Present perfect tense exercises (with detailed answers)

Present perfect tense is one of the most confusing tenses and the exercises are equally complicated. To help you better understand this knowledge, ETEST Study Abroad English provides you with present perfect exercise with detailed answers to master the grammar of the tenses better! 

First you need to review the following knowledge:

• Synthetic 12 tenses in English
• Present perfect

Present Perfect Tense Theory Summary

Present perfect tense (Present Perfect Tense) used to describe an action/event that happened in the past but still continues into the present and is likely to continue in the future.

Some basic knowledge you need to know about the present perfect tense includes:

Present perfect tense structure

How to use present perfect tense

Here are the present perfect tenses you need to know:

• Describes an action/event that started in the past and continues into the present.

Note: The sentence often includes the phrases: today, this morning, this evening.

For example: Mike have played tennis for 7 years

• Describes an action or event that happened many times in the past.

For example: He has come to class late 8 times this month.

• Describe an experience up to the present time

Note: In the sentence, "ever" or "never" is often used.

For example: Mr. Ken has never travelled on his own before.

• Describe an action/event that has just happened

For example: He has just arrived in HCM city.

• Used to express when the time of an event is not important or is not clearly known.

For example: Mie has gone home.

• Describes an action/event that has just happened and the consequences of that action/event affecting the present moment

For example: We have lost our way, so we need to ask for directions.

• Describes an action/event in the past, but important at the time of speaking.

For example: The boss has announced the opening of a new branch!

• Describes an action/event that we don't know exactly when it happened.

For example: I have seen him somewhere.

Signs to recognize the present perfect tense

The present perfect tense is recognized by the following signs:

Sign 1: The sentence includes adverbs:

• Before: before
• Ever: ever
• Never: never, never
• For + period of time: during (for years, for a long time,..)
• Since + time mark: since 2020,...
• Yet: not yet (used in negative and interrogative sentences)
• …the first/ second…time : the first/ second time..
• Just = Recently = Lately: recently, just now
• Already: already
• So far = Until now = Up to now = Up to the present: until now

For example: He has not eaten dinner so far.

Present perfect exercises basic and advanced with answers

Here are some forms present perfect exercise Basic and advanced help you master your knowledge of tenses.

Basic present perfect exercises

Lesson 1: Fill in the verb form

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the given words.

take / work / find / see / speak / know / begin do / learn / eat / have / write / give / live / buy / be 

1. I met Barbara when we were in elementary school. We _______________ each other for over twenty years.

2. We __________________ many new words since we started this course.

3. That's a wonderful movie. I ____________________ it three times.

4.Mr. andMrs. Tonner _____________________ married for 10 years.

5. You are late! The class ________________ already __________________.

6. Robert is my neighbor. He ___________________ next door to me for five years.

7. Mary ____________________ several letters to her parents since she left home.

8. We _____________________ in that restaurant several times.

9. Our teacher _____________________ us a lot of help with the homework assignment.

10. She ______________________ to her landlord many times about the broken window.

11. We have a new camera. We _____________________ some beautiful pictures of the grandson.

12. They ____________________ all their homework already.

13.Mrs. Baxter _________________________ all her groceries for the week.

14. Tommy ______________________ a bad cold for two weeks.

15. Frank _____________________ for that company for many years.

16. After three months of looking, she __________________ a beautiful apartment to rent.

Lesson 3: Present perfect with Since and For

Rewrite the following sentences using the word or for and the verb provide. You may have to change some of the words, but keep the same meaning.

Ex. Bill and Rita got married twenty years ago. Bill and Rita have been married for twenty years. (beige)

1. Jordan moved into this apartment in 2005. ____________________________________________________________________ (live)

2. Ellen and Rose met each other 40 years ago. __________________________________________________________________________ (know)

3. The teacher came to school at 8:00 this morning. __________________________________________________________________________ (be)

4. Robbie grew a beard six months ago. ____________________________________________________________________ (have)

5. Dennis bought his car four years ago. __________________________________________________________________________ (own)

6. Maria started to wear glasses when she was five years old. __________________________________________________________________________ (wear)

7. David fell in love with Patricia when they were teenagers. __________________________________________________________________________ (be)

8. Mark started to work at the bank three years ago. __________________________________________________________________________ (work)

9. Sam learned how to swim three years ago. __________________________________________________________________________ (know)

Lesson 4: Present perfect with Ever and Never.

Practice using the present perfect tense by asking questions starting with the structure “Have you ever…?”. Use the words provided to ask your questions.

Ex. you /ever/ be/ to France – Have you ever been to France?

Then answer each question using either a positive or negative reply.

Ex. Have you ever been to France? Yes, I have. I've been there several times. or Yes, I have. I was there last year. or No, I haven't.

