Present Perfect and Past Perfect belong to the group of perfect (perfect tenses) English. They express the perfection of the action, but one refers to the present, the other to the past. In this article, we will also consider the simple past tense, as people studying English often confuse Past Simple and Present Perfect.
Features of the perception of perfect time
Present Perfect Simple can be compared with the Russian perfect form of the past tense verb (wrote, learned, come, done). Russian speakers can understand it from this point of view. Americans and British have a different perception of the concept of time.
According to the norms of the standard grammar of the Russian language, the action in the present tense cannot end, because it is present. If the event is completed (finished), then the time is obviously past.
The essence of English perfect time
English has its own opinion: according to its standards, the action in the present tense can be completed, and this tense is the present perfect. Thus, in Russian, the perfect form is only in the past, unlike English. Perfect time focuses on the fact that an action or event has occurred and has influenced the current moment in time. Present Perfect and Past Perfect, in fact, are twins, only one refers to the past, the other speaks of the present moment.
Present Perfect: usage and examples
Consider the presentation formula Present Perfect.
Subject + Auxiliary part have (has for the third person) + main verb in the third form.
When should you use this time? Present Perfect is used when it is necessary to express the result of an action that is completed. With Present Perfect, the focus is on the outcome of the perfect situation. Thus, one can understand that the action is completed. The equivalent for understanding this time can be Russian verbs: do and do.
- We have already sent you a letter. “Mu has already sent you a letter.”
- He has won a lottery. - He already won the lottery.
Please note that this time is usually translated into Russian in the past tense. All these actions affect the present with their final result, that is, there is a direct connection with the present moment.
The second case of using the present perfect is a description of your past life experience:
- I have lived here for 15 years. “I lived here for fifteen years.”
- He has eaten in the restaurant Red Dragon three times. - He ate at the Red Dragon restaurant three times.
Often this time is used when talking about the number of committed actions. The perfect is also used when an action has occurred in a period of time that has not yet ended. The indicators of the unfinished period are time markers: today - today, this morning - this morning, this year, month, etc.
Some result is already there, but the time period has not yet ended (this week or year). Thus, it is possible to perform an action or repeat again during this period.
Past Perfect: the essence of time
Now let's talk about Past Perfect. It is always interconnected with another action in the past. Past Perfect expresses an action that happened before another or a certain period in the past.
Present Perfect and Past Perfect, as mentioned above, both are perfect forms, but the latter refers to the past tense. The second action, which happened later, is most often used in Past Simple, and marker pointers can also be used. These are the words:
- by - (to any period);
- after - (after);
- before - (before);
- when - (when);
- earlier - (earlier);
- first - (first).
Present Perfect and Past Perfect often have the same pointers, but they differ in time value. Past Perfect almost always comes as an extra. It always depends on the basic simple past tense.
- You arrived at the airport at 8.20, however the plane had left. - We arrived at the station at 7:30, but the train had already left.
By the way, the general factors of Present and Past Perfect are time markers:
- just - (just);
- already - (already);
- yet - (already, not yet).
We can say that these are the main indicators of perfect times.
Present Perfect vs Past Simple
The most common difficulty among English learners is the choice between Past Simple and Present Perfect. The problem is caused by the fact that they are translated into Russian in the same way, however they carry different semantic load. The main thing is to understand what needs to be expressed, where to emphasize.
The main differences of Present Perfect and Past:
1. In Present Perfect (present perfect tense), an action committed in the past has a direct connection with the present period.
2. Past Simple speaks of a moment that is long over and has no connection with the real present. That is what is forever in the past.
Compare the two sentences:
- He always loved swimming. - He always loved to swim.
This proposal implies that a person will never be able to swim, perhaps he has died.
- He has always loved swimming.
The translation here is the same. It only means that he still loved and loves to swim at the present moment in time.