Present perfect · Grade 6
In Grade 6 you learn: present perfect or past simple?.
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.
Answer: has written
Example 2
for or since? I have known Omar ___ 2018.
Answer: since
Example 3
Which is right: I have seen him yesterday. or I saw him yesterday.?
Answer: I saw him yesterday.