English Grammar - Present perfect tense

Present Perfect TenseLanguage Open Learning English Grammar Guide

Present Perfect

The form:

Present tense of auxiliary verb – have + past participle (verb 3)

– I have decided to leave tomorrow (regular)– She has written an email to David (irregular)

In speech and informal, we use contractions– I’ve decided– She’s written

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Present Perfect

Questions and negatives:

Question form – invert the subject and have– Have you decided yet?

Negatives – use not and contractions– She has not written the email.– She hasn’t written the email.


Present Perfect

Describes past events that connect to the present:

1. Experiences in our life up to now.– Have you visited any other countries?– Yes, I’ve been to Spain and Portugal.

Nb - No Time expressions as no individual event. For individual events – use past simple


Present Perfect


2. An event in the past that has a result in the present.

– Jayne has broken her pencil.– I’ve hurt my foot

Nb. No time expressions as these are not important. Use past simple to say when the event happened.


Present Perfect


3. Situation that started in the past and continues to the present

– I’ve lived here for ten years– I’ve often seen Paul with his dog in the park

Nb – time expression – shows how long or how often the event happens


Present Perfect


4. Completion – describes how many things are completed so far.

– I’ve read a hundred pages of this book

Nb – the exact time is not mentioned


Present Perfect


1 – Experiences in our life upto now

2 – A past event with a result in the present

3 – past situation continues to present

4 - completion


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• Ever, never

– Have you ever eaten Chinese food?– No, I’ve never eaten it


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• Yet, so far

Yet – questions and negative sentences

So far – questions and positive sentences

– Have you finished this book yet? No, I’m on p56– How many pages have you read? I’ve read 56 pages

so far


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• already

Positive sentences – describe an action which happened before

– When are you going to finish your book?– I’ve already finished it


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• justdescribes a very recent event

David has just phoned from the airport.


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• Always, often etc (frequency adverbs)

These are used with both present simple and present perfect

– He has always loved you (a state)

– We have often visited Spain (a repeated event)


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• for, since

For – length of a period of time– Tom has worked here for three months

Since – describes the point when the time started– Tom has worked here since July 5th


Present Perfect

Time Expressions

• Ever, never

• Yet, so far

• Already

• Just

• Always, often etc

• For, since


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English Grammar - Present perfect tense