Some verb tenses, like the present simple, are easy to teach - which is why most ESL teachers cover them first, at the very beginning of level one. But soon you and your class will move on to the next few verb tenses - and eventually, you’re going to have to teach the present perfect. This tense can be a little hard for students to grasp at first - and it can also be tricky to distinguish from the past simple. Still, it’s crucial for your students to learn how to use it correctly.
Many ESL teachers start to run out of ideas for present perfect-related activities after the second or third class spent focusing on this tense. And that’s understandable - sometimes it seems like there are only so many ways to approach the present perfect before both you and your students start to tune out. Making sure your students learn to understand and produce present perfect verbs correctly means providing a steady supply of new, interesting, and challenging activities - and that can be tough to manage.
That’s exactly why BusyTeacher.org offers 299 present perfect worksheets - all of them tested and student-approved in real ESL classrooms all over the world. Whether you’re looking for simple fill-in-the-blank worksheets for introducing your students to the present perfect tense, or searching for new games and activities that’ll inspire your students to use the present perfect in creative ways, BusyTeacher.org has got you covered.
Our 299 worksheets cover all aspects of the present perfect, from regular verbs to irregular ones; from pronunciation to proper construction. And they teach these concepts in a diverse variety of ways, from board games and rhyming activities to listening activities with popular songs and online videos. These worksheets will do a lot more than just drill your students on the present perfect tense - they’ll encourage your class to think about how and where the present perfect is used, and start to produce it on their own.
Each of these worksheets has been created for ESL teachers by ESL teachers. Our entire community is composed of teachers just like you, working in ESL classrooms around the world. These worksheets represent the best of what’s really worked in their classes - and they’re making it available to you, for free, without any registration required. So if you’d like to give back by sharing one of your own popular worksheets, click the “Submit a worksheet” button at the bottom of this page - we’d love to see what’s worked for you!
Not sure where to start your search for the right present perfect tense worksheet? Try one of the top ten worksheets that’ve been most popular with ESL teachers and students - or just browse down our list of worksheets, and check out their convenient thumbnail view. That way, you’ll always know what you’re getting before you download it - and if you’re in a last-minute rush on the way to class (hey, we’ve all been there), you can quickly scan the worksheets until you find one or more that look just right for your class.
Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, you’re free to download it, print it, and share it with others - use of BusyTeacher.org’s worksheets is totally unrestricted. So take a look - we’re sure you’ll find a present perfect tense worksheet that’s just right for your class.
Create awesome-looking custom word searches in seconds!
Make A Word Scramble:
Instantly create custom word/sentence scrambles for your class!
Make A Double Puzzle:
Generate double puzzles your students will love - hours of fun!
ESL Articles
View our latest knowledgebase articles that will help you become a better English teacher. Learn from
professional teachers and put a bit of your own creativity into it!
The present perfect is a grammatical combination of the present tense and the perfect aspect, used to express a past event that has present consequences. An example is "I have eaten" (so I'm not hungry). Depending on the specific language, the events described by present perfects are not necessarily completed, as in "I have been eating" or "I have lived here for five years." The present perfect is a compound tense in English, as in many other languages, meaning that it is formed by combining an auxiliary verb with the main verb. For example, in modern English, it is formed by combining a present-tense form of the auxiliary verb "to have" with the past participle of the main verb. In the above example, "have" is the auxiliary verb, where as the past participle "eaten" is the main verb. The two verbs are sometimes labeled "V1" and "V2" in grammar instruction. In modern English, the auxiliary verb for forming the present perfect is always to have.
This lesson plan should be used with English learners at an intermediate level. Before starting, students should have a strong understanding of how to use the past simple tense. They should als ...
Learning can be fun with mnemonics. Irregular verbs, as referenced on this list (colored edited version) of Mnemonic Rhyming Groups can be used to form rhyming songs and to help ...
This PowerPoint presentation helps students review the time tenses. It includes some warm-up examples (teachers should prepare their own explanations), and three grammar exercises (with answers) ...
This worksheet is based on the song Landslide from Fleetwood Mac. The lyrics match The Chicks version better as they are easier to understand. Students listen to and watch the video and ...
This upper-intermediate worksheet covers the subject of hoarding. Students go through and discuss the questions carefully. Then they watch the video on YouTube through the provided link. ...
This worksheet consists of four pages with five exercises on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous tenses: Choose the correct tense, Complete the sentences, Choose 'for' ...
This sheet consists of thirty-five sentences to practise the basic English tenses. It also contains most of the other tenses such as the Future Perfect, the Future Continuous, the Presen ...
This worksheet is suitable for the classroom as well as self-study students. It helps improve the ability to understand the Present Perfect Tense. It also includes how to change Present ...
Learning can be fun with mnemonics. In this resource irregular verbs are sorted into rhyming groups that make it easier to memorize them in a short period of time. Actually some groups ...
There are 85 sentences to be completed with a different irregular past participle. Some verbs are really easy. Others are more difficult, so it can also be used to improve students' voca ...
Write sentences in present perfect using the prompts given. In this exercise, students will be able to correctly write what is happening in each situation using present perfect simple. ...
This is a worksheet to revise the use of these two tenses: past simple and present perfect. There are six different tasks. Positive sentences, negative sentences, and questions. The last ...
This worksheet lets students review past participles, and it gives students the opportunity to practise present perfect with “yet, just, already”. In the first exercise students need ...
This worksheet lets students review common irregular verbs and gives them the opportunity to practise the form of present perfect. In the first exercise students complete a table with the past si ...
This worksheets lets students revisit the form of superlatives and their use with present perfect with “ever”. In the first exercise students complete a table with the correct compara ...
Board game with travel related vocabulary, including questions using present simple, past simple, and present perfect. This can be used with multi-cultural students or students who are familiar wi ...
This fun activity will help students practice some grammar elements such as past tenses, pronouns and the future with 'will'. Ideal for elementary or pre-intermediate students. The song can be par ...
Have you ever played 'Never have I ever...'? - Well, it's time to practise the Present Perfect while having some fun. It can be a great homework assignment or just a practise of understanding the ...
This is a simple crossword designed for elementary / pre-intermediate / intermediate students. It has been designed to help students learn the differences between past simple and present perfect, ...
I've designed this worksheet for a class activity which will enable teenage students to work out whether their classmates are adventurous...or not. Students go round the class asking a question st ...
This worksheet contains some very useful expressions related to transport and present perfect practice. It is recommended for elementary to intermediate students. The students have a look at the s ...
This is an overview of the different tenses in English: present simple, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, past simple, past continuous, past perfect, past perf ...
It focuses on the common mistakes made when using these tenses. It also contains an exercise and some theory on the subject. There is a list of mistakes that are corrected and the correct ans ...
Here's a brief explanation of present perfect for elementary students. It contains a brief explanation with ever. There's no exercises put in this ppt, only the explanation. Simple and d ...
Students use prompts + the subject in the field they land on to make questions/positive/negative sentences. Applicable to all tenses. E.g., revision of past tense. A student rolls a 5 and makes a ...
17 37,693ElemPre-IntInt
Got a great worksheet on
Present Perfect?
Tell us about it and become a BusyTeacher contributor!