The Present Perfect

The Present Perfect is the bridge between the past and the present. In English there is a clear separation
between the past and the present. You could say it is like a wall.

Sometimes you need to go through or around this wall to show the connection between the past and the
present. In English you are not allowed to use the Past or Present Simple for this. You need the Present
Perfect!

When do we need the Present Perfect?

 for actions which started in the past and are still true now.
o e.g. "I have worked for this company for seven years." This means that I started working with
this company seven years ago and I still work with them now. If I said "I worked with this
company for seven years." it would mean that I do not work with them any longer.
o * In English you can not say "I work with this company for seven years." because it is not
allowed to tie the Present Simple to a past time. You could say "I work with this company."
because this is a present fact, but if I want to say when it began or how long it has been, I
have to use the Present Perfect. E.g. "I have worked with this company since 1992." or "I
have worked with this company for seven years."
 indefinite time
o The Present Perfect is often used with indefinite time. Compare: "I have seen the film
‘Titanic’." (but I don’t say "when") & "I saw the film ‘Titanic’ last week."

Words that signal use of the Since, for, just, ever (with questions), up to now, how long (with questions),
tense: yet (with negatives) etc.

How do I make the tense? The Present Perfect is formed with the helping verb have (or: has) and the
past participle of the verb.

Which auxiliary verb do I have / has

use?
Extra exercises English – 3rd year

Present perfect and Simple Past

1. Ann’s boss has been looking (look) up as she has been coming (come) in at 9.00. ‘You
have been (be) late every morning this week,’ he has been growling (growl).
2. Tom met (meet) Paul at lunch time and said(say), ‘I didn’t see (not see) you at the bus
stop this morning. Did you miss (You/miss) the bus?’ -‘I didn’t miss (not miss) it,’
replied (reply) Paul. ‘I didn’t miss (not miss) a bus for years. But this morning George
gave (give) me a lift.
3. Yesterday Peter met (meet) Bill and offered (offer) him an apple. ‘No, thanks,’ said
(say) Bill. ‘I just had (just / have) breakfast.
4. ’Mr Speed, Maya’s employer, dictated (dictate) three letters this morning and told (tell)
Maya to type them as soon as possible. An hour later he rung (ring) Maya’s office.
‘Didn’t you finish (You/finish/not) those letters yet?’ he asked (ask). – ‘Well,’ said (say)
Maya, ‘I just did (just/do) the letter to Mr Jones, but I didn’t start (not start) the one to Mr
Smith yet.’
5. Ann: Hello Jack! I haven’t been seeing (not see) you for ages! Where have you been
(you / be)?
Jack: I have been (be) in Switzerland. I ment (mean) to send you a postcard last
Christmas but I didn’t have (not have) your address with me.
Ann: Never mind. Did you have (You / have) a good time? How long have you been
(you / be) there?
Jack: I was (be) there for a year. I only just got (only / just / get) back. I have been
skiing (ski) all day and have been dancing (dance) at night.
Ann: I skied (ski) when I was (be) at university, but I broke (break) a leg 5 years ago
and since then I haven’t been doing (not do) any.
6. I just heard (just/hear) that Peter is in Australia. – He flied (fly) out at the beginning of
the month. – have you heard (You/hear) from him? - Yes, I got (get) a letter last
week. He told (tell) me about his job. But he didn’t say (not say) whether he liked (like)
the life or not. He only was (only/be) there 3 weeks.
7. I never knew (never/know) you are left-handed. – I’m not left-handed; but my oil-heater
exploded (explode) yesterday and I burned (burn) my right hand, so since then I have
been using (use) my left.
8. Yesterday, I played chess (play chess) with my next door neighbour. I have been
playing (play) chess with him ever since I came (come) to live here ten years ago. He
was (be) here all his life; he bought (buy) the house from his father three years before
he died (die). – did you ever play (You/ever/play) chess with the father? - We played
(play) once or twice but he died (die) a year after I arrived (arrive).

