Introduction The present perfect tense connects the past with the present; it expresses completed past actions and experiences that have an influence on or connection to the present. We use the present perfect when the exact time of the action is not important. The present perfect is formed using a present form of the verb have and the past participle of the main verb. Be aware that many languages have a tense that is similar to the present perfect, however, the usage is probably different. Learn about the conjugation of regular and irregular verbs in the present perfect and master the usage of this tricky English tense. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills. Example Adam You have been on your phone all day, you should take a break from party planning! James I know, but I want everything to be perfect. Lisa has never had a surprise party before. Adam She’s going to be delighted. James Hopefully! I’ve invited all of her friends and family and now I’m waiting for their replies. Adam Has Tony replied yet? I haven’t seen him for ages! James Not yet, but Ella has just sent a message. She doesn’t know if she can come. Adam That’s annoying, you have reminded her at least seven times! James I know, I’m getting worried. I have already ordered food and drinks for thirty people, but so far only ten have said yes! When to use the present perfect simple We use the present perfect simple to express completed actions that have an influence on the present, usually without a specific time marker Example I’ve invited all her friends and family, now I’m waiting for their replies. we don’t know when the invites were sent past experiences with the signal words ever and never Examples She has never had a surprise party before. Have you ever had a surprise party? recently completed actions usually with the signal word just Example Ella has just sent a message. actions that did or did not happen up to the moment of speaking with already and yet Examples Has Tony replied yet? I have already ordered food and drinks for thirty people. how often or how many times up to now Example You have reminded her at least seven times. states and situations that began in the past and continue up to the present with the signal words for and since Example I haven’t seen him for ages. She has wanted a surprise party for years. Signal Words for the Present Perfect Simple Signal words can help us recognise which tense to use. The typical signal words for the present perfect simple are ever, never already, just, not … yet so far, until now, up to now … for, since often with stative verbs Info The signal words just, already, ever and never follow the auxiliary Examples —i’ve just finished this great book. —I’ve never read it. Can I borrow it? Other signal words like yet, so far, for, since … come at the end of the phrase Examples I haven’t read that book yet. Remember already is used in positive sentences whereas yet is used in negative sentences and questions. Examples Have you started this book yet? Yes, I’ve already finished it. / No, I haven’t started it yet. Some of the signal words for the present perfect simple are the same as those for the past perfect simple. The difference is whether they refer to a time in the present or the past. Conjugation of English Present Perfect Tense To conjugate the present perfect tense in English we use the present form of the auxiliary verb have and the past participle of the main verb. The table below provides and overview of the conjugation in positive, negative and interrogative sentences. Past participle – Spelling Rules The past participle for regular verbs is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb. The past participle of irregular verbs is different and should be memorised. However, here are a few exceptions to take note of when conjugating the past participle of regular verbs When a verb ends with -e, we simply add a -d. Example love – loved not loveed The final consonant is doubled after short stressed vowels. Example admit – admitted The final consonant -l is always doubled after a vowel in British English but not in American English. Example travel – travelled British, traveled American A -y at the end of the word is replaced by an -i. Example hurry – hurried Learn the difference between the irregular past participles of the verb go with our page on been to/gone to. been vs. gone The verb go has two past participle forms been and gone. The difference depends on where the subject is currently located. Use gone for incomplete visits Example —Where’s Sarah? I haven’t seen her yet. —She’s just gone to the supermarket, she’ll be back soon. Sarah is still at the supermarket or on her way there at the time of speaking Use been for completed visits Example —Oh no! Callum has just been to the supermarket, the fridge is already full! Callum is no longer at the supermarket at the time of speaking, this visit is complete Read more about the difference between been and gone in English grammar. Contractions Contractions are a combination of certain pronouns, verbs and the word not. They are mostly used in spoken and informal written English. The table below provides an overview of contractions in the present perfect tense using the verb have. Note In written English, we usually form contractions with a pronoun and an auxiliary help verb, but not with a noun and an auxiliary. Example