In this article I’m going to explain the basics of Present Perfect.

This article is suitable for you if you know how to make present simple, progressive/continuous, and past simple.

When to Use Present Perfect

Present perfect is a tense that you use to tell about something that started in the past, and that has been happening until this moment.

The following pictures show that:

This tense always looks like this: have + a past participle (V3, or the third form of the verb)

So:

He’s washed his hands. (the verbs are: has + washed. To wash is a regular verb, so the past participle is wash – ed.)

They’ve eaten breakfast. (the verbs are: have + eaten. To eat is an irregular verb. The third form is eaten. The verb goes like this: present: eat, past: ate, past participle: eaten.)

Examples of sentences with present perfect:

1 (Since this morning,) I have answered all my emails.

This sentence means that I answered all my emails until now, starting this morning.

2 Zoe has lived in Toronto for 10 years.

This means that Zoe came to Toronto 10 years ago, and she still lives there today.

3 Vince has worked for Incredible since he graduated from City College.

This means that Vince started working at Incredible after he graduated from college. And he is still working there today.

4 Annabelle has never smoked.

This means that from the time she was born, Annabelle never smoked a cigarette. She’s still not smoking today.

5 Roger has worked as a model since his mum took him to an agency when he was five.

This means that Roger started modelling when he was five, and he’s still working as a model now.

I think you have enough examples now to try a little exercise:

Exercise

Write answers to the following questions: (answers can vary)

Examples:

Have you seen the new Superman movie yet?

Answer: I have seen all the old movies, but I haven’t seen the new one yet.

Have you had a shower today?

Answer: Yes, I had one this morning. (The answer is in the past simple, because the shower was in the past.)

Now it’s your turn:

1 For how long have you lived in your town/city/village?

Your answer: ________________________________________________________________________

2 Since when have you worked in your current job?

Your answer: ________________________________________________________________________

3 Have you ever been to the Maldives?

Your answer: ________________________________________________________________________

4 Have you had your breakfast yet?

Your answer: ________________________________________________________________________

5 Have you checked your email today?

Your answer: ________________________________________________________________________

Check your answers at the bottom of this page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers

More answers were right. But yours should look something like these:

1 I’ve lived in [the name of your town] for 12 years. / I’ve lived in [the name of your town] all my life.

2 I’ve worked at [name of your company] since the summer. / I’ve worked at [name of your company] since 2005. / I haven’t worked in twenty years.

3 No, I’ve never been there yet. / Of course I’ve been. I was there on my honeymoon.

4 Yes, I’ve had breakfast today. / I had breakfast at 9 o’clock. / No, I haven’t had breakfast yet.

5 Sure, I’ve checked it ten times already. / No, I haven’t had time to check it.