1. the teacher/ ever/ be/ late for class ___________________________________________________________

2. the pilot/ ever/ fly/ in a helicopter ___________________________________________________________

3. your father/ ever/ make/ dinner for your mother ________________________________________________

4. you/ ever/ find/ a lot of money on the street ___________________________________________________

5. the children/ ever/ go camping/ in the forest ___________________________________________________

6. the baseball team/ ever/ win a championship game ______________________________________________

7. the actress/ever/ forget her lines _____________________________________________________________

8. the policeman/ever/ shoot anyone ___________________________________________________________

9. the politicians/ever/ break their promises ______________________________________________________

Present Perfect Tense Advanced Exercises

Exercise 1: Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verbs provided, using the past simple or present perfect.

1._______________________ you _____________________ to your boyfriend yet? (write)

-> Yes, I _____________________. I _____________________ to him last week.

2. _____________________ your parents _____________________ a new car yet? (buy)

Yes, they _____________________. They _____________________ one last month.

3. _____________________ Ellen _____________________ her new dress yet? (wear)

Yes, she _____________________. She _____________________ it last night.

4____________________ you _____________________ your car keys yet? (find)

Yes, I _____________________. I _____________________ them on the shelf in the kitchen.

5.____________________ the children _____________________ to bed yet? (go)

Yes, they _____________________. They _____________________ to bed an hour ago.

6.____________________ Mrs. Stewart _____________________ the doctor yet? (see)

Yes, she _____________________. She _____________________ him yesterday.

7.____________________ the president _____________________ to the reporters yet? (speak)

Yes, he _____________________. He _____________________ to them a few minutes ago.

8.____________________ your soccer team _____________________ a game yet? (lose)

Yes, we _____________________. We _____________________ the game last Saturday.

9.____________________ Sam _____________________ a Spanish course yet? (take)

Yes, he _____________________. He _____________________ one last semester.

10____________________ you _____________________ your new neighbors yet? (meet)

Yes, I _____________________. I _____________________ them last week.

Exercise 2: Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verbs provided, using the past simple or present perfect.

1. We _______________________(move) to Vancouver last April. We _______________________(live) there for six months now.

2. I _______________________ (go) to every hockey game this season. I _______________________ (go) to the game last night with my brother.

3. I ____________________ (lose) my house key last week and I still ______________________ (not/find) it

4. When _______________________ you _______________________(quit) smoking? I _______________________(not/smoke) for over five years now and I will never smoke again.

5. Nora _______________________ (buy) a lot of souvenirs yesterday. She _______________________ never _______________________ (buy) this many souvenirs on a vacation before.

6. “Would you like another cup of coffee?” “No thanks. I _______________________ already _______________________ (have) three cups.

7. Frank _______________________(work) for ABC Electric from 1990 to 2002. Now he owns his own business. He _______________________(have) it for six years.

8. Grandma _______________________(fall) and _______________________(break) her hip last week. She _______________________ (beige) in the hospital since then.

9. My former teacher _______________________(beige) Mr. Blair. My present teacher is Mrs. Carter. I _______________________ (beige) in her class for three months now.

10. In my whole life, I _______________________ never _______________________(meet) a famous person, but my brother ____________________ (speak) to three famous actors when he was in Hollywood last year.

11. Last year we _______________________(drive) through three Canadian provinces. Now we are traveling in Europe. We ____________________ already ____________________ (drive) through eight countries.

12. This French course _______________________ (start) three months ago. We _______________________ already _______________________ (learn) several verb tenses and thousands of new words.

13.Mr. Barnes _______________________(die) last year. Mrs. Barnes _______________________(move) into her daughter's house shortly after that and _______________________ (beige) there since then

Lesson 3: Fill in the blanks

1. Mark (grow) ___________three inches in the last six months!

2. My dog (bury) _____________ many bones in the backyard.

3. Teresa and Anne (talk) _____________ to their landlord many times about the broken light fixture in their kitchen.

4. Unfortunately, he (fix, still, not) _____________it.

5. I (visit) ______________New York City many times.

6. Elizabeth (catch) _____________ three colds this winter.

7. Because of this, she (go, not) _____________skiing since December.

8. Tom (decide) ___________to join a health club.

9. Rita (write, not) ______________a letter to Paul since the beginning of the semester.

10. Paul wonders why Rita (answer, not) ________________his letters.

11. He thinks that she (forget) __________________him.

12. However, this is not true. She (beige) _____________very busy studying and working, and she will write to him when she gets a chance.

Exercise 4: Fill in BEEN or GONE in the blank.

(A) Robert is not here. He has ___________________________ to work.

(B) The office is empty. Everybody has ________________________ home.

(C) It is good to see you again. Where have you _____________________________?

(D) My brother has _____________________________ to America four times.

(E) Sorry, you can’t speak to Anna. She has _______________________ to a party.

