Present Perfect or Past Simple? — English Grammar Exercises
I've seen the film vs I saw it yesterday — 32 exercises on choosing the right tense for finished and unfinished time.
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Differences in use
| present perfect | past simple | |
|---|---|---|
| single / repeated actions | date not known or not important: I've driven an automatic car before. We've been to the theatre many times. | at a definite past time: I drove a racing car in the summer. We went to the theatre twice last month. |
| time expressions | before, ever, already, just, yet, so far, this morning, today | yesterday, last month, in 2007, ago |
| situations | started in past, still continuing (for/since): Tom has worked here for ten years. (still there) | started and finished in past: Alex worked here for ten years. (not there now) |
| completed actions in a period | period still continuing: He's sold fifteen cars this month. | period finished: He sold twenty cars in August. |
The same form means very different things depending on whether the period is finished:
I made several calls this morning. (now it's afternoon)
I've made several calls this morning. (still morning)
Giving news
Use the present perfect to introduce new information, then switch to the past simple for the details:
'Julian has passed his driving test.' 'Oh, that's good news!' He took it on Wednesday.
The Terracotta Army exhibition has opened in Paris. It was opened by the Minister of Culture.
I've decided to get a new car. I'm going to look at some tomorrow.
News reports often start a new item with the present perfect, then add details in the past simple.
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| Jane has passed her driving test last week. | Jane passed her driving test last week. (last week → past simple) |
| Rick has finished the course six months ago. | Rick finished the course six months ago. (ago → past simple) |
| When has he got here? | When did he get here? (when + specific → past simple) |
| Steve did this job since he was twenty-two. | Steve 's done this job since he was twenty-two. (since → present perfect) |
| Tom worked here for ten years and he loves it. | Tom has worked here for ten years and he loves it. (still works → present perfect) |
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I ___ Tom yesterday afternoon at the supermarket.
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saw
'Yesterday' is a finished time — use past simple.
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Jane ___ her driving test last week.
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passed
'Last week' is a finished time — use past simple.
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I ___ several phone calls this morning — and it's only nine.
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've made
It's still morning — unfinished period takes the present perfect.
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Have you ___ visited Tokyo?
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ever
'Ever' goes with the present perfect for past experiences. 'Yesterday / last year' would need past simple.
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He ___ at the garage since 2010.
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has worked
'Since 2010' + still continuing — use the present perfect.
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I ___ this car in 2007.
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bought
'In 2007' is a finished time — use past simple.
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The plane ___ landed — the passengers are getting off now.
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has just
'Just' goes with present perfect, before the past participle.
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I ___ my Toyota two weeks ago.
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sold
'Ago' means 'a period before now' — use past simple.
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I ___ already finished my homework, so I can go out.
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've
Present perfect with 'already' — 'have already + past participle'.
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Tom has worked here ___ two years — he's still there.
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for
'For + period' fits the present perfect when the situation is still continuing.
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Caroline ___ a lot of clothes this year.
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's bought
'This year' is still going on — use the present perfect.
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Caroline ___ a lot of clothes two years ago.
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bought
'Two years ago' is a finished time — use past simple.
Present Perfect or Past Simple? A Complete Grammar Reference
Choosing between the present perfect and the past simple is one of the most persistent challenges at B1–B2 level, and unlike most grammar contrasts, it isn't primarily about verb form — both tenses are usually easy to build correctly. The difficulty is entirely about which one the situation calls for. Corpus-based studies of learner English report that present perfect/past simple confusion remains frequent even among advanced learners, because many languages either don't distinguish the two concepts grammatically or map them onto a single past tense. English draws the line based on whether the speaker frames the time period as finished and closed, or as continuing into or connected with now. These 32 exercises isolate every major decision point in that choice: finished vs unfinished time markers, situations still continuing vs completely over, the news-then-details pattern, and the specific case of 'for + period' where only context — not the preposition — decides the tense.
Finished Time Markers Require the Past Simple
Words and phrases that name a specific point already closed off in the past — yesterday, last week, in 2007, six months ago, when? — always take the past simple, because they describe a moment that cannot be reopened or continued into now.
