Present perfect · Grade 2

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.

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