(F) Mary’s hair looks nice. She has just ________________________ to the hairdresser’s.

(G) Peter has ___________________________ to New Zealand and he is staying there.

(H) Have you ever _______________________ to Mount Aoraki? It’s breathtaking!

(I) I have _______________________to Rio three times.

(J) My sister is not at home at the moment. She has ________________________ shopping.

(K) Can you tell me the way to Nelson? I have never ____________________ there before.

(L) You are late. Where have you __________________________?

(M) You look well. Have you ________________________ on holiday somewhere?

(N) Mum will be home soon. She has __________________________ to the supermarket.

(O) They have ___________________ in London for ten days, but now have returned home.

(P) Gerard won’t come with us to the party. He has _____________________ to Paris for the weekend.

(Q) This is the first time I have ever __________________ aboard a ship. It is exciting.

(R) I know Paris very well. I have _________________________ there many times.

(S) They have ______________________ to Rome. They will return next week.

(T) Where have you ___________________? I have _____________ looking for you everywhere.

See also:

• Present Perfect Continuous Exercises
• Present simple exercises

Present perfect exercise answers

Answers to basic exercises on present perfect tense

Lesson 1: 

Lesson 2:

1. have known
2. have learned
3. have seen
4. have been
5. has begun
6. has lived
7. has given
8. have eaten
9. has helped
10. has spoken
11. have taken
12. have done
13. has bought
14. has had
15. has worked
16. has found

Lesson 3: 

1. Jordan has lived in this apartment since 2005.

2. Ellen and Rose have known each other for 40 years.

3. The teacher has been at school since 8:00 this morning.

4. Robbie has had a beard for six months.

5. Dennis has owned his car for 4 years.

6. Maria has worn glasses since she was five years old.

7. David has been in love with Patricia since they were teenagers.

8. Mark has worked at the ban for three years.

9. Sam has known to swim for three years.

Lesson 4: 

1. Has the teacher ever been late for class?

2. Has the pilot ever flown in a helicopter?

3. Has your father ever made dinner for your mother?

4. have you ever found a lot of money on the street?

5. Have the children ever gone camping in the forest?

6. Has the baseball team ever won a championship game?

7. Has the actress ever forgot her lines?

8. Has the policeman ever shot anyone?

9. Have the politicians ever broken their promises?

Present perfect advanced exercises answers 

Lesson 1: 

1. have, written, did, wrote
2. have, bought, have, bought
3. has, worn, has, wore
4. have, found, have, found
5. have, gone, have, went
6. has, seen, has, saw
7. has, spoken, has, spoke
8. has, lost, have lost
9. has, taken, has, took
10. have, met, have met

Lesson 2: 

1. moved, have lived
2. have been, went
3. lost, haven’t found
4. did, quit, haven’t smoked
5. bought, has never bough
6. have, had
7. worked, has had
8. fell, broke, has been
9. was, have been
10. have never met, spoke
11. drove, have already driven
12. started, have already learned
13. died, moved, has been

Lesson 3:

1. Mark has grown three inches in the last six months!
2. My dog has buried many bones in the backyard.
3. Teresa and Anne have talked to their landlord many times about the broken light fixture in their kitchen.
4. Unfortunately, he has still not fixed it
5. I have visited New York City many times.
6. Elizabeth has caught three colds this winter.
7. Because of this, she has not gone skiing since December.
8. Tom has decided to join a health club.
9. Rita has not written a letter to Paul since the beginning of the semester.
10. Paul wonders why Rita has not answered his letters.
11. He thinks that she has forgotten him.
12. However, this is not true. She has been very busy studying and working, and she will write to him when she gets a chance.

Lesson 4:

(A) Robert is not here. He has gone to work.

(B) The office is empty. Everybody has gone home.

(C) It is good to see you again. Where have you been?

(D) My brother has been to America four times.

(E) Sorry, you can’t speak to Anna. She has gone to a party.

(F) Mary’s hair looks nice. She has just been to the hairdresser’s.

(G) Peter has gone to New Zealand and he is staying there.

(H) Have you ever been to Mount Aoraki? It’s breathtaking!

(I) I have been to Rio three times.

(J) My sister is not at home at the moment. She has gone shopping.

(K) Can you tell me the way to Nelson? I have never been there before.

(L) You are late. Where have you been?

(M) You look well. Have you been on holiday somewhere?

(N) Mum will be home soon. She has gone to the supermarket.

(O) They have been in London for ten days, but now have returned home.

(P) Gerard won’t come with us to the party. He has gone to Paris for the weekend.

(Q) This is the first time I have ever gone aboard a ship. It is exciting.

(R) I know Paris very well. I have been there many times.

(S) They have gone to Rome. They will return next week.

(T) Where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere.

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