Watch the video related to this resource, and do the quiz to test your understanding.
This page is intended to be a resource for English learners and teachers. You can practice answering these present perfect discussion questions by yourself or with a partner. You can also write the answers in a notebook, in a digital document, or in the comments section below. To help learners feel more confident and to develop grammatical accuracy, the warm-up questions have some suggested answer beginnings, which make them ideal for beginners. For more challenging questions, move on to the "Let's go!" section.
Recommended levels: intermediate for "Warm-up" questions; mix of intermediate and advanced levels for majority of "Let's go!" questions.
Use a variety of tenses in your answers in addition to the present perfect. It is quite common to expand present perfect answers with the past simple. For example, "Have you ever swum in the ocean?" "Yes, I have. I swam in the Atlantic when I visited my brother last year."
Warm-up
How long have you studied English?
I've studied English for/since...
Have you ever met a famous person?
Yes, I have. / Yes, I have met a famous person. I met _____.
No, I haven't. / No, I've never met a famous person.
How many countries have you visited in your life? Which ones?
I've visited _____ countries in my life. / I haven't traveled outside of [the name of your country].
How much water have you drunk today?
Today, I've drunk _____ bottles/glasses/cups/liters/gallons of water.
Who is the nicest person you have ever met?
_____ is/was the nicest person I've ever met.
How have you been lately?
Lately, I've been...[great. / really good. / well. / tired. / busy. / unmotivated. / etc.]
Whom have you talked to today?
Today, I've talked to...
Have you ever swum in the ocean?
Yes, I have. / Yes, I've swum in the ocean.
No, I haven't. / No, I've never swum in the ocean.
Who has helped you a lot in your life?
_____ has/have helped me a lot in my life.
What have you done this week?
This week, I've...
What is one of the most important things you have learned in your life?
One of the most important things I have learned in my life is to/(that)...
Let's go!
How many times have you checked your phone today?
How many questions have you answered so far?
Has this week been good or bad for you?
Has anything or anyone made you laugh or smile today?
What's the strangest food you've ever eaten?
What's the farthest you've ever been from your home?
Which countries have been in the news lately?
Have you called anyone this week?
What's the biggest wedding you've ever been to?
How long have you known your closest/best friend?
How much exercise have you gotten today?
Has anything (or anyone) inspired or motivated you this week?
Have you tried anything new lately?
Which instruments have you tried playing in your life?
How much time have you spent on social media this week?
How much money have you spent this week?
Have you ever...?
You can ask about people's life experiences by asking them questions with "Have you ever...?" You can also just use "Have you...?", but adding "ever" puts emphasis on your entire life experience. You can answer with "Yes, I have" or "No, I haven't." You can also give a specific past example. For instance: "Have you ever ridden a horse?" "Yes, I have. I rode one when I was a teenager."
Have you ever ridden a horse?
Have you ever jumped out of an airplane?
Have you ever had a pet?
Have you ever been on a rollercoaster?
Have you ever traveled by train?
Have you ever seen a Marvel movie?
Have you ever written a story?
Have you ever tried to help someone but it didn't go the way you planned?
Have you ever bought a new car or a new house?
Have you ever broken up with someone?
Have you ever lived with a roommate?
Have you ever taken private English classes?
Have you ever thought about moving to another country?
Have you ever wondered if humans are truly alone in the universe?
Have you ever had to go to a hospital emergency room?
Have you ever asked for help but no one helped you?
Have you ever been mad at yourself for doing something wrong?
Have you ever been to a concert?
Have you ever been to a live sporting event (a soccer game, a basketball game, etc.)?
Have you ever been in a fight?
Have you ever been to the casino?
Have you ever returned something you bought because it was defective in some way?
Have you ever kissed an animal?
Have you ever been stopped by the police for speeding?
Have you ever been in a play? (A play is a live theatre performance.)
Have you ever gone camping?
Have you ever wished you were someone (or somewhere) else?
Have you heard of...?
One of the most common "Have you ever...?" or "Have you...?" questions is "Have you (ever) heard of...?" This question is asking if you are familiar with someone or something. Sometimes, we give more information after the question is asked, as in the examples below. You can answer the questions with "Yes, I have," or "No, I haven't." Expand on your answer if you have heard of the subjects below.
Have you heard of the artist named Banksy? He does a lot of stuff with graffiti.
Have you heard of Margaret Atwood? She's a Canadian writer.
Have you heard of Metallica? They're a heavy metal band.
Have you heard of BLACKPINK? They're a Korean pop group.
Have you heard of Tina Fey? She's an American actress.
Have you heard of Angel Falls? It's a waterfall in Venezuela.
Have you heard of Dennis Bergkamp? He's a retired Dutch football player.
Have you heard of The Little Prince? It's a famous children's book written by a French author.
Using the present perfect with unfinished time
You can use the present perfect to talk about unfinished time. For example, someone can say, "What have you done today?" if "today" still isn't finished. You can answer by saying, "Today, I've answered a bunch of emails, I've had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I've gone to the gym."
Have you eaten today?
What have you done today?
How many messages have you received today?
Where have you gone to this week?
What is something you've done this week that you're proud of?
"I'm proud that I've..."
Who(m) have you talked to today?
How many times have you gone to the bathroom today?
Present perfect with superlative adjectives
Present perfect questions with superlative adjectives are another common way to ask about people's life experiences.
What's the biggest city you have ever been to?
Who's the nicest person you have ever met?
What's the most expensive restaurant you've ever eaten at?
What's the coldest temperature you've ever experienced?
What's the hottest temperature you've ever experienced?
What's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?
What's the longest you've ever been sick?
What's the best book you've ever read?
What's the longest book you've ever read?
Who's the most creative person you know?
What's the longest you have ever slept?
The present perfect at work or school
Here are some common questions you might hear at work or at school. Imagine yourself in these situations and answer the questions as naturally as you can.
Have you seen [someone's name] today?
Have you had time to look at the attachment I sent you?
What have you been up to today? (This means "What have you been doing today?", which is a present perfect continuous question. The present perfect question "What have you been up to?" is typically answered with the present perfect continuous: "I've been + verb+ing")
I haven't seen you all day! Where have you been?
Have you sent that email we talked about?
Have you started your homework?
Have you finished your assignment? / Have you finished your work?
Have you prepared for your presentation? / Have you prepared for the meeting?
Have you had lunch yet?
Have you checked your email yet?
Oh no! What have you done?!
Why haven't you responded to my messages?
Why have you decided to quit? / Why have you decided to drop out of school?
How has your week been so far? Have things been busy?
Why have you ignored me this week? (This question is more commonly asked in the present perfect continuous: "Why have you been ignoring me?")
Finish the sentences
I've always wanted to...
I have decided to...
I've never seen...
I've never been to...
Have you had time to...?
They haven't talked to each other since...
We haven't seen each other in...(6 months / 1 year, etc.)
Have you finished...?
She has prepared for...
Have you told anyone about...?
I've never met...
Want to learn and practice 21 of the most common present perfect questions? Watch this video lesson and do the practice quiz when you're done!
That's it! That wasn't so bad, was it? If you enjoyed this resource and you want to support my work--and if you want to continue improving your English vocabulary and speaking skills--pick up a copy of my book, 300 Practical English Words and Phrases. Thank you and good luck with your studies!