Have you been to London? Using the Present Perfect and Past Simple Together in Conversation
- Chelsea Riley
- Sep 28, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 27, 2025
What is the difference between “I went to London” and “I have been to London”?
One tense prioritizes that it is a thing of the past; the other tries to bring it into the present moment. It is more about experiences you have had until this moment, today.
Welcome to Past Simple and Present Perfect tenses.
Past Simple
Anytime you start to go into detail about when you went, where exactly you went, who went with you, what you did, etc., you will want to frame it as a memory, and therefore you should use the past simple tense.
For example: “I went to South Africa 5 years ago for a study abroad program.”
Present Perfect
However, when you want to highlight that it is an experience you have had, you should use the present perfect. The present perfect is the tense that brings you a little closer to the present moment, making it the correct tense for things that have just recently happened, will happen very soon, or are important now. For example: "I have been to Portugal, but I haven't been to Italy." "I have eaten breakfast."
The ONLY detail you can add that should be in the present perfect instead of the past tense is how many times you have been to that place or done that activity.HOW. MANY. TIMES. That’s it.
For example: “I have been to London twice, but I would love to go again!”
In a normal conversation, these two tenses go hand in hand. The conversation would not be exclusively in one or the other, but a combination of the two that gives your reader more context about your experiences.
A note for my NATIVE SPANISH students: The verb “conocer” is directly tied to this tense! Countless times students ask me if I know a place instead of asking if I have been there. For example: “Last weekend I went to (place). Do you know (place)?” In this sentence, the “Do you know...?” sounds more like you are asking me if I know my geography rather than if I have been there or if I am familiar with it. Of course, I know what Portugal is. Have I been there? Ah, okay. Yes, I have been there. But if you are wanting to ask about someone’s knowledge or awareness of a subject, then “conocer” translated as “know” is correct, like in “Do you know the history of this building?” Also, we can “meet” people for the first time, and then after that, we “know” them, but this doesn’t work for places like it does in Spanish. This is a quick error to fix to improve your conversational English instantly!
Unique Activities
At this point, we have focused on travel experiences. Let’s talk about activities.
"Have you ever eaten oysters?" "Have you ever tried kite surfing?" "Have you ever been on TV?"
All of these activities are unique experiences and often use the present perfect in the same way as places you have visited, but once again, as soon as you start to talk about when, where, why, with whom, or how, you should switch back to the past simple tense. Remember that how many times is the only detail that continues in the present perfect tense.
For example: “Have you ever failed a test?” “Yes, I have failed a test once. It was a math exam, and I didn’t have enough time to study.”
Time Expressions
For and Since:
“For” and “since” are key time expressions that let your listener know when this happened and for how long. “For” is used to talk about a period of time: for 8 months, for 8 years, for a long time, etc. “Since” is used to talk about a point of time that leads up to the present time. For this reason, “since” is always used with the perfect tenses.
For example: I have worked here for 6 years. = I have worked here since 2019.
Ever and Never:
"Have you ever been surfing?" "No, I have never been surfing."
Ever is used in questions and never with negative answers to emphasise that you do or don't have that experience. It should be used with the present perfect.
More examples with explanantion:
PAST SIMPLE | PRESENT PERFECT | INCORRECT | |
places | I went to Greece. | I have been to Greece. | I have went to Greece.(have + past participle) |
places (with details) | I went to Paris last year.... 3 years ago....when I was a child. I went to Glasgow for a tech conference. | I have been to Paris this year.(highlights that it is a recent experience.) I have been to Glasgow, I went for a tech conference. | I have been to Paris last year. (if you say when, it can’t be in Present Perfect, it must be in past tense. Start a new sentence if you have to, like: “Yes, I have been to Paris. I went last year.” |
Activites | I played basketball in college. (I played in the past but don’t anymore.) | I have played basketball before. (I have this experience, and it is important to the conversation now.) | I have played basketball when I was in college. (the perfect tense makes it sound like you still play, but its something from the past.) |
Time markers “for” and “since” | I lived in London for 3 years. I lived Madrid 3 years ago. (Finished action, I don’t live there anymore.) | I have lived in London for 3 years. I have lived in Madrid since 2022. (I still live here in the present!) | I have lived in London for three years ago. (ago and present perfect don’t go together.) I lived in Madrid since 2018. (since has to be used with perfect tenses) |
Main Takeaways:
Use the present perfect to talk about experiences that are important in the present.
Use the past simple to describe in detail actions related to that experience.
Use “for” for periods of time with a variety of verb tenses.
Use “since” only with perfect tenses to describe a period of time up until the present moment.
To “be familiar” with a place or activity means that you know about it because you have been there or done it before.
To “go into detail” is to describe something with more details like time, place, appearance, etc.
When you "highlight" something, you emphasise or draw attention to a characteristic of a thing or person.
To “go hand in hand” is when something goes together or works well together.
Remember, the best way to really identify and work on your individual mistakes is with a native English speaking professor who can help you avoid making the most common mistakes like these in conversational classes. It only takes one class to improve! In the meantime, check your understanding with the practice exercises below.
Practice exercise 1:
Fill in the blank with the correct term or phrase on the left.
go into detail
go hand in hand
am familiar with
for
since
never
ever
highlight
I have been living in Copenhagen _______ 2019.
I ________ with Oslo, I have been there a few times before.
Have you _______ been skydiving?
I want to _______ the products best features in this video.
I will _______ about the changes in the meeting this afternoon.
I have been working at this company _______ 8 years.
I have _______ tried Morroccan food.
Business and economy _________.
Practice exercise 2:
Choose if the sentence should use the past simple or present perfect form of the verb in parentheses. In some answers, both tenses are possible.
Example: I ________ (visit) Rome three times before.
Correct answer: Present perfect - I have visited Rome three times before.
Sandra ______ (love) to paint since she was a child.
I ______ (go) to China on vacation last summer.
I ______ (swim) with sharks when I was thirteen.
I ____ (be) to Italy, but I _____ (not be) to France.
My coach ______ (not break) a bone in his life.
My sister ______ (be) on TV.
Tom ______ (do) his homework just now.
Jennifer _______ (start) a master's program in philosophy last year.
The new manager ______ (work) in the hospitality industry before.
I _____ (not visit) the Alhambra yet, but I hope to visit it next year.
Practice exercise 3:
Have, no have, or both?
Choose whether this sentence is correct with the word “have” , if it is correct without it, or correct both ways with a different meaning.
Example 1: I have played basketball when I was young.
(NO HAVE: the sentence is correct without have: I played basketball when I was young.)
Example 2: I have lived in California for 6 years.
(BOTH: the sentence is correct both with and without have, with a difference in meaning.)
Example 3: I have studied computer sciences since 2022.
(HAVE: the sentence is correct with the word "have", and incorrect without it.)
I have visited China last year.
They have watched that movie 9 times.
We have studied German in Munich.
We have tried sushi once before.
I have walked to school yesterday.
The team has won the match last Sunday.
I have worked here since 2018.
They have lived in Brussels for the past 3 years.
I have never played chess.
Stay tuned for our next post: Why -ed words are so difficult to pronounce!
See you in class!
