What is the present perfect used for? Present Perfect - present perfect tense in English

Any tenses of the Perfect category indicate the perfection of the action, that the situation is complete, and not long-term or permanent. As for The Present Perfect Tense is a tense that is definitely associated with real action, as its name suggests.

general information

main feature this type of tense form is that speech is in sentences with Present Perfect refers to a completed action, the result of which has a direct connection with the current time. Very often there is a time where there is no emphasis on connections with the present, and it is based solely on the fact of the event that occurred.

Here are example sentences that show what the present looks like and is used perfect tense in English:

· You have done more than stay young; you have stayed a child - You did more than just stay young - you remained a child
· I have made you a bed upstairs, make yourself at home - I made you a bed upstairs, make yourself at home

As can be seen from these examples, the present perfect tense, as it is called in Russian transcription, is used to express not just an event that took place in the past, but reflects the result of a completed action that is relevant now.

Education Present Perfect

The present completed tense often causes difficulties for those who are still at the learning stage in English, because here several nuances come into force, which are extremely important to take into account. Firstly, the Present Perfect is necessarily formed using auxiliary verbs. These are auxiliary verbs such as have and has (the latter is used only for third person pronouns used in the singular - he, she, it). Secondly, this verb in the present perfect tense is followed by a main verb, which is in the form Past Participle, or Participle II (popularly the third form of the verb). It is important to navigate the list here irregular verbs, but for the correct ones everything is simpler, because the ending –ed is simply added to the word.

Therefore, the classic Present Perfect formula looks like this:

Have
Has + V(3) (–ed)

· I have never had a chance to meet anyone here – I have never had the opportunity to meet anyone here
· She has worked in this company for 3 years already – She has worked in this company for 3 years already

Questions and denials

Interrogative sentences

here they are formed with the same auxiliary verbs have and has, which in a general question, that is, in one to which the answer can be “yes” or “no,” are in the original position:

· Have you already finished your course work? – Have you finished your coursework yet?
· Has he just returned from his trip? – Has he just returned from his trip?

Special questions

at the beginning of which there is question word like when, why, how, etc., are formed according to a similar principle, with the only difference being that these interrogative words occupy the initial position:

· How long has she been here? – How long has she been here?
· Why has he written so many articles today? – Why did he write so many articles today?

Present Perfect formula in a negative sentence

practically no different from the affirmative form. Here the grammar provides for the simple use of the particle not after the auxiliary verb, where have not = haven’t, hasn’t = has not. Negation looks like this:

· I haven’t completed my daily report yet – I have not yet completed my daily report
· He still hasn’t brought us money - He still hasn’t brought us money

Note: the rule provides for the use of this tense in special interrogative and negative constructions with the inclusion of the phrase “ever”, where the Present Perfect time markers used are the adverbs ever or never:

· Have you ever been to Bangkok? – Have you ever been to Bangkok?
· I have never seen such a beautiful landscape! – I have never seen such a beautiful landscape!

Using the Present Perfect

The use of the Present Perfect is typical for the following situations:

1. Completed action

In order to display a completed action, which has a clear echo in the present tense and, unlike the simple tense, is used to express completeness. Companions of the Present Perfect in such situations are specific adverbs already, ever, never, yet (typical for interrogative and negative sentences, where its frequent position is at the end of the phrase), just, for (shows the duration of the action), as well as those time frames which show that the action is not yet completed (this year, today, etc.).

· He hasn’t called me for ages – He hasn’t called me for ages
· We have already found out the latest news – We have already found out last news
· I have done much this year - This year I have done a lot (in the sense that the year is not over yet)

Note: in the Present Perfect just, this is one of the markers that translates as “just now.” But if the construction just now is used, then it is typical to use the Past Simple, despite the fact that the translation will be identical:

· I have just cooked breakfast - I just cooked breakfast
· I cooked breakfast just now - I just cooked breakfast

Note: the so-called American English, tightly integrated into modern life, very often does not provide for the use of the Present Perfect even in such obvious situations when there are special helpers in the form of adverbs or there are other factors regulating the use of the Perfect. In this version, the perfect is ignored, although classical grammar does not approve of this:

I have lost my key – I lost my key (I lost the key)

2. With the preposition “since” + Past Simple

The situation deserves special attention when with the Present Perfect since, the preposition, which is translated as “from”, “from the moment”, is used in the same sentence together with. With this sense, the construction of the sentence is constructed as follows:

I haven’t seen her since I left for Sydney – I haven’t seen her since I left for Sydney

In this example, the first part of the sentence uses the Present Perfect, and the second uses the Past Simple. Very often in such sentences it is recommended to look for the so-called starting point, i.e. the action from which it all began. In this example, this is the part “since I left for Moscow.” Using Perfect here it is relevant for the reason that the action is performed (or not performed from then until now, which shows the result to date). In the Present Perfect, examples of such situations are not uncommon, and the English language in this case provides a well-founded reason for such use.

