How is perfect formed? Present Perfect - Present perfect tense: education, use, forms, exercises

Good day to you, dear friends! Today I will tell you about the “Real perfect tense in English." In Russian, you will not find an analogue to this grammatical structure and therefore it may seem that understanding the rules of application is not easy. But that's not true.

From this article you will learn:

Rule and examples

Perfect tenses are the third main group of verb tenses in British.

If we talk about an analogy with Russian, then we translate Perfect.

There is only one important rule to remember:

The present perfect tense in English is used only when you want to focus attention not on the action itself, but on its result.

And if the result of an action can be observed in the present, then this will be The Present Perfect Tense.

They also say that “the result is obvious.”

Let's look at examples and you will see that in practice it is easy to separate the perfect from the ordinary past:

I have already cooked breakfast. — I have already prepared breakfast.
I washed up yesterday. — I washed the dishes yesterday.

There's a noticeable difference between these two examples, isn't there? The first example is this Present Perfect. You probably noticed that although the translation sounds like an event in the past, it corresponds to the past perfect in Russian. While in the second statement we use the imperfect.

Let's state the facts

First of all, I propose to consider the rules for composing affirmative sentences in Perfect. As usual, we preserve the direct word order and reduce it to the form:

Person + predicate + object + adverbial tense.

Compare the sentences in perfect English and try to draw a conclusion:

I
He

You, of course, noticed a pattern: the predicate consists of two words: have - auxiliary, in a suitable form, and the main one, conveying the meaning of the statement, with the ending ed. In the times of the Perfect group, we always use the semantic word in the third form; in British it is called Participle II. For regular verbs it is initial + ed.

For the wrong ones - suitable value can be taken from the third column of the table irregular verbs, which is in any dictionary.

We complete tasks without errors

Often in tests and quizzes you can find exercises where you need to open the brackets and put the word in the correct tense form.

Among the proposed tasks, circumstances of time or clarifying sentences that are a consequence of the main one will help you choose Progressive. Let's practice:

Example:

She already (close) the window. – She has already closed the window.

We already (discuss) this article.
I (watch) this film, and I don’t like it.
My friend (explain) me the way and I came in time.

If you complete the task correctly, then have/has and the ending ed will appear in each line for the words in brackets.

We ask about the results

Use the present perfect tense to formulate interrogative sentences makes sense when you want to know its result, and not just “WAS IT OR NOT”.

Have you ever been in Moscow?

In this case, the scheme of the proposal corresponds to the scheme of the general question:

Helper + subject + predicate

Please note that the predicate remains unchanged - V3.

Regret or pride

Negation in the Perfect usually suggests that the speaker is sorry or proud that something did not happen. And again, what is meant is not the action itself, but the consequence:

I have never visited New-York.
She has not (hasn’t) read this book.

Have you noticed the peculiarity of constructing negation in the perfect tense? Namely, never or not can be used for negation - as in other tense groups. In the first case, the negative word is translated as a double negative “never”, but in British both of these negatives cannot be present in the same part of the statement, so we choose only one.

The Present Perfect Tense is often found in oral speech and therefore, in order to easily apply it, exercises in englishdom courses will be indispensable. Classes with a Russian-speaking teacher and native speaker. Mobile application, conversation clubs for practice. One-on-one lessons with a teacher. The cost of one lesson is 590 rubles.

In writing, indicators of our grammatical form are: already, ever, never, yet. If you come across such words in the test, you can be sure that you have a perfect conjugation in front of you.

New ones will help you determine which time group your proposal belongs to: present, past or future.

Subscribe to my blog, find even more useful articles and rules, and you will also receive as a gift, completely free, an excellent basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is Russian transcription, so even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

I was with you, Natalya Glukhova, I wish you a good day!

From the school desk, students are intimidated by the difficult to understand parts of English, which must be crammed, otherwise you will not communicate and understand the language even at a minimal level. In fact, the prim Englishmen have only three tenses, as in our great and mighty language: present, past and future. However, you should understand: each time has its own characteristics, in other words, types. In this article we will look at the present tense and its form Present Perfect Simple.

English present tense

The present tense in English has 4 types:

Present Perfect.
Present Simple.
Present Perfect Continuous.

Exercises usually help to reinforce the complexities of using these forms. It should be understood that these are not isolated rules, they have a certain system. The main thing in studying is to understand the essence of each tense, when it needs to be applied in practice in writing, and when in live conversation.

