How to use the present perfect in English?

In English, we use the present perfect to talk about actions that happened or started in the past that are important to the present moment. This is a present tenseNo definition set for tenseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., because we are focused on the situation in the present that exists because of a past event.

• I have already turned in my homework.

  → The action “turned in my homework” happened in the past.
  → We are talking about a present situation: the homework is with the teacher.
  

• She has seen this movie before.

  → The action “saw the movie” happened in the past.
  → We are talking about a present situation: She knows what happens in the movie.

In this post, we’ll introduce you to the basics of the present perfect in English. We’ll first talk about:

• how to form the present perfect

• the different ways you can use the present perfect

• when use the present perfect vs. the other ways to talk about the past in English

Let’s have a look!

To form the present perfect in English, follow this rule:

Notice that this has two pieces:Notice that this has two pieces:

• The auxiliary verbNo definition set for auxiliary verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. have / hasagreesNo definition set for agreesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:

  • I, you, we, they + have

  • he, she, it + has

  • You can shorten the auxiliary have/has like this:

    • have → ’ve

      → (I've, you've, we've, they've)

    • has → ’s

      → (he's, she's, it's, the dog's)

    Tip

    You can say the dogs’ve when speaking, but we don’t generally use this contraction in writing.

  • All of the perfect tenses use a form of the auxiliary have. Because this is the present perfect, this uses the present tense of have.

• The past participle of the main verb

  • The past participle of most verbs: root + -ed

    Tip

    Check out these spelling rules to use when adding -ed in English!

  • Many common verbs have an irregularNo definition set for irregularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. past participle form which must be memorized.

    • go → gone

    • see → seen

    • do → done

    • be → been

    Tip

    Check out this English irregular verb chart. The past participle is in the third column.

Here is how to form sentences with the present perfect:

• Affirmative sentenceNo definition set for Affirmative sentenceLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:

  • subject

    have / has

    past participle

    I have seen that movie before.

    She has read that book many times.

• Question:

  • have / has

    subject

    past participle

    Have you heard the news?

    What museums has he visited today?

• Negative sentence:

  • subject

    have / has

    not

    past participle

    We have not eaten sushi for years.

    She hasn't called her mother yet.

  Important

  In a negative sentence, there are two ways to shorten the sentence: subject + -’ve / -’s or have / has + -n’t:

  • subject + ’ve / -’s:

    I’ve not seen this movie before.

    → This is rare in America, common elsewhere.

  • have/has + n't:

    I haven’t seen this movie before.

    → Common (in America)

  You cannot use both types in the same sentence:

  ❌ I’ven’t seen this movie before

As a general guideline, we use the present perfect when an action or situation began in the past, but has an effect on the present or is ongoing at the moment of speech.

In other words, we use the present perfect to mention a past event, in a sentence that gives information about the present situation.

Let’s compare the present perfect with the past simple:

Therefore, here are the some common cases where you will use the present perfect in English:

• To announce that an action was just completed (right before you spoke):

  • I’ve finished my dinner.

    → I finished my dinner in the (very recent) past so now I am going to stand up / I am ready to clear the table / I can have dessert / etc.

  • I have just cleaned my room.

    → I cleaned my room in the (very recent) past so now I can go outside to play / I am angry that you think I did not do my chores / I’m ready to start the last chore on my list, etc.

• When a situation started in the past and is still in place:

  • I have played basketball since third grade.

    → I played in the past and now I still play basketball.

  • I have worked as a teacher for 30 years.

    → I worked as a teacher in the past and now I still work as a teacher.

  • I have been really sleepy this week.

    → I was sleepy in the past and now I am still sleepy.

  Tip

  To show that the action is still continuing, use time phrases that show duration, especially with for and since. Learn more about time markers for the present perfect below!

• When the exact time when something happened doesn’t matter to the conversation.

  • I’ve been to Detroit.

    → I was in Detroit in the past and because I know Detroit, I can give you travel advice now.

  Usually the exact time is not important because the fact that an action happened in the past helps you explain or justify the present situation or a plan for the future.

  • I’ve had COVID before.

    → I was sick with COVID in the past so now I have experience with COVID / I have some immunity / I am especially sad to have it again / etc.

  • I have gone to that restaurant many times before.

    → I went in the past so now I will go again / I can tell you about the menu / I want to go somewhere else / etc.

  • I have grown a lot in the last year.

    → I grew in the past so now I am tall enough for the roller coaster / I look very different / my grandmother will be surprised / etc.

  For this reason, we usually use the present perfect in a conversation about the present or future. Compare it with the past simple, which is used mostly in stories about the past:

  Present Perfect explaining the present or future	Past Simple story talking about the past
  She has finished her chores, so now she is watching TV	She finished her chores, then watched TV.
  Paul has run a marathon, so he will answer all your questions about how to practice!	Paul ran a marathon, but later he broke his ankle.
  Jimmy has improved his grades, so now he can join the baseball team.	Jimmy improved his grades because he wanted to join the baseball team.
  I’ve eaten my dinner, so now I am leaving for the party.	I ate my dinner before I left for the party.
  We have always done our homework before our mom asks us to do it.	We always did our homework before our mom asked us to do it.

