The Present Perfect vs the Simple Past

Practice Exercises

1. Conjugations. Write the verb in the simple past and the present perfect.

Simple Past Present Perfect

I / see / The Matrix I saw The Matrix. I’ve seen The Matrix.
She / live / in Bogotá She lived in Bogotá she has lived in Bogotá
We / not finish / the
We didn’t finish the report We haven’t finished the report
report
We / take / the cat to
We have taken the cat to the
We took the cat to the vet
vet
the vet
Rose has not gone/been to the
Rose / not go / to the
library
Rose didn´t go to the library
Gone ir a un lugar
library
Been estado alli

2. Complete the sentences with the expressions from the box. More than one answer is
possible.

for ten years last night this week when I was 16 years old last week
in all his career

a. I finished school ________________when I was 16 years old__________.

b. My sister has worked in the same company ____for ten years_
c. Robert de Niro has won two Oscars ________in all his career_
d. I arrived home late ___________last night_____________________.
e. Have you seen Frank ______________this week_________?
f. Did you see Frank ____________last week____________________?

3. Complete the sentences with the verbs in parentheses. Use the correct form: simple
past or present perfect.

a. Mr Clark worked (work) in a bank for 15 years. Then he retired.

b. Molly lives in Dublin. She lived (live) there all her life.
c. Bob and Alice are married. They have been (be) married for 20 years.
d. When we were on holiday, the weather was (be) terrible.
e. The weather has been (be) very nice recently, don’t you think?
f. My grandfather died 30 years ago. I never met (never / meet) him.
g. I don’t know Carol’s husband. I have never met (never / meet) him.