Present perfect simple (I have worked)

from English Grammar Today

Present perfect simple: form

We use have/has + the -ed form of the verb.

(full form)
I, you, we, they
have
she, he, it
has
+ worked.
(short form)
I, you, we, they
’ve
she, he, it
’s

(full form)
I, you, we, they
have not
she, he, it
has not
− worked.
(short form)
I, you, we, they
haven’t
she, he, it
hasn’t

Have I, you, we, they

?+ worked?
Has she, he, it

(full form)
I, you, we, they
Have not
she, he, it
Has
?− worked?

(short form) I, you, we, they

Haven’t she, he, it
 Hasn’t

See also:
 Verbs: the three basic forms

Present perfect simple: uses

We use the present perfect simple to refer to events in the past but which connect to the
present.

Experiences

We use the present perfect simple to talk about our experiences up to now. The time of
the experiences is not important:

[talking about musical theatre productions]

And I’ve seen ‘Buddy’ and I’ve seen ‘Starlight Express’ in London. And I want to see
‘Phantom of the Opera’ next.

We’re going to Wagamama’s for dinner tonight. I’ve been there a couple of times
before.

Although we do not give a specific time, we often use general time expressions
like ever, never, before, in my life, so far, up until now with this use of the present
perfect simple:

We haven’t met before, have we?

They’ve sold 110 so far. (so far = from a point in the past up until now)

We often use ever, not … ever and never when we talk about experiences:

It was the worst performance we have ever seen.

Have you ever tried to write your name and address with your left hand?

She’s never said sorry for what she did.

We often use the present perfect simple for a unique experience when we are using a
superlative:

I felt the happiest I have ever felt. My first Olympic final; the bronze medal; European
record of 9.97 seconds.

The dome of the Blue Mosque at Isfahan is the most beautiful

building I have ever seen.

It was the best decision I have ever made in my life.

It’s the worst sports programme I have ever seen and the first I have ever turnedoff.

We usually use the present perfect simple with the first time when we’re talking about
an immediate, continuing or recent event:

That’s the first time I’ve seen you get angry.

Recent completed events

We use the present perfect simple to talk about a finished event or state in the very
recent past. We do not give a specific time. We often use words like just or recently for
events taking place a very short time before now:

What’s this? What’s just happened?

The company employs around 400 staff and has recently opened an office in the UK.

Niki and John have just come back from a week in Spain.

Past events, present results

We use the present perfect simple when a single past action has a connection with the
present:

She’s broken her arm in two places. (Her arm is still broken now.)

Why haven’t you dressed in something warmer? (You got dressed in the past but the
clothes are not warm enough for now.)

A fire has broken out at a disused hotel on the seafront. (The fire is burning now; it’s a
recent event too.)
Your flowers haven’t arrived. (Your flowers are not here; they were supposed to arrive
in the past.)

Time + for and since

We use the present perfect simple with for and since to talk about a present situation
that began at a specific point in the past and is still going on in the present. We are
looking back from the present to a point in the past.

Compare

That house on the corner has For refers to periods of time,

been empty forthree years. e.g. three years, four hours, ages, a
Not: … since three years. long time, months, years.

That house on the Since refers to a previous point in

corner has been empty since2006. time, e.g. last Monday, last year,
Not: … for 2006. 1987, yesterday.

The house was empty in 2006 and it is still empty now. (speaking in 2011)

How long …?

We often use expressions with for and since to answer the question How long
…+present perfect simple. We use the How long …? question to ask about the duration
of a state or activity:

A:
How long have you worked there?

B:
Since 21 August. So for about four months.

Yet

We use yet + the present perfect simple, mainly in questions and negative statements,
to refer to things we intend to do in the future but which are not done:

Don’t wash up that cup. I haven’t finished my coffee yet. (I intend to finish it.)
Haven’t you done your homework yet? (You intend to do it.)

See also:
 Yet
Already

We use already + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that
something is done or achieved, often before the expected time:

I’ve already booked my flight home.

A:
Will you go and clean your teeth!

B:
I’ve already cleaned them.

See also:
 Already
Still

We use still + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that something we
expected to happen continues not to happen:

She still hasn’t said sorry to me.

I feel really tired. I still haven’t recovered from the jet lag.

See also:
 Still
 Yet
 Already
Introducing past time events

The present perfect simple is often used in newspaper headlines or TV news

programmes to report a recent past event. It is then followed by a series of verbs in the
past simple (underlined):

Charlton Heston has died aged 84, a spokesman for his family has said.
Heston diedon Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills. His wife Lydia, whom
he married in 1944, was at his side. Heston won a best actor Oscar for his starring role
in the epic ‘Ben Hur’.

