Present perfect: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Q: When do we use the present perfect?

For a past with no finished time, connected to now. That covers experiences ( Have you ever ridden a mule? ), news and results ( We've just found the answer ) and situations that are still true ( Tom has worked here for a week now ). Once a finished time is named, such as in 2014 or last night , switch to the past simple: We opened our first café in 2014 .

Q: How do you form the present perfect?

Have or has, then the past participle. I've seen , she's seen , they've seen . Negatives use haven't or hasn't ( He hasn't charged his phone ), and yes-no questions start with Have or Has ( Has she ever been to Alaska? ). Regular participles end in -ed, like the past simple; irregular ones must be learned: go , gone ; write , written ; eat , eaten .

Q: Are there interactive present perfect exercises?

Yes, starting with the ones above, which need no account. They're taken from the lessons on this page, and each lesson holds more: gap-fills, drag-and-drop, tables to complete and quizzes. Students do them in their own edio.ai accounts, and each answer is marked on the spot. A free trial gives you every present perfect lesson on this page and the rest of the library.

Q: What's the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?

Only the past simple goes with a finished time. I've been to Arizona states an experience; I went there in May adds when. So When…? and words like yesterday , last week and ago take the past simple: When did you go? , not When have you been there? In conversation, the present perfect often opens a topic and the past simple fills in the details.

Q: When do you use for and when do you use since?

For with a period, since with a starting point. I've used Kotlin for a year ; Tom has been online since seven . If you can count the time ( four days , two years ), it's for ; if you can name the start ( Monday , my first day ), it's since . Both need the present perfect when the situation is still true: I've worked here since Monday , not I work here since Monday .

Q: Where do just, already and yet go in a sentence?

Just and already follow have or has; yet comes last. I've just merged it , We've already found the cause , I haven't opened the pull request yet . Yet belongs to negatives and questions ( Has Jordan tested it yet? ), while already is for positive sentences, or for surprise in a question: Have you already ordered?

Q: How do I teach the present perfect to A2 students?

One use at a time, starting with experiences. English A2.2 opens with Have you ever…? under the northern lights in Alaska, then sets the tense against the past simple at the Grand Canyon in lesson 2. Lessons 3, 5 and 6 add superlatives with I've ever , then just , then already and yet , each with its own grammar scheme, drills and speaking chapter.

Q: What are good present perfect games and conversation questions?

Games built on Have you ever…? questions. Find-someone-who surveys and two truths and a lie about experiences both need the tense and its short answers, and past simple follow-ups ( When did you go? ) keep the talk going. Superlative questions make good warm-ups: What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? On top of that, every lesson here has a speaking chapter with a chat and a game such as Spin the wheel.

Q: Do Americans use the past simple instead of the present perfect?

Often, with just, already and yet. In everyday American English you'll hear I just made popcorn and Did you eat yet? , and that's correct. The lessons still practice have or has with these words, the form to use in written updates. With a finished time, such as yesterday , only the past simple works: I ordered it yesterday .

Q: Can I teach these lessons to one student or set them as homework?

Both work. In a one-to-one class, your student opens the lesson in their own account and follows along with you live, and the speaking games run fine with two players. For homework, students do the drills alone and see each result at once, while tasks that need a teacher's eye wait for your review.

Levels A2 to B2 13 lesson plans · 5 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

The present perfect connects the past with now: Have you ever seen the northern lights? My lunch hasn't arrived yet. I've lived in New York for two years. The edio.ai library has 13 ready-made lessons on it, levels A2 to B2, interactive and in American English, and this page gathers them all. Try their exercises, see in their grammar schemes how the tense differs from the past simple, and find the right lesson for your class by level.

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Present perfect lesson plans and drills

13 lesson plans and 5 drill lessons, A2 to B2. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 44 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the present perfect exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

Present perfect explained

We use the present perfect for the past when no finished time is given: life experiences (I've never slept in a cabin), news with a result now (The popcorn has just popped!) and situations that began in the past and are still true (We've had the roastery since 2017). A finished time such as yesterday needs the past simple.

Have or has + past participle

Has goes with he, she and it, have with the rest, and the main verb is a past participle: She has seen the lights, We've heard a wolf. Many participles are irregular (been, flown, eaten), so the second table lists twelve.

