Look at these examples to see how the present perfect is used.
He's been to ten different countries.
I haven't seen her today.
My phone's run out of battery. Can I use yours?
Have you ever dyed your hair a different colour?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use the present perfect simple (have or has + past participle) to talk about past actions or states which are still connected to the present.
Unfinished time and states
We often use the present perfect to say what we've done in an unfinished time period, such as today, this week, this year, etc., and with expressions such as so far, until now, before, etc.
They've been on holiday twice this year.
We haven't had a lot of positive feedback so far.
I'm sure I've seen that film before.
We also use it to talk about life experiences, as our life is also an unfinished time period. We often use never in negative sentences and ever in questions.
I've worked for six different companies.
He's never won a gold medal.
Have you ever been to Australia?
We also use the present perfect to talk about unfinished states, especially with for, since and how long.
She's wanted to be a police officer since she was a child.
I haven't known him for very long.
How long have you had that phone?
Finished time and states
If we say when something happened, or we feel that that part of our life is finished, we use the past simple.
We visited Russia for the first time in 1992.
I went to three different primary schools.
Before she retired, she worked in several different countries.
We also use the past simple for finished states.
We knew all our neighbours when we were children.
I didn't like bananas for a really long time. Now I love them!
Past actions with a result in the present
We can use the present perfect to talk about a past action that has a result in the present.
He's broken his leg so he can't go on holiday.
There's been an accident on the main road, so let's take a different route.
They haven't called me, so I don't think they need me today.
Again, if we say when it happened, we use the past simple.
He broke his leg last week so he can't go on holiday.
However, we often use the present perfect with words like just, recently, already, yet and still.
We've recently started going to the gym.
She's already finished season one and now she's watching season two.
Have you checked your emails yet?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hi again Andi,
I'm really sorry but I still don't know what you're trying to say. I've shown the question to a couple of colleagues and they're as confused as I am! I can see you have a conceptual framework that you're trying to apply but it seems to me that it only complicates the system rather than simplifying it. More than that I can't really say.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Peter
Sorry for engaging you in a confusing idea you rightfully said it complicates the system I highly appreciate your effort
What about my second definition; since, serves as the starting point…
Is it correct?
Best regards
Andi
Hi Andi,
Yes, that's correct. 'Since' shows the moment from which the given action occurs so the pattern is:
present perfect > since > past simple
I have lived in Paris since I was a student.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Team. Could you help me use the correct tense: present perfect or present perfect continuous? Why?
- Ali has fallen and we are taking him to hospital.
- Ali has been falling and we are taking him to hospital.
Thank you.
Hello Ahmed Imam,
Both sentences are correct but mean something slightly different. Well, actually, I'd need to know the full context to explain the difference with 100% certainty, but in general the first is speaking about one fall -- probably very recently.
The second one is talking about a series of falls in the recent past -- it could be over the past hour or over the past few months.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello ngoc,
In this situation, we assume that the person no longer has the old car; the idea is that when we get a new car, at the same time we get rid of the old one.
Since we no longer have the old car, having the old car is clearly in the past (no longer connected with the present), and so the past simple is the correct form.
This switch from present perfect to past simple is quite common. Another example:
A: Have you ever been to Vietnam?
B: Yes, I went there last year.
In this case, the frame for A's question is B's lifetime -- that is, the question asks if A has been to Vietnam at some point in their life; since B is still alive, their lifetime includes the present moment.
For B, the frame is the trip they made to Vietnam last year -- a specific past time that is no longer connected with the present.
I hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Kapil Kabir,
The difference here is not related to the adjective but to the verb. Make can be used with the sense of 'produce' or with the sense of 'change into':
In your second pair of sentences only (3) is possible as a feature can change things but a feature cannot produce something from scratch.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team