TEST YOURSELF!
The following cases of using the Past are very difficult for learners, even for those with a good level! Check yourself and read our explanations
Each phrase contains a mistake in verb usage. Find it and explain why each one is incorrect. You can check the right answers and learn more by clicking on the triangles.
I called him three times, but he is still not answering.
Correction : “I have called him three times.”
Explanation: In every English phrase in the past, you need to specify explicitly that it’s in the past. When you have no clear indication like “yesterday, last month, five years ago etc.”, you need to use the verb “have” in front of the central verb. In this case, the verb “have” has no meaning; it only indicates that the action took place some time in the past!
Note: it’s not a big mistake if you don’t use “have” in a case of non-specific past. In the next example, the mistake will be big, however!
She has told me all the truth two days ago.
Correction : “She told me all the truth two days ago.”
Explanation : The verb “have” is used to talk about the past only when there is no specific date or indication about when an action took place. In this example, “two days ago” is a clear indicator, so “have” is absolutely unnecesary.
Note: it’s considered a big mistake when you use “have” with a specific indication of the past.
I made a huge mistake.
The correction : “I have made a huge mistake”.
Explanation : It’s the same case as the first phrase! The situation took place in the past, but no specific date or time is given, so you need to introduce “have” that will indicate the idea of the past.
I already experienced this kind of situation before.
Correction : “I have already experienced this kind of situation before”.
Explanation: You might think that “already” and “before” are indicators that the situation took place in the past, but in fact, they give no precisions! So, they don’t count. The phrase needs “have”.
I never went to the UK in my life. I don’t know this country.
Solution: I have never been to the UK in my life.
Explanation: You are talking about your experience in non-specific past, so “have” is necessary because the past is not indicated. Also, after “have”, it’s better to use the verb “be”, and not the verb “go”. “I have gone to the UK” is technically correct, but nobody says it, maybe because “gone” usually means “disappeared forever”.
I have been to Ireland last year. It was a great trip.
Solution : “I went to Ireland last year”.
Explanation : This phrase is in specific past because “last year” is a clear indication of a time in the past. So, you need to use the verb “go” in the past, in the normal way.
Did you get the answers right? Is everything clear?
If you need more detailed explanations and practice, you can go here. In particular, you will learn exactly which words are considered as indicators of the past, and which aren’t.
Or you can continue to test yourself here with even more complex cases below…
I play tennis for three years. It’s my favorite sport.
Correction: “I have been playing tennis for three years.”
Explanation: The phrase “I play tennis, and it’s my favorite sport” sounds innocent! You might think that it’s the present, and you don’t need the past at all. In fact, you are absolutely right, but the little “for three years” changes everything! This “for three years” introduces the past period, so the phrase is a combination of “now” (“-ing”) and “three years in the past” (“have”).
He studies English since 1990. Unfortunately, he still doesn’t speak it!
Correction: “He has been studying English since 1990”.
Explanation: It’s exactly the same case as the first phrase! If the phrase just said “He studies English, but he still doesn’t speak it’, it would be perfectly correct. The complication comes from “since 1990”: because of it, the phrase is both in the past and in the present. “For”+ a period of time or “since”+the starting point in the past are the only two elements in a phrase that need this structure “have/has been -ing”.
I have been playing the piano right now. Please don’t disturb me, even if you hate the sound!
Correction : “I am playing the piano right now”.
Explanation : The phrase contains no “For”+ a period of time or “since”+the starting point in the past. In fact, no indication of any past is mentioned, and the situation is happenning now. So, this phrase is NOT a combination of the present and the past. It’s entirely in the present, at this moment.
I have been playing guitar for five years, but then I stopped because I got kicked out of my band.
Solution: I played guitar for five years.
Explanation : The situation is not related to the present because the person is not playing anymore! The phrase is just in the ordinary past. Remember that “have been -ing” needs two simultaneous conditions : 1) the presence of “For”+ a period of time or “since”+the starting point in the past; 2) the present – the fact that the situation still continues today
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