Every person

Who	✅ Yes	❌ never
I	I have seen snow. (I've seen)	I have never been to Alaska. (I've never been)
you	You have tried ice skating. (You've tried)	You have never flown at night.
he, she, it	She has seen the lights. (She's seen)	He has never slept in a cabin. It has never snowed here.
we	We have heard a wolf. (We've heard)	We have never eaten a snowball.
they	They have been to Florida. (They've been)	They have never done a winter sport.

12 past participles

Verb	Past participle	Example
be	been	I've been to Alaska.
see	seen	Have you ever seen snow?
do	done	I've never done a winter sport.
eat	eaten	Have you ever eaten a snowball?
fly	flown	She has never flown at night.
feel	felt	Have you ever felt snow on your face?
take	taken	I've never taken a photo of the lights.
hear	heard	Have you ever heard a wolf?
sleep	slept	We've never slept in a cabin.
try	tried (regular: -y → -ied)	Have you ever tried ice skating?
glow	glowed (regular: + -ed)	Has the sky ever glowed green?
appear	appeared (regular: + -ed)	Maya has never appeared on TV.

From the lesson Have you ever seen the sky dance? (English A2.2)

Present perfect or past simple?

The present perfect gives the experience, with no time: I've been to the Grand Canyon. The past simple adds when and how: I went there last year. Ever and never point to one, yesterday and ago to the other.

Two tenses, two jobs

Present perfect: your experience (no time)

I've been to the Grand Canyon.
Have you ever ridden a mule?
Fred has been to the bottom many times.
Nora has never been here before.

Past simple: the details (when, where, how)

I went there last year.
When did you go?
He first went down in 2005.
She arrived yesterday.

Signal words

Present perfect	Past simple
ever: Have you ever been there?	yesterday: I saw it yesterday.
never: I've never ridden a mule.	last night / week / year: We went last year.
no time given: She's been there twice.	in + a year or a month: in 2005, in June
before: Have you been here before?	ago: two days ago
How many times have you been there?	When did you go?

From the lesson Have you been to the Grand Canyon? (English A2.2)

Just: news from a moment ago

Just sits between have or has and the participle, for something that happened a moment ago: I've just burned the toast, It's just beeped. In a question, it comes after the subject: Has she just left?

Who	have / has + just	Example
I	I've just = I have just	I've just burned the toast.
you	you've just = you have just	You've just eaten my snack!
he	he's just = he has just	He's just told a terrible joke.
she	she's just = she has just	She's just made popcorn.
it	it's just = it has just	It's just beeped. (the microwave)
we	we've just = we have just	We've just found the answer.
they	they've just = they have just	They've just popped! (the kernels)

From the lesson The chocolate bar that melted (English A2.2)

Already and yet

Already says something is done, maybe sooner than expected, and takes the same place as just: The robot has already left. Yet means up to now and ends negatives and questions: It hasn't arrived yet, Has it arrived yet?

Word	Use it in…	Where?	Example
already ✅	positive sentences	between have / has and the verb	The robot has already left.
already 😮	questions: a surprise (so soon?)	between have / has and the verb	Have you already ordered?
yet ❌	negative sentences	at the end	It hasn't arrived yet.
yet ❓	questions	at the end	Has it arrived yet?

From the lesson Has my lunch arrived yet? (English A2.2)

For and since: started then, still true now

When something began in the past and is still true, the present perfect takes for + a period or since + a starting point: I've worked at Kestrel since Monday. If it's over, use the past simple: I worked in IT support for three years.

For or since?

for + a period of time	since + a point in time
for four days	since Monday
for forty minutes	since nine o'clock
for two years	since 2024
for about a year	since my coding course
for years	since the dashboard beta
for a few hours	since I arrived (since + past simple)

Still true now, or finished?

Still true now: present perfect

I've lived in New York for two years. (I live there now.)
Tom has been online since seven. (He's online now.)

Finished: past simple

I worked in IT support for three years. (I don't now.)
Iryna started at Kestrel on Monday. (one finished moment)

From the lesson Your first "Hello, World" (English for IT B1)

Simple or continuous: the result or the activity?

The simple form gives a result or a number: We've packed fifty new bags, I've called the carrier three times. Its continuous partner gives the activity and how long: I've been calling the carrier since ten.