I bought this car in 2007. (a specific past year — finished)
Rick finished the course six months ago. ('ago' — finished)
'George has arrived.' 'Really? When did he get here?' ('when' asks for a specific past time)
Unfinished Time Markers Require the Present Perfect
Time expressions that describe a period still in progress — this morning (if it's still morning), this month, so far, already, just, since — require the present perfect, because the period they name includes the present moment.
Caroline's bought a lot of clothes this year. ('this year' is still going on)
The plane has just landed — the passengers are getting off now. ('just' + present perfect)
Still Continuing vs Completely Finished
With 'for + a period', the deciding factor isn't the preposition itself but whether the situation described is still true right now. If it continues, use the present perfect; if it has clearly ended, use the past simple, even though both sentences contain 'for'.
She lived in Berlin for ten years before she moved to Paris. (finished — she moved away)
Giving News, Then Adding Details
A very common real-world pattern introduces fresh news or a new piece of information with the present perfect — because at that moment, only the fact that something happened matters — and then switches to the past simple as soon as specific details (when, where, how) are added.
Sarah has got a new job. She had the interview last week. (news already given, detail follows)
I've decided to get a new car. I'm going to look at some tomorrow. (fresh decision, present perfect)
Common Mistakes
✗ Jane has passed her driving test last week. → ✓ Jane passed her driving test last week. ('last week' is finished — past simple)
✗ She has lived in Berlin for ten years before she moved to Paris. → ✓ She lived in Berlin for ten years before she moved. (the situation is over — past simple, despite 'for')
✗ 'When have you bought this house?' → ✓ 'When did you buy this house?' ('when' asks for a specific past time — past simple)
✗ Julian passed his driving test! → ✓ Julian has passed his driving test! (fresh news, no time given yet — present perfect)
✗ I 've made several phone calls this morning (said at 3pm, morning over). → ✓ I made several phone calls this morning. (the morning has ended — past simple)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between the present perfect and the past simple?
The past simple describes a finished action at a specific, completed point in time, with no direct connection drawn to now: 'I saw Tom yesterday afternoon.' The present perfect describes an action connected to the present moment — either because the time period isn't finished yet, the result still matters now, or no specific time is given at all: 'I've made several phone calls this morning' (said while it's still morning). The choice isn't really about when the action happened in the past, but about whether the speaker is framing it as closed off from now or still relevant to now.
How do time expressions decide between present perfect and past simple?
Finished-time expressions — yesterday, last week, in 2007, X time ago, when? — require the past simple, because they name a specific point that has already closed: 'I bought this car in 2007.' Unfinished-time expressions — this week, this month, so far, already, just, since — require the present perfect, because they describe a period that includes the present moment or a link to right now: 'I've made several phone calls this morning' (the morning isn't over). The same event can take either tense depending only on which time expression accompanies it: 'Caroline's bought a lot of clothes this year' (present perfect) versus 'Caroline bought a lot of clothes two years ago' (past simple).
Why do we say 'Julian has passed his driving test! He took it on Wednesday' — two different tenses for one story?
This is the classic news-then-details pattern. Fresh news or an announcement is introduced with the present perfect, because at that moment the specific time doesn't matter — only the fact that it happened and is relevant now: 'Julian has passed his driving test!' As soon as the conversation moves on to specific details — when, where, how — English switches to the past simple, because those details refer to one finished moment in time: 'He took it on Wednesday.' This pattern appears constantly in spoken English and in news reporting.
Why is 'she lived in Berlin for ten years' past simple, even with 'for'?
'For + a period' normally suggests the present perfect, but the deciding factor is always whether the situation is still true now, not just the presence of 'for'. 'She lived in Berlin for ten years before she moved to Paris' uses the past simple because the clause 'before she moved to Paris' makes clear the Berlin period is finished and closed off. Compare 'Tom has worked at the garage for two years — he's still there', where 'he's still there' confirms the situation continues, so the present perfect is required. The tense depends on whether the situation continues to now, not on which preposition introduces the duration.
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