English Grammar: Present Perfect. In this post we will look at 4 aspects of Present Perfect: the form (what it looks like), the use (how you use it), the differences between British English speakers and American English speakers and common mistakes we see with this verb tense.
FORM
- have / has + past participle.
- Have is used with I, you, we, they.
- Has is used with he, she, it.
- Remember that Past Participles are the third column in the long list of verbs that you have learned.
- Example: go, went, GONE (gone is the past participle).
USE
There are 4 uses that we will address today in this blog. Each use has a visual that may help some learners understand better what the time frame would look like.
- Situations that started in the past and are still true today:
- She has lived here for 10 years. (She started living here 10 years ago and still lives here now.)
- They have seen the Northern Lights. (They saw the lights in the past and it’s still true that they have seen them.)
- A series of actions that continue up to now:
- They have filled out their name, address, telephone number and current address so far.
- I have cleaned the kitchen, the bathroom and the living room.
- A completed action at a time in the past that is not determined.
- This often goes with asking or talking about having done something ever/never:
- Have you ever visited Chicago?
- No, I haven’t.
- Yes, I have.
- I have never tried snails. Are they good?
- Has she ever gone swimming before?
- They have never played tennis.
- Have you ever visited Chicago?
- Completed actions where the present result is very important:
- She has already cleaned the kitchen, so please just focus on the living room.
- We have already seen the city, so I think we would prefer to go to the theatre instead.
British vs. American Speakers
Many leaners ask, which is better – British or American English? The answer is simple – neither is better than the other. Both are correct. Languages are always changing, just like the people who speak them. In general, British and American people understand almost everything. What really differentiates one language from the other are the colloquial expressions that one place may use that the other does not. Note that local expressions can even cause confusion for people living in the same country. What someone says in Texas can be very different than in California or Boston. So, that is why even us English teachers are always learning new expressions. Want to learn expressions in English? Click here.
- As stated here on the left, it is quite common for
- British English speakers to use Present Perfect and for
- American English speakers to use Past Simple for the same situation.
- For example, someone from the UK would ask you:
- Have you eaten breakfast yet? (They focus on the finished action having an effect on the current situation as seen above).
- However, someone from the US would ask you:
- Did you eat breakfast? (They focus on the action as finished).
- Which is the correct way? The answer is simple: Both.
Common Mistakes
- Attention Spanish speakers! You often use the word ‘know’ to talk about a place, but not in English. We use Past Participle of go or visit.
- Have you been to Madrid?
- Have they visited Mexico City?
- We often use the words ‘just’, ‘already’ and ‘yet’ when using the Present Perfect. Make sure they are in the right place!
- ‘just’ and ‘already’ go between have/has and the Past Participle:
- I have already talked to Jim about the trip.
- They have just arrived.
- ‘yet’ goes at the end of a sentence:
- I haven’t talked to Jim about the trip yet.
- They haven’t arrived yet.
- ‘just’ and ‘already’ go between have/has and the Past Participle:
- Learn more about the difference between ‘already’ and ‘yet’ here.
English Grammar
Now that you have learned about «Present Perfect», take a look at our other English Grammar posts:
Grammar Hammer: Stop + infinitive vs gerund
Grammar Hammer: Connectors: because, so, but, although