We can also use the present perfect simple to introduce an ‘open’ general point about
something. We can then use the past simple (underlined) to give more detailed specific
information:

Have you seen any Arthur Miller plays? I saw a fantastic production of ‘The Crucible’.

American English

In American English the past simple is often used instead of the present perfect simple,
often with already and yet.

Compare

American English British English

Did you eat (yet)? Have you eaten (yet)?

Did you finish (already)? Have you finished (already)?

Gfdgfgdfgdfdffgdgfgrdrdgbr
 Present Perfect Simple
The present perfect simple expresses an action that is still going on or that stopped
recently, but has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.

Form of Present Perfect

Positive Negative Question

I / you / we / they I have spoken. I have not spoken. Have I spoken?

he / she / it He has spoken. He has not spoken. Has he spoken?

For irregular verbs, use the participle form (see list of irregular verbs, 3rd column). For
regular verbs, just add “ed”.

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed Example

after a final e only add d love – loved

final consonant after a short, stressed vowel admit – admitted

or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled travel – travelled

final y after a consonant becomes i hurry – hurried

Use of Present Perfect

 puts emphasis on the result
Example: She has written five letters.

 action that is still going on

Example: School has not started yet.

 action that stopped recently

Example: She has cooked dinner.

 finished action that has an influence on the present

 Example: I have lost my key.

 action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking
Example: I have never been to Australia.

Signal Words of Present Perfect

 already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now

cbxcbcbxbcdccxbcbcbcbcbcb

past simple
backnext

Forms

With most verbs the past tense is formed by adding -ed:

call >> called; like >> liked; want >> wanted; work >> worked

But there are a lot of irregular past tenses in English. Here are the most common
irregular verbs in English, with their past tenses:

infinitive irregular past

be was/were
begin began
break broke
bring brought
buy bought
build built
choose chose
infinitive irregular past

come came
cost cost
cut cut
do did
draw drew
drive drove
eat ate
feel felt
find found
get got
give gave
go went
have had
hear heard
hold held
keep kept
know knew
leave left
lead led
let let
lie lay
lose lost
make made
mean meant
meet met
pay paid
put put
run ran
say said
sell sold
send sent
set set
sit sat
speak spoke
spend spent
stand stood
take took
teach taught
tell told
think thought
understand understood
wear wore
 infinitive irregular past

win won
write wrote

Use

We use the past tense to talk about:

 something that happened once in the past:

I met my wife in 1983.

We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.

 something that happened again and again in the past:

When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.

We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.

 something that was true for some time in the past:

I lived abroad for ten years.

He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.

 we often use phrases with ago with the past tense:

I met my wife a long time ago.

Questions and negatives

We use did to make questions with the past tense:

When did you meet your wife?

Where did you go for your holidays?
Did she play tennis when she was younger?
Did you live abroad?

But look at these questions:

 Who discovered penicillin?
Who wrote Don Quixote?

For more on these questions see our question forms page

We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past tense:

They didn’t go to Spain this year.

We didn’t get home until very late last night.
I didn’t see you yesterday.

English grammar

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 v
 t
 e

The simple present, present simple or present indefinite is one of the verb forms associated with
the present tense in modern English. It is commonly referred to as a tense, although it also encodes
certain information about aspect in addition to present time.
It is called "simple" because its basic form consists of a single word (like write or writes), in contrast
with other present tense forms such as the present progressive (is writing) and present perfect (has
written). For nearly all English verbs the simple present is identical to the base form (dictionary form)
of the verb, except when the subject is third-person singular, in which case the ending -(e)s is
added. There are a few verbs with irregular forms, the most notable being the copula be, which has
the simple present forms am, is, and are.

Contents
[hide]

 1Conjugation
 2Formation
 3Simple present subjunctive
 4Uses
 5See also
 6References

Conjugation[edit]
For pronouns I, you, we, they, there is no modification for verbs.
For pronouns he, she, it, a suffix is added following these rules:
For verbs that end in -o, -ch, -sh, -s, -x, or -z, the suffix -es is added
Examples:

 Go – Goes
 Catch – Catches
 Wash – Washes
 Kiss – Kisses
 Fix – Fixes
 Buzz – Buzzes
For verbs that end in a consonant + y, the letter y is replaced by the suffix -ies.
Examples:

 Marry – Marries
 Study – Studies
 Carry – Carries
 Worry – Worries
In other cases, the suffix -s is added.
Examples:

