How to use the present perfect simple | Learn English with Cambridge

Hi, everyone.

My name is Jiri.

Many of us enjoy sharing life experiences with

our families and friends, so in this bitesized lesson,

you’ll learn how to speak about your experiences by using

the present perfect simple.

I’ll also show you a great party game,

which you can play with your friends.

But before I continue, don’t forget to hit

the Like button and subscribe to the channel.

These are my friends. Hi.

Have a look at this picture.

Which sentence do you think describes my picture?

A is correct.

I’ve been to Italy.

Have a look at my sentence again.

Did I travel to Italy at some time in my life?

Yes, I did.

Do we know when I travelled there?

No.

My sentence doesn’t tell you when it was.

Do I still remember this experience today?

Yes.

I will remember it forever.

You can use the present perfect simple to speak about

life experiences you have had at some time in your life.

When they happened is not specified.

I’ve seen the film Titanic.

You can also use the present perfect simple to say which

experiences you haven’t had.

I’ve never eaten an avocado.

So this is how you make the present perfect simple.

Subject, have or has, and the past participle.

In speaking, the short form of have is used.

I’ve. He’s.

We’ve.

How do we make questions?

Look.

Have you ever visited Prague?

You can react by saying, yes, I have, or, no, I haven’t.

To make a negative sentence, use have not or has not.

In speaking, haven’t or hasn’t.

I haven’t seen Star Wars.

Conversations often begin in the present perfect by

describing experiences in one’s life until now.

I’ve been to Italy.

And then continue in the past simple,

describing a specific moment in the past.

I’ve been to Italy.

I visited a local school in the village Sant’Angelo in

Vado two years ago.

It was great.

Okay, guys.

In this game, I’m going to ask you the have you ever question.

If you have done what the question asks for,

answer, I have.

And if you haven’t done it, answer, I haven’t.

You, the viewers, will see a prompt

like this one.

You will always get five seconds to make

the question before I say it to my friends.

Let’s begin.

Have you ever spoken to a famous person?

I’ve spoken to my favourite Czech singer, Tomáš Klus.

It was two years ago and we talked for almost five minutes.

Me too.

No way.

That’s cool.

Have you ever been on TV?

Yes, I’ve been on TV, actually.

Nice.

I won a talent show when I was seven.

Wow. Nice.

I pretended to play a violin.

Have you ever eaten something strange?

I have.

I’ve eaten some insects.

I ate a bug in Beijing four years ago.

How was it? Delicious.

Have you ever milked a cow?

I’ve milked a cow several times.

The last time was in Chile in 2014.

It was amazing.

How about you?

Which other have you ever question can you think of?

Write us in the comments below.

Thank you for watching and I’ll see you next time.

Bye.