Present Perfect for intermediate learners

perfect tenses present perfect

Present perfect is a useful tense that talks about an action that happened in an indefinite time in the past. In this lesson, we will learn more about them.

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"Present Perfect" Tense in English Grammar

What Is the Present Perfect Tense?

We use the present perfect tense in English to talk about actions that happened in the past but are somehow related to the future.

Using the Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is used to express:

Unfinished actions

I have known him since 1998.

Hanna has lived in China for five years.

She has worked here for a year.

Actions in the past

I have watched this movie.

I have tasted fish before.

I have lost my keys.

Unspecific times

Using Present Perfect to Talk about Something That Started in the Past and Continues in the Present

She has studied literature.

I have been to Italy.

Peter has talked to him.

How to Form the Present Perfect Tense

Based on the subject of the sentence, 'have' or 'has' is used followed by the verb + -ed (past participle), However, there are some verbs that are not followed by -ed (irregular verbs). Here are a few examples:

We have ordered fish.

She has talked to me.

Let us take a look at some irregular verbs:

Verb	Past Participle
eat	eaten
drink	drunk
buy	bought
feel	felt
go	gone
have	had
see	seen

Let us take a look at a few examples in the past perfect tense with irregular verbs:

I have seen Jimmy.

She has had a blue car.

He has gone to Japan.

Negation

To make a negative sentence, you must add the word 'not' after 'have'/'has'. For example:

I have not watched this movie.

She has not smoked.

Question Form

To make a yes/no question, have/has is placed at the beginning of the question. To make a wh- question all you have to do is use a yes/no question after the wh-word. For example:

Have you been to China?

Where have you been?

Present Continuous

The present continuous tense is a basic tense. It is usually one of the first tenses you start to learn when you first start studying English.

Past Continuous

The past continuous tense is used quite often in English, so let’s understand exactly when to use it and how to use it. Are you ready? Let's begin.

Future Continuous

The future continuous tense is used by native English speakers quite often and this is your chance to learn and understand this tense so you can start using it.

Present Perfect Continuous

The present perfect continuous tense is a useful tense in English grammar. Why? Because it connects the present and the past. Let's see how.

Past Perfect

This tense is an advance tense and we use it to talk about the past in a lot of interesting ways, and you’ll see what they are. So are you ready? Let’s start.

Past Perfect Continuous

This tense is an advanced tense, but it’s not hard to learn. This tense will allow you to talk about things that happened in the past in a more interesting way.

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