• In questions and negatives when an opportunity is still unfinished

  Here are some examples in questions:

  Past Simple finished opportunity	Present Perfect unfinished opportunity
  Did you try the potatoes? → The meal is finished.	Have you tried the potatoes? → The meal started, but is not finished.
  Who did you meet at the conference? → The conference is finished.	Who have you met at the conference? → The conference started, but is not finished.
  What did you do in Nashville? → The trip is finished.	What have you done in Nashville? → Your visit started, but is not finished.

  And here are some examples in negative sentences:

  Past Simple finished opportunity	Present Perfect unfinished opportunity
  She didn’t take the A-Train today. → The chance to take the train today is over.	She hasn’t taken the A-Train today. → So far, she did not take the A-train, but she has more chances today.
  I didn’t feed my dog. → Dinnertime came, then ended, and I did not feed my dog.	I haven’t fed my dog. → My dog is still hungry, but I can still feed him.
  Johan wasn’t fired. → The chance to fire Johan came and then ended and he still had a job.	Johan hasn’t been fired. → Johan still has a job, but maybe he will still be fired in the future.

Those are the most common uses of the present perfect! Let’s have a look at the time markers for the present perfect.

The main time markers to use with the present perfect are given below. Pay attention to where they show up in the sentence!

• for + amount of time: tells us the amount of time between when the action or situation started and now.

  • I have worked here for three years.

    → I started 3 years ago, now I still work here.

  Tip

  When we use for we understand that the action or situation continued for the whole time. If it is a short action, this can mean that the action repeats:

  I have jumped for five minutes.

  → I jumped up and down over-and-over from five minutes ago until now.

• all + time frame word: This tells you how long an action or situation continued for before now.

  A “time frame word” is a noun for a specific amount of time. For example: week, month, year, afternoon, semester, etc. When we use a time frame word with the present perfect, we assume that time frame must include “now”

  • She has slept all day.

    → She did not wake up from the start of the current day until now. 😴

  • Has she studied all semester or only for a few weeks?

    → Has she studied from the start of the current semester until now…? 😅

• always: the action or situation started at the earliest possible time (e.g. the beginning of someone’s life), and continues now.

  • I have always worked here.

    → My first job was here and I still work here.

  Tip

  When we use always with a shorter action, it means the action was a regular habit for the whole time:

  I have always cleaned my room.

  → From the time I was able to clean my room, I did it regularly.

• since + moment in the past gives us a starting point for the period of time you are looking at.

  • When describing a situation or an action that takes a long time, we understand that the action or situation started at the beginning of this time and continues now. This is the more common use:

    • I have worked here since 2019.

      → I began in 2019 and continue to work here now.

    • I haven’t won a race since last year.

      → I won last year, but did not win between last year and now.

  • With an action that happens more quickly, we can also understand that it just happened at some point during that time. This is uncommon though:

    • I have seen my mom since her birthday.

      → Between my mom’s birthday and now, I saw her at least once.

    Important

    Many English learners confuse for and since! Remember this difference:

    • since + moment in the past:

      • …since 3 pm…

      • …since you arrived…

    • for + amount of time:

      • …for 2 hours…

      • …for the duration of the concert…

• this + time frame word: tells us that we are looking at the time between the beginning of the current day/month/hour/semester/etc. and now.

  • I have been to the pool this week.

    → I went to the pool between the beginning of the current week and now.

  • I haven’t won a race this year.

    → I did not win a race between the beginning of the current year and now.

  Tip

  Use today and tonight instead of ❌ this day and ❌ this night.

• before: This tells us that we are looking back between now and the earliest possible time (the beginning of someone’s life or the beginning of something’s existence).

  • This building has been repaired before.

    → …at some time after it was built.

  • Has John gone to Nashville before?

    → …at any time after his birth.

• ever: Has the same meaning as before but is only used in questions and negatives

  • Has John ever been to Nashville?

    → …at any time after his birth.

  • John hasn’t ever been to Nashville.

    → …at any time after his birth.

• never: This tells us we are looking at the same time frame as before, but that you are saying it did not happen in that time frame. Use never in positive sentences only.

  • This building has never been repaired.

    → …not at any time, even until now

• just: This tells us that the action happened very recently:

  • Mary has just left the office.

    → Only a few moments before now, Mary left the office.

• already: this marker tells us the action happened earlier than expected:

  • Peter has already written the report.

    → We expected the report tomorrow, but Peter finished it yesterday.

• still: In the present perfect, this is mostly used with negative sentences. It says that when we expected something to happen sooner. We are surprised (and maybe worried or angry) that it did not happen sooner.

  • John still hasn’t called us!

    → We expected to call before now, and are surprised that he did not.

• yet: This is only used in negative sentences and questions, when something might have happened before now.

  • John hasn’t called us yet.

    → We expected that John might call before now, but he did not.

  • Has John called you yet?

    → We expected that John might call before now, did he?

And there you have it: the English present perfect! Not as bad as you feared, I hope! Just make sure to remember these main points:

• To form the present perfect: have / has + past participle

• Use the present perfect to talk about a past action that caused the present situation, or in these specific situations:

  • The past action just finished

  • The time of the past action is not important, because we are using the past action to explain or justify the present

  • A past situation is still in place

  • In questions and negatives, the opportunity is still unfinished

• And finally, we covered the following time markers for present perfect actions:

  • for + amount of time

  • since + moment in the past

  • all + time frame word

  • this + time frame word

  • ever

  • already

  • never

  • still

  • always

  • before

  • just

  • yet

Now, are you ready to practice? Check out our English present perfect activities! Best of luck!