Present Perfect Exercises in English

Present Perfect is one of the most common, but also the most tricky tenses in English. It does not indicate a precise moment in the past, but is always connected to the present: something happened — and you see the result right now. We use it every day: when we say that we have already done something, just finished it, or have never tried it.

In order not to get confused between have and has, not to forget about the third form of the verb and to feel the difference between just, already and yet — you just need to practice a lot. That is why we have collected a whole selection of exercises here. Everything is to the point: no theory, only real examples, tests and repetition training.

Complete 5 exercises and check how confident you feel with Present Perfect — from simple insertions to tests with tricks. At the end, you will find a block with results and analysis.

Table of contents

• Exercise 1. Transform direct speech into indirect speech
• Exercise 2. Choose the correct form of indirect speech
• Exercise 3. Find and correct the error
• Exercise 4. Come up with indirect phrases for real situations
• Exercise 5. Insert the correct form of indirect speech

Exercise 1: Insert the verb in the Present Perfect

Goal:
Learn to correctly construct sentences in the Present Perfect tense, which describes a past action that is connected to the present. This could be a result, experience or event that is important now. Often in such sentences there are words-hints:
already, just, yet (yet, already — in negatives/questions), never / ever, since / for
Formula:
→ have/has + V3 (third form of the verb / Past Participle)
Examples:
I have finished the task.
She has never seen snow.
✏️ Tasks:

1. I ___ already ___ this movie. (see)
2. She ___ never ___ sushi before. (try)
3. We ___ just ___ dinner. (finish)
4. He ___ ___ his homework yet. (not/do)
5. They ___ ___ to Paris twice. (be)
6. My brother ___ ___ his keys! (lose)
7. I ___ ___ to that café many times. (go)
8. You ___ ___ a lot this year. (learn)
9. The cat ___ ___ up the tree. (climb)
10. She ___ ___ to him since morning. (not/talk)
11. I ___ ___ three books this month. (read)
12. We ___ ___ a new car. (buy)
13. He ___ never ___ abroad. (travel)
14. They ___ ___ their project. (start)
15. I ___ ___ the wrong bus. (take)

✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct option (Present Perfect test)

Goal:
To consolidate understanding of the structure of the Present Perfect and learn to choose the correct form of the verb taking into account the subject, time markers (just, already, yet, never, ever, etc.) and the context of the sentence.
Reminder formula:
I/You/We/They → have + V3
He/She/It → has + V3
Negation: have/has not + V3
Question: Have/Has + subject + V3?

Exercise 3: Put the verb in brackets in the Present Perfect

Goal:
To consolidate the formation of affirmative and negative sentences in the Present Perfect, using the correct form of the auxiliary verb have / has and the third form (Past Participle) of the semantic verb.
Recall the key time markers: already, yet, just, never, ever, since, for, which often indicate the need to use the Present Perfect.
Structure:
Affirmative form: I have seen… / He has gone…
Negative form: I haven’t seen… / She hasn’t gone…
Interrogative form: Have you seen…? / Has he gone…?
✏️ Tasks:

1. I ___ never ___ such a delicious cake. (taste)
2. She ___ ___ to her grandma since last summer. (not/write)
3. They ___ ___ all the exercises already. (complete)
4. He ___ just ___ his leg. (break)
5. My parents ___ ___ to this concert before. (not/be)
6. We ___ ___ the package. (receive)
7. It ___ ___ a lot this week. (rain)
8. You ___ ___ me about that problem. (not/tell)
9. I ___ ___ my English significantly. (improve)
10. She ___ ___ any of the emails. (not/open)
11. We ___ ___ all the furniture. (assemble)
12. He ___ ___ three cups of coffee today. (drink)
13. They ___ ___ to call us back. (forget)
14. I ___ ___ the wrong file by mistake. (send)
15. She ___ ___ the invitation yet. (not/accept)

✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.

Exercise 4: Insert words in place of the gaps

Goal:
Learn to correctly use the time markers typical for the Present Perfect, such as:
already, just, yet, never, ever, since, for, and also to correctly insert have / has.
You will see sentences with two gaps:
one for the auxiliary verb (have/has),
the other for the marker word.
✏️ Tasks:

1. I ___ ___ finished my homework. (just)
2. She ___ ___ been to New York. (never)
3. They ___ ___ cleaned their room. (already)
4. We ___ ___ heard this song. (never)
5. You ___ ___ met him before. (ever)
6. He ___ ___ arrived. (not yet)
7. I ___ ___ sent the email. (already)
8. It ___ ___ started raining. (just)
9. She ___ ___ done her makeup. (already)
10. They ___ ___ watched this film. (not yet)
11. We ___ ___ spoke about it. (just)
12. He ___ ___ finished his coffee. (already)
13. I ___ ___ seen such a thing! (never)
14. You ___ ___ been late. (never)
15. We ___ ___ known each other. (since 2019)

✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.

Exercise 5: Choose the correct answer (reinforcement test)

Goal:
To reinforce the skills of using Present Perfect in everyday speech.
You will come across affirmative and negative sentences, as well as questions. Pay attention to:
the correct link has / have depending on the subject;
the third form of the verb (V3);
characteristic time markers: just, already, never, yet, ever, etc.

Answers

Exercise 1

1. have already seen
2. has never tried
3. have just finished
4. has not done
5. have been
6. has lost
7. have gone
8. have learned
9. has climbed
10. has not talked
11. have read
12. have bought
13. has never traveled
14. have started
15. have taken

Exercise 2

1. b
2. a
3. a
4. b
5. b
6. b
7. a
8. b
9. b
10. b
11. a
12. b
13. c
14. b
15. b

Exercise 3

1. have never tasted
2. has not written
3. have completed
4. has just broken
5. have not been
6. have received
7. has rained
8. have not told
9. have improved
10. has not opened
11. have assembled
12. has drunk
13. have forgotten
14. have sent
15. has not accepted

Exercise 4

1. have just finished my homework.
2. has never been to New York.
3. have already cleaned their room.
4. have never heard this song.
5. have ever met him before.
6. has not yet arrived.
7. have already sent the email.
8. has just started raining.
9. has already done her makeup.
10. have not yet watched this film.
11. have just spoken about it.
12. has already finished his coffee.
13. have never seen such a thing!
14. have never been late.
15. have known each other since 2019.

Exercise 5

1. a
2. a
3. a
4. a
5. a
6. a
7. a
8. b
9. b
10. b
11. a
12. a
13. a
14. a
15. a