A2 · Lesson 23 · 20 min
Present perfect for experiences
In this lesson
- I can use have/has with a past participle to talk about experiences up to now.
- I can choose the past simple for a finished event with a stated past time.
Grammar in context
Maya and her brother are choosing a place for dinner. Maya has tried Thai food before, but her brother has never eaten it. Last Saturday, they went to an Italian restaurant with their cousins.
Which sentences talk about life experience up to now, and which sentence tells us about one finished day?
Experiences up to now
Use the present perfect for something that happened at an unknown time before now. We often use it to talk about life experiences. Make it with have or has plus a past participle. Use have with I, you, we and they; use has with he, she and it.
- I have visited my aunt in Scotland.
- Leo has ridden a horse before.
Ever, never and questions
Use ever in questions about experience: Have you ever ...? Use never to say that an experience has not happened at any time up to now. Never already gives a negative meaning, so do not add not. Short answers use have or has.
- Have you ever lost your keys?
- No, I have never flown in a plane.
Finished past times
Use the past simple, not the present perfect, when you say when a finished event happened. Words such as yesterday, last week, in 2024 and on Monday give a completed past time. The present perfect does not usually go with these finished time expressions.
- We saw that film last month.
- I have seen that film, but I cannot remember when.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
I have went to Bristol last year.
Use
I went to Bristol last year.
Last year is a finished past time, so use the past simple.
Avoid
She hasn't never tried sushi.
Use
She has never tried sushi.
Never is already negative, so do not use hasn't with it.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.