PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
The opinion of many native and non-native English speakers is that the perfect tenses
are far from being ‘perfect’. They cause headaches for most people. On these pages,
we will break the perfect tenses down into short sections that will make them easier to
understand.
USES
USE 1: For something that started in the past and continues in the present
(Duration from the past until now.)
My husband has a number of hobbies. He's played badminton for more than fifteen
years. He's played football since he was a little boy, and he's practiced the art of the
Japanese tea ceremony since September.
My husband has a number of hobbies. He's played badminton for more than fifteen
years. Which hobbies do you have? How long have you done them?
- They’ve been married for nearly fifty years.
- I’ve played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.
Note: We normally use the present perfect continuous for this:
- It’s been raining for hours.
We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past to show when something started in the
past (2004, April 23rd, last year, two hours ago). The fixed time can be another
action, indicated with the past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived):
I've known Sam since 1992.
I've liked chocolate since I was a child.
She's been here since 2 p.m.
They’ve been staying with us since last week.
We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months):
I've known Julie for ten years.
I've been hungry for hours.
USE 2: Life experience up to the present:
I've visited many provinces in Vietnam. I've been to Da Lat and Gia Lai a few times.
My husband has also been in Da Lat quite a lot. However, our daughter has never
visited.
I've visited many provinces in Europe. Which provinces have you visited? Have you
ever been to Da Lat?
- Have you ever spent a night in hospital? Have you ever broken a bone? Have
you ever had an operation?
- Have you ever cheated on an exam? Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?
Have you ever played truant? Have you ever copied homework from someone
else? etc.
- I think I have seen that movie before.
- Have you ever met George?
Yes, but I’ve never met his wife.
- - I've seen that woman before but I can't remember where.
We often use the words Ever, Never, Before to talk about experience up to the
present:
We use 'been' (often when we talk about 'life experience') to mean that the person
being talked about has visited the place, and come back. Notice the preposition 'to':
I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in London, where I live).
She has been to school today (but now she's back at home).
They have never been to California.
We use 'gone' (often when we are talking about an action with a result in the
present) to mean that the person is at the place now:
'Where's John?' 'He's gone to the shops' (he's at the shops now).
Julie has gone to Mexico (now she's in Mexico).
They've gone to Japan for three weeks (now they're in Japan).
USES 3: With words of unfinished time
- I drank three cups of coffee yesterday.
- I have drunk 3 cups of coffee today.
- I have bought 3 new shirts this week. What have you done today?
One of the best ways to ensure that students understand when the present perfect is
used is to contrast finished and unfinished time.
Ask students: Is yesterday finished? (They should say it’s finished.) Ask them: Is
today finished? (They should say it isn’t.)
On the board, draw two columns. On the left column write examples of phrases that
go with finished time:yesterday, last week, last month, last year, 1990, etc...On the
right column, write those that go with unfinished time: today, this week, this month,
this year,
The present perfect tense is used with words or expressions of unfinished
time.Unfinished time started in the past and continues into the present. (So, this week,
for example, means all the days so far this week including today.) Here are some
sentences in the present perfect.
- I've played tennis 3 times already this week and it's only Thursday!
- She's been back to Korea twice already this year, and she's going again next
week!
- She's had a lot of bad luck recently.
- She hasn't called me lately? Do you think she's sick?
- She has been living in Liverpool all her life.
** Be careful: Sometimes an expression of unfinished time can be used with the past
simple tense. Look at these examples and explanations:
I drank three cups of coffee this morning.
The speaker is talking in the evening so for him this morning is finished time.
I didn't see John today.
The student is talking after school when there is no more possibility of seeing John on
this day. Today becomes an expression of finished time.
This year was a very good year for me!
This is possible if the speaker is talking very near to the end of the year, and so in her
opinion the year is finished. Therefore she uses the past simple was.
USE 4: Accomplishments
The army has attacked that city five times.
We have had many major problems while working on this project.
I have seen that movie twenty times.
- Joan has studied two foreign languages.
- I have five tests so far this semester.
- She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why
she is sick.
- This is the second time she has won that prize.
- Over the last few years, this city has changed a lot.
USE 5: 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.
Bill has still not arrived.
The rain hasn't stopped.
Have you finish the report yet?
I’ve been waiting for over an hour and the bus still hasn’t come.
USE 6: Finished action that has an influence on the present
I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house).
She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today).
They've missed the bus (so they will be late).
I've cooked dinner (so you should come and eat).
USE 7: An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'.
- I have just finished my work.
- I’ve just seen Susan coming out of the cinema.
USE 8: Something has happened early – or earlier than it might have happened.
- I’ve already spent my salary and it’s two weeks before pay day.
- The train’s already left! What are we going to do?
SOME NOTES
1. We can use the
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
Non-Continuous 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?