 Play – Plays
 Enjoy – Enjoys
 Say – Says

Formation[edit]
The basic form of the simple present is the same as the base form of the verb, unless the subject is
third person singular, in which case a form with the addition of -(e)s is used.[1] For details of how to
make this inflected form, see English verbs § Third person singular present.
The copula verb be has irregular forms: am (first person singular), is (third person singular)
and are (second person singular and all persons plural). The modal verbs (can, must, etc.) have only
a single form, with no addition of -s for the third person singular.
The above refers to the indicative mood of the simple present; for the formation and use of the
subjunctive mood, see English subjunctive. (The defective verb beware has no simple present
indicative, although it can be used in the subjunctive.)
The present simple of lexical verbs has an expanded form which uses do (or does, in the third
person indicative) as an auxiliary verb. This is used particularly when forming questions and other
clauses requiring inversion, negated clauses with not, and clauses requiring emphasis. For details
see do-support. For the verbs (auxiliary and copular) which do not make this form, as well as the
formation and use of contracted forms such as 's, isn't, and don't, see English auxiliaries and
contractions.
All forms of the simple present are given below, using the verb write as an example:
Basic simple present indicative:

 I write
 You write
 He/she/it writes
 We write
 You write
 They write
Expanded simple present indicative (with question, negative, and negative question forms):

 I do write (Do I write? I do not/don't write. Don't I/Do I not write?)

 You do write (Do you write? You do not/don't write. Don't you/Do you not write?)
 He/she/it does write (Does he write? He does
not/doesn't write. Doesn't he/Does he not write?)
 We/you/they do write (Do we write? We do not/don't write. Don't we/Do we not write?)

Simple present subjunctive[edit]

Main article: English subjunctive

Uses[edit]
To refer to an action or event that takes place habitually. In the other hand to remark habits, general
realities, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions, and wishes.[2]Such uses are often
accompanied by frequency adverbs and adverbial phrases such
as always, sometimes, often, usually, from time to time, rarely, and never. Examples:

 I always take a shower.

 I never go to the cinema.
 I walk to the pool.
 He writes for a living.
 She understands English.
This contrasts with the present progressive (present continuous), which is used to refer to something
taking place at the present moment: I am walking now; He is writing a letter at the moment.
With stative verbs in senses that do not use progressive aspect (see Uses of English verb forms
§ Progressive), to refer to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.

 You are happy.

 I know what to do.
 A child needs its mother.
 I love you.
It can similarly be used when quoting someone or something, even if the words were spoken in the
past:

 Mary says she's ready.

To refer to a single completed action, as in recounting the events of a story in the present tense
(see historical present), and in such contexts as newspaper headlines, where it replaces the present
perfect:

 In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns in a stream.

 40-year-old wins gold medal.
Sometimes to refer to an arranged future event, usually with a reference to time:

 We leave for Berlin tomorrow at 1 pm.

 Our holiday starts on the 20th May.
In providing a commentary on events as they occur:

 I chop the chives and add them to the mixture.

 Ronaldo dribbles round the defender and shoots.
In describing events in some theoretical or planned situation that is under consideration:
According to the manager's new idea, I welcome the guests and you give the presentation.
In many dependent clauses referring to the future, particularly condition clauses, clauses expressing
place and time, and many relative clauses (see Uses of English verb forms § Dependent clauses):

 If he finds your sweets, he will eat them.

 We will report as soon as we receive any information.
Simple present is also used in zero conditional sentences in both parts of the sentence.[3]

 Ice melts if you heat it.

 Plants die if they don't get enough water.
 In certain situations in a temporal adverbial clause, rather than the present progressive:
 We can see the light improving as we speak.
In colloquial English it is common to use can see, can hear for the present tense of see, hear, etc.,
and have got for the present tense of have (denoting possession). See Uses of English verb forms
§ Have got and can see.

PRESENT PERFECT
DEFINITION OF THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action
is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.

BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is
probably NOT the same.

THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO DESCRIBE

 An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol
since 1984 (= and I still do.)
 An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice
this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)
  A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal
several times.
 An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'. I have just finished my
work.
 An action when the time is not important. He has read 'War and Peace'. (= the result of his
reading is important)

