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Quizzes > English & Grammar

Present perfect vs past simple and past perfect: grammar quiz

Quick, free quiz to test present perfect and past simple skills. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: America HouseUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art collage with quiz cards showing present perfect past simple past perfect text on golden yellow background

This quiz helps you choose between the present perfect vs past simple and past perfect in real sentences. Get instant feedback, brief tips, and examples as you go. For focused practice, try the present perfect quiz, the past perfect tense quiz, or a quick simple past quiz.

I ___ my homework already.
finish
had finished
have finished
finished
We use the present perfect with 'already' to indicate a completed action at an unspecified time before now. The past simple 'finished' would normally need a specific past time. See for more.
She ___ to Paris last year.
was
have been
had been
has been
A specific time reference ('last year') requires the past simple 'was'. Present perfect isn't used with definite past time expressions. More detail at .
They ___ dinner before we arrived.
have finished
finished
had finished
had been finishing
The past perfect 'had finished' shows the action was completed before another past action. The simple past wouldn't clearly indicate sequence. See for more examples.
He ___ three books this month.
will read
has read
had read
read
Present perfect 'has read' is used for experiences or actions within a period that includes the present ('this month'). Past simple 'read' without context suggests a finished period. More at .
We ___ to that restaurant yet.
have not been
did not go
had not been
will not go
Negative present perfect 'have not been' is used with 'yet' to show something hasn't happened up to now. Past simple would not normally pair with 'yet'. See .
By the time she got home, he ___.
was leaving
has left
had left
left
Past perfect 'had left' indicates he departed before she arrived. The simple past wouldn't show which action came first. More on sequence at .
I ___ him two days ago.
see
had seen
have seen
saw
A specific past time reference ('two days ago') requires the past simple 'saw'. Present perfect is not used with precise past times. See .
She ___ a new car recently.
will buy
has bought
had bought
bought
Present perfect 'has bought' fits with 'recently' to show a past action with present relevance. Past simple 'bought' could work but is less idiomatic with 'recently'. More at .
They ___ their exams last week.
have taken
are taking
had taken
took
With a specific period in the past ('last week'), we use the past simple 'took'. Present perfect cannot go with specific times. See .
I ___ that movie twice.
will see
saw
had seen
have seen
Present perfect 'have seen' is used for life experiences without specifying when. Past simple 'saw' could work with a time reference. More info at .
After he ___ the test, he relaxed.
was finishing
has finished
finished
had finished
The past perfect 'had finished' shows completion of the test before he relaxed. Simple past might confuse the sequence. See .
We ___ in this city since 2015.
lived
have lived
are living
had lived
Present perfect 'have lived' is used with 'since' to show an action continuing from the past to the present. Past simple 'lived' does not show continuity. More at .
She ___ him before the meeting started.
met
will meet
had met
has met
Past perfect 'had met' indicates the meeting with him occurred before the meeting started. Simple past wouldn't clarify the order. See .
They ___ breakfast when I called.
were eating
have eaten
ate
had eaten
The past perfect 'had eaten' shows they finished breakfast before the call. The past continuous would emphasize the action in progress rather than completion. See .
He ___ already when she arrived.
had left
has left
left
will leave
Past perfect 'had left' is required with 'already' to show the departure happened before her arrival. Simple past wouldn't stress the sequence. More at .
I ___ him this morning.
called
had called
call
have called
Present perfect 'have called' is common with time expressions that include the present day ('this morning'). Past simple could also be used but is less idiomatic midday. See .
Why ___ you ___ for me at the station yesterday?
do you wait
had you waited
did you wait
have you waited
A specific past time ('yesterday') calls for the simple past question 'did you wait'. Present perfect can't refer to definite past times. See .
I ___ him since we were children.
have known
will know
knew
had known
Present perfect 'have known' is used with 'since' to indicate a relationship that started in the past and continues now. See .
By the time the test started, we ___ all the material.
had covered
covered
have covered
will cover
The past perfect 'had covered' shows completion before another past event (the test starting). Simple past would not clarify which happened first. More at .
She ___ there for five years when the company closed.
has worked
had worked
will work
worked
Past perfect 'had worked' indicates she completed five years of work before the company closed. Present perfect doesn't fit past reference. See .
They ___ dinner yet.
haven't had
won't have
didn't have
hadn't had
Negative present perfect 'haven't had' works with 'yet' to show it hasn't happened up to now. Past simple doesn't combine naturally with 'yet'. See .
Have you ever ___ Japanese food?
had tried
tried
did try
try
The present perfect question 'Have you ever tried' asks about life experience. Past simple would need a specified time. More at .
He ___ the letter before he left home.
was posting
posted
had posted
has posted
Past perfect 'had posted' shows the posting happened before he left. Simple past wouldn't clearly show order. See .
We ___ here for hours before someone helped us.
wait
waited
have waited
had waited
The past perfect 'had waited' indicates the waiting was complete before help arrived. Simple past would not specify that sequence. More at .
I ___ my keys; I can't get into the house.
had lost
have lost
lost
will lose
Present perfect 'have lost' fits because it affects the present situation. Past simple 'lost' would need a time reference. See .
When I arrived, they ___ already.
went
go
had gone
have gone
