B2 First: present perfect
There are several ways of writing the same sentence using present perfect or past simple tenses. These three sentences have the same meaning:
- I haven't seen my brother for five years.
- It has been five years since I saw my brother.
- The last time I saw my brother was five years ago.
Pay attention to the use of I and it, and for and since. Basically, these are the three structures you need to remember.
- I haven't ... for ...
- It has been ... since I ...
- The last time I ... was ...
If this looks difficult, you can learn more about the present perfect in my general grammar pages.
Practice: key transformations (use of English part 4)
Rewrite each of these sentences so they have the same meaning as the first. Use between 2 and 5 words, and do not change the word in brackets.