---

We use the present perfect to talk about an action that happened in the past and has a result in the present:

• I’ve forgotten her name. (I can’t remember it now.)
• He hasn’t washed the car. (It isn’t clean now.)
• I’ve lost my phone. (I can’t find it now.)
• They haven’t finished (They’re eating now.)
• Has Linda tidied her room? (Is her room tidy now?)

To form the present perfect, we use has/have + past participle: 

Affirmative, Negative, Question and Short Forms

Affirmative	I/you/we/they’ve eaten	he/she/it’s eaten
Negative	l/you/we/they haven’t eaten	he/she/it hasn’t eaten
Question	Have l/you/we/they eaten?	Has he/she/it eaten?
Short	Yes, l/you/we/they have.	Yes, he/she/it has.
answers	No, l/you/we/they haven’t.	No, he/she/it hasn’t.
Affirmative	I/you/we/they’ve eaten	he/she/it’s eaten

• To form the past participle of regular verbs, we add -ed to the verb:
  • play -> played
  • live -> lived

Affirmative, Negative, Question Forms

Positive			Question			Negative
I	have ('ve)	finished.	Have	I	finished?	I	have not (haven't)	finished.
We				we		We
You				you		You
They				they		They
He	has ('s)		Has	he		He	has not (hasn't)
She				she		She
It				it		It

USE

• The present perfect describes the indefinite past:

I've been to Paris.

I've seen this film before.

They've met my parents.

• The past is indefinite because the time it happened is not important, or because we do not know when it happened. Note the difference between:

I went to Paris last year, (definite time - past simple)

I've been to Paris, (at some time in my life - indefinite time - present perfect).

• The present perfect is often used to describe personal experience:

I've been to Berlin.

She's met a lot of famous people.

I've heard this music before.

• The question form is often Have you ever ...? (= in your life?)

Have you ever been to Paris?

• The present perfect is not used with past time words (last night, yesterday, in 1984, etc). It is not possible to say I've seen him yesterday.

 

Note the difference between:

She's gone to Sweden. (= and she's there now)

She's been to Sweden. (= but she isn't there now)

Meaning One Example

Example 1	William: “Have you travelled much Tina?“ Tina: "Yes, I've visited over 10 countries in Europe. But I haven't visited the USA yet. That is next on my list.
Explanation	Note: The words in bold indicate the present perfect. This meaning shows that Tina has visited all these countries in her life up to now (the present day). She will visit more countries in the Future, but up to today, she has visited over 10 in Europe. Think of this meaning as in my life up to now.

Meaning Two Example

Example 2	Robert has eaten so much food today. He has had two burgers, half a pizza and a huge slice of cake.
Explanation	Note: The words in bold indicate the present perfect. This meaning shows that you have done something over a period of time (today) up until now. Robert has eaten all this food so far today. He will eat more, but so far he has eaten this much.

Meaning Three Example

Example 3	This is really scary. I’ve never driven before. This is the first time I've ever driven a car!
Explanation	Note: The words in bold indicate the present perfect. This meaning shows that it's the First time you have done something in your life. This person is driving a car for the first time ever. Never = not in my life. Ever = in my life.

Positive Structure

l/we/you/they + have + past participle verb (eaten, gone, driven, lost etc.)

He/she/it + has + past participle verb

Example:

I have eaten many kinds of food.

She has won lots of awards.

Negative Structure

l/we/you/they + haven't + past participle verb

He/she/it + hasn't + past participle verb

Example:

I haven't been to a football match this year.

He hasn't eaten any food today.

Negative Structure

l/we/you/they + have + never + past participle verb

He/she/it + has + never + past participle verb

Example:

You have never been to a football match.

He has never eaten meat.

Question Structure

Have + l/we/you/they + past participle verb

Has + he/she/it + past participle verb

Example:

Have they spoken to John?

Has she broken a bone?

Things to Note

We can use many time words with the present perfect: today, this week, this year, this morning etc. When we use them, we always mean that the time period is continuing now and will continue in the Future. You can think of it like the phrase so far or up to now.

Things to Note

ln the present perfect, we can contract has and have with the subject.

For example:

 he's (he has),

 she's (she has),

 I've (I have),

 you've (you have) etc.

Things to Note

We use ever to mean in your life.

For example:

Have you ever met a famous person?

= In your life, have you ever met a famous person?

Things to Note

We use never to mean not in your life.

For example:

/ have never seen the movie Toy Story.

= In my life, I have never seen Toy Story.

Things to Note

We use been to mean visited or went in the present perfect.

 For example:

I have been to Mexico three times.

We've been to three weddings this week.

 

 

---