3. In subordinate tenses

The use of this tense is also typical for those cases when the perfect is part of subordinate parts time. The present perfect marker words in this case are the same as in (Conditional I): these are conjunctions unless, when, as soon as, before, after, etc. The main feature here is that the emphasis is on the completeness of the event, and not on its fact. Present Perfect sentences here could be as follows:

· I will not call him until you have told me everything - I won’t call him until you tell me everything
· They will come as soon as I have finished my work - They will come as soon as I finish work

Note: There is an exception to this rule. Provided that if the verbs in the Present Perfect here belong either to the category of movement (arrive, come, return, etc.) or sensory perception, then using the present perfect tense with them is undesirable; it would be correct to put the usual Present Simple, more often used in a conditional sentence first type:

· I will be glad when he comes - I will be glad when he comes
· She will get in a fury when she hears my words – She will get furious when she hears my words

But even here the Present Perfect is possible when there are indicators that the speaker is deliberately emphasizing completeness and not expressively emphasizing it; the translation in this case will prove the relevance of the use of the perfect:

I will learn the poem by heart when I have heard it a few times - I will learn the poem by heart when I listen to it several times(completeness, performed several times, is expressively emphasized)

Let's sum it up

As it becomes clear from all of the above, phrases in the perfect are formed and used when there is an intention to demonstrate the completeness of an action or to display the period of time that it occupies up to the present moment. The formation scheme for Present Perfect is quite simple, although it requires memorization. Like any other type of tense form, Present Perfect Tense has very clear rules for use, so the main thing is to strictly follow all the instructions, and then this time will not cause any inconvenience.

Present Perfect is a special tense in English. It has no analogues in the Russian language. Therefore, it is not complex rules that will help you understand its construction and understand cases of use, but simple example sentences.

General information

Present Perfect tense or Present Perfect tense is one of the 12 English tense forms in the English language and belongs to the present group. It describes an action that occurred before a certain point in the past, but has a direct connection with the present. In other words, he has a special mission - to report the present result of an action that happened in the past. Not to be confused with Past Simple, which is intended to describe events that happened at a specific time in the past.

Present Perfect is translated into Russian as a verb in the past tense. It is this nuance that causes various kinds doubts and difficulties among language learners. Numerous examples of Present Perfect Simple sentences with translation will help you figure it out.

Affirmative examples Present Perfect tense

*Offer*	*Translation*
I have just drunk my first morning cup of coffee	I just had my first cup of coffee of the morning.
The train has already come to the railway station by now	The train has already arrived at the railway station by now
We have received good results before and now we are happy	We got good results earlier and are now happy
He has never been to Great Britain
They have been a little tired lately	IN Lately they are a little tired
The meeting with a famous writer has already taken place	Meeting with famous writer has already taken place
She has already achieved her purpose to become a doctor	She has already achieved her dream of becoming a doctor.
They have known one another for ages	They have known each other for many years

These examples allow us to understand the formation of the affirmative Present forms Perfect: have/has + main verb in 3rd form . The auxiliary verb has is used after he (he), she (she), it (it) . In all other cases - have . The second part of the construction can be expressed with the correct verb with ending -ed (received) or the form from the 3rd column of the table of irregular verbs (known).

Such “time markers” as already, just, lately, for ages, before, by now are clear signs tense Present Perfect. As soon as they appear on the horizon, you can safely use this temporary form.

Negation

*Offer*	*Translation*
I have not drunk my first morning cup of coffee yet	I haven't had my first cup of coffee this morning yet.
The train has not come to the railway station yet	The train has not yet arrived at the railway station
We have not received good results yet	We haven't gotten good results yet
He has not ever been to Great Britain	He's never been to the UK
They have not been tired lately	They haven't been tired lately
The meeting with a famous writer has not taken place yet	The meeting with the famous writer has not yet taken place
She has not achieved her purpose to become a doctor yet	She has not yet achieved her dream of becoming a doctor.
They have not ever known one another	They never knew each other

These examples of negative sentences in the Present Perfect show the position negative particle not (not) : she stands between have/has and the main verb in the 3rd degree. In addition, the tense indicator is most often used in negation yet (yet) , which comes at the end of the sentence. pay attention to never (never) : It is used in affirmative sentences, but with a negative meaning, since double negatives are not possible in English. And its synonym ever can be used in negative and interrogative sentences with the meaning “never”, and in affirmative sentences with the meaning “ever”.