The present perfect simple / continuous + past

1. Have you heard (You/hear) the news? Tom and Claire are engaged (verloofd)! – Oh, I
knew (know) it for ages!
2. He has been hoping (hope) for a rise in salary for six months but he didn’t dare (not
dare) to ask for it yet.
3. You have been whispering(You/whisper) to him for the last five minutes. Did you help
(You/help) him with his exam paper or he did he help (help) you?
4. Why did you make (you/make) such a horrible noise? – I lost (lose) my key and I tried
(try) to wake my wife by throwing stones at her window. – You threw (throw) stones at
the wrong window. You live next door.
5. She just sold (just/sell) two of her own paintings. – She’s lucky. I painted (paint) for 5
years and I didn’t sell (not sell) a single picture yet.
6. Secretary: Customers rung up (ring up) all morning complaining about getting incorrect
bills.
 Manager: I know; something (go) wrong with our computer. The mechanic (work) on it.
I hope he (find) out what’s wrong.
7. That man (stand) at the bus stop for the last half hour. Shall I tell him that the last bus
(already/go)?
8. I wonder if anything (happen) to Tom. I (wait) for an hour now. He (often/keep) me
waiting but he (never/be) quite so late as this.
9. He (give) me back the book, (thank) me for lending it to him and (say) that he (enjoy) it
very much; but I (know) that he (not read) it because most of the pages (be) still uncut.
10. When he (see) his wife off at the station, he (return) home as he (not have) to be at the
airport till 9.30. He (not have) to pack, for his wife already (do) that for him and his
case (be) ready in the hall. He (not have) to check the doors and windows either, for
his wife always (do) that before she (leave) the house. All he (have) to do (be) to
decide whether or not to take his overcoat with him. In the end he (decide) not to. At
8.30 he (pick) up his case, (go) out of the house and (slam) the door behind him. Then
he (feel) in his pockets for the key, for his wife (remind) him to double-lock the front
door. When he (search) all his pockets and (find) no key he (remember) where it (be).
He (leave) it in his overcoat pocket. Then he (remember) something else; his passport
and tickets (be) in his overcoat pocket as well…
11. I (arrive) in England in the middle of July. I (be told) that England (be) shrouded in fog
all year round, so I (be) quite surprised to find it was merely raining. I (ask) another
passenger, an Englishman, about the fog and he (say) that there (not be) any since the
previous February. If I (want) fog, he said, I (come) at quite the wrong time. However,
he (tell) me that I could buy tinned fog at a shop in Shaftesbury Avenue. He (admit)
that he never (buy) fog there himself but (assure) me that they (sell) good quality fog
and that it (not be) expensive. I suppose he was joking.
12. When the old lady (return) to her flat she (see) at once that burglars break in during her
absence, because the front door (be) open and everything in the flat (be) upside down.
The burglars themselves (be) no longer there, but they probably only just (leave)
because a cigarette was still burning on an ornamental table. Probably they (hear) the
lift coming up and (run) down the fire escape. They (help) themselves to her whisky
too but there (be) a little left, so she (pour) herself out a drink. She (wonder) if they
(find) her jewellery and rather (hope) that they had. The jewellery (be given) by her
husband, who (die) some years before. Since his death she (not have) the heart to
wear it, yet she (not like) to sell it. Now it (seem) that fate (take) the matter out of her
hands; and certainly the insurance money would come in handy.
13. A woman (come) in with a baby, who she (say) just (swallow) a safety pin.
14. He (park) his car under a No Parking sign and (rush) into the shop. When he (come)
out of the shop ten minutes later the car (be) no longer there. He (wonder) if someone
(steal) it or if the police (drive) it away.
15. It (be) now 6 p.m.; and Jack (be) tired because he (work) hard all day. He (be) also
hungry because he (have) nothing to eat since breakfast. His wife usually (bring) him
sandwiches at lunch time, but today for some reason she (not come).
16. He (keep) looking at her, wondering where he (see) her before.
17. I (look) out before I (go) to bed and (see) a man standing on the opposite pavement
watching the house. When I (get up) the following morning he (be) still there, and I
(wonder) whether he (stay) there all night or if he (go) away and (come) back.

