Table of Contents
Introduction
Understanding the difference between the past perfect and the present perfect is key to mastering English grammar. This post explains each tense briefly and provides past perfect vs present perfect exercises to test your skills.
Before starting the exercises, let’s review the present perfect and the past perfect tenses quickly.
Quick Overview
1. Present Perfect
- Form: have/has + past participle
- Use: Describes actions that happened at an unspecified time before now or that affect the present.
- Example: I have visited London twice.
→ Read more about the present perfect!
2. Past Perfect
- Form: had + past participle
- Use: Describes an action that happened before another action in the past.
- Example: She had finished dinner before I arrived.
→ Read more about the Past perfect!
Key Differences
- The present perfect connects past actions to the present.
- The past perfect shows that one past action happened before another past action.
- Signal words:
- Present perfect: already, yet, ever, never, so far, just
- Past perfect: before, after, by the time, when
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
|---|---|---|
| Form | have/has + past participle | had + past participle |
| Main Use | Connects past actions to the present | Shows one past action happened before another past action |
| Time Reference | Unfinished time (today, this week, in my life) | Finished time (before, after, by the time) |
| Example | I have visited Paris twice. | I had visited Paris before I moved to London. |
| Signal Words | already, yet, ever, never, just, since, for | before, after, by the time, when, as soon as |
Common Mistakes
- Using past perfect without another past action.
- Confusing present perfect with simple past.
- Forgetting to use had for the past perfect.
Past Perfect Vs Present Perfect Exercises
Exercise 1: Matching
Match the first part of each sentence (A) with its correct ending (B).
Some sentences are in the present perfect, others in the past perfect.
A
- I have never
- By the time we arrived, they had
- She has lived in Paris
- After he had eaten lunch,
- We have known each other for
- They had left
- He has just
B
- a. finished their homework.
- b. more than ten years.
- c. been to Japan before.
- d. when the rain started.
- e. called me.
- f. he went for a walk.
- g. since 2015.
2. a
3. g
4. f
5. b
6. d
7. e
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct tense (present perfect or past perfect).
- She _____ (has finished / had finished) the book before I called.
- I _____ (have never seen / had never seen) such a beautiful sunset.
- They _____ (have arrived / had arrived) when the meeting started.
- He _____ (has just left / had just left) before you came.
- We _____ (have lived / had lived) here since 2010.
- By the time we got to the station, the train _____ (has left / had left).
- She _____ (has broken / had broken) her phone, so she bought a new one.
2. have never seen
3. had arrived
4. had just left
5. have lived
6. had left
7. had broken
Exercise 3: Gap Filling
Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or past perfect.
- I __________ (never/meet) her before today.
- She __________ (finish) the project before the deadline.
- They __________ (live) in Rome since 2018.
- We __________ (not/start) eating when the guests arrived.
- He __________ (just/leave) the office.
- By the time she called, I __________ (go) to bed.
- My parents __________ (be) to Australia twice.
2. had finished
3. have lived
4. had not started
5. has just left
6. had gone
7. have been
Exercise 4: Error Correction
Each sentence contains an error. Rewrite it correctly.
- I had saw that movie before it was released officially.
- She have finished her homework before she had dinner.
- They had already leave when I arrived.
- We has visited London twice.
- He have just gone home when I called.
- By the time we got there, the shop have closed.
- She had went to bed early last night.
2. She had finished her homework before she had dinner.
3. They had already left when I arrived.
4. We have visited London twice.
5. He had just gone home when I called.
6. By the time we got there, the shop had closed.
7. She had gone to bed early last night.
Conclusion
The present perfect links the past to the present, while the past perfect shows that one past event happened before another. By practicing regularly with these exercises, you’ll soon use both tenses with confidence. Keep reviewing and testing yourself for the best results!
