Past Experiences and Present Results — English Grammar Exercises
Have you ever been to Japan? I've lost my keys — 32 exercises on talking about life experiences and their present results.
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Form — have / has + past participle
| example | |
|---|---|
| positive | I have ('ve) finished. · She has ('s) gone. · They have ('ve) broken it. |
| negative | I haven't finished. · He hasn't gone. |
| question | Have you finished? · Has he gone? · Where have you been? |
Regular past participles end in -ed: played, used, visited, wanted.
Common irregular past participles: been, broken, come, driven, eaten, gone, had, made, seen, taken, written, known, given, read.
been vs gone:
My parents have gone to New York. — They are there now.
My parents have been to New York. — They visited it; they're back now.
Past experiences
Use the present perfect for actions and experiences in your life up to now:
Have you driven an automatic car before? · My father has worked for several different companies.
Common expressions: often, once, twice, several times — I've eaten there several times.
ever, never, before
- ever — in questions, means "in your life": Have you ever driven a truck?
- never — in negatives, means "not in your life": I've never swum with dolphins.
- before — usually at the end: We've been here before.
ever and never go before the past participle:
❌ Have you been ever to California?
✅ Have you ever been to California?
Past actions with present results
Use the present perfect for a past action that has a result in the present:
My car has broken down. (= It's still not working.)
They've gone out. (= They aren't here now.)
just, already, recently
| word | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| just | a very short time ago | The plane has just landed. |
| already | before the expected time (positive) | It's already finished. |
| recently | in the last few days or months | Have you seen them recently? |
just and already go before the past participle: ❌ My car has broken down just. → ✅ My car has just broken down.
Don't use already in negative sentences: ❌ The parcel hasn't arrived already. → ✅ The parcel hasn't arrived yet.
still, yet
- yet — in questions (expected): Has the train arrived yet?
- yet — in negatives (expected): Our pizzas haven't come yet.
- still — in negatives, before hasn't / haven't: She still hasn't marked our essay.
yet goes at the end; still goes before hasn't / haven't.
Don't use yet in positive sentences: ❌ I've paid for the meal yet. → ✅ I've already paid for the meal.
Still can also be used in positive sentences with present simple/continuous: Carlos is thirty, but he still lives with his parents.
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| Have you been ever to California? | Have you ever been to California? |
| My car has broken down just. | My car has just broken down. |
| The parcel hasn't arrived already. | The parcel hasn't arrived yet. |
| I've paid for the meal yet. | I've already paid for the meal. |
| My parents have gone to NY twice. | My parents have been to NY twice. |
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I ___ the report yet.
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haven't finished
Present perfect negative — 'haven't + past participle': 'haven't finished'.
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___ my keys anywhere?
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Have you seen
Present perfect question form: 'Have you + past participle?' — 'Have you seen'.
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She ___ to the post office.
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has gone
Third person singular — 'has' + past participle 'gone'.
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We ___ five games this season.
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have played
Regular past participle 'played' — 'we have played'.
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I ___ to Japan twice — I love it there.
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have been
'Have been' = visited and returned. 'Have gone' would mean still there.
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Sally ___ her mobile phone.
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has broken
Past participle of 'break' is 'broken' — 'she has broken'.
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Our friends ___ a pet before.
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haven't had
Present perfect negative — 'haven't + past participle had'.
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Have you ___ driven a truck?
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ever
'Ever' goes before the past participle in questions about past experience.
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I've ___ swum with dolphins, but it's on my bucket list.
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never
'Never' goes before the past participle in negative experience statements.
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Have you been here ___?
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before
'Before' goes at the end of a question or statement — 'been here before'.
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Has Clive ___ this computer before?
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used
After 'has', use the past participle — 'used'.
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I've eaten in that restaurant ___.
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several times
Present perfect uses unfinished-time expressions ('several times'). 'Yesterday / last week' go with past simple.
Present Perfect for Experiences and Results: A Complete Grammar Reference
The present perfect is one of the most conceptually demanding tenses for learners whose native language has no direct equivalent, because it links a past action to the present moment without specifying exactly when the action happened — a link that many languages simply don't grammaticalise. Corpus research on learner English identifies the present perfect as a top-five source of tense errors at B1–B2 level, with two error types dominating: substituting the past simple for the present perfect when talking about life experience, and confusing 'been' with 'gone'. These 32 exercises target the full system used for experiences and results: forming have/has + past participle, the been/gone distinction, ever/never/before for experience, just/already/recently for recent news, and still/yet for actions that are expected but not yet complete.
Forming the Present Perfect: Have/Has + Past Participle
The present perfect is built from have (or has, for third-person singular) plus the past participle of the main verb. Regular verbs form the past participle with -ed (play → played), while irregular verbs have their own forms that must be learned individually (see → seen, break → broken, go → gone). Negatives insert 'not' after have/has and usually contract: 'haven't finished', 'hasn't come'. Questions invert have/has and the subject: 'Have you seen my keys anywhere?', 'Has Clive used this computer before?'