Past perfect 'had gone' shows they left before my arrival. Simple past wouldn't clarify the order. See .
She ___ to finish the report by now.
has managed
managed
will manage
had managed
Present perfect 'has managed' suggests completion with relevance to now. Past simple 'managed' would need a past time. More at .
He ___ three times before he succeeded.
failed
has failed
had failed
will fail
Past perfect 'had failed' shows multiple failures before eventual success. Simple past could work but loses sequence clarity. See .
I ___ France twice this year, but I haven't been to Spain.
will visit
have visited
had visited
visited
Present perfect 'have visited' is used for experiences in a time period that includes now ('this year'). Simple past needs a finished time. More at .
John ___ home by the time we got to the party.
had gone
went
will go
has gone
Past perfect 'had gone' shows his departure before we arrived. Simple past wouldn't make the sequence clear. See .
She ___ already taken the test when I asked.
had already taken
takes
took
has already taken
Past perfect 'had already taken' is used to show the test was done before the question. Present perfect doesn't fit the past context. More at .
I ___ him twice before he finally called me back.
have called
called
had called
was calling
Past perfect 'had called' shows the calls happened before his eventual call back. Simple past could work but is less precise on timing. See .
If I ___ the invitation earlier, I would have attended the meeting.
received
was receiving
have received
had received
In third conditional sentences, we use past perfect ('had received') in the if-clause. Simple past or present perfect are incorrect here. See .
She wishes she ___ more time before the deadline.
had
had had
has
have
With 'wishes', we use past perfect ('had had') to express regret about a past event. Simple past 'had' doesn't express the same nuance. See .
Only after they ___ the warning did they evacuate.
were hearing
have heard
heard
had heard
The inversion with 'only after' requires past perfect 'had heard' before the main clause. Simple past isn't correct in this structure. More at .
He regretted that he ___ so much money on the trip.
has spent
had spent
was spending
spent
Regret about a past action is expressed with past perfect 'had spent'. Simple past would report but not emphasize the prior action. See .
It's high time you ___ your mistakes and apologized.
will acknowledge
acknowledged
had acknowledged
have acknowledged
'High time' takes a past simple form ('acknowledged') to express necessity. Past perfect would be ungrammatical here. More at .
No sooner ___ they ___ than it began to rain.
did they arrive
have they arrived
they had arrived
had they arrived
Inverted structure with 'No sooner' requires past perfect 'had they arrived'. Simple past wouldn't work in inversion. See .
She is upset because her friend ___ several times.
had canceled
has canceled
will cancel
canceled
The past perfect 'had canceled' indicates cancellations before her current upset state. Present perfect 'has canceled' could imply relevance now but doesn't show sequence. See .
By the time the event started, we ___ all the preparations.
completed
have completed
had completed
will complete
Past perfect 'had completed' shows the preparations were done before the event started. Simple past wouldn't clarify sequence. See .
He ___ fluent before he moved to Spain.
has become
had become
was becoming
became
Past perfect 'had become' indicates he achieved fluency before moving. Simple past would not clearly show the prior achievement. See .
They ___ dinner by the time I arrived.
were finishing
finished
had finished
have finished
Past perfect 'had finished' shows dinner was done before I arrived. Simple past wouldn't clarify which came first. See .
Until she ___ the evidence, she didn't believe him.
had seen
saw
have seen
will see
With 'until', the simple past 'saw' fits to show her belief changed when she saw evidence. Past perfect isn't used after 'until' in this case. See .
By the time you got here, I ___ here for two hours.
had waited
waited
was waiting
have waited
Past perfect 'had waited' indicates the waiting was completed before you arrived. Simple past wouldn't show the sequence clearly. More at .
She ___ in three countries by the age of 30.
lived
will live
had lived
has lived
Past perfect 'had lived' shows her living experiences before she turned 30. Simple past wouldn't specify that sequence. See .
I ___ you that I would finish the work before leaving.
have promised
will promise
had promised
promised
Past perfect 'had promised' indicates the promise occurred before the stated time of leaving. Simple past loses that clarity. See .
They ___ about the changes for months before they were implemented.
complained
have complained
will complain
had complained
Past perfect 'had complained' shows complaints occurred before the implementation. Simple past wouldn't indicate the time relationship. See .
Not until I ___ the instructions did I realize my mistake.
reading
had read
read
have read
After 'not until', simple past 'read' is used with inversion. Past perfect would be incorrect in this structure. More at .
Scarcely ___ she ___ her keys when she locked the door.
will she find
has she found
found she
had she found
Inversion after 'scarcely' requires past perfect 'had she found'. It emphasizes the immediacy of the action. See .
Hardly ___ we ___ the report before the power went out.
will submit
have submitted
had submitted
submitted
The structure 'Hardly...before' requires past perfect 'had submitted' in inversion. Simple past is ungrammatical here. More at .
No sooner ___ the meeting ___ than the fire alarm went off.
started
will start
has started
had started
Inversion with 'No sooner' requires past perfect 'had started'. Simple past won't work in this pattern. See .
By the time the movie ended, we ___ discuss its plot for hours.
have discussed
had discussed
discussed
will discuss
Past perfect 'had discussed' indicates the discussion was complete before the movie ended. Simple past wouldn't show which came first. See .
If only I ___ to ask for help sooner.
thought
had thought
am thinking
have thought
The 'if only' structure expressing regret uses past perfect 'had thought'. Simple past wouldn't convey the same level of past regret. See .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Appropriate Tense -