Time formula

The name of the tense form Present Perfect Simple is translated as “present perfect tense”. The perfect form is one of the most used in communication by residents of England and America, although we hear it less often in the speech of the latter. Formed this type present tense according to the following formula: auxiliary + main verb in 3rd form.

The third form for regular verbs is formed by adding and for irregular verbs there is its own form, which is usually given in dictionaries.

For example:

I have already cleaned my room. - “I have already cleaned my room” (the verb clean is correct).

He has already drunk his tea. - “He has already drunk his tea” (the verb drink is incorrect).

Thus, we can say that the present perfect tense is quite simple to form; the main thing is to know whether you are using the correct form of the verb or not.

The third part of the table in dictionary publications and textbooks contains the third form of the verb. For example: the verb be (translated as to be, to exist) has the following forms: be/was (were)/been.

Using the present perfect tense

Present Perfect Simple is used when it is necessary to express exactly the result of an action that has already been performed. With the help of this tense, attention is focused on the result and thus it is clear that the action has already been completed. We also use Simple when we talk about an action that happened in an unfinished period of time. Remember that the main thing for understanding the perfect is the connection with the present moment and the fact of completion of the action. For example: " I have already eaten watermelon." - I have already eaten melon. That is, we mean the result of the action itself, the actual result.

These two tense forms refer to the present tense, but have different meaning. Present Simple is used when talking about events that happen usually and every day. The main indicators for it are the following words: always (always), usually (usually), rarely (rarely), often (often). The Present Perfect expresses an action that has already been performed and has a certain result at the time of the speaker’s speech. Also, these two times have different formation formulas. The simple tense is used in live communication much more often than the perfect tense. He has many words - pointers, that is, words that directly say that it is necessary to use the perfect tense.

Difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple

In learning English, the question always arises: when is it necessary to use the Present Perfect, and when? Past Simple. It is necessary to understand the basic postulates of using these forms of time. The most important thing to remember: " Paste simple" - this is the past tense, it talks about those events that have already happened. "Present perfect" is the present tense, it talks about what was started earlier and has not yet been completed, or has ended, but has a relationship with today. Sometimes you can understand from the meaning of the text itself that it is the perfect that must be used. The tense should be chosen depending on what needs to be said to the speaker, based on the situation that has arisen.

Timing Rules

If the situation or time period about which we're talking about, has ended and has no connection with the present, then “Past Simple” should be used. When using Time Past Simple this may mean that the person is no longer able to carry out any action. If you do not say in more detail in a conversation about the reason for choosing this time, then you might think that the person is no longer alive.

She always loved watching TV. - “She always loved watching TV” (meaning that she doesn’t watch TV anymore because she died).

She has always loved watching TV. - “She always loved watching TV” (she loved it before and still loves it).

Etymology of the word

The word perfect comes from Latin language and is translated as “completion”, and the meaning of “perfection”, in the sense of the absence of shortcomings, acquired much later. In fact, the word perfect acquired the meaning of “flawless” by expanding its previous meaning, because something created is completed when it no longer has flaws. Perfect tenses are so called because they refer to actions that are complete relative to the present tense. For example: “I ate bread” is an action that is at the moment completed. However, not every use of the present perfect tense is associated with the idea of completion. In fact, the perfect form exists in many European languages, including in our Russian language.

English is not difficult. The rules are easy to remember and there are not many of them.

(have, has) and past participle forms: I have done, he has played. Past Participle (participle) of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending to the infinitive –ed: to invite- invite ed. When added to a verb –ed sometimes there are changes in its spelling: to stop – stopp ed. Past Participle of irregular verbs must be remembered: to tell – told – told. More about .

Abbreviated forms:

‘ve= have
's=has
haven't= have not
hasn't= has not

Using the Present Perfect

1. An action that has taken place to date, the result of which is obvious. The speaker’s emphasis is to draw the interlocutor’s attention to the result of the action taking place (there is always a connection between the past and the present).

Examples: I have lost my luggage. - I lost my luggage. (I now have no baggage - the speaker reports a specific result of an action have lost; This idea can also be expressed with the following sentence: My luggage is lost. – My luggage is lost.)
I have read a new book. - I read new book. (I have already read the book)
She has bought a new car. - She bought a new car. (she has a new car now)

2. With adverbial words denoting periods of time that have not yet expired ( today - today, this week/month/year - this week, this month/year, this afternoon - this afternoon)*

Examples: I haven't read your documents today. – I didn’t read your documents today.

3. Often with adverbs of indefinite tense ( ever - ever, never - never, already - already, yet - yet, often - often, so far - yet, until now, not yet - not yet, ever - ever)*

Examples: I 've never been there before. - I've never been here.
They haven't finished dinner yet. - They haven't finished lunch yet.

