Past simple or present perfect? – English Grammar Test for B1

Grammar » Grammar Test for B1 » Past simple or present perfect? – English Grammar Test for B1

Tests:   1234567891011

1 You are talking about your holiday last year:
“I ______ (go) to Spain in 2023.”

2 You are telling your friend about a new restaurant you tried:
“We ______ (already / eat) there twice this week.”

3 You want to say when you first met your best friend:
“I first ______ (meet) John in high school.”

4 You are explaining why your hands are dirty:
“I ______ (just / fix) my bike.”

5 You are telling someone about your weekend:
“We ______ (visit) our grandparents last Sunday.”

6 You are proud of your cooking skills:
“I ______ (cook) many Italian dishes in my life.”

7 You explain why you are late today:
“The bus ______ (break down) this morning.”

8 You are at the airport and you can’t find your passport:
“Oh no! I ______ (lose) my passport.”

9 You are telling a story about last summer:
“We ______ (travel) to Greece for two weeks.”

10 You are happy about a recent achievement:
“She ______ (just / win) the competition.”

11 You are telling a friend about a film you watched:
“I ______ (see) that movie last night.”

12 You are talking about your experience with skiing:
“I ______ never ______ (try) skiing before.”

13 You explain why your clothes are wet:
“It ______ (rain) all morning.”

14 You are sharing news:
“My cousin ______ (have) a baby yesterday.”

15 You are talking about your studies:
“I ______ (study) English for five years.”

16 You are describing a weekend activity:
“We ______ (go) shopping on Saturday.”

17 You are telling about a famous singer:
“I ______ (see) her in concert twice.”

18 You are talking about childhood:
“I ______ (live) in the countryside when I was young.”

19 You explain why you are tired:
“I ______ (not / sleep) well lately.”

20 You are sharing memories:
“We ______ (climb) that mountain last summer.”

21 You are speaking about your car today:
“I ______ (wash) the car this morning.” (morning still continues)

22 You are recalling school years:
“I ______ (not / like) maths when I was a student.”

23 You are talking about travel experience:
“We ______ (visit) Paris, Rome, and Berlin so far.”

24 You are describing yesterday’s dinner:
“We ______ (eat) pizza and pasta last night.”

25 You are telling about your broken phone:
“I ______ (drop) it yesterday, and now it doesn’t work.”

26 You are talking about your friend’s arrival:
“She ______ (just / arrive).”

27 You are describing a past family event:
“We ______ (celebrate) Christmas together in 2022.”

28 You are talking about books:
“I ______ (read) ten novels this year.”

29 You are describing a visit:
“We ______ (go) to the zoo last weekend.”

30 You are sharing a life experience:
“I ______ (never / be) to Australia.”

Answer

1 went – Past Simple with “last year / 2023”.
2 have already eaten – Present Perfect with “already” and “this week” (not finished).
3 met – Past Simple with finished time “in high school”.
4 have just fixed – Present Perfect with “just”.
5 visited – Past Simple with “last Sunday”.
6 have cooked – Life experience → Present Perfect.
7 broke down – Past Simple with “this morning” (time completed if morning is over).
8 have lost – Present Perfect (result: can’t find passport now).
9 travelled – Past Simple with “last summer”.
10 has just won – Present Perfect with “just” (recent result).
11 saw – Past Simple with “last night”.
12 have never tried – Present Perfect with “never” (life experience).
13 has rained – Present Perfect to describe recent situation affecting now.
14 had – Past Simple with “yesterday”.
15 have studied – Present Perfect with “for five years” (still true now).
16 went – Past Simple with “on Saturday”.
17 have seen – Present Perfect with “twice” (life experience).
18 lived – Past Simple with “when I was young”.
19 haven’t slept – Present Perfect negative with “lately”.
20 climbed – Past Simple with “last summer”.
21 have washed – Present Perfect because morning is not finished.
22 didn’t like – Past Simple with “when I was a student”.
23 have visited – Present Perfect with “so far”.
24 ate – Past Simple with “last night”.
25 dropped – Past Simple with “yesterday”.
26 has just arrived – Present Perfect with “just”.
27 celebrated – Past Simple with “in 2022”.
28 have read – Present Perfect with “this year” (period not finished).
29 went – Past Simple with “last weekend”.
30 have never been – Present Perfect with “never” (life experience).

Tests:   1234567891011