Have you seen my keys anywhere? (question)
She has gone to the post office. (irregular past participle)
We have played five games this season. (regular past participle)
A frequent form error is using the base form or the past simple form after have/has instead of the past participle: 'has broke' and 'has went' are both incorrect — the correct forms are 'has broken' and 'has gone'.
Been vs Gone
'Have been' describes a completed round trip — the person visited a place and has already returned: 'I have been to Japan twice — I love it there.' 'Have gone' describes someone who is still away at the destination, because they haven't come back yet: 'My parents have gone to New York on holiday — they'll be back next week.' This pair is tested repeatedly because the two forms look similar but express opposite information about where the subject currently is.
My parents have gone to New York on holiday. (still there, not back yet)
'Where's Tom?' 'He's gone to the gym, but he'll be back in an hour.' (currently at the gym)
Ever, Never, Before: Talking About Life Experience
'Ever' (in questions) and 'never' (in negative statements) both go directly before the past participle, asking or stating whether something has happened at any point in a person's life: 'Have you ever driven a truck?', 'I've never swum with dolphins.' 'Before' goes at the end of the sentence and carries a similar meaning of 'at some earlier point up to now': 'Have you been here before?'
I've never swum with dolphins, but it's on my bucket list. (before the past participle, negative)
Have you been here before? (at the end of the sentence)
Just, Already, Recently: Recent News
'Just' signals that something happened a very short time ago and sits before the past participle: 'My car has just broken down.' 'Already' signals that something happened before it was expected, also before the participle, and belongs in positive sentences: 'I've already done it.' 'Recently' means within the last few days or months and typically sits at the end of the sentence: 'I haven't been there recently.'
I don't need to lock the car. I've already done it.
I haven't been there recently.
Still and Yet: Actions Expected but Not Done
'Yet' goes at the end of negatives and questions, asking about or denying something the speaker expects to have happened by now: 'The parcel hasn't arrived yet', 'Has the train arrived yet?' 'Still' goes directly before 'hasn't/haven't', adding emphasis that the expected action continues not to happen: 'I gave my teacher that essay last week, but she still hasn't marked it.'
Has the six o'clock train arrived yet? (end of a question)
She still hasn't marked it. (before hasn't, added emphasis)
Common Mistakes
✗ She has went to the post office. → ✓ She has gone to the post office. (irregular past participle)
✗ My parents have been to New York — they'll be back next week. → ✓ My parents have gone to New York. (still there — use 'gone')
✗ Have you ever gone to Paris? → ✓ Have you ever been to Paris? (life experience uses 'been', not 'gone')
✗ The parcel hasn't arrived already. → ✓ The parcel hasn't arrived yet. ('already' doesn't belong in negatives)
✗ Carlos is thirty, but he has still lived with his parents. → ✓ Carlos is thirty, but he still lives with his parents. (continuing situation — present simple, not present perfect)
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I use the present perfect instead of the past simple for experiences?
Use the present perfect to talk about whether something has ever happened in a person's life, without saying exactly when: 'Have you ever driven a truck?', 'I've been to Japan twice.' The focus is on the experience itself as part of a lifetime that is still ongoing, not on a specific past moment. As soon as a specific time is mentioned or asked about ('When did you go?'), English switches to the past simple, because a precise point in finished time requires it — this is why the present perfect and past simple so often appear together in the same conversation, one introducing the experience and the other giving the detail.
What is the difference between 'have been' and 'have gone'?
'Have been' means someone visited a place and has already returned — the round trip is complete: 'I have been to Japan twice' (I went and came back). 'Have gone' means someone is still at the destination right now, because they have not returned yet: 'My parents have gone to New York on holiday — they'll be back next week.' Using 'gone' when 'been' is meant (or the reverse) is a genuine meaning error, not just a stylistic slip, because it tells the listener whether the subject is currently present or absent.
What's the difference between 'ever', 'never', and 'before'?
'Ever' means 'at any time' and is used mainly in questions about life experience, placed directly before the past participle: 'Have you ever driven a truck?' 'Never' means 'at no time' and is used in negative experience statements, in the same position: 'I've never swum with dolphins.' 'Before' means 'at some earlier point up to now' and goes at the end of the sentence rather than before the participle: 'Have you been here before?' All three connect a present-perfect statement to the speaker's whole life up to the moment of speaking, rather than to one specific past occasion.
How do 'just', 'already', 'still', and 'yet' work with the present perfect?
'Just' means a very short time ago and goes before the past participle in positive statements: 'My car has just broken down.' 'Already' means before the expected time, also before the participle, and appears in positive statements: 'I've already paid for the meal.' 'Yet' appears at the end of negatives and questions, asking about something expected but not yet done: 'The parcel hasn't arrived yet.' 'Still' goes before 'hasn't/haven't' to emphasise that an expected action continues not to happen: 'She still hasn't marked it.' Mixing these up — using 'already' in a negative, or 'yet' in a positive statement — is one of the most common present perfect errors.
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Last updated: · Satori Editorial