Present Perfect. Time Present Perfect

I was constantly confused about English tenses, and it was very difficult for me to understand in what cases to use this unfortunate Present Perfect. Today I will try to explain as clearly and simply as possible in what cases it is necessary to use the Present Perfect, and not some other English tenses.

Uncertain time in the past

We use the Present Perfect to say that an event happened at an unspecified point in the past. That is, we do not say when exactly this happened. We only say that it happened in the past. It is not necessary to name a specific time. You cannot use the Present Perfect with expressions such as yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, and so on. And with expressions that do not name a specific moment in time, the Present Perfect should be used. These are expressions ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, and so on.

Let's look at a few examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.(I've seen this movie 20 times).

I think I have met him once before.(I think I met him once).

There have been many earthquakes in California.(There have been many earthquakes in California).

People have traveled to the Moon.(People have flown to the moon).

People have not traveled to Mars.(People didn't go to Mars).

Have you read the book yet?(Haven't you read this book yet?)

Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.(No one has ever climbed that mountain.)

A: Has there ever been a war in Russia?(Has Russia ever had a war?)

B: Yes, there has been a war in Russia.(Yes, there was a war in Russia).

Note that none of the examples specified a specific point in time.

Still, such a formulation as “uncertain point in time” may not be clear to you. Let's then divide the use of the Present Perfect by topic.

1. Mentioning someone's experience

You can use the present perfect tense when talking about your experience. This is the same as the phrase " I have the experience of…“Accordingly, if you have not had a similar experience to this day, you can say so using the same tense. However, you cannot mention a specific event using the Present Perfect.

I have been to France.(This means that you have had experience in France. Perhaps you have been there once, or perhaps several times).
I have been to France three times.(You can put “times” at the end of the sentence as many times as you like).
I have never been to France.(This states that you have no experience of traveling to France.)
I think I have seen that movie before. I've seen this movie before (You've already had this experience).
He has never traveled by train. He has never traveled by train (no such experience)
Joan has studied two foreign languages. Joan learned two foreign languages. (She knows them now).
A: Have did you ever meet him?(Have you met him?)
B: No, I have not met him.(No, I haven’t.)

2. Changes that have occurred over a certain period of time

You have grown since the last time I saw you.(You've grown since I last saw you.)
The government has become more interested in arts education.(The state has become more interested in arts education.)
Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.(Japanese has become a popular language in universities since the advent of Asian studies programs.)
My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.(I have improved my English noticeably since moving to Australia.)

3. Achievements

The Present Perfect is used when we mention the achievements of a person or humanity. But we don’t name a specific moment.

Man has walked on the Moon.(Man landed on the moon.)

Our son has learned how to read.(Our son learned to read.)

Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.(Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.)

Scientists have split the atom.(Scientists split the atom.)

4. An event that we are waiting for has not yet occurred

By using the present incomplete tense we mean that we are waiting for some event to happen.

James has not finished his homework yet.(James didn't finish his homework.)

Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.(Susan has not yet become an expert on Japanese language, but can communicate.)

Bill has still not arrived. (Bill hasn't arrived yet.)

The train hasn't stopped.(The train did not stop.)

5. Multiple actions at different times

We use the Present Perfect when talking about events that happened several times in a different time in past. The use of this particular time indicates that the process has not yet ended and may happen again.

For example:

The army has attacked that city five times.(The army attacked the city several times.)

I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.(I had four quizzes and five tests this semester.)

We have had many major problems while working on this project.(We had a lot of big problems while working on the project.)

She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.(She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but no one knows what is wrong with her.)

Expressing time with the Present Perfect

Let me remind you once again that the use of the Present Perfect characterizes some time in the past. It is not so important to name any exact moment in time. Sometimes we want to limit the period of time in the past when talking about our own or someone else's experiences.

For example:

Have were you to Mexico in the last year? Have you been to Mexico at least once in the past year?

I have seen that movie six times in the last year. Behind Last year I watched this movie 6 times.

They have had three tests in the last week. They had 3 tests last week.

She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far. She graduated from university less than three years ago. During this time she worked for three different companies.

