Exercises on past simple or present perfect

1. PAST SIMPLE OR PRESENT PERFECT
Write down the correct form (pronoun + verb).
Simple Past Present Perfect Simple
I / open
he / write
they / do
you / swim
she / give
Use
When do we use which tense?
1. 'Already' is a signal word for ...
2. 'Just' is a signal word for ...
3. '2 years ago' is a signal word for ...
4. 'Yet' is a signal word for ...
5. 'Yesterday' is a signal word for ...
Positive Sentences. Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect
simple).
1. Mary (win) _______________the lottery last year.
2. We (prepare / already) _______________dinner.
3. James (find) _______________your ring in the garden yesterday.
4. He (come / just) _______________home.
5. They (buy) _______________their car two years ago.
Negative Sentences. Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect
simple).
1. I (see / not) _______________anyone yet.

2. 2. Phil (go / not) _______________to the cinema last night.
3. We (be / not) _______________to the zoo so far.
4. She (arrive / not) _______________yet.
5. Emily (visit / not) _______________me last week.
Questions. Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).
1. (you / read) _______________the book yet?
2. How many letters (they / write) _______________so far?
3. When (he / tell) _______________you that?
4. (you / be) _______________at home last night?
5. How often (you / travel) _______________abroad till now?
Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).
1. A: (you / taste / ever) _______________sushi?
2. B: Yes, I (eat) _______________sushi at least five times so far.
3. A: When (you / eat) _______________sushi for the first time?
4. B: I (eat) _______________sushi for the first time on my dad's 50th birthday. He (invite)
_______________the whole family to a Japanese restaurant.
5. A: (you / like) _______________it?
6. B: Absolutely. In fact, it (be) _______________so good that we (be) _______________to
that restaurant three times yet. And on my mum's birthday, we (order) _______________
some sushi and (have) _______________it at home.
Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology (change)
_______________ a great deal. The first computers (be) _______________ simple machines
designed for basic tasks. They (have, not) _______________ much memory and they (be, not)
_______________ very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers
often (pay) _______________ thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do)
_______________ very little. Most computers (be) _______________ separate, individual
machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games.

3. Times (change) _______________. Computers (become) _______________powerful machines
with very practical applications. Programmers (create) _______________a large selection of
useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We are
still playing video games, but today's games (become) _______________faster, more exciting
interactive adventures. Many computer users (get, also) _______________on the Internet and
(begin) _______________communicating with other computer users around the world. We
(start) _______________to create international communities online. In short, the simple,
individual machines of the past (evolve) _______________into an international World Wide
Web of knowledge.
1. A: (you / play / already) _______________ the new computer game?
2. B: No, not yet. I only (buy) _______________it yesterday and I (have / not)
_______________the time yet.
3. A: (you / go) _______________to the cinema last night?
4. B: Yes. I (be) _______________there with Sue and Louis. (you / be) _______________to
the cinema recently?
5. A: I last (go) _______________to the cinema two weeks ago.
6. B: So you (see / not) _______________the new action film yet.
7. A: No, unfortunately not. (you / enjoy) _______________it?
8. B: Oh, I really (love) _______________it. But Sue (like / not) _______________it - too
much action!
9. A: But why (you / take) _______________her with you? She (tell) _______________me
last week that she (hate) _______________action films.
10. B: I think she has an eye on Louis. She (try) _______________to flirt with him all the time.
So he (can / concentrate / not) _______________on the film.
1. I (just / finish) _______________ my homework.
2. Mary (already / write) _______________five letters.
3. Tom (move) _______________to this town in 1994.
4. My friend (be) _______________in Canada two years ago.
5. I (not / be) _______________to Canada so far.
6. But I (already / travel) _______________to London a couple of times.

4. 7. Last week, Mary and Paul (go) _______________to the cinema.
8. I can't take any pictures because I (not / buy) _______________a new film yet.
9. (they / spend) _______________their holiday in New Zealand last summer?
10. (you / ever / see) _______________a whale?