Lessons·adults · intermediate
Present Perfect — Simple vs Continuous
Talk about experiences and recent events the British way: present perfect vs past simple, for/since, and (optional) the present perfect continuous.
About 20 minutes
Why this trips people up
Present Perfect for Experiences & Recent Events
Use the present perfect when the exact time isn't important — or when a recent action still matters now.
Life experiences
Things you have (or haven't) done at some point — the time isn't stated.
I've been to Scotland.
Have you ever borrowed money?
She has never flown.
Recent actions with a result
The action just happened and the effect is here now.
I've lost my wallet.
He has just paid the bill.
We've finished the report.
Word order
✓ Have you paid the bill yet?
✗ Have you paid yet the bill?
✓ I've already eaten.
✗ I've eaten already the lunch.
Activity 1 — already / ever / just / never / yet
Fill the gaps and check your answers as you go. Free account needed.
Present Perfect or Past Simple?
Both talk about the past. The difference is whether a specific, finished time is involved.
Present perfect
Time not mentioned · connected to now · an experience.
I've bought a new phone.
She has worked here for five years.
Have you ever lost your card?
Past simple
A finished time is stated or understood (yesterday, last week, in 2024).
I bought a new phone yesterday.
She started here in 2021.
Did you lose your card last week?
Compare
General experience: I've visited Rome. — The exact time isn't important.
Specific past event: I visited Rome last summer. — A finished, specific time.
Finished-time expressions
✓ I bought it yesterday.
✗ I have bought it yesterday.
Don't use the present perfect with a finished time.
Activity 2 — present perfect or past simple?
Fill the gaps and check your answers as you go. Free account needed.
for and since
Both answer 'How long…?' — but they're followed by different things.
for + a period
How long something has continued.
for six years
for a long time
I've worked here for six years.
since + a starting point
When the situation started.
since 2019
since I left university
I've lived here since 2019.
Present perfect for unfinished situations
✓ We have known each other for ten years.
✗ We know each other for ten years.
Activity 3 — for or since?
Fill the gaps and check your answers as you go. Free account needed.
Catching Up on Work and Life
Say it out loud to a British AI tutor and get feedback on your pronunciation. Free account needed.
Update Your Project Status
Write your answer and have it marked, with corrections. Free account needed.
Now actually practise it
Reading a lesson is the easy half. A free account unlocks the parts that make it stick — listen to every word in a British accent, test yourself on the quiz, and use it in a live conversation with Emma. Your progress is saved and the words come back for review before you forget them.