My car has broken down three times this week. This week my car broke down 3 times.

IMPORTANT NOTICE. "Last year" And "in the last year" have different meanings. "Last year" means "last year", which is a specific point in time, so the Past Simple is used. “in the last year” is 365 days ago, that is, on any of these days. This does not imply a specific point in time, which is why the Present Perfect is used.

I went to Mexico last year. I went to Mexico last year (a year ago).

I have been to Mexico in the last year. I have been to Mexico on at least one of the 365 days between now and last.

Duration from past to present

Relevant for verbs that do not form an ing form (non-continuous verbs), as well as for mixed verbs. In this case, we use the Present Perfect to denote events that began in the past and are still ongoing. “For five minutes,” “for two weeks,” and “since Tuesday” are all expressions that can be used with the present perfect tense.

I have had a cold for two weeks. I've been sick with a cold for two weeks. I got sick in the past, but I still continue to get sick.

She has been in England for six months. She has been in England for 6 months. She arrived last year and hasn't left yet.
Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl. Mary has loved chocolate since childhood.

Sometimes verbs that form ing forms can be used with the Present Perfect: For example, the verbs “live,” “work,” “teach,” and “study.”

25.12.2014

For many who study English, time PresentPerfect instills fear and confusion. And all because in the Russian language there is no such verb tense.

In fact, there is nothing scary about this time and you shouldn’t be afraid of it.

In today's article I will talk about the formation and use of the Present Perfect in English, and I hope that you will be able to “make friends” with this unusual tense of the English verb.

Let's first consider in what cases this time should be used.

Using the Present Perfect

The fact is that the Present Perfect expresses an action that began in the past and was completed at the time of speech.

The duration of action is not important to us; it is not indicated. What is important to us is the result of this action or the very fact of its commission.

Often, time markers help us determine that this is exactly the case: just, already, yet, recently, lately etc.

For example:

• Jane has already read this book. - Jane had already read this book (before the moment they started talking about it).
• We haven’t seen each other recently. - IN Lately we haven't met.

When we talk about a repeated action between the past and the present, the use of the Present Perfect is more relevant than ever:

• I have visited Rome 3 times. - I've been to Rome three times.
• We have eaten at this restaurant many times. - We have eaten at this restaurant many times.

Also, the Present Perfect or present perfect tense can describe an action that began in the past and continues in the present. Eg:

• They have known each other for 3 years. - They have known each other for 3 years.
• I have studied English since childhood. - I studied English since childhood.

In the case where the period in which the action occurred has not yet ended, and can be indicated by the words today, this week, this month, this year, we also use the present perfect tense. Let's look at examples:

• Ellie has written 20 articles this month. - Ellie wrote 20 articles this month.
• My sister has finished painting her room this week. This week my sister finished painting her room.

And the last rule for using the Present Perfect: when we talk about our experience to date. Eg:

• Have you ever been to London? - Have you ever been in London?
• He has never been to Japan. - He has never been to Japan.
• We have never spent so much time together. - We have never spent so much time together.

In this case, the following adverbs of time are used: ever, never, so far,uptonow, untilnow.

We must not forget that in sentences with PresentPerfectTense there cannot be precise time indicators, like yesterday, 5 years ago, last summer,at 3 o’ clock and so on. The Past Simple would be appropriate here.

Education Present Perfect

Now let's look at how the simple perfect tense is formed in English.

The scheme is quite simple: have/has + past participle/V-ed.

This means that you need to take the verb have or has, depending on the person performing the action and add a semantic verb to it in the form of the past tense, that is, add an ending -ed, if the verb is correct, or select the appropriate form from the third column of the table if the verb is irregular.

You can see the table of irregular verbs in the article The Past Simple: how it is formed and when it is used. This table should be memorized.

Below you will see an example of the formation of an affirmative, negative and interrogative sentence in the Present Perfect with with the correct verb work- work.

Accordingly, the particle not helps to form a negative sentence and is placed after the verb have/has.