Present Perfect
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O Present Perfect or Present Perfect Simple (Presente Perfeito ou Presente Perfeito Simples) é
um tempo verbal que expressa ações influenciadas pelo presente. Note que essas ações ainda
estão acontecendo ou pararam recentemente.
Ou seja, ele pode ser usado para indicar ações que começaram no passado e se prolongam até o
presente.
É muito comum incluir algumas palavras que indiquem o tempo (podem ser advérbios) em que
se passaram as ações, sendo que as mais utilizadas são:
 already (já)
 yet (já; ainda)
 ever (já; alguma vez)
 just (há pouco; agora mesmo)
 never (nunca)
 always (sempre)
 lately (ultimamente)
 often (normalmente)
 recently (recentemente)
 frequently (frequentemente)
No português, não há nenhum tempo verbal equivalente a ele. Por esse motivo, há muita
confusão quando vamos aprendê-lo.
Saiba mais sobre os Advérbios em Inglês.
Formação do Present Perfect Simple
O Present Perfect Simple é formado pelo verbo auxiliar to have (have / has) conjugado no simple
present (presente simples) + o past participle (particípio passado) do verbo principal.
Atenção! (Pay Attention!)
Lembre-se que a forma dos verbos no particípio passado segue a estrutura formada pelo passado
dos verbos. Ou seja, para os verbos regulares tem-se o acréscimo de –d, –ed ou –ied.
Já para os verbos irregulares, as formas modificam bastante, sendo necessário consultar uma
tabela de verbos.
Para compreender melhor sobre o particípio passado dos verbos irregulares, veja os artigos:
Simple Past – Present Perfect Simple
Form
 Simple Past Present Perfect Simple

irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of irregular verbs

Example: Example:
I spoke I / you / we / they have spoken
he / she / it has spoken

regular verbs: infinitive + ed regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed

Example: Example:
I worked I / you / we / they have worked
he / she / it has worked

Exceptions

Exceptions when adding 'ed':

 when the final letter is e, only add d

Example:
love - loved

 after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled

Example:
admit - admitted

 final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)

Example:
travel - travelled

 after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel)

Example:
worry - worried
but: play - played

See also explanations on Simple Past and Present Perfect Simple

Use
In British English, the use of Simple Past and Present Perfect is quite strict. As soon as
a time expression in the past is given, you have to use Simple Past. If there are no
signal words, you must decide if we just talk about an action in the past or if its
consequence in the present is important.

Note that the following explanations and exercises refer to British English only. In
American English, you can normally use Simple Past instead of Present Perfect. We
cannot accept this in our exercises, however, as this would lead to confusions amongst
those who have to learn the differences.

Certain time in the past or just / already / yet?

Do you want to express that an action happened at a certain time in the past (even if it
was just a few seconds ago) or that an action has just / already / not yet happened?

Simple Past Present Perfect Simple

certain time in the past just / already / not yet

Example: Example:
I phoned Mary 2 minutes ago. I have just phoned Mary.

Certain event in the past or how often so far?

Do you want to express when a certain action took place or whether / how often an
action has happened till now?

Simple Past Present Perfect Simple

certain event in the past whether / how often till now

Example: Example:
He went to Canada last summer. Have you ever been to Canada? / I have been to Canada
twice.

Emphasis on action or result?

Do you just want to express what happened in the past? Or do you want to emphasise
the result (a past action's consequence in the present)?
 Simple Past Present Perfect Simple

Emphasis on action Emphasis on result

Example: Example:
I bought a new bike. (just telling I have bought a new bike. (With this sentence I actually want to
what I did in the past.) express that I have a new bike now.)

Signal Words

Simple Past Present Perfect Simple

 yesterday  just
 ... ago  already
 in 1990  up to now
 the other day  until now / till now
 last ...  ever
 (not) yet
 so far
 lately / recently
Archive
 Select month...

Serenity Carr, Assistant Editor

Present Perfect and Simple Past Verb Tenses

Tuesday April 5th 2016

Question

What is the difference between the present perfect and the simple past? — Medshel, Saudi Arabia

Answer

Use the simple past when the action started in the past, finished in the past, and is not continuing
now. Use the present perfect when the action started in the past and is continuing now.
The simple past tells us that an action happened at a certain time in the past, and is not continuing
anymore. It doesn't tell us anything about when an action happened, so more information needs to be
given with this verb form, such as when the action took place.
The present perfect tells us that an action started in the past and it is still happening now, or it is
something that happens regularly. We may need more information to tell us how long it has been
going on. It may also tell us that the time period it started in is still going on.
The following example sentences show the different meanings when using the two verb tenses.

 The sun rose at 6:00 am. (Simple Past: We know that the sun came up at a time in the past
and it is not rising now. The sun may or may not be in the sky when this statement is made.
The time is important to add.)
 The sun has risen. (Present perfect: We know that the sun already rose, and it is still in the
sky now.)

 Jackson ate lunch early. (Simple Past: Eating lunch has started and ended in the past.
Someone might say this when the time for eating lunch has also ended. Lunch happened
early, and it is over now.)
 Jackson has eaten lunch. (Present Perfect: Jackson started and finished eating lunch in the
past, but lunch time is still going on. Someone might say this when others are preparing to eat
lunch, and they want to know whether Jackson will join them.)