Simple Past / Present Perfect

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses.
1. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars?" - B: I don't know. I (see, never) that movie.
2. Sam (arrive) in San Diego a week ago.
3. My best friend and I (know) each other for over fifteen years. We still get together once
a week.
4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) ten very creative short stories in the last year.
One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.
5. I (have, not) this much fun since I (be) a kid.
6. Things (change) a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start) working here three
years ago, the company (have, only) six employees. Since then, we (expand) to include
more than 2000 full-time workers.
7. I (tell) him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander) off into the forest and
(be) bitten by a snake.

8. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) the bus this morning. You (be) late to work too
many times. You are fired!
9. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see, never) the
ocean. He should come with us to Miami.
10. How sad! George (dream) of going to California before he died, but he didn't make it.
He (see, never) the ocean.
11. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) much easier and very comfortable. In the
19th century, it (take) two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The
trip (be) very rough and often dangerous. Things (change) a great deal in the last hundred
and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.
12. Jonny, I can't believe how much you (change) since the last time I (see) you. You
(grow) at least a foot!
13. This tree (be) planted by the settlers who (found) our city over four hundred years ago.
14. This mountain (be, never) climbed by anyone. Several mountaineers (try) to reach the
top, but nobody (succeed, ever) . The climb is extremely difficult and many people (die)
trying to reach the summit.
15. I (visit, never) Africa, but I (travel) to South America several times. The last time I (go)
to South America, I (visit) Brazil and Peru. I (spend) two weeks in the Amazon, (hike) for a
week near Machu Picchu, and (fly) over the Nazca Lines.

Simple Past / Present Perfect

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses.
Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology
(change) a great deal. The first computers (be) simple machines designed for basic
tasks. They (have, not) much memory and they (be, not) very powerful. Early computers
were often quite expensive and customers often (pay) thousands of dollars for machines
which actually (do) very little. Most computers (be) separate, individual machines used
mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games.

Times (change) . Computers (become) powerful machines with very practical applications.
Programmers (create) a large selection of useful programs which do everything from
teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but today's
games (become) faster, more exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get,
also) on the Internet and (begin) communicating with other computer users around the
world. We (start) to create international communities online. In short, the simple, individual
machines of the past (evolve) into an international World Wide Web of knowledge.

Present Perfect simple / Present Perfect Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses.
Robin: I think the waiter (forget) us. We (wait) here for over half an hour and nobody
(take) our order yet.
Michele: I think you're right. He (walk) by us at least twenty times. He probably thinks we
(order, already) .
Robin: Look at that couple over there, they (be, only) here for five or ten minutes and they
already have their food.
Michele: He must realize we (order, not) yet! We (sit) here for over half an hour staring at
him.
Robin: I don't know if he (notice, even) us. He (run) from table to table taking orders and
serving food.
Michele: That's true, and he (look, not) in our direction once.

Present Perfect simple / Present Perfect Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses.
1. Judy: How long (be) in Canada? - Claude: I (study) here for more than three years.
2. I (have) the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new one.
3. I (love) chocolate since I was a child. You might even call me a "chocoholic."
4. Matt and Sarah (have) some difficulties in their relationship lately, so they (go) to a
marriage counselor. I hope they work everything out.
5. John (work) for the government since he graduated from Harvard University. Until
recently, he (enjoy) his work, but now he is talking about retiring.
6. Lately, I (think) about changing my career because I (become) dissatisfied with the
conditions at my company.
7. I (see) Judy for more than five years and during that time I (see) many changes in her
personality.