They can also be shortened: have+ not= haven’ t; has + not = hasn't’ t. Eg:

• I haven’t asked you to come and yell at me. “I didn’t ask you to come and yell at me.”
• It hasn’t stopped raining until today. “It hasn’t stopped raining until today.”

To form a general question, move have/has to the beginning of the sentence:

• Have you cleaned the room yet? - Have you already cleaned the room?
• Has she bought that dress? - Did she buy that dress?

If you want to ask a question to a specific member of the sentence, put have/has after the question word, then comes the subject, followed by the semantic verb. Examples:

• What has Zoe sent you? - What did Zoe send you?
• Why have you done that? - Why did you do that?

But remember this: if you want to know information about time (question with the word when), use Past Simple instead of Present Perfect.

• When did you come here? - When did you come here?
• When did they meet? - When did they meet?

To practice the Present Perfect tense in everyday life, mentally pronounce the actions you just did, for example: I have just read this article.My friend has already shared it to our group.

See you soon!

Not everything is in foreign language manages to master it the first time. This is especially true for grammar rules, of which there are many in English. More than once, students, in their quest to master a foreign language, have to return to the same topic and analyze it again and again. Today we propose to consider the aspect of the perfect present tense, and to do this not only from the theoretical side, but also in close tandem with practice. For each rule we give present perfect examples, which will act as a visual example. Thanks to the methodical development of structures, knowledge of the rules will be absorbed subconsciously; all that remains is to consolidate it with training exercises.

In order to understand the significance of this aspect, it is necessary to rethink the Russian approach to the tense system. In our speech, completed actions automatically refer to the past. In English, it is not the fact of completion that is important, but the relevance of the action. Therefore, the perfect can be in the past, in the present and in the future.

The present perfect includes those actions the result of which is relevant to this moment. Accordingly, the events of this aspect:

• were completed quite recently;
• happened once, but the result appeared only now;
• express everyday experience;
• are long-term (started in the past, are happening now and will continue in the future).*

*The last paragraph uses verbs that cannot be used in meaning with the Perfect Continuous, or can be used equally in both tenses.

Let's move on to mastering meanings in practice, which the next section will help us with.

Present perfect example sentences

Predicates in this form are grammatical constructions consisting of two elements. Let us examine in detail each type of sentence in the present perfect.

Statement

Affirmative phrases that carry a positive result of an action are formed using the auxiliary have and the past participle. Moreover, the auxiliary verb has different forms: for the 3rd person singular. (he, she, it) – has, for everyone else – have. Let us derive a generalized diagram.

Nick(1)has(2) bought(3)anewdressforme(4) - Nick bought me a new dress.

This is the basic form from which other types of utterances are derived. To practice it, we will give examples of 10 affirmative sentences with translation in the present perfect.

• They have finished theprojectA-20 thisweek– They completed the A-20 project this week.
• I have used thiscomputersince2010 – I have been using this computer since 2010.
• She has lived in England for three months –ShelivedVEngland 3months.
• We have just cooked potatoes with vegetables –We just cooked potatoes and vegetables.
• You have already been in Prague –YoualreadywereVPrague.
• I have seen a koala in the local zoo three times. It has always slept – I saw a koala at the local zoo three times. SheAlwayssleeping.
• They have owned this building since they bought it in 1999 –TheyownthisbuildingWiththosesince thenHowboughthisin 1999year.
• He has always liked such films –To himAlwayslikedsuchmovies.
• We have never flown byamilitaryplane– We have never flown on a military plane.
• It is the first time she has painted someone's portrait –Shefirstdrewwhose-Thatportrait.

Please note that present perfect phrases are translated into Russian using both perfect verbs and imperfect constructions.

Negation

The particle not is responsible for the negative result of an action, as in all English aspects. Once it is added to the corresponding form of have, the affirmative statement turns into a negation.

Children(1) have not (2) done (3) their homework yet (4) – ChildrenmoreNotdonemyhomework.

Much more often, both in colloquial speech and in writing, the abbreviations haven’t/haven’t are used.

