Present Perfect

What Is the Present Perfect?

Use the present perfect when a past action is connected to now.

The form is:

have / has + past participle

Subject	Present Perfect
I / you / we / they	have finished
he / she / it	has finished

I have lost my keys. I cannot find them now.

She has finished her homework. She is free now.

They have gone home. They are not here now.

Many past participles are regular and end in -ed.

Base Verb	Past Participle
finish	finished
clean	cleaned
open	opened
decide	decided

Many common past participles are irregular.

Base Verb	Past Participle
be	been
go	gone
do	done
see	seen
write	written
eat	eaten
lose	lost
make	made

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Present Results

Use the present perfect when the important thing is the present result, not the exact past time.

I have cut my finger. It hurts now.

The road has closed. We need another route.

He has forgotten the password. He cannot log in.

The action happened before now, but the result matters now.

Situation Now	Present Perfect Sentence
The key is missing now.	She has lost her key.
The bag is not here now.	My bag has disappeared.
The room is clean now.	We have cleaned the room.
The meeting is over now.	The meeting has finished.

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Been and Gone

Been to means someone visited a place and came back.

I have been to Japan twice.

She has been to the shop. She bought bread.

Gone to means someone went there and is still there, or is on the way there.

Mark has gone to the bank. He is not here.

My parents have gone to Italy for a holiday.

Sentence	Meaning
Amy has been to Canada.	She visited Canada and came back.
Amy has gone to Canada.	She is in Canada now, or travelling there.

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Life Experience: Ever and Never

Use the present perfect to talk about life experience. Your life is an unfinished time period, so the experience can still change.

Have you ever eaten sushi?

I have never ridden a horse.

She has visited five countries.

It is the best film I have ever seen.

Use ever in questions and superlative statements.

Have you ever met a famous person?

This is the most exciting game I have ever watched.

Use never for “not at any time before now.”

I have never tried skiing.

He has never spoken in front of a large group.

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Just, Already, and Yet

Use just for something that happened a short time ago.

I have just had lunch.

She has just arrived.

Use already when something happened sooner than expected.

I have already sent the email.

They have already left.

Use yet in questions and negatives for something expected before now.

Have you finished yet?

I have not finished yet.

Word	Usual Sentence Type	Example
just	positive / question	Have you just arrived?
already	positive / question	Has he already gone?
yet	question / negative	Have they called yet?

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Unfinished Time Periods

Use the present perfect with time periods that continue up to now.

I have drunk two cups of coffee today. It is still today.

We have had three tests this week. The week is not finished.

She has met many new people recently.

There have been no problems so far.

Common unfinished time expressions include:

Time Expression	Example
today	I have answered ten emails today.
this week / month / year	We have learned a lot this year.
recently	Have you seen Anna recently?
lately	I have felt tired lately.
so far	Everything has gone well so far.
in the last few days	I have met many people in the last few days.

If the time period is finished, use the simple past.

I saw Anna yesterday.

We had three tests last week.

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For and Since

Use for with a length of time.

I have lived here for five years.

She has known him for a long time.

Use since with the starting point.

I have lived here since 2021.

She has known him since high school.

Use For	Use Since
for two hours	since 8 o'clock
for three days	since Monday
for six months	since January
for ten years	since 2016
for ages	since I was a child

With how long, use the present perfect when the situation started in the past and continues now.

How long have you lived here?

How long has she known him?

Some verbs, such as know, like, and have, are usually not used in the continuous.

I have known Maria for years.

I have had this phone since March.

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Present Perfect or Simple Past?

Use the present perfect when the past action has a connection to now.

I have lost my phone. I need to find it.

The rain has stopped. We can go outside.

Use the simple past when the time is finished or when you say exactly when something happened.

I lost my phone yesterday, but I found it later.

The rain stopped at 3:00.

After you introduce news with the present perfect, continue the story with the simple past.

A: I have burnt my hand.

B: How did you do that?

A: I touched a hot pan.

Use Present Perfect	Use Simple Past
I have finished the report.	I finished it at 10:00.
She has gone out.	She went out an hour ago.
Have you seen my bag?	Did you see my bag yesterday?
We have never met.	We met last year.

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Better	Why
She has went home.	She has gone home.	Use the past participle after has.
I have saw that movie.	I have seen that movie.	Saw is simple past; seen is the past participle.
Did you ever been to France?	Have you ever been to France?	Use have/has for life experience.
I have seen him yesterday.	I saw him yesterday.	Use simple past with a finished time.
I know her since 2020.	I have known her since 2020.	Use present perfect for a situation that started in the past and continues now.
She has gone to Spain twice.	She has been to Spain twice.	Been to means visited and returned.

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Practice: Exercises

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I ___ lost my keys. I can't open the door.

AhadBhaveChas

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Summary

Use the present perfect with have/has + past participle when a past action connects to now.

Use it for present results, life experiences, unfinished time periods, and words such as just, already, and yet.

Use for with a length of time and since with the starting point.

Use the simple past when the time is finished or when you say exactly when something happened.