Primary English | Present Perfect for Tutors | Three uses, for and since, four steps

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary English

Every pupil can write I went to Japan, yet ask how many times and they still write I went three times. This lesson splits past simple from present perfect with one timeline, then measures time with for and since.

Objectives — Pupils can: (1) state the present perfect pattern (have or has plus past participle) and how it differs from past simple; (2) use for with a length of time and since with a starting point; (3) decide a tense from the signal words just, already and yet, and say why.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Past simple	What is the past simple of go?	went, an irregular verb
Past participle	Give the past participles of go and see	gone and seen
Time phrases	What follows in 2023 and what follows for three years?	A year after in, a length after for

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-8 min	Timeline hook	Draw one line with past and now; ask where a trip to Japan sits	Mark a spot on the line
8-20 min	Two patterns	Write I went beside I have been and label subject, verb, time	Pairs circle the differences
20-32 min	For and since	for plus a length (3 years); since plus a point (2023)	Write four sentences
32-44 min	Signal words	Model two sentences each for just, already and yet	Rewrite the sentences
44-56 min	Correction drill	6 faulty sentences, decide whether the tense must change	Work alone, then check
56-60 min	Exit check	Three questions collected and marked	Work alone

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Start with the line between finished and still true

Past simple reports something finished, so the time is closed: yesterday, last week, in 2023. Present perfect links the event to now, so it cannot take a closed time word.
Teach it as two labels on one line: finished on the left, still true now on the right. I have been to Japan is not about the trip, it is about the experience I carry today.

Pupils say: why I have seen him yesterday must be wrong.

Scene 2: Measure time with two rulers

for takes a length: for 3 years, for two weeks. since takes a starting point: since 2023, since Monday. The two can be converted: Ali has lived in Sha Tin since 2023, so he has lived there for 3 years.
The commonest error is since with a length (since three years), because Chinese uses one word for both. Give pupils the rule: since must be followed by a point in time.

Pupils do: rewrite since 2023 with for and explain that both sentences mean the same.

Scene 3: Let signal words choose the tense

just, already and yet almost always take the present perfect, with yet used in negatives and questions. ever and never talk about experience and do the same.
Give pupils a three-column table: signal word, tense, example. Seeing just should trigger have or has plus past participle. In an exam this is faster than reciting grammar rules.

Pupils say: why Have you finished yet uses yet rather than already.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Tense choice	I ___ (see) that film twice	Find the signal word first	have seen
For or since	She has worked here ___ 2023	A point in time takes since	since
Correction	He has gone to school yesterday	Drop the closed time word or change the tense	He went to school yesterday
Short answer	How long have you lived here	for 3 years or since plus a year	Either, with a matching verb

Sanity check (teach this): Checks: since 2023 to 2026 is 3 years, so since 2023 and for 3 years are interchangeable; have or has must agree with the subject; the number of will inside an if clause is 0 (conditionals come later); only 4 irregular participles are taught, everything else takes -ed.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Two-way tense choice	6 sentences, past simple or present perfect	Look for closed time words
For or since sorting	Eight time phrases into two columns	since always takes a point
Signal word rewrite	Turn six sentences into the present perfect	Check the participle spelling

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Past simple for experience	I went to Japan three times.	For how many times up to now we use have been; went only reports that one trip.
Since with a length	He has lived here since three years.	since needs a point in time; for three years gives the length.
Has with I	I has finished my homework.	I always takes have; he, she and it take has. Circle the subject after writing.
Perfect with yesterday	She has left yesterday.	yesterday is a closed time, so either drop it or use went.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 5 English paper: grammar — Section B: pick three items of the same tense type
Primary English chapter index — Compare with the other chapters
Redo this chapter — Rewrite four for and since sentences and read them aloud

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What is the pattern?	have or has plus past participle	Answering add ed means replay scene one
What follows since?	A point in time	Answering three years means replay scene two
Can yesterday take the perfect?	No	Answering yes means replay scene one

09 Tutor FAQ

How many irregular verbs should Primary 5 know?

This chapter requires only the 4 commonest participles; everything else takes -ed so that pupils are not overwhelmed.

Why do pupils confuse since and for?

Both map to one word in Chinese. Two rulers, one for length and one for dates, fix the difference faster than explanation.

Should past perfect be taught here?

No. Primary school only needs past simple against present perfect; past perfect belongs to secondary.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.