• He hasn't been in Africa for five months –HeNotwasVAfrica 5months.
• I haven 't feed mydogyet– I haven’t fed my dog ​​yet.
• We haven't packed our suitcases –WeNotpackedoursuitcases.
• She hasn't been seen her best girlfriend for many years –SheNotsawmythe bestgirlfrienda lot ofyears.
• You haven 't passed thisexam– You failed this exam.

Being derived from statements, negative sentences are not fraught with complexity. The only thing worth mentioning is that if the expression contains negative adverbs, then the second negation (not) is no longer placed, because There cannot be two negatives in a sentence in English!

• She has never played football– She never played football.
• She hasn't 't played footballthisweekShe didn't play football this week.

Keep this rule in mind when using negative adverbs.

Questions

To create a general question, you need to perform a syntactic rearrangement of the verb have, moving it to the beginning of the phrase.

Has(1) she (2) answered(3) all your questions already (4)? – ShealreadyansweredonAllyoursquestions?

• Have you ever cooked a Caesar salad? –YouWhen-somedaypreparedsaladCaesar?
• Have they gone to the city’s museum two times? –Did they go to the city museum twice?

Such questions can be answered using brief constructions Yes, shehas/wehave or No, shehasn't't/wehaven't. In place of she/we, any pronoun corresponding to the statement is inserted.

Alternative questions that provide a choice of two indicated options require a more precise answer. Outwardly, they are similar to general questions, but have an additional (alternative) part, attached by the conjunction or.

• Have you been friends since 2004 or since 2005? –Yoube friendssince 2004of the yearorsince 2005?
• Has she studied Japanese or Chinese for 7 years? –ShesevenyearsteachesJapaneselanguageorChineselanguage?

When using special question words, general proposals temporarily the present perfect changes its construction, skipping forward significant words.

• Where has he bought such a dictionary? –WhereHeboughtsuchdictionary?
• How long have we known each other? –How long have we known each other?
• A separate type of special combinations is a question for the subject.
• Who has written is it on the blackboard? –WhowroteThisonblackboard?
• Who has just used mysmartphone? – Who just used my smartphone?

By the way, to answer this question they can use short phrases: Ihave, shehas and so on.

carry a special emotional connotation interrogative sentences with a negative construction. They are used only in colloquial speech.

• Hasn 't he called hismotheryet? “Hasn’t he called his mom yet?”
• Haven 't I told themaboutthatsituation? “Didn’t I tell them about that situation?”

And the last view - dividing questions. At first glance, they look like statements, but if you look closely, you can identify a question tail with a pronoun and the verb have. It is noteworthy that the additive will always be opposite in meaning to the main phrase.

• You have played basketball this week, haven't you? – YouplayedVbasketballonthisweek,isn't itNo?
• She has ridden an elephant, hasn't she? – She rode an elephant, didn't she?
• They haven 't been inthejungle, have they ? “They weren’t in the jungle, were they?”
• Jack hasn't 't visited you, has he ? “Jack hasn’t visited you yet, has he?”

So, we have considered all possible types of perfect present in statements various types. Before moving on to the exercises, let’s summarize the information received and remember once again what grammatical constructions of the present perfect and example sentences can be found in the speech of native Englishmen.

Statement		Negation
We have had this cat for 10 years already. We've had this cat for 10 years.		She hasn't cooked a cake this week. She didn't make a cake this week.
Questions
General	Alternative		Special
Have they seen this performance? They watched thisplay?	Has he bought a scooter or a bicycle? Did he buy a scooter or a bicycle?		When have we been in Berlin? When were we in Berlin?
To the subject	Negative		Dividing
Who has opened the door? Who opened the door?	Haven't they gone to the club? Didn't they go to the club?		She has read this book, hasn't she ? She read this book, didn't she?

After studying Past, Present and Future Simple, this topic will seem very complex and incomprehensible. As soon as you translate this time into Russian, panic begins. How can one time unite the past and the present? This is precisely the essence of this time. Let's look at the simplest example:

I have broken my leg. - I broke my leg.

As you can see, the speaker does not give an exact date and time, but simply talks about the fact that in the past he broke his leg and is currently in a cast.