Question

Offer	Translation
Have you just drunk your first morning cup of coffee?	Have you just had your first cup of coffee of the morning?
Has the train already come to the railway station by now?	Has the train arrived at the railway station by now?
Have they received any good results before?	Have they gotten good results before?
Has he ever been to Great Britain?	Has he ever been to the UK?
Have they been a bit tired lately?	Have they been a little tired lately?
Has the meeting with a famous writer already taken place?	Have you already met with a famous writer?
Has she already achieved her purpose to become a doctor?	Has she already achieved her dream of becoming a doctor?

It's the turn of the Present Perfect Tense - the Present Perfect Tense.

Formation of the Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb have + (third column in the table of irregular verbs)

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Pay attention to the formula for the formation of R.R.T. indicated in the table. As you can see, the Present Perfect Tense is formed with the help of a verb and a past participle, and the participle is a fixed, unchanging part of the formula, and the verb have changes depending on the person and number of the subject and acts as an auxiliary verb in a given tense.

During education interrogative form auxiliary have (has) is placed before the subject. When translating interrogative sentences, follow the established word order of the interrogative sentence: 1 – question word (for example, who? when? what?), 2 – auxiliary verb (have or has), 3 – subject, 4 – predicate (in this case, participle)

Have you ordered pizza? -Have you ordered pizza? (there is no question word, so the question begins with have)
Where has he put my glasses? – where did he put my glasses?

A question to the subject begins with the word Who?

Who has painted this picture? – who painted this picture?

When is Present Perfect Tense used?

The present perfect tense, although it belongs to the group of present tenses, denotes an action that has already happened and has completed by now. This time is used when oneself is important fact of action.

I have already bought bread - the action has already taken place, it does not matter when it happened - I have bought some bread

The action expressed by the Present Perfect is translated into Russian perfect past tense verb (What did you do?)

The time of the action is either not indicated at all, or covers a period of time that has not yet expired (that is, the period has not yet ended, but the action has already occurred ): Today ( today), this morning, afternoon or evening ( this morning/ afternoon/ evening), this week ( this week), this month ( this month), this year ( this year)

Peter has washed his car today - Peter washed the car today (still today, but the car has already been washed)
I have met her twice this week - This week I met her twice (the week is still going on, and I have already met her twice)

Often adverbs are used with the Present Perfect:

I have already finished reading this newspaper.- I have already finished reading the newspaper
Have you posted the letter yet? —Have you already sent the letter?

The adverb already in questions conveys surprise and means not “already”, but “really... already.” Compare:
Has your brother arrived yet? “Has your brother arrived yet?” And
Has your brother arrived already? “Has your brother already arrived?”
Please note that the adverb yet always comes at the end of the sentence.

The verb to be is used in the present perfect tense to mean “to visit, go, visit” and is accompanied by the preposition of direction to:

Have you ever been to London? -Have you ever traveled to London?
I have been to Japan twice - I visited Japan twice

For and Since

Verbs in the Present Perfect Tense can also denote actions that began long before the moment of speech, but have not yet ended. In this case, verbs are used with such tense adverbs as for - during and since - since (since)

In this case, the verb is translated into Russian in the present tense:

- She has known my brother for five years - She has known my brother for five years
- I’ve known her sister since 1992 - I’ve known her sister since 1992

Present Perfect or Past Simple?

In Russian, verbs in both the Past Simple and Present Perfect are translated into past tense verbs, so it is sometimes difficult for English learners to determine which tense to use in a given situation. The following table will help you understand the difference between these two English tenses more clearly:

a) The present perfect is used when describing an event that happened in the past and is relevant, significant, significant at the time of speech about it. It does not matter when this action took place. The present perfect is often used with the adverbs lately (recently), and just (just), already (already) never (ever), ever (ever), yet (yet).
Example: I have forgotten his name. – I forgot his name (and don’t remember at the moment)

b) The present perfect is used when an action has already taken place, but the period of time when it occurred has not yet expired.
Example: I have met him today. – I saw him today. (“today” has not yet expired) He has bought a new car this year. – He bought a new car this year (“this year” has not yet expired)

Formation of narrative sentences in the Present Perfect: Formed using the present tense forms of the auxiliary verb to have(have; has)

Present tense forms of the verb to have:

I	have
we	have
they	have
you	have
he	has
she	has
it	has

Word order in declarative sentence : subject + have/has + predicate ending –ed or, if the verb is irregular, then the 3rd form of the verb.
Examples: She has already come. - She has already arrived. I have just visited this supermarket. – I just visited this supermarket.

