Grammar: Life Experiences and Present Perfect

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B1 | Grammar | 12 min

Life Experiences: Present Perfect Simple

1. Talking about experiences (Structure: have / has + past participle)

Use the Present Perfect to talk about life experiences up to now, without saying exactly when they happened.

Example: "I've visited Italy."

2. Using 'ever' and 'never'

Use ever in questions (it means "at any time") and never in statements with a negative meaning ("not at any time").

Example: "Have you ever tried sushi?" – "I've never tried it."

3. The difference between 'been' and 'gone'

have/has been to: went to a place and has now come back.
have/has gone to: went to a place and has not come back yet (still on the way or still there).

Example: "She's been to Spain" (she went and came back) compared with "She's gone to Spain" (she went and is not back yet).

4. Change to the Past Simple when you give details

When you say a finished time in the past, use the Past Simple. Only naming a place or adding details does not force you to change the tense.

Example: "I went there last year."

A kitten shows travel experiences in a scrapbook while a bunny points to a blank page. — Many little adventures. One blank page for the next.
APIE · AI doodle

Complete the paragraph

Write the correct form of the verb in brackets (Present Perfect or Past Simple) to complete the paragraph.

Elena loves traveling and discovering new cultures. She ____ (1. visit) over fifteen different countries so far in her life. Two years ago, she ____ (2. travel) across South America alone. While staying in Peru, she ____ (3. hike) the famous Inca Trail. However, she ____ (4. never / see) the northern lights. Recently, she ____ (5. decide) to explore Asia. In fact, her best friend Marcus is not here today because he ____ (6. go) to Japan for two weeks. Elena hopes that she ____ (7. choose) the right destination for her already-booked vacation.

Choose the correct option to complete the conversation:

"Have you ________ eaten raw oysters?" – "No, never. I am afraid to try them."

____ a. never____ b. ever____ c. yet

Choose the correct option to complete the statement:

"Liam has ________ flown in an airplane before. Tomorrow will be his first flight."

____ a. never____ b. ever____ c. already

Choose the correct option:

"Where is Sarah?" – "She isn't here right now. She has ________ to the supermarket to buy some groceries."

____ a. been____ b. arrived____ c. gone

Choose the correct verb form:

"I ________ a famous actor when I was at the airport in London."

____ a. have seen____ b. saw____ c. see

Choose the grammatically CORRECT sentence:

____ a. Have you ever went to Canada?____ b. Have you ever go to Canada?____ c. Have you ever been to Canada?

Choose the grammatically CORRECT sentence:

____ a. I have seen that exciting documentary yesterday.____ b. I saw that exciting documentary yesterday.____ c. I have saw that exciting documentary yesterday.

Life Experiences: Present Perfect Simple

Complete the paragraph

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