Present perfect

The present perfect is ⟦have⟧ or ⟦has⟧ + the past participle: ⟦I have finished.⟧ ⟦She has never seen snow.⟧ It links the past to now: experiences in your life, recent news, and situations that started in the past and are still true.

Key facts

  • ⟦I⟧, ⟦you⟧, ⟦we⟧, ⟦they⟧ + ⟦have⟧; ⟦he⟧, ⟦she⟧, ⟦it⟧ + ⟦has⟧. Short forms: ⟦I've⟧, ⟦she's⟧.
  • Regular past participles end in ⟦-ed⟧ (⟦visited⟧); irregular ones must be learnt: ⟦seen⟧, ⟦eaten⟧, ⟦written⟧, ⟦been⟧.
  • Experience: ⟦Have you ever been to London?⟧ ⟦I have never eaten sushi.⟧
  • Recent news: ⟦I have just finished.⟧ ⟦She has already left.⟧ ⟦Have you done it yet?⟧
  • ⟦for⟧ + a length of time (⟦for two years⟧); ⟦since⟧ + the starting point (⟦since 2019⟧): ⟦We have lived here since 2019.⟧
  • With a finished time (⟦yesterday⟧, ⟦last week⟧, ⟦in 2020⟧) use the past simple, not the present perfect.

Worked examples

Example 1

Complete: ⟦She ___ (write) three letters.⟧

  1. ⟦She⟧ takes ⟦has⟧.
  2. ⟦write → wrote → written⟧: the participle is ⟦written⟧.
  3. ⟦She has written three letters.⟧

Answer: ⟦has written⟧

Example 2

⟦for⟧ or ⟦since⟧? ⟦I have known Omar ___ 2018.⟧

  1. ⟦2018⟧ is the point when it started.
  2. So we use ⟦since⟧.

Answer: ⟦since⟧

Example 3

Which is right: ⟦I have seen him yesterday.⟧ or ⟦I saw him yesterday.⟧?

  1. ⟦yesterday⟧ is a finished time.
  2. A finished time takes the past simple: ⟦I saw him yesterday.⟧

Answer: ⟦I saw him yesterday.⟧