Simple Past vs. Present Perfect
Last Christmas, my boss ____ (appoint) me as the new head of R&D.
appointed
John ____ (become) a senior manager when he was very young. I think he was 21 years old.
became
There used to be a time when our boss ____ (bring) flowers to all offices, but unfortunately those times are over.
brought
Last week, I ____ (catch) a flue, but I am better now.
caught
At the end of my schooldays, I wanted to study economics, but after my internship at SAP I ____ (decide) for business informatics.
decided
I ___ (do) my A-levels in 2015 and started an apprenticeship as a data administrator before I started studying.
did
I ____ (finish) my apprenticeship two years ago and am now working for SAP.
finished
In 2008, I was in New York, and three years later I _____ (fly) to San Francisco.
flew
This morning we ____ (have) much trouble with one of our clients, but in the course of the day, we could settle the problem.
had
For years, it ____ (be) a dream of mine to travel to the United States and now I really get the chance to visit our US headquarters. Great!
has been
Lately, our CEO ____ (be) on quite a lot of business trips.
has been
Our Marketing Manager ____ (be) in Japan for two weeks now.
has been
Since September, our Marketing Assistant Billy ____ (be) enrolled in a Master's study course, so he has got less time now.
has been
When our CEO was young, he usually led our weekly meetings, but for some time now, her assistant _____ (be) in charge of our meetings.
has been
Oh, our secretary _____ (cut) her finger on a sheet of paper. Look, there is blood everywhere.
has cut
Today the IT department ___ (have) quite some problems with its computer system. And the problems are still not solved because our IT manager is ill.
has had
Has Sandra ever been to Japan? - No, she ____ (never/be) there, but maybe next year she'll go on a business trip to Tokyo.
has never been
Tom ____ (not/be) to our US headquarters yet.
has not been
It seems that our secretary ____ (take) typing lessons. Her typing is much faster now.
has taken
For two years, I ____ (be) an employee of a local company.
have been
How are the negotiations with the Chinese subsidiary? - So far, they ____ (be) good, but I still expect some problems ahead.
have been
Since 2018, I ____ (be) the head of the Marketing Department.
have been
Since my childhood, I ____ (be) interested in math. That's why I'm a bookkeeper now.
have been
I ____ (know) Jim for many years now, but I have never seen him so angry.
have known
I have been searching for my passport for two hours now, but I ____ (not/find) it yet.
have not found
I ____ (not/have) much contact with Rita lately because she is often on a business trip abroad.
have not had
I ____ (repeated) the new vocabulary already a thousand times, but I simply cannot get the words into my head.
have repeated
I _____ (tell) you a thousand times that you should make regular backups. Now, the files are gone and you are in trouble.
have told
So far, I ____ (visit) our US headquarters once.
have visited
When our CEO was young, he usually ____ (lead) the weekly meetings , but for some time now, her assistant has been in charge of our meetings.
led
At the age of sixteen, I ___ (leave) secondary school. I did my A-levels later on after my apprenticeship.
left
As a teenager, I ____ (play) the flute.
played
When our boss was new, he ____ (put) a lot of emphasis on puctuality, but now he doesn't care.
put
When our boss was young, he sometimes ____ (shout) at his staff, but now he is really calm and manages his staff very well.
shouted
Last night, our HR manager was at a bar with our Japanese partners. He ____ (spend) a lot of money there.
spent
Two years ago, I ____ (spend) a semester at a Spanish university.
spent
At the age of ten, I ___ (start) to code small programs.
started
In 2018, I graduated from university. Then, I ____ (start) to work in a local medium-sized company.
started
Last week, our finance manager ____ (teach) us how to fill in the tax forms more efficiently.
taught
At the end of my schooldays, I ____ (want) to study economics, but after my internship at SAP I decided for business informatics.
wanted
Cindy had worked in the company for many years, but in 2017 she ____ (be) suddenly fired.
was
How ____ (be) the presentation of our boss last Monday, Susan?
was
In 2008, I _____ (be) in New York, and three years later I flew to San Francisco.
was
Last night, our HR manager ____ (be) at a bar with our Japanese partners. He spent a lot of money there.
was
Last Easter, I _____ (go) on a business trip, but this Easter I will definitely stay home.
went
Last night I ____ (go) to bed really early.
went
Yesterday, two new employees _____ (be) hired for the finance department.
were