They’ve never played football. but not The girls’ve never played football However, the contraction of has can be used after nouns as well as pronouns. Example He’s/The boy’s never played football. ’s = has Words that end in -s are an exception to this Example James’s never played football. → James has never played football. Online exercises to improve your English Improve your English with Lingolia. Each grammar topic comes with one free exercise where you can review the basics, as well as many more Lingolia Plus exercises where you can practise according to your level. Check your understanding by hovering over the info bubbles for simple explanations and handy tips. Present Perfect Simple – Free Exercise Present Perfect Simple – mixed exercise Lingolia Plus English Unlock all grammar exercises for English with a Lingolia Plus account 983 interactive grammar exercises for English sorted by topic and level A1–C1 with a built-in progress tracker and awards system Get started with Lingolia Plus Present Perfect Simple – Lingolia Plus Exercises Present Perfect Simple – regular verbs A2 Present Perfect Simple – irregular verbs 1 A2 Present Perfect Simple – irregular verbs 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – contractions have A2 Present Perfect Simple – contractions 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – positive sentences 1 A2 Present Perfect Simple – positive sentences 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – negatives 1 A2 Present Perfect Simple – negatives 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – questions 1 A2 Present Perfect Simple – questions 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – questions and short answers B1 Present Perfect Simple – mixed sentences 1 A2 Present Perfect Simple – mixed sentences 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – mixed sentences 3 B1 Present Perfect Simple – ever/never 1 A2 Present Perfect Simple – ever/never 2 A2 Present Perfect Simple – ever/never 3 A2 Present Perfect Simple – ever/never 4 A2 Present Perfect Simple – experiences B1 Present Perfect Simple – recently completed actions B1 Present Perfect Simple – influence on the present B1 Present Perfect Simple – actions without time markers B1 Present Perfect Simple – just/already/yet 1 B1 Present Perfect Simple – just/already/yet 2 B1 Present Perfect Simple – just/already/yet 3 B1 Present Perfect Simple – just/already/yet 4 B1 Present Perfect Simple – been/gone 1 B1 Present Perfect Simple – been/gone 2 B1 Present Perfect Simple – mixed 2 B1 Present Perfect Simple – dialogue 1 B1 Present Perfect Simple – dialogue 2 B1 Present Perfect Simple – Technical Difficulties B2 A1Beginner A2Elementary B1Intermediate B2Upper intermediate C1Advanced
SimplePresent Tense always = selalu generally = biasanya usually = biasanya normally = biasanya as a rule = biasanya; lazimnya never = tidak pernah often = sering frequently = sering regularly = secara tetap seldom = jarang steadily = selalu; terus-menerus here = di sini there = di sana everyday = setiap hari
What are Time Expressions for the Present Perfect & Past Simple? Time expressions are signal words give you a clue for the tense that you need to use. For example, if a sentence starts with the words, “Two days ago,…”, we know that the time is past and the action is finished. For this reason, the signal word ago’ is a clue that you will need to use the Past Simple Tense. Keywords such as the examples below can help you complete exercises & tests easily. It’s a cheat sheet for the tenses! Time Expressions in English PRESENT PERFECT PAST SIMPLE ever ago yet in 2018 already in December so far at Easter until now last week just now last time right now first time recently after lately yesterday since before for when I was 19… over the last weeks these few months right now How long Have you ever… Click here for EXERCISE practice of time words with the present perfect and past simple tenses. Be careful with some signal words! There are some signal words such as ever that can only be used with a perfect tense. But note that other signal words can be used with many tenses. For example, although we learn the prepositions of time for and since with the Present Perfect Tense, for can also be used with the Past Simple, Present Continuous, Present Simple and many other tenses. Examples I’ve lived in Mexico for 3 years. I’m still in Mexico. I lived in Mexico for 3 years. I don’t live in Mexico anymore I work for 3 hours every days. My daily routine I’m staying here for 3 months. I’m here at the moment but will leave in the future As you can see from the example sentences above, for can be used in many different ways. So pay close attention to the other information in a sentence time and if it is completed or ongoing especially if you are preparing for a test or a quiz! Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect Exercise English Test Verb Tenses Present Perfect or Past Simple Exercise B1 Tensesadalah perubahan kata kerja yang dipengaruhi oleh waktu dan tingkat kesempurnaanTimeSignal untuk Kalimat Simple Past Tense. Beberapa penunjuk waktu (Time Signals) yang dapat Anda gunakan untuk menyusun kalimat simple past adalah: yesterday (kemarin) last week (minggu lalu) last year (tahun lalu) a month ago (sebulan yang lalu) this morning (tadi pagi) yesterday morning (kemarin pagi)
.present perfect tense time signal
