks that with have or has plus the past participle of the verb.
Pick a form to practice
When you need it
Use the Present Perfect when the past event has a hold on the present. Four situations cover almost everything:
- The result is still here. I have lost my keys. The losing happened earlier; the problem is now.
- Life experience, no date given. She has worked in three countries. When it happened is not the point.
- A period that has not closed. We have had four calls today. Today is still running, so more calls are possible.
- Very recent news. The train has just left. Often with just, already or yet.
Present Perfect or Past Simple
This is the choice that decides most exam questions. The test is simple: does the sentence name a finished time?
If it does, use the Past Simple. I finished the report on Friday. Friday is over.
If it does not, and the event still counts now, use the Present Perfect. I have finished the report. You are telling someone the report is ready.
The same event takes either tense depending on what you add:
- He has moved to Berlin. — he lives there now.
- He moved to Berlin in 2019. — a fact about 2019.
The past participle
The Present Perfect always uses the past participle of the verb, the one traditionally listed last: go, went, gone. Regular verbs make it with -ed, so it looks the same as the past: work, worked, worked. Irregular verbs are the ones to learn, and there are about 100 in common use.
One pair is worth separating now. Been means the person went and came back. Gone means they are still away.
- She has been to Rome. — she visited at some point; she is here now.
- She has gone to Rome. — she is in Rome.
All forms
| Subject | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, you, we, they | have seen | haven't seen | Have you seen …? |
| he, she, it | has seen | hasn't seen | Has she seen …? |
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: I have seen him yesterday. correct: I saw him yesterday.
A finished time word such as yesterday, last week or in 2019 forces the Past Simple. The Present Perfect cannot take one.
Wrong: She have finished. correct: She has finished.
He, she and it take has. Everything else takes have.
Wrong: I have went there twice. correct: I have been there twice.
After have or has comes the past participle, not the past. Went is the past of go; the past participle is gone or, for a completed round trip, been.