GRAMMAR
Present Perfect Simple
The present perfect tense:
This page will present the present perfect simple:
- its form
- and its use.
You may also be interested in the present perfect continuous
The form of the present perfect simple tense:
Have (in the simple present) + Verb (in the past participle form) |
---|
Positive | Negative | Interrogative |
---|---|---|
I have worked. | I have not worked. | Have you worked? |
NOTE:
I have worked = I've worked He has worked = He's worked |
I have not = I haven't worked He has not = He hasn’t worked |
Examples:
- Have you finished the job?
- No, I haven't finished yet.
- Yes, I have already finished.
- She's just finished her job.
Remember:
1. The past participle of regular verbs is :
Rule | Examples |
---|---|
Verb + ed | play - played visit - visited finish -finished |
2. The past participle of irregular verbs can't be predicted (there is no rule .) But there is a list of irregular verbs that you have to learn by heart.
Here are some examples:
Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
---|---|---|
be come go do meet |
was/were came went did met |
been come gone done met |
The uses of the present perfect simple tense:
1. To emphasize on the result of a past action without mentioning the actual time when it happened:
Examples:
- I have met that girl before.
- We have discussed this issue a few times.
2. Action performed in a period that has not finished yet (the same day, week, month, etc.):
Examples:
- Have you seen Lacy today? (The day is not over yet.)
- I have had several tests this month. (The month has not finished yet.)
3. Action that started in the past and has continued until now. Often used with since (indicating the beginning of action) or for (indicating the duration of action):
Examples:
- They have lived here for ten years.
- I have not seen her since we left high school.
- Clare and John have known each other since they were at primary school.
4. It is used to indicate completed activities in the immediate past (with just).
Example:
- " He has just taken the medicine."
Present perfect vs past simple tense:
The use of past simple instead of present perfect requires clear reference to a past period/moment:
Present perfect | Simple past |
---|---|
I have met that girl before | I met that girl at the beach last Saturday. |
Have you seen Nancy recently? | Did you see Nancy yesterday? |
We have discussed this issue a few times. | We discussed this issue last month. |
I have had some tests this week. | I had some tests last week. |
Related materials
Present perfect continuous.Exercise on the present perfect simple and continuous.