Advertisement Languages › English as a Second Language Past Simple or Present Perfect - English Quiz Do you know when to use the past simple instead of the present perfect? SHARE FLIP EMAIL I'm Not Sure!. Jamie Grill / Tetra images / Getty Images By Kenneth Beare Updated on October 22, 2020 1. Jack _____ (live) in Boston for the past 15 years. has lived lives lived Correct Advertisement Use the present perfect with "for" when speaking about an amount of time that has passed. 2. Janet ____ (work) for Smith and Brothers before she came to work for us. worked works has worked Correct Use the past simple to express sequences of actions in the past. Advertisement 3. Dad, ____ (you/finish) reading the paper yet? did you finish are you finishing have you finished Correct Use the present perfect with "already," "just," and "yet" to speak about recent actions. 4. I would love to visit Prague sometime. Unfortunately, I ____ (be/never) there. have never been was never will never be Correct Use the present perfect to speak about life experience. 5. Peter _____ (play) Tennis for five years when he _____ (be) at school. has played - was has played - has been Correct played - was Use the simple past with a past time clause with "when". 6. Can you help me? I _____ (finish) my homework, but I still don't understand number seven. have finished didn't finish Advertisement finish Correct Use the present perfect to express something that you have recently done that affects the moment of speaking. 7. I _____ (work) in Italy for five years. I ____ (begin) work as soon as I arrived. work - began have worked - have begun have worked - began Correct Use the present perfect for the amount of time up to the moment of speaking that you've done an action. Use the past simple to express the starting point in time. 8. I'm afraid I'm not hungry. I _____ (eat/already). didn't eat already have already eaten haven't already eaten Advertisement Correct Use the present perfect with "already," "just," and "yet" to speak about recent actions. 9. When Jack was at school, he _____ (learn) to play the saxophone. He _____ (play) it ever since. has learned - has played learned - played learned - has played Correct Always use the present perfect or present perfect continuous with "since" and something that began in the past. 10. Could you give me some advice? I _____ (buy) this sweater at Macy's yesterday. Do you think I should take it back? bought have bought buyed Correct Use the present perfect to speak about recent actions that affect the present Advertisement moment. 11. Maria lives in Boston. Before she _____ (move) here, she ____ (live) in Seattle for three years. moved - has lived moved - lived has moved - lived Correct Use the past simple to express a sequence of actions in the past. 12. Peter ____ (go) to Paris last year. That means that he ____ (be) to Paris three times! went - has been went - was has gone - was Correct Always use past simple when stating "when" something happened. Use the present perfect to express completed actions up to the moment of speaking. 13. Just a moment! I _____ (not think) of a good idea yet! haven't thought didn't think Advertisement don't think Correct Use the present perfect with "already," "just," and "yet" to speak about recent actions. Use "yet" in the negative and question, but "already" and "just" in the positive form. 14. Maria _____ (believe) that for ages! believes has believed was believed Correct Use the present perfect with "for" to express an amount of time. In this case, "ages" means for a very long time. 15. How long _____ (you/live) there before coming here? have you lived did you live do you live Correct Use the present perfect with questions with "how long" to express duration up to the present moment in time. 16. She _____ (write) the email but doesn't know how to send it. has written writes written Correct Use the present perfect to speak about recent actions that affect the present moment. 17. I ____ (just/have) something done to my hair. Do you like it? have just had just have had just have Correct 18. Hurry up! The concert _____ (begin) and we are late. begins has begun began Correct Use the present perfect with "already," "just," and "yet" to speak about recent actions. Use "yet" in the negative and question, but "already" and "just" in the positive form. 19. Madonna _____ (record) many albums and will probably make many more. records has recorded recorded Correct Use the present perfect to speak about the experiences of people who are still alive. 20. Nat King Cole _____ (record) many albums during his wonderful career. records has recorded recorded Correct Use the past simple to speak about experiences of people who are not alive now. Past Simple or Present Perfect - English Quiz You got: 100% Correct. You Understand the Difference! You know your English!. Andrew Rich / Vetta / Getty Images You've got a great understanding of the differences between the past simple and present perfect tense in English. Congratulations and keep up the good work! SHARE FLIP EMAIL $699.00 How to Teach the Present Perfect $469.00 Lesson Plan on Switching Between Present Perfect and Past Simple $173.00 ESL Present Perfect Worksheets $1,569.00 A VIP - Present Perfect Simple and Continuous How to Teach the Past Simple to ESL Students Practice in Using the Present Perfect in English Grammar Grammatical Aspect of Present Perfect Perfect forms: Simple or Progressive $699.00 $469.00 $173.00 Teacher helping adult student in library Guide to Past Simple and Past Continuous Essential Basic English Lessons How to Teach Present Perfect Continuous to English Learners $1,569.00 A couple runs down the street together in Berlin, Germany German Verbs: The Present Perfect Tense The Right Way to Use 'Already' and 'Yet' in English Past and Present Participles Present Perfect Progressive Conjugating the Verb 'To Be' TRUSTe Follow Us Science, Tech, Math About Us Advertise Humanities Careers Privacy Policy Languages Editorial Guidelines Contact Resources Terms of Service ThoughtCo is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family. 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