Today in our article we will look at how to use the tense of the verb in present perfect, the rules for the formation of this grammatical form, examples of use and much more. I must say that this is one of the most difficult times used in the English language. Present perfect denotes someone else's action that took place to be (started) in the past, but at the same time is related to the present moment of time. That is, you can observe the result of this action in the present.
Present perfect: formation rules
Present perfect is formed as follows:
I / we / you / she / he / it + have or has + past participle
(Past participle means the past tense verb form ). For the so-called “regular” verbs (most of them, as we recall), the elapsed time can be obtained by adding the ending “-ed” at the very end of the word. For “irregular” verbs, this method is unsuitable; their past form must be learned by heart. Note that the helper verbs have and has usually abbreviated to 've and' s, see:
- I've written that article - I wrote that article.
- He's done his homework - He did his homework.
In case of denial, you should use have not or has not, briefly get haven't / hasn't.
Present Perfect: apply correctly
For beginner students, it is often difficult to understand when Present Perfect time should be used, since it is often confused, for example, with Past Simple. Read this section carefully, here we will consider in detail Present Perfect time, the rules for its use:
- Present Perfect is used when it comes to actions that began in the past, but nonetheless are still ongoing. Often in such sentences the words “for” and “since” are found:
- This old beautiful building has stood on this square for three hundred fifty years - This old beautiful building has stood (and, in fact, continues to stand) on this square for 350 years.
- I'm starving. I haven't eaten since lunch - I'm incredibly hungry. I haven't eaten anything since lunch.
- Present Perfect is also used when we talk about any actions that occurred in the past, but can also happen in the future. The time period in which the action took place has not yet ended, that is, it can very well be repeated once or several times. As an example, consider:
- Maria has been to London once, but she would like to travel there again - Maria once was in London, but she would like to go there again.
- The present tense is used with these phrases: this year / day / week / month, recently, ever, yet. It can be seen that the time period is not defined, but it is closely related to the present. For example:
- Have they heard from John recently? “Have they heard anything about Mark recently?”
- I've been in a lot of places last few weeks - I've been to a lot of places over the past few weeks.
- I've had five cups of green tea today - I drank 5 cups of green tea today
- As for Present Perfect time: the rules for its use also apply to situations where we can already see the result of an action. For instance:
- The earthquake has destroyed the industry in the whole region - The earthquake destroyed the industry of the whole region (as a result, and now the region still has problems with industrial production).
- Very often, Present perfect time is used for events and activities committed relatively recently. For example, you cooked dinner and cut your finger. In English, with an exclamation of Oh, I 've cut my finger! (Oh, I cut my finger!) Only the present tense will be used.
What you should pay attention to, or Tips for studying this topic
Present Perfect is the short and most common name for the time Present perfect simple, the rules of use of which we just examined. We hope that our article has helped you understand this difficult grammar topic. And remember - everything is learned in practice, that is, the more exercises you make to consolidate the use of the present perfect time, the less mistakes you will make in the future. Note also that Present Perfect is quite simple to use compared to, for example, Present Perfect Continuous, the rules of which imply both the formation of a complex structure (have or has been + Verb-ing) and use in cases where the action It began in the past, but at the same time has not yet ended and, moreover, continues to this day. One way or another, only practice will help you master the English language at a sufficient level to speak and write clearly and competently.