Simple: the result, the job is done

I've read your email. (I've finished it.)
We've packed fifty new bags. (They're ready to go.)
I've called the carrier three times. (How many? A number.)

Continuous: the activity, often not finished

I've been reading the report. (I'm not at the end yet.)
We've been packing bags all morning. (That's how we've spent the time.)
I've been calling the carrier since ten. (How long? A period.)

From the lesson Handling a Complaint (Business English B2)

Questions about the present perfect

When do we use the present perfect?

For a past with no finished time, connected to now. That covers experiences (Have you ever ridden a mule?), news and results (We've just found the answer) and situations that are still true (Tom has worked here for a week now). Once a finished time is named, such as in 2014 or last night, switch to the past simple: We opened our first café in 2014.

How do you form the present perfect?

Have or has, then the past participle. I've seen, she's seen, they've seen. Negatives use haven't or hasn't (He hasn't charged his phone), and yes-no questions start with Have or Has (Has she ever been to Alaska?). Regular participles end in -ed, like the past simple; irregular ones must be learned: go, gone; write, written; eat, eaten.

Are there interactive present perfect exercises?

Yes, starting with the ones above, which need no account. They're taken from the lessons on this page, and each lesson holds more: gap-fills, drag-and-drop, tables to complete and quizzes. Students do them in their own edio.ai accounts, and each answer is marked on the spot. A free trial gives you every present perfect lesson on this page and the rest of the library.

What's the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?

Only the past simple goes with a finished time. I've been to Arizona states an experience; I went there in May adds when. So When…? and words like yesterday, last week and ago take the past simple: When did you go?, not When have you been there? In conversation, the present perfect often opens a topic and the past simple fills in the details.

When do you use for and when do you use since?

For with a period, since with a starting point. I've used Kotlin for a year; Tom has been online since seven. If you can count the time (four days, two years), it's for; if you can name the start (Monday, my first day), it's since. Both need the present perfect when the situation is still true: I've worked here since Monday, not I work here since Monday.

Where do just, already and yet go in a sentence?

Just and already follow have or has; yet comes last. I've just merged it, We've already found the cause, I haven't opened the pull request yet. Yet belongs to negatives and questions (Has Jordan tested it yet?), while already is for positive sentences, or for surprise in a question: Have you already ordered?

How do I teach the present perfect to A2 students?

One use at a time, starting with experiences. English A2.2 opens with Have you ever…? under the northern lights in Alaska, then sets the tense against the past simple at the Grand Canyon in lesson 2. Lessons 3, 5 and 6 add superlatives with I've ever, then just, then already and yet, each with its own grammar scheme, drills and speaking chapter.

What are good present perfect games and conversation questions?

Games built on Have you ever…? questions. Find-someone-who surveys and two truths and a lie about experiences both need the tense and its short answers, and past simple follow-ups (When did you go?) keep the talk going. Superlative questions make good warm-ups: What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? On top of that, every lesson here has a speaking chapter with a chat and a game such as Spin the wheel.

Do Americans use the past simple instead of the present perfect?

Often, with just, already and yet. In everyday American English you'll hear I just made popcorn and Did you eat yet?, and that's correct. The lessons still practice have or has with these words, the form to use in written updates. With a finished time, such as yesterday, only the past simple works: I ordered it yesterday.

Can I teach these lessons to one student or set them as homework?

Both work. In a one-to-one class, your student opens the lesson in their own account and follows along with you live, and the speaking games run fine with two players. For homework, students do the drills alone and see each result at once, while tasks that need a teacher's eye wait for your review.

More English grammar

Lessons for every grammar point, from the verb to be to reported speech. All grammar points

Present perfect lesson plans and drills

Have you ever seen the sky dance?

Have you been to the Grand Canyon?

The longest cave in the world

The chocolate bar that melted

Has my lunch arrived yet?

Present perfect: have you ever tried it?

Just, already, yet: have you done it yet?

For and since: how long have you known her?

Present perfect or past simple: up to now or finished time?

GTA 6: worth the wait?

Would you visit an airport just for fun?

Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?

Could you be a camp counselor?

Your first "Hello, World"

Done, not done yet

Present perfect simple or continuous: how many or how long?

Our Story: From Cart to Roastery

Handling a Complaint