* Please note that the absence or presence of the above adverbs (3) or adverbial words (2) in a sentence is not a clear indicator present usage Perfect.

4. Always used with adverbs lately – (for/in) lately and just – just now.

Examples: They have just finished. - They just finished.
Have you heard from her lately? – Have you heard about her lately?

5. Actions performed during a certain period of time up to the present moment with verbs that do not have the Continuous form. Often used with prepositions for ( for an hour - for an hour, for two weeks - for two weeks, for a long time - for a long time) and since ( since twelve o’clock - from twelve o’clock, since 12 April - from April 12, since May - from May). More about .

Examples: I have known her mother for 10 years. – I’ve known her mother for 10 years.
He has been here since 3 o'clock. – He’s been here since 3 o’clock.

6. Never used to refer to past moments or periods of time ( yesterday - yesterday, last week - on last week, an hour ago - an hour ago, on Sunday - on Sunday, in 2005 - in 2005), with questions starting with when – When. These marker words indicate the need to use.

Examples:When did he draw this portrait? – When did he paint this portrait?
I came here an hour ago. – I came here an hour ago.

7. In circumstances subordinate clauses time and conditions ( after conjunctions when - when, while, after - after, as soon as - as soon as, if - if, until - not yet) instead to express an action that will end at a certain point in the future. Translated into Russian by the future tense.

Examples:After he has been repaired the washing machine, he'll be paid. - After he fixes it washing machine, he will be paid.
I'll come as soon as I have finished writing this letter. “I’ll come as soon as I finish writing this letter.”

Many people call present perfect time a “tautology”. And it is not surprising, because an action committed in the past is called the present. Why and why? Switching to “you” with the Present Perfect is not difficult if every nuance of use, education and special cases is analyzed and understood in detail.

Let's start our acquaintance with the presentation, let's look into the depths of this shade. Like any tense in English, Present Perfect Tense reflects the action. But its specificity is that the action has already been completed, and we see the result from it. In this situation, we do not focus on When an event occurred, we are not interested in it, doesn't matter, but we are now talking about what it entailed and what it led to. For example:

Have you found the place on the map? —Have you found this place on the map yet? (We are not interested in: how much you searched, when you started; the result - whether you found it or not)

I can't walk. I think I have sprained my ankle. - I can't go. I think I sprained my ankle. (We don’t note, we are not interested in: when I sprained it, how I sprained it; the result is that I can’t walk).

Of course, this is the main characteristic or, as it is also called, function. We will consider all cases of use and comparison below.

Education

According to the rules for the Present Perfect, we will need auxiliary verbs has/ have, and we will put the semantic one in V 3 (V ed). We remember that all English verbs are divided into regular and irregular. To form this tense, we will add the ending -ed to the regular ones, and the irregular ones have a special form that will have to be learned (3rd column of the table of irregular verbs).

With subject in 3rd person singular (if the subject is expressed by a pronoun or a noun implying: she, he, it) we use has. With everyone else - have. Negation is formed using “not”, which is placed after the auxiliary verb, and in the question have/has is interchanged with the subject. As you can see, there is no need to add or remove anything new, just some rearrangements in the sentence itself.

Short forms:

I have = I’ve, She has = she’s, we have = we’ve, they have = they’ve, you have = you’ve.

have + not = haven’t, has + not = hasn’t

Use

The present completed (perfect) tense has several uses in situations. Let's look at each one separately. All actions can be divided into completed and unfinished.

1. Action completed in the past(signal words are: already, yet, still, recently, lately, just).

If the situation ended just now (before the moment of conversation), or earlier, and it is connected with the present , then this is the very case when you should use the Present Perfect. In other words, if the result is important to you, interesting and necessary for further conversation, which serves as a starting point, then here we use the present perfect tense. The exact moment is not specified.

He has already published your poem in a local paper. — He has already published your poem in the local newspaper.

I have recently bought this bycicle, but now it is broken. — I recently bought this bicycle, but now it is broken.

To emphasize repetitive actions their repetition, with the words several times, twice. Also, this grammatical phenomenon occurs in complex qualifying sentences where ordinal numbers, superlative adjectives, and the phrase “the only” are used.

It is one of the happiest days I have ever spent with my mother. - This is one of the most happy days, which I have ever spent with my mother.

It is the only time my father has been away for holiday. - This is the only time when dad was not at the holiday.

My friends went to England again. They have been there several times. — My friends went to England again. They've been there several times already.

