Have YouEver…?
Present Perfect for life experiences
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
Ask your partner 3 'Have you ever…?' questions. Score 1 point per surprising answer.
Share three experiences you're proud of — no time mentioned, just 'I have…'.
Name one common thing you've NEVER done. Compare with your partner.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minPresent Perfect: have/has + past participle
Form: SUBJECT + have/has + past participle.
→ I have visited 12 countries so far.
→ Have you ever tried Korean food?
→ She has never been to Australia.
→ We have lived in this city for 10 years.
More detail
Use for LIFE EXPERIENCES with no specific time. 'I have visited Japan.' 'She has tried sushi.' Question: 'Have you ever…?' Answer: 'Yes, I have.' / 'No, I haven't.' / 'No, never.' KEY RULE: if you add a finished time (yesterday, last year, in 2010), you MUST switch to Past Simple. 'I visited Japan last year.' Past participles: regular = -ed (visited, tried); irregular must be memorised (been, gone, eaten, seen, done, taken, written, made, met).
Question 1.____ you ever ____ sushi?
Question 2.I ____ never ____ to Asia.
Question 3.She ____ ____ in Berlin for 3 years.
Question 4.____ they ever ____ a marathon?
Question 5.I ____ ____ that film already.
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.Past participle of GO?
Quick check 2.Past participle of SEE?
Quick check 3.Past participle of EAT?
Quick check 4.Past participle of MAKE?
Quick check 5.Past participle of WRITE?
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
a bucket list
things to do before you die
"Climbing Kilimanjaro is on my bucket list."
Name two things on your bucket list.
off the beaten track
away from tourist spots
"We went off the beaten track in Vietnam."
Have you ever gone off the beaten track?
a once-in-a-lifetime experience
rare, unforgettable
"Seeing the Northern Lights was once in a lifetime."
Name a once-in-a-lifetime experience you've had.
to broaden one's horizons
expand one's understanding
"Travel really broadens your horizons."
What's broadened your horizons recently?
to step out of your comfort zone
do something challenging
"Karaoke alone really stepped out of my comfort zone."
Last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?
to tick something off
complete a goal
"I finally ticked off skydiving!"
What have you ticked off this year?
to be hooked on
love something deeply
"I'm hooked on Korean dramas."
What are you hooked on right now?
a memory to treasure
very precious memory
"That trip is a memory I'll treasure forever."
Describe a memory you treasure.
Discuss with a partner
- →Tell your partner about a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- →What three things are on your bucket list — and have you ticked any off?
Finish the sentence about you
- I've never been hooked on… until… …
- The best memory I treasure is… …
- I've stepped out of my comfort zone by… …
60-second write
Write 4 sentences describing your travel/life experiences using Present Perfect + 2 idioms.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minContracted 'have' → /v/ and 'has' → /z/ or /s/
- • I've BEEN to Spain THREE times.
- • She's NEVer TRIED sushi.
- • Where've you BEEN?
- • We've LIVED here for YEARS.
How to say it
Native speakers ALWAYS contract: I've, you've, we've, they've, he's, she's, it's. Even after question words: 'Where've you been?' 'What's she done?' The full 'have' sounds formal or emphatic. The 'v' is light and quick.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minSara's travel diary
I've been lucky. By 30, I've visited over 25 countries — but the numbers aren't really the point. I've climbed a small mountain in Slovenia, I've eaten street food in Bangkok at midnight, and I've slept in a desert in Morocco under more stars than I knew existed. Some experiences have become memories I'll treasure forever. Others have simply broadened my horizons. I've never been hooked on a place quite like Lisbon — I keep going back. There's still plenty I haven't done. I've never seen the Northern Lights. I've never tried surfing. I've never travelled completely alone for more than a week. So the bucket list keeps growing. Travel doesn't tick things off — it adds new ones.
Question 1.How many countries has Sara visited?
Question 2.Which place is she hooked on?
Question 3.What has she NOT done?
Q1.Sara has climbed a mountain in Slovenia.
Q2.She has tried surfing.
Q3.She thinks the number of countries is the point.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minHave you ever…? — a travel chat
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Tom:Have you ever been on a really long flight?
Lia:Yes — 15 hours to Japan. I've actually been to Tokyo twice.
Tom:Wow. Have you ever tried natto?
Lia:Yes! Once. Never again. What about you — have you ever travelled alone?
Tom:I have. I've spent two months in South America by myself. Best decision I ever made.
Lia:Wasn't it scary?
Tom:Sometimes. But it really broadened my horizons. Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone like that?
Lia:Honestly, no. It's on my bucket list though.
Question 1.How long was Lia's flight?
Question 2.How long did Tom travel alone?
Question 3.Has Lia travelled alone like Tom?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET — Speaking Part 1 (personal questions)
Task
Answer 5 'Have you ever…?' questions for 30 seconds each, adding one follow-up detail.
Strategy
Don't give yes/no — always extend with a Past Simple detail. 'Have you ever been to Japan?' → 'Yes, I have. I went last spring and visited Kyoto.' This is the secret: Present Perfect opens the topic; Past Simple fills it. Examiners reward the switch.
Example
Have you ever tried Indian food? — Yes, I have, many times. I tried it for the first time when I was 16, and now I'm hooked on butter chicken. Have you ever been abroad alone? — No, I haven't, but it's on my bucket list. I'd love to go to Vietnam one day.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.____ you ever ____ to a concert?
Question 2.I've ____ ____ surfing.
Question 3.It was a ____ in a ____ experience.
Question 4.Travel really ____ your horizons.
Question 5.I'm ____ ____ that show.
Q1.Question form: 'you / ever / try / oysters' →
Q2.Negative: 'I / never / be / Australia' →
Q3.Affirmative: 'she / live / Madrid / 5 years' →
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 130-word personal post titled 'Three experiences I'll treasure'. Use Present Perfect for the experience + Past Simple for the details + 2 vocab phrases from today.
Show model answer
I've been lucky enough to have three experiences I'll treasure forever. First, I've climbed Mount Snowdon in Wales — I went last summer with my dad, and we got to the top just as the sun was rising. Second, I've taken a long train journey across Vietnam; it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that really broadened my horizons. Third, I've performed on stage at an open-mic night. I'd never sung in public before, and honestly I was terrified, but I stepped completely out of my comfort zone and the audience clapped. I haven't done a lot of the things on my bucket list yet, but I've ticked off enough to know that the best memories are usually the scariest ones to start with.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW · Pairs. Each partner asks 6 'Have you ever…?' questions (food / travel / sport / scary / kind / weird). Answers must include 1 Present Perfect + 1 Past Simple detail + 1 vocab phrase. Swap.
Useful phrases
- • Have you ever…?
- • Yes, I have / No, I haven't / No, never.
- • It was once in a lifetime.
- • I'm hooked on…
- • It broadened my horizons.
- • It's still on my bucket list.
- AHave you ever been to Asia?
- B_______________
- AHave you ever tried bungee jumping?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Drill quick switching from Present Perfect to Past Simple for extension. ~28 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Write 10 'Have you ever…?' questions, then answer them about yourself.
Record a 90-second voice note: '3 experiences I'll treasure'.
Find an English travel blog; highlight 5 Present Perfect forms.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Present Perfect = have/has + past participle.
- Use for life experience with no specific time.
- Add specific time? Switch to Past Simple.
- Always contract: I've, you've, she's, we've.
- Open with PP, extend with PS detail.