Present Perfect

Reminder

You already know how to:

• talk about the present (present simple & present continuous)
• talk about the past (past simple)

In this lesson, you will learn a way to connect the past and the present.
The present perfect usually does not mention a finished past time such as yesterday, last night, or in 2022. It often focuses on experience or on a time period that is still continuing, such as today or this week.

If we say when the action happened (yesterday, last year, in 2022), we usually use the past simple, not the present perfect.

1. What Is the Present Perfect?

The present perfect is used to talk about:

• things that happened before now
• but are connected to the present

We usually do not mention a finished past time. We can use the present perfect with time periods that are still continuing, such as today, this week, and this year.

Key idea:

Past action + present result or relevance

2. How Is the Present Perfect Formed?

The basic structure is:

Subject + have / has + past participle

• have → I / you / we / they
• has → he / she / it

Examples

• “I have eaten lunch.”
• “She has finished her homework.”
• “They have visited Paris.”

Negative sentences

The negative structure is:

Subject + have / has + not + past participle

Examples:

• “I have not finished.” → I haven’t finished.
• “She has not eaten yet.” → She hasn’t eaten.

The main verb stays in the past participle form after both have and has.

Questions

Yes/No questions:

Have / Has + subject + past participle?

Examples:

• “Have you been to Spain?”
• “Has she finished her work?”
• “Have they seen this film?”

Short answers:

• Yes → “Yes, I have.” / “Yes, she has.”
• No → “No, I haven’t.” / “No, she hasn’t.”

What Is a Past Participle?

To make these sentences, we need a special verb form called the past participle.

Regular verbs

Regular verbs form the past participle by adding -ed.

Examples:

• work → worked
• clean → cleaned
• play → played

Past simple and past participle look the same for regular verbs.

Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs have a different past participle form.

Examples:

• go → gone
• eat → eaten
• see → seen
• do → done
• make → made

These forms must be learned.

3. When Do We Use the Present Perfect?

At A2 level, focus on these common uses of the present perfect.

3.1 Life Experience (Before Now)

Use the present perfect to talk about things you have experienced in your life.
The time is usually not mentioned.

We use this for life experience when we do not say when it happened: I have been to Italy. If we say the finished time, we use the past simple: I went to Italy in 2022.

Examples:

• “I have been to Italy.”
• “She has tried sushi.”
• “We have seen that movie.”

Think:
“Is this about experience, or about a time period that is still continuing?”
→ If yes, and no finished past time is given, use the present perfect.

3.2 Actions in an Unfinished Time Period

Use the present perfect when the time period is not finished. The action happened before now, but it is inside a time period that is still continuing. The action may happen once or several times in that period.

Examples:

• “I have drunk three coffees today.”
• “She has worked a lot this week.”
• “We have met many people this year.”

(Today / this week / this year = still continuing.)

4. Present Perfect vs Past Simple (Basic Comparison)

Present Perfect

• Time is not mentioned
• Focus is on experience

Example:

• “I have seen that movie.”

Past Simple

• Time is finished and mentioned
• Focus is on when it happened

Example:

• “I saw that movie last night.”

Compare:

• “I have been to London.”
  → Experience
• “I went to London in 2022.”
  → Specific time

5. Common Time Words Used with Present Perfect

These words often appear with the present perfect:

• ever
• never
• already
• yet
• just
• today
• this week / this month / this year

Examples:

• “Have you ever tried Thai food?”
• “I have never flown in a plane.”
• “She has already finished.”
• “They haven’t arrived yet.”
• “I have just finished my homework.”

(Some of these words do not name a finished past time like yesterday or last week. Some, such as today and this week, refer to a time period that is still continuing.)

6. Easy Way to Remember

Ask yourself:

• Is the time not important or not said?
• Is there a connection to now?
• Am I talking about experience or a time period that is still continuing?

If yes → Present Perfect