Present Perfect vs Past Simple (PDF)

The single most important distinction between the Present Perfect and the Past Simple is time reference. If a specific past time is mentioned (in 2019, yesterday, last week, at 6 p.m.), English requires the Past Simple — I went to Paris in 2019, not ~~I have been to Paris in 2019~~. If the time is unspecified or still connected to now (ever, never, just, for, since), English uses the Present Perfect — She has lived here for ten years (still does) vs She lived here for ten years (not anymore). The quick test: is there a specific past time in the sentence? → Past Simple. Is the time unknown or connected to now? → Present Perfect.

This worksheet drills the B1 critical distinction through time-marker analysis, rewriting, and sorting tasks.

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Worksheet preview

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What’s inside:

• Grammar Box with the two tenses side by side, the specific-time rule, and the marker lists (for, since, ever, never, just, already, yet vs yesterday, last week, ago, in 2010)
• Multiple-choice gap-fill: pick the tense based on the time marker in each sentence
• Rewriting tasks: change the tense by changing the time marker (I have visited Paris → I visited Paris in 2019)
• Sorting: classify a list of time expressions by which tense they trigger
• Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes on the for / since distinction and how to handle ambiguous sentences

Common mistakes addressed: Present Perfect with specific past time (I have seen him yesterday), Past Simple in unspecified-time contexts (I saw him three times meaning “in my life”), and for/since mix-ups (I work here since 2010).

For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. The most heavily tested tense distinction in Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Perfect Tenses collection — the natural next step is Present Perfect Continuous, which adds the duration-vs-quantity contrast.