2. Action unfinished in the past(signal words are: this week, this year, today, this morning, since, for, never, ever).

If we want to emphasize long period of time where the action we are interested in is not completed by the time of the conversation.

He has written two books this year. — He wrote two books this year (the year is not over yet).

Have you seen Mary this morning? —Have you seen Mary this morning?

It is worth remembering that there are verbs that are not used in the Continuous (which can be read in our other article of the same name about non continuous verbs). With given state verbs We use Present Perfect instead of Present Perfect Continuous. Very often in this situation the preposition is used for , which indicates the duration of the action.

I haven’t had a holiday for 4 years. — I haven’t had a vacation for 4 years.

My parents have been married for 25 years. — My parents have been married for 25 years.

with the word "since", which indicates last time, before anything (before conversation)

She has been off work since the accident. “She hasn’t worked since she had an accident.”

with the circumstances “ever, never, always, all my life, so far” - which emphasize an indefinite period of time, incompleteness.

I have never driven a car. — I've never driven a car.

My brother has always dreamed of laptop. — My brother always dreamed of a laptop.

Have you ever gone to Italy? —Have you ever traveled to Italy?

They ate a lot yesterday but they haven’t eaten much so far today. - Yesterday they ate a lot, but today they haven’t eaten yet.

3. Quite rarely, but you can still find the Present Perfect in subordinate clauses with as soon as, before, till, until, after, when, which is used instead of the Future Perfect (in most cases it is replaced by the Present Simple, especially in colloquial speech)

We will give back your car as soon as you’ve found a new job. — We will give away your car as soon as you find a new job.

Comparison of times

We have already learned when the Present Perfect Simple is used and how it is formed (the word Simple is sometimes added, especially in English grammars, so that students do not confuse it with the Present Perfect Continuous). Everything seems to be clear. But when doing exercises and tests to formulate the required form of the verb, difficulties and mistakes often arise, and a mess forms in your head. Time table Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous, Past Simple, Past Perfect will help place emphasis on the most important differences.

Present Perfect	Present Perfect Continuous	Past Simple	Past Perfect
The result of the action is emphasized; it is noted how often, when the action was performed (how many?), the result is most often planned, since - last time	Emphasizes the duration of the action, how it proceeded; the result often appears as side effect, since — start of action
I have done my duties about the house. Now we can have a rest. — I completed all the housework. Now I'm free. She hasn’t played the piano since childhood. — She hasn’t played the piano since childhood.	I have been doing my duties about the house for 4 hours. Now I am too tired. — I did my housework for 4 hours. I'm too tired now.She hasn’t been playing the piano since I came in. “She hasn’t played the piano since I came in.”
Always talks about the present, action in the past as the engine of a new conversation, has no clear time boundaries, action is a result, life experience		Always speaks only about a past accomplished fact, the time is clearly indicated, the frame points to the past, a statement of fact, sequential actions
I have finished my work and now I am going home. — I finished work, now I’m going home.The boss has signed the documents. Can you post them at once? — The boss signed the documents. Can you send them immediately?Has the bus arrived? No, it hasn’t. — Has the bus arrived? - No.		I finished my work and went home. — I finished work and went home. The boss signed the documents and I posted them at once. — The boss signed all the documents, and I sent them immediately. Did the bus arrive yesterday? No, it didn't. — Did the bus arrive yesterday? - No.
Even if the action is completed, it must be connected with the present. IN complex sentences, the main thing is in Present.			The action was completed before a certain moment in the past, before another event, which is expressed by the Past Simple; in complex sentences the main action is in the past
I have washed my car! Look! It is clean. — I washed my car. Look. She's clean. The house is dusty Nobody has come* there for a year. — The house is dusty. No one has entered there in a year.*			I had washed my car before my mother washed. I washed my car before my mom reminded me. The house was dusty Nobody had visited there for a year. — The house was dusty. No one has entered there in a year.

Adverbs, adverbs or signal words in the Present Perfect

So, the rules for the Present Perfect don't end there. It's also worth taking a moment to pay attention "since" and "for" , which are sometimes very close in meaning and often set traps. Since is used as a starting point for when the action was last performed. Either it indicates an action that has ended, or parallel situations that lasted a certain period of time. For - with the present perfect is used to indicate how long the action took place, its entire duration:
since 8 o'clock, since 1987, since Christmas; for hours, for a week, for ages, for a long time
Just and just now in Russian they convey the meaning just now. The first does not indicate exactly when the action occurred, the second notes: “a minute ago,” “literally a second.” With just now we use Past Simple.
ever (ever) never (never - only in affirmative sentences), already (already - in affirmative, already - so soon - and questions), still (also in negative sentences), yet (still - in negative sentences, already - in interrogative sentences), lately (lately) resently (recently, for recent years, months, weeks)

Even after considering all cases of use, their features and comparison, the grammar of the present perfect requires consolidation and solid assimilation. To begin with, you should read and analyze sentences with this tense, which you can read in the article “Examples of sentences in the Present Perfect,” then move on to the tasks that you will also find on our website.