Present Perfect (present perfect tense) is formed thanks to verb have, which appears as an auxiliary verb and a perfect participle. These are the forms that are located in the 3rd column of irregular verbs.

Have (has) + V3.

If you carefully examine the formula, it becomes clear that the past participle is an unchanged part in the sentence, but have (has) will change depending on the person and number of the speaker. In any tense, including the Present Perfect, the rules must be taught in such a way that you can remember them at any time. If you memorize the above diagram, then no problems will arise in solving the exercises. But we shouldn’t stop at one scheme, so let’s move on.

Present Perfect: rules and examples

This time marks the action that has completed at the time of the story. The difficulty of perceiving the Present Perfect tense is that when translating a sentence into our language, verbs indicate the past tense. You should not miss the point that the verbs being translated refer to the present tense, since they are connected with the result of the action performed. Based on this, it is concluded that the action in the Present Perfect was performed in a certain period of time, which is not indicated in the sentence and is not so important.

All rules concerning the Present Perfect state that in this time it is strictly forbidden to use words indicating a specific past time:

At that moment;

Such time adverbials are used only in the Past Simple. But in the Present Perfect, the rules allow the use of helping words that indicate this time:

Many or several times;

Eg:

I have run into him several times in the summer camp. “I ran into him several times at summer camp. (That is, the speaker saw the person, but does not name a specific date and time).

It is worth noting that the rules characteristic of the Present Perfect are most difficult for beginners to learn English. Let's try to understand them in more depth.

When is this tense used?

This tense expresses the following concepts:

I have been to Italy.

Here the speaker means that he has already been to Italy. This means he has experience traveling to this country.

2. Changes that occurred over a period of time.

He has grown a beard since the last time I saw him.

This example shows an action that occurred in a certain period of time. The speaker did not see the other person for a certain period of time, and by the time they met, the other person had already grown a beard. In such sentences, the second verb is used in the Past Simple (saw) form.

3. Achievements.

Our son has learned to play piano.

This sentence indicates the guy’s achievements, but at what time he achieved this is not indicated.

4. Unfulfilled but expected action.

Nick has not arrived yet.

That is, the process is still ongoing and is awaiting completion. The sentence is about a guy who at the time of the dialogue has not yet arrived, but soon he will arrive and the process will be completed. pay attention to the last word yet. At the beginning of studying the topic, it was said that the Present Perfect tense has its own helper words. This word is one of them. It already serves as a signal that this sentence refers to Present time Perfect Tense.

5. Several actions in the past.

The team has led the game 5 times so far.

IN in this example It is clear that the team’s games have been played 5 times so far, but at the time of the story it is still continuing the game.

In the Present Perfect tense, the rules allow the use of the following tense adverbials:

This week (month).

Present Perfect or Past Simple

Present Perfect, Past Simple - the rules for using these tenses are completely different. If in the first case the action that occurred has a connection with the present time, then in the second there is no connection. In the Past Simple the auxiliary verb is did, and in the Present Perfect it is have or has. In the first case, time plays no role. What is important here is the result or the fact that the action was completed. In the second, only the time when the action occurred is important.

Below are examples of the use of these tenses:

Present Perfect Continuous Simple. Rules of use

Present Perfect Continuous Simple implies a certain process that began in the past and is still ongoing at the time of the story. To put it simply, this is an action that began in the past tense and by the time of the conversation has either just ended or is still in progress.

How is the Present Perfect Continuous Simple formed?

Affirmative sentences:

I have been reading.

Interrogative sentences:

Have I been reading?

Negative Suggestions:

I have not/haven’t been reading.

To indicate this time, you need to put the verb to be in the Present Perfect (have been or has been). Then the participle is added to it. To get it you need to initial form words add the ending -ing.

Cases when this tense is used:

1. The process began in the past and by the time of the conversation is not completed, but continues.

2. An action that began in the past lasted a certain amount of time, and by the time of the conversation it had already ended.

