Present Perfect and Past Simple

PRESENT PERFECT

We use the present perfect when we think about the past and present together.

Statement, negative Question

I, we you they	have haven’t	played football.	Have	I, we you they	played football?
he, she, it	has hasn’t		Has	he, she, it

Short answer

Yes, No,	I, we you they	haven’t.
	he, she, it	hasn’t.

We haven’t seen Tom for a long time.

Has Paula taken her driving test yet? – No, she hasn’t.

Have you ever been to the Tower of London? – Yes, but I haven’t been there for twenty years.

I’ve never heard that before.

I’ve already seen him. I met him yesterday.

What have you done to your hair!

I’ve watched him on TV several times.

past action	Present Perfect	present result
I completed the report yesterday.	I have put it on your desk.	You are reading it now.

Have you passed your driving test? (We are interested in your result and nothing else!)

I’ve just eaten. We have already done this exercise.

I haven’t done my homework yet.

1. Have you ever been to Angkor Wat? – Yes, I have. No, I haven’t.

2. ______ your father ever been to London? – Yes, he ______. No, he _______.

3. ______ you ever been to a big rock concert? – Yes, _______ . No, ________.

4. ______ your mother ever been to a football match? – Yes, _______. No, _______.

5. ________ you and your family ever been to Paris? – Yes,________. No, _______.

6. ________ students in the class ever been to your house? – Yes, _______. No, _______.

PRESENT PERFECT with BEEN & GONE

Notice the difference between has been and has gone:

Amanda has gone to France. (She is still there)

Amanda has been to France. (She has come back)

I’m afraid Mr. Smith is not here at the moment. He has gone to a meeting in London. (He is still at the meeting)

John has been to the travel agent. He has your tickets for Hong Kong. (He went to the travel agent and has returned)

A. Complete the dialogue with been or gone.

• Hello.

• Hi, it’s mark here. Is Rick there please?

• Hi, mark. No, I’m sorry. He’s (1) _______ away for the week.

• Oh? Work? Holiday?

• Both. He’s (2) _______ to Patagonia – for a walk.

• Oh, I’ve (3) ______ there. Twice. It’s really nice. Why didn’t you go with him?

• Because my boss has (4) _______ to Nepal on business so I’m in charge of the office.

• Nepal? Nice!

• Have you (5) _______ there too?

• Yes, I’ve (6) _______ a few times, actually.

• Really? I’ve only (7) _______ there once. I liked it.

• Yes, it’s an excellent place for walking.

• Yes. Well, I’ll tell him you called.

• Ok. Thanks. Bye, Jane.

• Bye, Mark.

B. Fill in the blanks with have/has been or have/has gone.

1. I’m afraid Mr. Davis _______ to Bali and won’t be back for two weeks.

2. Jane will know a good place to stay in New York. She _______

there lots of times.

3. I _________ to the printers to collect the brochures. They’re in my car.

4. Mr. Lund ________ to Oslo. Would you like the phone number of this hotel?

5. I don’t know where their new offices are. I _______ not _______ there.

PRESENT PERFECT & PAST SIMPLE

The Present Perfect often links a present situation with something that happened at an unspecified time in the past, we do not say exactly when. With the Past Simple we have to say or imply when something happened.

I finished the report yesterday/an hour ago.

I have just finished the report. (Here it is, you can read it). Even if we say ‘just’ we are still not saying ‘exactly when’.

Present Perfect	Past Simple
We talk about things that started in the past, continue up to the present and may continue into the future; things that have happened in a period of time that is not finished, such as today, this month, this year	We talk about completed actions in the past; things that happened in a period of time that is finished, such as yesterday, last month, last year and this morning when it is after 12 p.m.
Have you ever been to Rome?	When did you go? Who did you go with?
Have you ever moved house?	When did you move? Where did you move to?
Have you ever lost your credit card?	When did you lose it? What did you do?
Have you ever won a prize?	What did you win? When did you win it?
Have you ever seen a Shakespeare play?	When did you see it? Which one did you see?

They’ve decided to live apart for a few years. (We don’t know when they decided; the time is not important)

They have lived apart for the past three years. (They started living apart three years ago, and they are still living apart)

They’ve lived apart since 1998. (They are still living apart)

They lived apart until 2000. (They don’t live apart any more)

I’ve had three cups of coffee this morning. (It’s still morning. I might have more)

I had three cups of coffee yesterday. (Yesterday is finished)

I had three cups of coffee this morning. (It’s now 2 p.m. This morning is finished)

Exercise 1.

Complete the dialogue by putting the verbs into the past simple or the present perfect.

• Can I have a word about your trip to Dubai?

• Yes, of course. Is everything OK?

• Your tickets (1) ________ arrive) and they’re in my office now. And I (2) _________ (just/have) an email from the hotel confirming your reservation.

• Which hotel (3) _________ (you/book) me into?

• The Burj Al Arab.

• Thank you. What about money?

• I (4) _________ (already/order) some Dirhams for you. I (5) __________ (ring) the bank yesterday, and they’ll have them tomorrow. And I can get some traveller’s cheques as well if you like.

• No, don’t worry, I (6) ________ (never/need) traveller’s cheques before. I normally use a credit card and cash machines.

• Really? Are you sure you can use your card in Dubai as well?

• Yes, I think so. I (7) ________ (be/to) quite a lot of countries in the Middle East and I (8) ________ (never/have) a problem.

• OK, but have a word with Alison Morgan in Production. I know she (9) _______ (go) to Dubai a couple of months ago, so I expect she would know.

Exercise2.

Complete the sentences. Choose between the present perfect and the past simple.

1. I … (live) here for six months.

2. When … (you/move) to Spain?

3. How long… (you/have) your new mobile phone?

4. We… (buy) a new car last week.

5. This is the first time I… (ever/see) this film.

6. ……. (you/visit) South America before?

7. I…. (go) to a disco last Saturday.

8. What (you/do) to your hair? It looks awful.

9. I… (watch) an interesting programme last night.

10. ….you (ever/visit) Thailand?

11. I… (never/eat) a meal as bad as this!

12. ….you (discuss) the trade fair in yesterday’s meeting?

13. We… (not/see) each other since the conference last November.

14. I… (work) for the same boss since 1995.

15. I… (work) for Everytalk Consulting from 1996 to 2002.

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