The Present Perfect is very often used both in speech and in exams, tests, in other words - everywhere. That is why it is necessary to firmly grasp the basics of one of the most important tenses of English grammar.

One of the most common difficulties in the English language for Russian speakers is the difference between Present Perfect and. Is it really that important? Is there a difference between the following sentences?

Ivan Taraskin was born in 1970.
Ivan Taraskin went to school in 1976.
Ivan Taraskin was in London 3 times.

Born, went, was- all three verbs are in the past tense. Therefore, I will use the Past Simple for all 3 sentences and at first I will be indignant when they tell me that in English they will sound like this.

Ivan Taraskin was born in 1970. (Past Simple)
Ivan Taraskin went to school in 1976. (Past Simple)
Ivan Taraskin has been to London 3 times.

Imagine if you said:

Ivan Taraskin went to London 3 times

This mistake would cost him his life! Why? Yes, because in English the past tense is used when an action cannot be repeated in the specified period of time. And in our case, it cannot happen again only if the person is no longer in the world.

Ivan Taraskin has been to London 3 times (by now he has been to London 3 times and may go there again)
Ivan Taraskin went to London 3 times (can't go there anymore)

When you want to say that you have watched (at the time of speech) 4000 films, eaten 50 kg of chocolate or met 100 people, you need to use the Present Perfect, that is, have/has(for he/she/it)+ 3rd form of the verb.

The present completed tense is a stumbling block for many English language learners. Firstly, because it is not as transparent and understandable as or . Indeed: simple time - one-time, regular simple actions; continuous time - extended, prolonged actions. But completed time is not always a completed action. Therefore, this is a frequent case when you just need to memorize the use of time.

Secondly, the time itself is called PRESENT completed, and it denotes actions in the PAST.

And thirdly, between Present perfect and there is a very fine line that must be followed.

So, let's look at each of these three contradictions separately.

1. What actions do we call complete? These are actions necessarily in the past, which were completed recently, just now, etc. That is, those actions that are relatively close to the present time. That is why it is called PRESENT completed, because it has a connection with the present and must be completed by the present moment in time.

2. As we just agreed, the present completed tense is so called because it denotes actions in the past that are in one way or another connected with the PRESENT tense:

These actions can have a tangible result or proof in the present tense: Anna has graduated from university. (Anna graduated from the university. The result is that Anna now has a diploma, you can touch it, for example).

This action is news, new information that you tell someone: The police have caught the thief. (The police caught the thief. This is news).

I have prepared for the seminar in biology. (I prepared for a seminar on biology. The result is that now I have some information on biology in my head, you can hear it).
The grandfather has painted the roof. (Grandfather painted the roof. The result is that the roof is now a different color, you can see it).
Jack has finally got his driver license! (Jack finally got his license! This is new information you tell a friend, co-worker, etc.)

3. What's the difference? between Past simple And Present perfect , if both of these tenses convey actions in the past? Schematically Past simple can be depicted like this:

Now let's see how the action is located in time space in Present perfect.

Do you see the difference? Actions in the present complete are only those that are sooooo close to the present moment in time, have a connection with it and are NOT INDICATED BY A CERTAIN TIME.

What is the structure Present perfect ? In this tense we have an auxiliary verb - have . This means that after pronouns he/ she/ it it changes to has . The main verb ends with -ed (if it is correct), or in the third form/participle form (if it is ). So it’s not in vain that our impressive list of irregular verbs is still being studied! Let's look at examples first with the regular verb:

Grandpa painted the roof. - The grandfather has painted the roof.
Grandpa didn't paint the roof. - The grandfather has not painted the roof. - The grandfather hasn’t painted the roof.
Grandpa painted the roof? - Has the grandfather painted the roof? - Yes, he has. / No, he hasn’t.

And now with the wrong one:

We bought a car (this is news). - We have bought a car.
We didn't buy a car. - We have not bought a car. - We haven’t bought a car.
Have you bought a car? - Have you bought a car? - Yes, we have. / No, we haven’t.

To consolidate the material, go through the exercise