The Present Perfect Tense

First Published: 31st of December, 2020 by Patrick Carpen.

The present perfect tense describes an action that “has been perfected” as of the present time: that is, at the time of speaking or writing. Here is an example:

I have already eaten breakfast.

The action of eating breakfast took place at an unspecified time in the past. When the time in the past is unspecified, you use the present perfect tense, but when the time in the past is specified, use the simple past. Examples:

I have already eaten breakfast. (Present Perfect)

I ate breakfast at 8:00 o’clock this morning. (Simple Past)

The present perfect tense is formed with the past participle of a verb and the helping verb “has” or “have.” Here is another example.

I have visited India already.

Verb: visit

Past Tense: visited

Past Participle: visited

Helping verb: have

You use the helping verb “have” when the subject is plural and “has” when the subject is singular. Note that the first person pronoun “I” refers to only one person, but it is treated as a plural when it comes to subject/verb agreement. That is, the pronoun “I” always takes the plural verb. The same goes for you. So:

I/you have.

He/she/it has.

Let’s look at another example.

He has fixed the car. (Present Perfect)

He fixed the car this morning. (Simple Past)

She has lost her watch. (Present Perfect)

She lost her watch at the circus last night. (Simple Past).

You can also form negative sentences by inserting the word “not” or “never” between the helping verb and the past participle. Here’s an example.

I have not drunk alcohol before.

She has never eaten apples in her life.

He has never seen his brother who went to England in 1990.

You can also ask questions using the Present Perfect Tense.

Here are some examples:

Have you ever seen a movie called “The Terminator”?

Have you ever been to the United States?

Has he completed high school already?

Has she started college already?

Last, Ago, For and Since

We use the simple past with “last” and “ago,” but the present perfect with “for” and “since.”

Here are some examples.

I went to Canada last year. (Simple Past)

I went to Canada ten years ago. (Simple Past)

I have been in Canada for ten years. (Present Perfect)

I have lived in Canada since I was a child. (Present Perfect)