Lesson 23: Stories, Experiences & Facts

Focus: Past Simple · Present Perfect · Zero Conditional
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Vocabulary: Time, Experiences & Facts

Context: To use the Past Simple and Present Perfect correctly, you need the right time words. The two tenses often use the same verbs — but the time expressions tell you which tense to use.

1. Time Expressions — Past Simple (specific, finished time)

Yesterday/ˈjes.tə.deɪ/Вчера
Last week / month / year/lɑːst/Миналата седмица / месец / година
... ago/əˈɡəʊ/Преди ... (two days ago = преди два дни)
In 2010/ɪn/В 2010 г. — specific year in the past
This morning / evening/ðɪs/Тази сутрин / вечер (if that time is finished)

2. Time Expressions — Present Perfect (experience / recent / ongoing)

Already/ɔːlˈred.i/Вече (affirmative — done sooner than expected)
Yet/jet/Още / Вече (negatives and questions)
Just/dʒʌst/Току-що (completed very recently)
Ever/ˈev.ər/Някога (in questions about life experience)
Never/ˈnev.ər/Никога (negative life experience)
Since/sɪns/От + точен момент (since 2015 / since Monday)
For/fɔː/От / За + период (for three years / for a week)
Recently/ˈriː.sənt.li/Наскоро

3. Life Events & Experiences

To graduate/ˈɡræd.ʒu.eɪt/Завършвам (университет)
To move (house)/muːv/Мествам се
To discover/dɪˈskʌv.ər/Откривам
To achieve/əˈtʃiːv/Постигам
To experience/ɪkˈspɪər.i.əns/Преживявам / Изпитвам
To try/traɪ/Опитвам (нова храна, ново нещо)

4. Zero Conditional Context

Condition/kənˈdɪʃ.ən/Условие (the "if" part)
Result/rɪˈzʌlt/Резултат (what always happens)
Fact/fækt/Факт

Grammar Lab

Three sections. Read every explanation before the exercises. Each section includes at least one easy and one hard exercise.

1. Past Simple

Use: The Past Simple describes a completed action at a specific, known time in the past. The time is either stated ("yesterday", "in 2019", "last week") or clearly finished and understood from context. The important thing is that the action is completely over, and the time is specific.

Positive

  • Regular: verb + -ed
  • work → worked
  • visit → visited
  • ⚠️ stop → stopped (double consonant)
  • ⚠️ study → studied (y → ied)
  • Irregular: see table below

Negative

  • didn't + base verb
  • "She didn't go."
  • ⚠️ NOT: "didn't went"
  • "I didn't see him."
  • ⚠️ NOT: "didn't saw"
  • The base form always follows "didn't".

Question

  • Did + subject + base verb?
  • "Did you go?"
  • ⚠️ NOT: "Did you went?"
  • "Did she see the film?"
  • ⚠️ NOT: "Did she saw?"
  • The base form always follows "did".
💡 Common signal words for Past Simple: yesterday · last week / month / year · in 2015 · two hours ago · when I was young · this morning (if that time is over)
⚠️ These words are signals, not rules. They usually suggest Past Simple, but always check the meaning of the sentence first.

Common Irregular Verbs — Past Simple

InfinitivePast SimpleInfinitivePast SimpleInfinitivePast Simple
gowentseesaweatate
buyboughtwritewrotecomecame
taketookgivegavemakemade
havehaddodidbewas / were
getgotleaveleftmeetmet
feelfeltfindfoundknowknew
telltoldwinwonsaysaid
📝 Easy: Choose the correct Past Simple form.
1. She ___ to Paris last summer.
2. They ___ breakfast this morning. (negative)
3. I ___ a new coat yesterday.
4. He ___ home very late last night.
5. We ___ a great film on Friday.
🎯 Challenge: Type the correct Past Simple form of the verb in brackets.
1. She ___ (write) three emails last night.
2. "Did you see the film?" — "No, I ___ (not / see) it."
3. ___ you ___ (arrive) in London on time?  you 
4. We ___ (not go) to school last Monday.
5. He ___ (leave) the office at 6:30 yesterday.

2. Present Perfect

Use: The Present Perfect connects the past to the present. You use it when the specific time does NOT matter or is NOT known — what matters is the experience, the result now, or the connection to the present moment. Compare: "I saw him last night" (specific time → Past Simple) vs "I have seen that film" (no specific time, life experience → Present Perfect).

Structure

  • ✅ Positive: have / has + past participle
  • "I have seen that film."
  • "She has visited Paris."
  • ❌ Negative: haven't / hasn't + past participle
  • "He hasn't called yet."
  • ❓ Question: Have / Has + subject + past participle?
  • "Have you ever eaten sushi?"

