The present perfect tense is used to connect our past to our present situation. Actions in the present perfect began at some point in the past and continue in the present or are relevant to our present situation. The present perfect should not be used with past time expressions (finished time), the simple past should be used instead. This tense requires the auxiliary verb -have  in the present tense (-have / -has) to be combined with the past participle of a verb. The past participle form of regular verbs are formed by adding -ed or -d (if the regular verb ends in an -e) to their infinitive form, the simple past form and past participle form of all regular verbs end in -ed. The simple past form and the past participle form of irregular verbs must be memorized as there are no general rules that apply for how they are formed.

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This tense is used: 

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1) To describe actions that started in the past and continue in the present. 

2) To describe life experiences. 

3) To describe actions that happened in the past and are relevant to our present situation. 

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​Finished time & Unfinished time 

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The present perfect tense cannot be used with finished time, finished time refers to time expressions of the past which have ended i.e. (yesterday, last month, 2024, when I was a kid, etc.). Unfinished time refers to time expressions that have not ended i.e. (today, this month, current year, since I was a kid), these time expressions either continuously reset, will not end until some point in the future (at which point they may no longer be used with the present perfect tense), or they continue permanently. 

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​Formation - Affirmative Statements & Questions 

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Affirmative statements in the  present perfect tense are formed using the auxiliary verb -have in the simple present tense (-have / -has) conjugated to match the subject followed by the past participle of a verb. Singular subjects use the form -has, plural subjects use the form -have. Questions are formed by placing the auxiliary verb -have in the simple present tense (-have / -has) before the subject followed by the past participle of a verb. 

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Structure used to form affirmative statements in the present prefect​

​Subject + have / has + past participle of a verb

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Structure used to form affirmative questions in the present perfect​

Have / Has + ​subject + past participle of a verb?

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      Examples:

      Ex: I've written 20 emails today.

      Ex: He has played the piano since he was a kid. 

      Ex: Charles said he's been to many countries in Asia. 

      Ex: Has she lived in the US for many years?

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Formation - Negative Statements & Questions

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Negative statements in the  present perfect tense are formed using the auxiliary verb -have in the simple present tense (-have / -has) conjugated to match the subject followed by the adverb -not and the past participle of a verb. Singular subjects use the form -has, plural subjects use the form -have. Negative questions are formed by placing the auxiliary verb -have in the simple present tense (-have / -has) before the subject followed by the adverb -not and the past participle of a verb.  Negative questions are used to express surprise, confirm a belief, or invite agreement. 

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Structure used to form negative statements in the present perfect​

​Subject + (have / has) not + past participle of a verb

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Structure used to form negative questions in the present perfect​

Have / Has + ​subject + not + past participle of a verb?

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      Examples:

      Ex: I haven't started cleaning my room yet.

      Ex: Has he talked to you about it? 

      Ex: They have not sold any houses this year. 

      Ex: John hasn't smoked a cigarette in 10 years. 

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Present perfect uses 

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To describe actions that started in the past and continue in the present

​Note: Unfinished time is often used to express this context.

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      Examples

      Ex:  I've taught English since 2022. 

      Ex: My parents have been married for 20 years. 

      Ex: He hasn't done exercise in 4 months.  

      Ex: How long has he owned his own business? 

      Ex: Mark and Kate haven't seen their families since Christmas. 

      Ex: Haven't you dated anyone since your divorce?

      Ex: I have worked for my company for 10 years. 

      Ex: The United States has been independent since 1776.

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To describe life experiences

Note: Unfinished time expressions are not used in this context.​​​​​

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      Examples

      Ex: I have seen the Statue of Liberty. 

      Ex: James has been to Greece. 

      Ex: She hasn't ever tried sushi. 

      Ex: Has he gone skydiving before? 

      Ex: Mark has flown airplanes. 

      Ex: Haven't they sailed to the Caribbean before?  

      Ex: I haven't ridden horses. 

      Ex: We've gotten on the cyclone in Coney Island. 

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To describe actions that happened in the past and are relevant to our present situation

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      Examples

      Ex: I've received my license to practice law.   

      Ex: She's prepared well for the upcoming test. 

      Ex: He's recovered from his illness and can go back to work. 

      Ex: Have they reconciled yet? 

      Ex: We have moved in together. 

      Ex: Hasn't he had experience with this before?

      Ex: I have lost my debit card, I need to get a new one. 

      Ex: We haven't changed service providers, that's why our internet is slow. 

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