How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?

The structure of the present perfect tense is: subject + auxiliary verb + main verb have past participle Here are some examples of the present perfect tense: subject + + ? ? I You She We Have Have auxiliary verb have have has have you they not not main verb seen eaten been played finished? done it? ET. mine. to Rome. football.

Contractions with the present perfect tense

When we use the present perfect tense in speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this when we write. He's or he's??? Be careful! The 's contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs have and be. For example, "It's eaten" can mean:

I have You have He has She has It has John has The car has We have They have

I've You've He's She's It's John's The car's We've They've

It has eaten. [present perfect tense, active voice] It is eaten. [present tense, passive voice]

It is usually clear from the context.

Here are some examples:

I've finished my work. John's seen ET. They've gone home.

How do we use the Present Perfect Tense?

This tense is called the present perfect tense. There is always a connection with the past and with the present. There are basically three uses for the present perfect tense:
1. experience 2. change 3. continuing situation

1. Present perfect tense for experience

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about experience from the past. We are not interested in when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:
I have seen ET. He has lived in Bangkok. Have you been there? We have never eaten caviar. past present !!! The action or state was in the past. In my head, I have a memory now. future

Connection with past: the event was in the past. Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about the event; I have experience of it.

2. Present perfect tense for change

We also use the present perfect tense to talk about a change or new information:
I have bought a car.

past Last week I didn't have a car.

present + Now I have a car.

future

John has broken his leg. past + Yesterday John had a good leg. present Now he has a bad leg. future

Has the price gone up? past + Was the price $1.50 yesterday? present Is the price $1.70 today? future

The police have arrested the killer. past present + future

Yesterday the killer was free.

Now he is in prison.

Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present. Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past.

Americans do not use the present perfect tense so much as British speakers. Americans often use the past tense instead. An American might say "Did you have lunch?", where a British person would say "Have you had lunch?"

3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started in the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a state (not an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.
I have worked here since June. He has been ill for 2 days. How long have you known Tara? past present future

The situation started in the past.

It continues up to now.

(It will probably continue into the future.)

Connection with past: the situation started in the past. Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.

For & Since with Present Perfect Tense

We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

We use for to talk about a period of time - 5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years. We use since to talk about a point in past time - 9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday. for since a point in past time x------------

a period of time

20 minutes three days 6 months 4 years 2 centuries a long time ever etc Here are some examples:

6.15pm Monday January 1994 1800 I left school the beginning of time etc

I have been here for 20 minutes. I have been here since 9 o'clock. John hasn't called for 6 months. John hasn't called since February. He has worked in New York for a long time. He has worked in New York since he left school.

Present Perfect Tense Quiz

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Lindsay
Have

has

not been to France.

has

you finished your homework?

've

Have

They

gone to a rock concert. you been to Japan? never eaten Mexican food.
forgotten

've

Have

Have

We

have

have

Andrea has
Has

her umbrella.

forgotten

the sun come up?

have found

Has

The children

the lost puppy. a vegetarian? last December.

have found

How long have you I haven't worked

been

been

since

since

Here is a brief review of the form and function of the present perfect tense.

present perfect is used when the time period has not finished:
The

I have seen three movies this week.

(This week has not finished yet.)

present perfect is often used when the time is not mentioned:

The

Gerry has failed his exam again.

The

present perfect is often used when the time is recent: Ikuko has just arrived in Victoria.

The

present perfect is often used with for and since. Greg has lived here for 20 years. Greg has lived here since 1978.

The present perfect is formed like this:

have plus past participle

Jack (be)
has been

my friend for over 20 years. We (know)

have known

each other since

we were children. Recently, he and his family (move) to a house on the same street as me, and now our children play together almost every day. For the last ten years, Jack and I (play)
have played

have moved

for the same hockey team every

has had

Saturday. Jack is a better player than I am, but in the last few months he (have) some trouble with his left knee, and he (find) (see)
has seen

has found

it hard to play a full game. He

the doctor several times about his knee, but the doctor doesn't know what
has decided

is causing his pain. Jack (decide) to take a break from hockey for a while, so that his knee can recover. It's going to be lonely on the team without him!

Present Perfect
FORM

[has/have + past participle] Examples:

You have seen that movie many times. Have you seen that movie many times? You have not seen that movie many times.

Complete List of Present Perfect Forms

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc. Examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times. I think I have met him once before. There have been many earthquakes in California. People have traveled to the Moon. People have not traveled to Mars. Have you read the book yet? Nobody has ever climbed that mountain. A: Has there ever been a war in the United States? B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?

The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:
TOPIC 1 Experience

You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event. Examples:

I have been to France.

THIS SENTENCE MEANS THAT YOU HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN FRANCE. MAYBE YOU HAVE BEEN THERE ONCE, OR SEVERAL TIMES.

I have been to France three times.

YOU CAN ADD THE NUMBER OF TIMES AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE.

I have never been to France.

THIS SENTENCE MEANS THAT YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF GOING TO FRANCE.

I think I have seen that movie before. He has never traveled by train. Joan has studied two foreign languages. A: Have you ever met him? B: No, I have not met him.
TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time. Examples:

You have grown since the last time I saw you. The government has become more interested in arts education. Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established. My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.
TOPIC 3 Accomplishments

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time. Examples:

Man has walked on the Moon. Our son has learned how to read. Doctors have cured many deadly diseases. Scientists have split the atom.
TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen. Examples:

James has not finished his homework yet. Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate. Bill has still not arrived. The rain hasn't stopped.
TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible. Examples:

The army has attacked that city five times. I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester. We have had many major problems while working on this project. She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.
Time Expressions with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some point in our lives before now. Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important.

Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.

Examples:

Have you been to Mexico in the last year? I have seen that movie six times in the last month.

They have had three tests in the last week. She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far. My car has broken down three times this week. NOTICE

"Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires Simple Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present Perfect. Examples:

I went to Mexico last year.

I WENT TO MEXICO IN THE CALENDAR YEAR BEFORE THIS ONE.

I have been to Mexico in the last year.

I HAVE BEEN TO MEXICO AT LEAST ONCE AT SOME POINT BETWEEN 365 DAYS AGO AND NOW.

USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect. Examples:

I have had a cold for two weeks. She has been in England for six months. Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.

Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT NonContinuous Verbs.
ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples:

You have only seen that movie one time. Have you only seen that movie one time?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

Many tourists have visited that castle. ACTIVE That castle has been visited by many tourists. PASSIVE

Robin: I think the waiter (forget) has forgotten us. We (wait) have been waiting here for over half an hour and nobody (take) has taken our order yet.

Michele: I think you're right. He (walk) has walked by us at least twenty times. He probably thinks we (order, already) have already ordered.

Robin: Look at that couple over there, they (be, only) have only been here for five or ten minutes and they already have their food.

Michele: He must realize we (order, not) have not ordered yet! We (sit) have been sitting here for over half an hour staring at him.

Robin: I don't know if he (notice, even) has even noticed us. He (run) has been running from table to table taking orders and serving food.

Michele: That's true, and he (look, not) has not looked in our direction once.