Present perfect worksheets for ESL
59 worksheets, 2 lessons and 1 shadowing script · Tenses
Start here — 8 free samples
Free to try: open, print and play them — no account needed.
Present perfect worksheets
59 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Present perfect lessons
2 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Present perfect shadowing
Listen, repeat, record and compare: short scripts for pronunciation and fluency.
Warm-ups and fillers
Quick Fun Corner activities on the same theme: no preparation.
- Filler · B1Pairs tell each other three pieces of news from their week with the present perfect: “I’ve bought a bike. I’ve lost my keys again.” The partner reacts: “Really? Where have you looked?”
About Present perfect
The present perfect (have/has + past participle) connects the past with the present. It is used for life experiences with no time stated (Have you ever been to Japan?), recent actions with a present result (I've lost my keys), and situations that started in the past and continue now: She's lived here since 2019.
It is usually introduced at A2 through experiences with ever and never, then extended at B1 with just, already, yet, for and since. Many languages have no direct equivalent, so learners use it with finished time expressions (*I've seen him yesterday), use the present simple for unfinished periods (*I live here for five years) or confuse for and since.
On this page you'll find printable present perfect worksheets with answer keys, which can be printed as PDFs or solved online through a class link.
Teaching tips: Present perfect
- Use timelines: mark 'now' clearly and show the present perfect reaching up to it, in contrast with a closed past simple point.
- Run a 'Have you ever…?' mingle, then follow up in the past simple (When did you go?) to show how the two tenses work together in conversation.
- Sort time expressions into for + a period (for three years) and since + a starting point (since Monday).
- Watch for finished time expressions (yesterday, last week, in 2020, ago) with the present perfect; they need the past simple.
- Teach been vs gone: She's been to Paris (and come back) vs She's gone to Paris (she's there now).
Questions teachers ask
What's the difference between present perfect and past simple?
The past simple is for finished time (I went to Rome in 2022); the present perfect is for past events connected to now, with no specific time: I've been to Rome twice.
When should I teach the present perfect?
Most courses introduce it at A2, starting with experiences and irregular past participles, then add just, already, yet, for and since at B1. Leave the present perfect continuous until these uses are secure.
Is the present perfect used the same way in American English?
Mostly, but American English often uses the past simple with just, already and yet (Did you eat yet?), where British English prefers the present perfect: Have you eaten yet?
How do I explain the present perfect to young learners?
Keep to experiences and personal questions – Have you ever seen a whale? Have you ever eaten snails? – with picture cards and short answers, and leave for and since until later.