Present Continuous / Present Perfect Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses.
1. It (rain) all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.
2. Sid: Where is Gary? - Sarah: He (study, at the library) for his German test on
Wednesday. In fact, he (review) for the test every day for the last week.
3. You look really great! (You, exercise) at the fitness center?
4. Frank, where have you been? We (wait) for you since 1 PM.
5. Tim: What is that sound? - Nancy: A car alarm (ring) somewhere down the street. It
(drive) me crazy - I wish it would stop! It (ring) for more than twenty minutes.
6. Joseph's English (improve, really) , isn't it? He (watch) American television programs
and (study) his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon he will be
totally fluent.
7. Dan: You look a little tired. (You, get) enough sleep lately?
Michelle: Yes, I (sleep) relatively well. I just look tired because I (feel) a little sick for the
last week.
Dan: I hope you feel better soon.
Michelle: Thanks. I (take, currently) some medicine, so I should feel better in a couple of
days.
Solutions: Present perfect and past
1. He looked up, she came in at 9.00. defined moment in the past
You have been late, he growled. period up to now / defined moment in the past
2. Tom met Paul and said defined moment in the past
I didn’t see you… defined moment in the past (this morning)
Did you miss the bus? Defined moment in the past (this morning)
I didn’t miss it, replied Paul. Defined moment in the past (this morning + lunch time)
I haven’t missed it for years. Period up to now
This morning G. gave me a lift. Defined moment in the past (this morning)
3. Yesterday, P. met B. and offered him… defined moment in the past (yesterday)
No, said Bill. I have just had … (just)
4. He dictated and told M… defined moment in the past (this morning)
He rang… defined moment in the past (an hour later)
Haven’t you finished them yet? Period up to now
He asked. Defined moment in the past (an hour later)
Well, said Maya, I have just done, (just)
but I haven’t started the one … yet. Period up to now
5. I haven’t seen you for ages! Where have you been? Period up to now
I have been… period up to now / undefined moment in the past
I meant to send you… but I didn’t have your address… defined moment (last Xmas)
Have you had…? Period up to now (undefined moment in the past)
How long have you been there? Period up to now (undefined moment in the past)
I have been there… period up to now (undefined moment in the past)
I have only just got back. (Just)
I have been skiing all day and dancing at night. Period up to now (undefined moment in the past) + stress on
the duration
I skied when I was …, but I broke a leg.. defined moment in the past (university)
since then I haven’t done any. (since: period up to now)
6. I have just heard that… (just)
He flew out… defined moment in the past (beginning of the month)
Have you heard..? period up to now (from then till now)
Yes, I got a letter last week. He told me … But he didn’t say whether he like … defined moment in the past
He has only been there 3 weeks. (He had only been…) period up to now
7. I have never known you are… period up to now
It exploded and I burned/burnt.. defined moment in the past (yesterday)
since then I have used… period up to now (since)
8. Yesterday, I was playing chess… defined moment in the past (yesterday)
I have played since period up to now (since)
I came to live here 10 years ago. Defined moment in the past (10 years ago)
He has been here all his life. Period up to now (all his life)
He bought the house 3 years before he died. Defined moment in the past
Have you ever played… undefined moment in the past
We have played once or twice, undefined moment in the past
but he died a year after I arrived. Defined moment in the past

Present perfect simple/continuous: continuous = stress on duration

1. Have you heard? Oh, I have known it for ages!
2. He has hoped… but he hasn’t dared to ask..
3. You have been whispering for… Have you helped him or has he helped you?
4. Why have you been making/ have you made…? I have lost my key and I have been trying to wake… You have
thrown / have been throwing…
5. She has just sold… I have been painting.. I haven’t sold… yet.
6. They have been ringing up all morning… Something has gone wrong.
He was worked/has been working… I hope he has found out.
7. It has been standing… that the bus has already gone?
8. I wonder if anything has happened… I have been waiting for an hour. He has often kept me… but he has
never been…
9. gave, thanked, said, had enjoyed, knew, hadn’t read, were
10. had seen, returned, didn’t have/hadn’t, didn’t have, had already done, was, didn’t have, did, left, had, was;
decided, picked, went, slammed, felt, had reminded, had searched and found, remembered, was, had left,
remembered, were
11. arrived; had been told, was, was, asked, said, hadn’t been, wanted, had come, told, admitted, never bought/had
never bought, assured, sold, wasn’t
12. returned, saw, had broken in, was, was, were, had only just left, probably the (had) heard/ They (had) probably
heard, had run/ran, had helped, was, poured, wondered, had found, hoped, had been given, had died, hadn’t
had, hadn’t liked, seemed, had taken
13. came, said, had just swallowed
14. parked, rushed; came, was, wondered, had stolen, had driven
15. was, was, had been working/had worked, was, had had, brought, hadn’t come
16. kept, seen
17. looked, went, saw, got up, was, wondered, had stayed, had gone away and come back