Present Perfect Simple

The Present Perfect Simple connects past events with the present. It is often used for experiences, completed actions with present relevance, and actions that started in the past and continue now. Formed with 'have/has' + past participle.

Present Perfect Simple

The formation of the present perfect is set out first.

The affirmative present perfect is formed as follows:

'have' / 'has' + the past participle
The past participle of a regular verb is formed by adding '-ed', so 'play' becomes 'played'
A few verbs undergo a spelling change before '-ed', so 'study' becomes 'studied'
A further group of verbs is wholly irregular

Affirmative	Contracted Affirmative
I have played	I've played
you have worked	you've worked
he has written	he's written
she has walked	she's walked
it has rained	it's rained
we have travelled	we've travelled
they have studied	they've studied

The negative is formed by adding 'not' after 'have' or 'has':

Negative	Contracted Negative
I have not eaten breakfast today	I haven't eaten
you have not been to Asia	you haven't been
he has not seen the new film	he hasn't seen
she has not played tennis	she hasn't played
it has not snowed this winter	it hasn't snowed
we have not slept all night	we haven't slept
they have not tried the food	they haven't tried

Questions place 'have' or 'has' in front of the subject:

Yes/No Questions
have I missed the bus?
have you visited London?
has he worked as a waiter before?
has she met Daniel?
has it been cold this week?
have we arrived too early?
have they studied English grammar before?

In 'wh' questions, the question word precedes 'have' or 'has':

Wh Questions
where have I left my umbrella?
what have you done today?
why has he gone already?
where has she been in the UK?
why has it rained so much this summer?
what have we done?
where have they learned English before?

Uses of the present perfect simple

Unfinished Actions

1: This tense refers to unfinished actions, states or habits that began in the past and continue into the present. It normally answers the question 'how long' and requires 'since' or 'for'. Stative verbs are common in this pattern.

I've known Ingrid since 1994.
She's lived in Los Angeles for three years.
I've worked here for six months.

'Since' and 'For'

2. 'Since' takes a fixed point in the past (2004, April 23rd, last year). That fixed point may itself be another action, expressed in the past simple: since I was at school, since I arrived.

I've known Rafael since 1992.
I've liked chocolate since I was a kid.
She's been here since 6pm.

3. 'For' takes a period of time (two hours, three years, six months).

I've known Ingrid for ten years.
I've been thirsty for hours.
She's had a cold for a week.

Finished Actions

4. Life experience. These are actions or events that occurred at some point in a person's life. The time is left unstated, and the person must still be alive. 'Ever' and 'never' are frequent in this pattern.

I have been to San Francisco.
They have visited Paris three times.
We have never seen that film.

5. With an unfinished time expression (this month, this week, today), where the period referred to has not yet ended.

I haven't seen her this month.
She's drunk three cups of coffee today.
I've already moved house twice this year!

The present perfect cannot be used with a finished time expression.

I've seen him yesterday.

6. A completed action with a result in the present, where the focus falls on that result. The event took place in the recent past but remains true or relevant now. The past simple is sometimes possible here, particularly in American English.

I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house).
She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today).
They've missed the bus (so they will be late).

7. The present perfect also reports recent events even where no clear present result exists. This is the usual way of introducing news, commonly with 'just', 'yet', 'already' and 'recently'. The past simple is equally correct in such cases, particularly in American English.

The Queen has given a speech.
I've just seen Elena.
The Mayor has announced a new plan for the railways.

Been and Gone

8. This tense admits both 'been' and 'gone' as the past participle of 'go', in slightly different circumstances. 'Been' indicates that the person visited the place and has since returned, and it is common in statements of life experience.

I've been to San Francisco (at some point in my life, but I am not there now).
She has been to school today (but now she's back at home).
They have never been to California.

9. 'Gone' indicates that the person travelled to the place and is there now. It typically appears where the focus is on a present result.

Where's Daniel? He's gone to the shops (he's at the shops now).
Delia has gone to New Orleans (now she's in New Orleans).
They've gone to China for three weeks (now they're in China).