Present Perfect Tense Stories with Exercises (PDF)

Anna has painted three pictures. James and Laura have just returned from Paris. David hasn’t learned to bake bread yet. What connects these sentences? They describe experiences, results, and progress that matter now.

These three present perfect tense stories help you practice have / has + past participle through everyday situations. Read each story, complete the exercises, and check your answers. The original story PDF is available at the end of the page.

Present perfect tense stories with exercises and a downloadable PDF — Practice the present perfect through stories about hobbies, travel, and learning new skills.

A Quick Guide to the Present Perfect

Form: subject + have / has + past participle (V3)

Sentence Type	I / You / We / They	He / She / It
Positive	They have visited France.	She has finished a painting.
Negative	They haven’t visited France.	She hasn’t finished a painting.
Question	Have they visited France?	Has she finished a painting?
Short answer	Yes, they have. / No, they haven’t.	Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t.

Use the present perfect for:

Life experiences without a finished time: I have visited Paris.
Past actions with a present result: She has finished her painting. It is ready to show.
Progress during a period continuing up to now: He has tried three recipes this week.
States continuing from the past to now: She has loved art since childhood.

Regular past participles usually end in -ed: paint → painted. Irregular verbs have different forms: see → seen, take → taken, and write → written.

For more examples, explore these present perfect example sentences.

Present Perfect Tense Stories

How to practice: Read each story for meaning first. Then find the present perfect phrases and ask: “Does this describe an experience, a result, or progress up to now?”

Story 1: A New Hobby

Anna has recently started a new hobby: painting. She has loved art since childhood, but making her own pictures is a new experience.

Last month, she bought her first set of paints and brushes. Since then, she has created three paintings: a garden, a bowl of fruit, and a picture of her cat.

The cat in the painting looks a little like a potato, but Anna likes it anyway.

She hasn’t taken any painting classes. Instead, she has watched several beginner videos and practiced mixing colors. She has learned how to make lighter shades by adding white paint.

Her family has already seen the pictures. Her brother especially likes the garden, and her mother wants to put it on the kitchen wall.

Anna’s friend Sarah hasn’t seen the paintings yet. Anna has invited her over to look at them.

“Have you finished your first painting?” Sarah asks on the phone.

“I’ve finished three!” Anna says.

“Three? Have you painted anything difficult?”

“Yes, my cat. He hasn’t agreed to sit still for another one.”

Anna still makes mistakes, but she has become more confident. She no longer expects every picture to be perfect. For her, the best part is trying something new and seeing her own progress.

Exercise 1: Complete the Present Perfect Forms

Use have or has and the past participle. Make the sentence negative where you see not.

Anna ______ (start) a new hobby.
She ______ (create) three paintings.
She ______ (not / take) any painting classes.
Her family ______ (already / see) the pictures.
Sarah ______ (not / see) the paintings yet.

Exercise 2: Check Your Understanding

When did Anna buy her first paints and brushes?
What has she painted?
How has she learned to mix colors?
Has Sarah seen the paintings yet?

Click to see the answers to Exercises 1 and 2

Exercise 1

has started
has created
hasn’t taken / has not taken
has already seen
hasn’t seen / has not seen

Exercise 2 — Suggested answers

She bought them last month.
She has painted a garden, a bowl of fruit, and her cat.
She has watched beginner videos and practiced mixing colors.
No, she hasn’t.

Notice the tense change: She bought her paints last month uses the past simple because the time is finished. She has created three paintings since then describes her progress from that point up to now.

Story 2: A Trip to Paris

James and Laura have just returned from their first trip to Paris. Their suitcases are beside the door, and Laura’s camera is still in her bag.

“Have you unpacked yet?” James asks.

“No, I haven’t,” Laura says. “But I’ve already sent my sister twenty photos.”

Last week, they spent four days in the city. They visited the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, walked beside the river, and stopped at small cafés.

Now they can finally say, “We have been to Paris!”

Laura has taken hundreds of photos, so she has plenty to sort through. James has brought home a travel journal full of notes and a new love of croissants.

“Have you ever tasted anything better?” he asks, opening a bag from a bakery.

Laura laughs. “You said that about the bread, too.”

Since their return, they have shared a few travel stories with their family. Laura has shown her favorite pictures to her parents, and James has told his brother about the food.

They haven’t booked another trip yet, but they have made a list of places to see next time. Their first visit has given them plenty of ideas.

For now, there is one more thing to do: unpack those suitcases.

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Form

James and Laura has / have just returned from Paris.
Laura has take / took / taken hundreds of photos.
James has bring / brought / bringing home a travel journal.
They haven’t / hasn’t booked another trip yet.
Last week, they visited / have visited the Louvre Museum.

Exercise 4: True or False?

Write true or false. Correct the false sentences.

Laura has already unpacked when James asks her.
Laura has sent some photos to her sister.
James and Laura spent four days in Paris.
They have already booked their next trip.

