How to Use Present Perfect Tense: An English Dialogue Example and Exercises

A. English Dialogue: Dinner Arrangement

Jim is at work, talking to his wife, Betty, on the phone.

Jim: "Hey, Betty! What are you up to right now?"

Betty: "Just relaxing for a bit."

Jim: "Lucky you! You're lounging around, and I've been stuck here the whole morning, swamped with work."

Betty: "Swamped with work? You're literally chatting with me right now — that doesn't count as working! Anyway, I’ve been super busy today. I've cleaned the house, done a ton of shopping, fixed the buttons on your shirts —"

Jim: "Impressive!"

Betty: "— baked a cake, and prepped dinner. So now, I’ve earned this little break."

Jim: "Fair enough."

Betty: "Oh, by the way, Yati has just called me."

Jim: "Oh yeah? How’s she doing?"

Betty: "She’s good! I've invited her over for dinner tonight."

Jim: "Wait a minute, Betty — you forgot! We’ve made an arrangement to have dinner with Tom and Nancy tonight."

Betty: "Tonight? Are you sure?"

Jim: "Yes! Don’t you remember? We planned it last Sunday."

Betty: "Oh no, that’s right. What should we do now?"

Jim: "Don’t worry. Just call Yati and explain the situation. Maybe she can join us tomorrow instead."

Betty: "Good idea. I’ll call her back. Oh, Jim, by the way —"

Jim: "(getting interrupted) Hold on, Betty. Someone’s just knocked at the door. Let’s talk later, okay?"

Betty: "Sure. Bye for now."

Jim: "Bye."

A few minutes later, Jim calls Betty again.

Betty: "Hello?"

Jim: "Hi, Betty. Tom has just called. Nancy’s sick, and they’re really sorry, but they can’t host us tonight."

Betty: "Oh no, poor Nancy! What has happened?"

Jim: "She has caught a bad cold and had to rest for a few days. But hey, this means we can invite Yati over after all!"

Betty: "Oh, Jim.... I have already called her and told her we couldn’t have her over tonight. She’s made other plans now."

Jim: "Oh no, what a mess!"

Betty: "It’s okay. She’s promised to come over tomorrow instead."

Jim: "So, tonight we won’t be going to the Fosters, and Yati can’t come over either. Guess it’ll just be the two of us for a cozy dinner at home."

Betty: "Great."

Jim: "That doesn’t sound bad at all."

B. The Present Perfect Tense in the Dialogue

Pay attention to the bold-printed subjects and verbs in the above dialogue. Yes, that's how the Present Perfect tense is constructed.

(+) Subject + Have/Has + Past Participle (Verb 3)
(?) Have/Has + Subject + Past Participle (Verb 3)
(-) Subject + Have/Has + Not + Past Participle (Verb 3)

C. Usage of the Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect tense is used to convey the idea that something has (or has not) happened before, namely at a certain time in the past. When used with 'for' or 'since', the present perfect tense means that an event/activity is ongoing until now.

Look at the following sentences taken from the above dialogue.

• I've cleaned the house.
• Yati has just called me.
• She has caught a bad cold.

The actions in those sentences happened very recently, but no specific time is mentioned. The focus is on the result of the action (a clean house, and being sick) rather than when it occurred.

More about the Present Perfect tense 👉 HERE.
Learn about the differences between the Simple Past and the Present Perfect tense 👉 HERE.

D. Exercise Section

I. Comprehension Questions: Multiple Choice

1. What is Betty doing when Jim first calls her?
   1. Cleaning the house
   2. Having a rest
   3. Baking a cake
   4. Talking to Yati
2. What does Jim remind Betty about?
   1. Preparing dinner for Yati
   2. Going to Tom and Nancy Foster's house for dinner
   3. Buying groceries for the week
   4. Making a cake for the evening
3. Why does Tom cancel their dinner invitation?
   1. He forgot about it.
   2. Nancy is out of town.
   3. Nancy is sick and needs to rest.
   4. They have other guests coming over.
4. What does Betty decide to do after Jim tells her about the canceled dinner?
   1. Invite Yati back for dinner.
   2. Call Nancy to check on her.
   3. Make plans to have dinner with Jim alone.
   4. Postpone Yati's visit to the next day.
5. How does the situation end for Jim and Betty?
   1. They decide to have a quiet dinner together.
   2. They go to Tom and Nancy’s house anyway.
   3. They call Yati to invite her again.
   4. They prepare for a surprise visit from Yati.

II. Essay Questions: Short Answers

1. Why is Betty tired when Jim calls her? Mention at least three tasks she completed before taking a rest.
2. How does Betty react to Jim's reminder about their dinner plans with the Fosters? What does this reveal about her personality?
3. If you were in Betty’s position, how would you handle the situation with Yati after learning the Fosters canceled their dinner?
4. What does Jim mean when he says they will have a "cosy dinner, just by ourselves"? How do you think this reflects their relationship?
5. Imagine you are Yati. How would you feel about the change in dinner plans, and what would you say to Betty the next day?

Gap-Fill Grammar Exercise: Present Perfect

Complete the following sentences by changing the verbs in brackets into the correct Present Perfect form.

1. Nina ...(be)... angry with me since yesterday.
2. I ...(not read)... these magazines.
3. Her mother ...(sick)... for a week.
4. ... his family ...(live)... in this town since two years ago?
5. The students ...(have)... a flag ceremony for half an hour.
6. Michael and I ...(study)... this lesson since four days ago.
7. My brother ...(work)... on the experiment for two months.
8. ... the teacher ...(explain)... this chapter?
9. The boy ...(not eat)... since last night.
10. Miss Anita ...(not be)... here since yesterday.

Recent update: Sun, Jan 5, 2025