Open the brackets(Past Simple or Present Perfect) 1. My name is Victor. I’m from Spain. Right now I (study) English at this school. I (be) at this school since the beginning of September. I (arrive) here August 25, and my classes (begin) September 1. Since I (come) here, I (do) a lot of things, (meet) many people. Last Sunday I (go) to a party at my friend’s. I (meet) a few other students from Spain there. Of course, we (speak) Spanish, so I (not practise) my English that night. However, since I (come) here, I (meet) a lot of other people. I (meet) people from Latin America, Africa and Asia. I (always/enjoy) meeting people from other countries.

2. Last night I (see) “The Bodyguard” at the cinema. – Oh, I (already/see) it twice.

3. Do you know that Mrs Jones (work) here for sixteen years? – I don’t. I (think) she (be) new here.

4. (you/ever/meet) anyone famous? – Well, I (see) Madonna. – And I (meet) Princess Diane.

5. I (make) the beds and I (just/sweep) the floor but I (not start) the ironing yet.

6. How long ago (you/begin) painting?

7. (you/ever/ride) a horse? When (you/ ride) a horse?

8. (you/always/have) long hair, Julie? – No, when I (be) young, my hair (be) short.

9. Look, I (find) a gold ring!

10. I (not/fly) on a plane since last year when I (be) on a plane which (have) a fire in one of its engines. Now I (be) afraid to even think about getting on a plane.

11. I (already/know) the news.

1. My name is Victor. I’m from Spain. Right now I am studying English at this school. I have been at this school since the beginning of September. I arrived here on August 25, and my classes began on September 1. Since I came here, I have done a lot of things and have met many people. Last Sunday I went to a party at my friend’s. I met a few other students from Spain there. Of course, we spoke Spanish, so I didn't practice my English that night. However, since I came here, I have met a lot of other people. I have met people from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. I always enjoy meeting people from other countries.

In this paragraph, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about actions or situations that started in the past and continue into the present. For example, "I have been at this school since the beginning of September." This means that Victor started studying at the school in September and is still studying there now.

2. Last night I saw "The Bodyguard" at the cinema. - Oh, I have already seen it twice.

In this sentence, we use the Past Simple tense to talk about a specific action that happened in the past. "Last night I saw 'The Bodyguard' at the cinema." The speaker saw the movie last night, and it is a completed action with a specific time frame. The response, "Oh, I have already seen it twice," uses the Present Perfect tense to talk about an action that happened at an unspecified time before the present. The speaker has already seen the movie twice, but it is not specified when they saw it.

3. Do you know that Mrs Jones has worked here for sixteen years? - I don't. I thought she was new here.

In this question and answer, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about an action or situation that started in the past and continues into the present. "Do you know that Mrs Jones has worked here for sixteen years?" This means that Mrs Jones started working at the place sixteen years ago and is still working there now. The response, "I thought she was new here," uses the Past Simple tense to talk about the speaker's previous belief about Mrs Jones. The speaker believed that Mrs Jones was new, but now they have learned that she has actually worked there for a long time.

4. Have you ever met anyone famous? - Well, I have seen Madonna. - And I have met Princess Diana.

In this conversation, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about experiences in life. "Have you ever met anyone famous?" This is asking if the person has had the experience of meeting someone famous at any point in their life. The response, "Well, I have seen Madonna," uses the Present Perfect tense to talk about the experience of seeing Madonna in the past. The second response, "And I have met Princess Diana," also uses the Present Perfect tense to talk about the experience of meeting Princess Diana in the past.

5. I have made the beds and I have just swept the floor, but I haven't started the ironing yet.

In this sentence, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about actions that have been completed in the recent past but have a connection to the present. "I have made the beds and I have just swept the floor." These actions were completed recently, but the speaker hasn't started the ironing yet. The use of "just" indicates that the action of sweeping the floor happened very recently.

6. How long ago did you begin painting?

In this question, we use the Past Simple tense to talk about a specific action that happened in the past. "How long ago did you begin painting?" This is asking about the specific time in the past when the person started painting.

7. Have you ever ridden a horse? When did you ride a horse?

In this conversation, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about experiences in life. "Have you ever ridden a horse?" This is asking if the person has had the experience of riding a horse at any point in their life. The second part of the question, "When did you ride a horse?" uses the Past Simple tense to ask about the specific time in the past when the person rode a horse.

8. Have you always had long hair, Julie? - No, when I was young, my hair was short.

In this conversation, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about a person's life experiences. "Have you always had long hair, Julie?" This is asking about the person's hair length throughout their life. The response, "No, when I was young, my hair was short," uses the Past Simple tense to talk about a specific time in the past when the person's hair was short.

9. Look, I have found a gold ring!

In this sentence, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about an action that was completed in the past but has a connection to the present. "Look, I have found a gold ring!" The speaker found the gold ring and is showing it to someone at the present moment.

10. I haven't flown on a plane since last year when I was on a plane that had a fire in one of its engines. Now I am afraid to even think about getting on a plane.

In this paragraph, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about experiences in the past that have a connection to the present. "I haven't flown on a plane since last year when I was on a plane that had a fire in one of its engines." The speaker hasn't flown on a plane since the specific time last year when they had a bad experience. The use of "now" indicates that the fear of flying still exists in the present.

11. I already know the news.

In this sentence, we use the Present Perfect tense to talk about an action that was completed in the past, but the exact time is not specified. "I already know the news." The speaker knows the news at some point before the present moment.