Click to see the answers to Exercises 3 and 4

Exercise 3

have
taken
brought
haven’t
visited

Exercise 4

False. She hasn’t unpacked yet.
True.
True.
False. They haven’t booked another trip yet.

Been or gone? James and Laura have been to Paris: they visited and returned. If someone has gone to Paris, that person has not returned yet.

Story 3: Learning to Cook

David has decided to learn how to cook. He wants more choice at mealtimes and hopes to spend less money on takeout.

Over the past month, he has tried several recipes. He has made soup, roasted vegetables, and prepared three different pasta dishes. Pasta has become his favorite thing to cook.

Not every meal has been a success. He has burned some toast and added too much salt to a sauce. But he hasn’t given up.

His sister Emily has offered to help. Last weekend, they cooked dinner together. She showed him how to chop vegetables and check the taste of a sauce before serving it.

Since that lesson, David has used her advice several times. He has already made the sauce again, and this time it tastes much better.

“Have you tried baking bread yet?” Emily asks.

“No, I haven’t,” David says. “I’ve learned one important thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“It helps to read the whole recipe before I start.”

Emily smiles. “Especially the part about turning on the oven.”

David’s parents have visited twice this month to try his meals. They have enjoyed the food and the chance to spend time together.

Cooking has changed David’s evenings. He now keeps a shopping list, plans a few meals, and spends more time in the kitchen. He has set himself a new goal: learn five more dishes.

He still needs practice, but he has discovered that making dinner can be something to look forward to.

Exercise 5: Complete the Present Perfect Forms

David ______ (try) several recipes over the past month.
Pasta ______ (become) his favorite thing to cook.
He ______ (not / give up).
Emily ______ (offer) to help him.
His parents ______ (visit) twice this month.
David ______ (set) himself a new goal.

Exercise 6: Make Present Perfect Questions

Put the words in order. Begin with have, has, or the question word provided.

David / tried / has / several recipes?
Emily / offered / has / to help?
his parents / visited / have / this month?
David / has / given up?
what / David / discovered / has / about making dinner?

Click to see the answers to Exercises 5 and 6

Exercise 5

has tried
has become
hasn’t given up / has not given up
has offered
have visited
has set

Exercise 6

Has David tried several recipes?
Has Emily offered to help?
Have his parents visited this month?
Has David given up?
What has David discovered about making dinner?

Suggested answers: 1. Yes, he has. 2. Yes, she has. 3. Yes, they have. 4. No, he hasn’t. 5. He has discovered that making dinner can be something to look forward to.

Present Perfect Keywords: Already, Yet, Ever, and Never

Word	Use	Example
Already	Something has happened before now, sometimes earlier than expected.	Anna’s family has already seen her paintings.
Yet	Ask if something has happened, or say it has not happened up to now.	Have you unpacked yet? I haven’t unpacked yet.
Ever	Ask about an experience at any time up to now.	Have you ever painted a picture?
Never	Say an experience has not happened at any time up to now.	I have never painted a picture.
Just	Describe something that happened a short time ago.	They have just returned from Paris.

For and since: Use for with a duration and since with a starting point: I have known Emily for five years and I have known Emily since 2021.

These words are useful clues, but they do not automatically require the present perfect. Always consider the meaning and time context of the whole sentence.

Present Perfect or Past Simple?

Use the past simple when you say when something happened in a finished period, such as yesterday, last week, or in 2020. Use the present perfect when you connect the past to now without placing the action in a finished past period.

Present Perfect	Past Simple
Anna has bought some paints.	Anna bought some paints last month.
James and Laura have been to Paris.	They visited Paris last week.
Emily has helped David with his cooking.	She helped him last weekend.

This is why the stories include both tenses. The present perfect introduces experiences and results; the past simple gives details about finished events. For more practice with those details, read our past simple tense stories with exercises.

Common Present Perfect Mistakes

Incorrect: She have finished.
Correct: She has finished.
Incorrect: He has wrote a note.
Correct: He has written a note.
Incorrect: They have visited Paris last week.
Correct: They visited Paris last week.
Incorrect: I haven’t never tried painting.
Correct: I have never tried painting.

A useful distinction: Anna has painted three pictures focuses on a completed result. Anna has been painting for an hour emphasizes the activity and its duration. Explore that second structure in our present perfect continuous tense stories.

Write Your Own Present Perfect Story

Choose something you are learning, a place you have visited, or a project you have started. Write five to seven sentences.

Explain what you have done so far.
Include one negative sentence about something you haven’t done yet.
Use at least two words from already, yet, just, ever, and never.
If you mention a finished time such as last Saturday, use the past simple for that event.

Example: I have started learning the guitar. I have already learned three chords. Last Saturday, I practiced with my cousin. She showed me an easy song. I haven’t played it perfectly yet, but I have made progress.

Speaking practice: Ask a partner, Have you ever tried a new hobby? If they say yes, ask a past simple follow-up: When did you start?