 Jeff was friends with Kelly when he was a kid. (Simple Past: This tells us that Jeff is not
friends with Kelly anymore, and the additional information tells us when he was friends with
her in the past.)
 Jeff has been friends with Kelly since he was a kid. (Present perfect: This tells us that Jeff
was friends with Kelly before now and is still friends with her now. The friendship is continuing,
and the additional information tells us how long it has been going on.)
  She lived in Paris for a year. (Simple Past: This action started and finished in the past. She
no longer lives in Paris. It is important to know the action lasted for a year.)
 She has lived in Paris for a year. (Present perfect: This action started in the past and is still
going on now; it has not finished. She lives in Paris now, and additional information tells us
how long she has lived there.)

 Meg ran two marathons last year. (Simple Past: We know Meg ran two marathons in the
past, and the time period the action started in and finished in—last year—has ended.)
 Meg has run two marathons this year. (Present perfect: We know Meg started running
marathons this year. However, this year has not ended and she may run more marathons
before the end of the year.)

Past simple or present perfect?

de English Grammar Today
Past simple = I worked Present perfect = I have worked

Definite time in the past

We use the past simple to refer to definite time in the past (when we specify the time or how
long) and usually with past time expressions such as yesterday, two weeks ago, last year, in
1995:

We met in January 1975. We went to America together in 1978.

Not: We have met in January 1975. We have gone to America together in 1978.

Time up to now

We use the present perfect to talk about time up to now, that is, events that took place in the past
but which connect with the present. The present perfect is often used with time expressions
which indicate time up to now, for example today, this year, in the last six months:

I haven’t seen her since January 1995.

Not: I didn’t see her since January 1995.

Compare
 The last time I saw her was over 20
I haven’t seen her for over 20 years.
years ago.

I saw her last week but the last time I

I didn’t see her for over 20 years and
saw her before last week was over 20
then I bumped into her last week.
years ago.

Compare

Definite time in the past.

I finished my
I finished my homework at a time in the past (one
homework an hour ago.
hour ago).

From a time in the past up to now.

I haven’t finishedmy
I started my homework at a time in the past and it is
homework yet.
not finished yet (yet means ‘up to now’).

We had a good Definite time in the past. We had a good day in the
day yesterday. past (yesterday).

From a time in the past up to now.

We have had a good
The day has been good until now but it hasn’t
day so far.
finished yet.

We didn’t seeDiana last

Definite time in the past (last week).
week.

We haven’t
From the beginning of the week until now.
seenDiana this week.

I didn’t have any Today is not finished but it is almost the end of the
lunch today. day and past lunchtime.
 I haven’t had any
It is still today and not too late to have lunch.
lunch today.

See also:
 Present perfect simple (I have worked)
("Past simple or present perfect?" de English Grammar Today © Cambridge University Press.)

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Table of contents
 Adjectives and adverbs
 Easily confused words
 Nouns, pronouns and determiners
 Prepositions and particles
 Words, sentences and clauses
 Using English
 Verbs
o about verbs
o be and be expressions
o common verbs
o future
o infinitives and imperatives
o modals and modality
o passive
o past
 Past
 Past continuous (I was working)
 Past continuous or past simple?
 Past perfect continuous (I had been working)
 Past perfect simple (I had worked)
 Past perfect simple or past perfect continuous?
 Past perfect simple or past simple?
 Past simple (I worked)
  Past simple or present perfect?
 Past verb forms referring to the present
 Past: typical errors
 Used to
o present
o verb patterns
Palavra do Dia

spill the beans

to tell people secret information

Use of the Simple Past

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When do we use the Simple Past?

The Simple Past is used to talk about actions or situations in the past. It is also
called Past Simple.

1. action finished in the past (single or repeated)

I visited Berlin last week.

Andrew watched TV yesterday.

My friends went to Paris a week ago.

My parents ate a lot of junk food when they were young.

2. series of completed actions in the past

First I got up, then I had breakfast.

On Sunday my brother and me went to a nice lake. There we met our friends.
We swam in the warm water and played volleyball in the afternoon. Too bad that
we had to go home in the evening. We didn't want to go to school on Monday.

3. together with the Past Progressive/Continuous – the Simple

Past interrupted an action which was in progress in the past.

They were playing cards when the telephone rang.

1st action → Past Progressive → were playing

2nd action → Simple Past → rang

While Dennis was reading outside, it started to rain.

1st action → Past Progressive → was reading

2nd action → Simple Past → started