4 Main Uses

  • 1. Life experience (ever / never): "Have you ever been to Japan?"
  • 2. Recent — present result (just / already / yet): "I've just finished." · "She hasn't arrived yet."
  • 3. Unfinished time period (for / since): "I have lived here for 5 years." (still live here now)
  • 4. Unspecified past time (no time word): "He has read that book." (we don't know or care when)
⚠️ The key question: Do you know exactly when it happened? If yes → Past Simple. If no, or if it connects to now → Present Perfect.
"I saw her on Monday." (PS — specific day)  ·  "I have seen her recently." (PP — no specific time)  ·  "I have lost my keys!" (PP — the result matters now)
⚠️ Words like just, already, ever, since are common signals for the Present Perfect, but they are not a guarantee. The meaning of the sentence is always the deciding factor.

Irregular Past Participles — Key Differences from Past Simple

InfinitivePast SimplePast ParticipleInfinitivePast SimplePast Participle
gowentgone / beenseesawseen
eatateeatenwritewrotewritten
comecamecometaketooktaken
givegavegivenbewas/werebeen
dodiddoneknowknewknown
speakspokespokenbreakbrokebroken
⚠️ Same PS & Participle (no change): buy→bought/bought · feel→felt/felt · find→found/found · have→had/had · leave→left/left · lose→lost/lost · meet→met/met · tell→told/told · win→won/won
📝 Easy: Type the correct past participle to complete each sentence.
1. I have ___ (go) to Bulgaria three times.
2. She has ___ (write) two novels this year.
3. Have you ever ___ (eat) banitsa?
4. He has ___ (see) that film four times!
5. They have ___ (take) hundreds of photographs today.
6. We have ___ (be) friends since school.
📝 Challenge: Choose the correct word: JUST · ALREADY · YET · EVER · NEVER · FOR · SINCE
1. "Have you ___ eaten sushi?"
2. "I've ___ finished — I completed it a moment ago!"
3. "She has ___ booked the tickets."
4. "He hasn't arrived ___."
5. "I've lived here ___ 2018."
6. "They have worked together ___ ten years."
🎯 Challenge: Choose Past Simple or Present Perfect.
1. "I ___ that film last night."
2. "She ___ at that restaurant three times."
3. "They ___ to Japan in 2018."
4. "I ___ my keys! I can't find them."
5. "We first ___ at university in 2010."

3. Zero Conditional

We use the Zero Conditional for things that are always true — scientific facts, natural laws, and personal habits. The result is 100% certain every single time. It is not a prediction and it is not about the future. Both parts of the sentence use the Present Simple. You can also use "when" instead of "if" when something always happens without any exception.

Structure & Examples

  • If / When + Present Simple, + Present Simple
  • "If you heat water to 100°C, it boils."
  • "If I don't sleep, I feel tired."
  • "When the sun sets, it gets dark."
  • "If you mix red and blue, you get purple."

Negative forms

  • Either or both clauses can be negative.
  • "If you don't water plants, they die."
  • "If it doesn't rain, the ground stays dry."

Common Mistakes

  • ❌ "If you heat ice, it will melt." — No "will"! It is a fact, not a prediction.
  • ✅ "If you heat ice, it melts."
  • ❌ "If you heated water, it boils." — Both verbs must be present simple.
  • ✅ "If you heat water, it boils."
  • 💡 Ask yourself: Is this always true, every time, for everyone? If yes → Zero Conditional.
📝 Easy: Choose the correct verb form.
1. If you heat water to 100°C, it ___.
2. If I ___ too much, I feel sick.
3. If you don't sleep enough, you ___ tired.
4. Plants die if you ___ them.
5. If it ___, the ground gets wet.
🎯 Challenge: Each sentence has two gaps. Type both verbs separated by a space.
1. If you ___ (leave) food in the sun, it ___ (go) bad.
2. If she ___ (not eat) breakfast, she ___ (feel) hungry by 10am.
3. Water ___ (freeze) if the temperature ___ (drop) below zero.
4. If you ___ (press) this button, the alarm ___ (ring).
5. If I ___ (be) tired, I ___ (go) to bed early.