    Distinguish when to use the present perfect, past simple, or past perfect in a variety of example sentences.

  2. Distinguish Time Expressions -

    Recognize common time markers and pair them with the correct tense, reinforcing your understanding of time relationships.

  3. Apply Tenses in Context -

    Formulate your own sentences using present perfect, past simple, and past perfect to practice accurate tense application.

  4. Analyze and Correct Errors -

    Spot and fix mistakes in tense usage, deepening your grasp of subtle differences between similar verb forms.

  5. Self-Assess Grammar Mastery -

    Receive instant feedback on quiz answers to identify strengths and target areas for further practice.

  6. Build Confidence in Usage -

    Boost your grammar confidence by mastering key exercises in present perfect, past simple, and past perfect.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Mapping Events on a Timeline -

    According to Cambridge University Press, visualizing events on a timeline clarifies how present perfect, past simple and past perfect relate. Drawing a horizontal line with "now" at the end and placing dots or arrows for each tense makes spotting duration, completion and sequence a breeze for your present perfect past simple past perfect quiz success.

  2. Present Perfect Form & Functions -

    Oxford University Press notes that present perfect uses have/has + past participle to talk about experiences, changes, or unfinished actions. Use the mnemonic "RISEN" (Recent, Indefinite, Seen, Experience, Now) to remember its purposes and boost your score on an English tense quiz.

  3. Past Simple Completion Marker -

    According to Purdue OWL, past simple uses the verb's second form to report actions completed at a definite time, often with specific dates or adverbs like "yesterday" or "in 2019." Linking your answer to clear time markers - he arrived at 5pm - is essential in any online past simple test.

  4. Sequencing with Past Perfect -

    Cambridge University explains that past perfect is formed with had + past participle to show which of two past events happened first. Remember "HAD" goes back further in time: "I had eaten before she arrived" sets a clear order for a free past perfect quiz.

  5. Recognizing Signal Words -

    Reputable sources like BBC Learning English list key signal words: "ever," "yet," "just" for present perfect; "last year," "ago," "in 2005" for past simple; and "by the time," "already," "before" for past perfect. Creating flashcards with these cues speeds up identifying the correct tense in any present perfect past simple past perfect quiz.

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