Even though it's quite complex topic, don't give up. English grammar is not “Chinese grammar”. You just need to be careful when studying this topic, analyze examples, perform exercises of varying complexity, and remember the rules. Only then will you be able to master the entire grammar of the English language.

It is necessary to learn to recognize and use another tense of the group Perfect - The Present Perfect Tense - present perfect tense. The very name “perfect” speaks for itself - the action has been completed, completed.

For example: He has passed his exam. He passed the exam. That is WhatWith did you do? - passed, completed ( but not what did you do? - handed over).

Present Perfect Tense is used:

to express an action that has taken place to date and the result of which is known. e.g. I have just talked to my wife. I just talked to my wife.

1. in order to show that an action began in the past and lasted until the present moment e.g. 1)I have had a cold for a week. I've had a cold for a week now. 2) She has been at home for 10 minutes. She's home for 10 minutes. 3) Ann has loved apples since she was a little girl. Anya has loved apples since childhood.

to describe experience e.g. He has been to Spain. He visited Spain.

in order to show changes that have occurred over a period of time e.g. The government has become more interested in higher education. The government has become more interested in higher education.

to describe achievements (without specifying a specific time in the past) e.g. Our daughter has learned how to write. Our daughter learned to write. Doctors have cured many deadly diseases. Doctors have found cures for many deadly diseases.

Marker words For Present Perfect Tense:

ever- ever, in any situation, in any case e.g. Have you ever heard about it?-Have you ever heard of this?

never - never e.g. She's never been to Mexico.— She has never been to Mexico.

recently- recently; the other day, recently. e.g. He’s been ill quite often recently.— He has been getting sick often lately.

lately- recently, recently e.g. I haven’t received any letters from him lately.

just- just now. more recently e.g. The taxi has just arrived.— The taxi has just arrived. IMPORTANT!!! With an adverb just now just now used e.g. I saw them just now. I just saw them.

alread y - already e.g. We've already told you what happened.- We already told you what happened.

yet- not yet, still (in interrogative and negative sentences) e.g. He hasn’t seen the film yet.— He hasn’t watched this film yet.

for- during, in continuation e.g. We've known each other for half a year.- We've known each other for six months.

since- since then e.g. I have held two jobs since I graduated.- I have changed two jobs since I graduated.

this week- this week, this month- this month, this year- this year, provided that they indicate more unexpired periods of time. e.g. I haven’t seen her today. I haven't seen her today.

To make sentences in Present Perfect Tense, you need to know, namely, their third form (Past Participle)

THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Present perfect tense

Affirmative form Present Perfect Tense
+

Question form Present Perfect Tense

Structure
	you(you you) we(We) they(They)	V3/Ved?
	he(He) she(she) it(it)
Examples		Translation
– Has your mother come?		- Has your mother come? (the speaker is interested in the result)
– Have you ever been to China?		– Have you ever been to China?
– Has he done his homework?		– Did he do his homework?

Wh-?
Special questions in Present Perfect Tense

(start with special words)

Structure
		you(you you) we(We) they(They)
		he(He) she(she) it(it)
Examples		Translation
What have you learned?		What have you learned?
		Where has she been?
How has he found us?		How did he find us?
Important!!! Questions that begin with the adverb When? - when, require the use of the Past Simple rather than the Present Perfect, since such questions imply a past moment or period of time. e.g. When did you leave your country? When did you leave your country?

in Present Perfect Tense

— Who has finished this task? Who completed this task? - We have. We.

— Who has sent you this e-mail? - Who sent you this letter?

Negative form
Present Perfect Tense
—

Interrogative-negative form
Present Perfect Tense
(Speaking)
?-

Schematically the structure of the sentence in Present Perfect Tense looks like that:

+
S + have/has + V3/Ved.

?
Have/has + S + V3/Ved?

Wh - ?
Wh + have/has + S + V3/Ved?

–
S + haven’t/hasn’t + V3/Ved.

? –
Haven’t/hasn’t + S + V3/Ved?

Exercise. Watch the video and write down all the example sentences in Present Perfect Tense. Make up your own sentences in Present Perfect Tense using the written perfect forms.