Formation of interrogative sentences in the Present Perfect: Formed using the auxiliary verb to have in the present tense forms –have; has. Word order in a special question: question word + have/ has + subject + predicate ending –ed or 3rd form of an irregular verb.
Examples: What have you done? -What did you do? Has he brought this book? - Did he bring this book?

Formation of negative sentences in the Present Perfect: The formation of negative sentences occurs using the same auxiliary verbs. After the auxiliary verb the particle not is placed.
Examples: She has not (hasn’t) come yet. - She hasn't arrived yet. I have not (haven’t) seen him. – I didn’t see him.

The Present Perfect should not be confused with the Past Simple. When using the Past Simple, one of the time indicators is usually used, indicating the moment when the event occurred.
Example: He saw her yesterday. - He saw her yesterday.

When using the Present Perfect, use any of the Present Perfect indicators - lately (recently), and just (just now), already (already) never (ever), ever (ever), yet (yet). When talking about an action that has already happened, we may not use any pointers at all. If this action or event is relevant at the moment, then the Present Perfect is used. Example: I have bought it. - I bought this.

All of the above tense forms are given here in the active voice.

Present Perfect- present perfect tense of English. This tense is used to denote events that have completed to date or have completed during the present time period. See below the rules for forming the Present Perfect, a list of auxiliary words and examples of using the present perfect tense in English.

Education Present Perfect

In affirmative sentences, the Present Perfect is formed by using the auxiliary word have (1st and 2nd person) or has (3rd person singular) and adding the ending -ed to the verb. If the verb is irregular, then the 3rd form is used - Past Participle.

Education formula:

Noun + have / has + verb with ending -ed or in 3 form

A noun and an auxiliary verb have can merge to form I’ve, they’ve, etc. Examples affirmative proposals in Present Perfect:

He has just finished playing football. — He just finished playing football.

They’ve started doing their homework already. — They have already started doing their homework.

To form a negative sentence in the Present Perfect, after the auxiliary verb, you must add the particle not. rule:

Noun + have / has + not + verb ending in -ed or 3rd form

An auxiliary verb can be combined with the not part to form have not or has not. Examples of negative sentences:

I have not seen you for years! - I haven't seen you for a long time!

She has not made her work yet. “She hasn't done her job yet.”

To form an interrogative sentence in the Present Perfect, the auxiliary verb must be placed before the sentence. rule:

Have / Has + noun + verb ending in -ed or 3rd form

Examples of interrogative sentences:

Has there ever been a war in the United States? — Was there ever a war in the United States?

Have you ever met him? -Have you ever met him?

Auxiliary words Present Perfect

When forming sentences in the Present Perfect, auxiliary words are often used. These present perfect marker words are given below:

Cases in which the Present Perfect is used

Below are various examples uses of the Present Perfect tense, which may be useful to you.
I use case: Indefinite time before the present moment

Unspecified Time Before Now

The Present Perfect is usually used to describe something that happened relatively recently and at an inopportune time. The use of the following words such as yesterday, one year ago, last week, at that moment, that day, one day and others in the Present Perfect is prohibited, since when using this tense the emphasis is placed on the experience, and not on the time when the event occurred. In this case, the use of auxiliary words is used (see table above). examples:

I have been to France. — I was in France.

I think I have met him once before. “I think I met him once.”

Nobody has ever climbed that mountain. - No one has ever climbed this mountain.

You have grown since the last time I saw you. “You’ve grown up since I last saw you.”

James has not finished his homework yet. — Jace hasn't finished his homework yet.

Have you been to Mexico in the last year? — Have you been to Mexico? Last year? ('In the last year' (as opposed to 'last year') means 'in the last 365 days', so it is an indefinite tense, requiring the use of the Present Perfect)

I have seen that movie six times in the last month. — I saw this film six times last month. (The time is indicated here, but the emphasis is on how many times a person has seen this film.)

Use case II: the action takes place to this day

Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

The Present Perfect is also used with verbs that are not continuous (Non-Continuous Verbs) or with mixed verbs (Mixed Verbs). In this case, the present perfect tense describes an action that began in the past and is still ongoing. In this case, it is typical to use phrases like for five minutes, for two weeks, since Monday and others. examples:

I have had a cold for two weeks. — I’ve had a cold for two weeks now.

She has been in England for six months. — She has been in England for 6 months.

Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl. — Mary loves chocolate since childhood.