Reading: Bulgaria — Stories, Experiences & Facts

Read each text carefully. Look for Past Simple, Present Perfect, and Zero Conditional sentences. Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D).
🏛️

Text 1: Elena's Summer Holiday

Elena had a wonderful summer holiday last year. In July, she decided to visit her cousin in Plovdiv. She took the train from Sofia early on a Thursday morning and the journey lasted about two hours. When she arrived, her cousin took her straight to the old town, where they walked through the narrow cobblestone streets and visited two museums. On the second day, they drove to the Rhodope Mountains. The views were breathtaking. They found a small village café and ate homemade banitsa with cold yoghurt for breakfast. Elena loved it so much that she bought a large jar of local honey to take home. On her last evening, they went to a traditional restaurant near the river. Elena ordered grilled fish and a glass of local wine. She came back to Sofia feeling very relaxed and happy, and she is already planning to visit again next summer.

Questions:

1. When did Elena visit Plovdiv?

2. How did Elena travel to Plovdiv?

3. What did Elena buy in the mountain village?

4. The text says Elena "is already planning to visit again." What is the best grammar explanation?

🌍

Text 2: Tom's Travel Experiences

Tom is a thirty-five-year-old travel journalist. Since he started his job ten years ago, he has visited more than forty countries. He has been to every continent except Antarctica. He has eaten unusual foods in many places — he has tried snake in Vietnam and raw fish in Japan. Interestingly, Tom has never been to Bulgaria, but he has always wanted to go. He has read a lot about it recently and has already made a detailed plan for his trip. He has just bought his train tickets from Sofia to Plovdiv. However, he has not booked a hotel yet because he prefers to decide when he arrives. He has spoken to several people who have been to Bulgaria. They all say the food is excellent. Tom has not felt so excited about a trip for a very long time. He is planning to travel there in October.

Questions:

1. How long has Tom worked as a travel journalist?

2. Which continent has Tom NOT visited?

3. What has Tom already done to prepare for Bulgaria?

4. Why hasn't Tom booked a hotel yet?

🔬

Text 3: The Science Classroom

Mrs Kovacheva is a science teacher at a secondary school in Plovdiv. Every year, she introduces her students to zero conditional sentences, which she uses to explain scientific facts and general truths. "If you heat water to one hundred degrees Celsius, it boils," she explains. "If you mix yellow and blue paint, you get green. If you leave bread in a warm, damp place for several days, mould grows on it." She also gives examples from daily life: "If you eat too much sugar, your teeth get damaged. If you do not sleep enough, your body does not function properly." Mrs Kovacheva always reminds her students of one important rule: "We use the present simple in BOTH parts of the sentence. There is no future tense. The result is always true — it is not a prediction or a possibility. It is simply a fact."

Questions:

1. What does Mrs Kovacheva use zero conditional sentences to explain?

2. What happens if you mix yellow and blue paint?

3. What tense does Mrs Kovacheva say is used in BOTH parts of a zero conditional?

4. According to Mrs Kovacheva, the zero conditional describes:

🏙️

Text 4: Maya's Life in Sofia

Maya was born in Varna in 1990, but she has lived in Sofia since 2015. She works as a graphic designer for a small company in the city centre. She moved to Sofia because she found a better job there, and she has never regretted that decision. Before she came to Sofia, Maya visited many places in Bulgaria. She went to Plovdiv three times and loved the old town every time. She first saw the Rila Monastery in 2013 and was amazed by its size and beauty. Since then, she has returned there twice with different friends. Maya has a simple health rule: if she exercises regularly, she feels much better and sleeps well. If she does not go to the gym for more than a week, she feels tired and finds it hard to concentrate at work. She has not travelled abroad yet this year, but she has already booked a flight to Madrid for November and is very excited about the trip.

Questions:

1. Where was Maya born?

2. Why did Maya move to Sofia?

3. What is Maya's health rule about exercise?

4. What has Maya already done for her travel plans?

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Cloze Text: James and Bulgaria

Choose the correct word or phrase from each drop-down menu. The text tests Past Simple, Present Perfect, and Zero Conditional. There are 12 gaps — gaps 1–6 for Student A, gaps 7–12 for Student B.

James and Bulgaria

James is a British teacher who from a trip to Bulgaria. He there last month with his wife and in a small hotel in Sofia for a week. He says he to Eastern Europe before and that this trip was a life-changing experience.

Since he returned, he all his students about his adventures. On his third day, he the famous Rila Monastery and hundreds of photographs. He loved it so much that he tickets for a second visit next summer.

He learned an interesting fact: if you rose petals with water and heat them slowly, you rose oil — Bulgaria produces more of this than almost any other country in the world.

"I food this good before," he told his class. "If you Bulgaria," he added, "you always want to come back."

Exercises (15 Sets)

All exercises practise grammar only — Past Simple · Present Perfect (including just / already / yet / ever / never / for / since) · Zero Conditional. No vocabulary exercises.