Street Food Stories
Have you ever tried it? Talking about life experiences
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🌮 🍜 🥟 🌍 🔥
Present Perfect — connecting past to now 🔗
Use Present Perfect for life experiences — things you have done (or not done) at some point, when the exact time does not matter.
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Reading — street food stories 🌮
The writer has eaten street food in three countries — the tacos stick in his mind.
A cook has made tacos for over twenty years, with the same recipe.
Tom has never eaten street food — he hears the night market is clean.
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Comprehension check 🤔
How long has the food truck stood on the same corner? ---
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Since 2023
The writer's cousin Lila cooks in it, and she has worked every Saturday since then.
Talk to your partner 💬
What's the most unusual food you've ever eaten?
Have you ever tried a food you didn't like but learned to enjoy?
Why is street food popular in some countries but not others?
If you opened a street food stall, what would you sell?
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✍️ 🔍
Present Perfect vs Past Simple 🔄
Present Perfect — life experience
- I have eaten street food. (sometime in my life)
- Have you ever tried…? (at any time?)
- I have never eaten insects.
- Time not important, not given
Past Simple — specific time
- I ate street food yesterday.
- Did you try… last week?
- I didn't eat it last summer.
- Specific finished time given
Key words 🔑
🔄
ever
"At any time in your life?" — used in questions.
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never
"At no time in my life." — positive form, negative meaning.
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yesterday, last …
Specific time — use Past Simple, not Present Perfect.
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before
At some point in your life — Present Perfect.
Which is correct? 🤔
I have eaten street food yesterday. — True or false? ---
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False
"Yesterday" is a specific time — use Past Simple: I ate street food yesterday.
Form — have / has + past participle 📝
| | Positive | Negative | Question | |---|---|---|---| | I/You/We/They | have eaten | haven't eaten | Have you eaten? | | He/She/It | has eaten | hasn't eaten | Has she eaten? |
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Your turn — write five questions ✍️
Write 5 questions starting with Have you ever…? about food and experiences. Then write your true answers.
Example: Have you ever eaten breakfast for dinner? — Yes, I have. I had pancakes at 8 PM!
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What you can do now 🏆
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Present Perfect
Life experiences — time not important.
⏱️
Past Simple
Specific finished time — yesterday, last week.
❓
Have you ever…?
Ask about life experience.
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I have never…
Say you've never had that experience.
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Watch out
Never use Present Perfect with yesterday / last week.
Homework 🎒
Ask 3 people: What's the most unusual food you've ever eaten?
Write their answers:
- My mum has eaten frog legs in France. - My friend has never tried anything unusual.
Bring them next lesson.
📝 🍽️