Present Perfect

FORM

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

• You have seen that movie many times.

• Have you seen that movie many times?
• You have not seen that movie many times.

Complete List of Present Perfect Forms

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before
now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with
specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child,
when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present
Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times,
before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

• I have seen that movie twenty times.

• I think I have met him once before.
• There have been many earthquakes in California.
• People have traveled to the Moon.
• People have not traveled to Mars.
• Have you read the book yet?
• Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
• A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?

The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to
associate Present Perfect with the following topics:

TOPIC 1 Experience
You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the
experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain
experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.

Examples:

• I have been to France.

This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe
you have been there once, or several times.
• I have been to France three times.
You can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.
• I have never been to France.
This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.
• I think I have seen that movie before.
• He has never traveled by train.
• Joan has studied two foreign languages.
• A: Have you ever met him?
B: No, I have not met him.

TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of
time.

Examples:

• You have grown since the last time I saw you.

• The government has become more interested in arts education.
• Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the
Asian studies program was established.
• My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.

TOPIC 3 Accomplishments

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity.
You cannot mention a specific time.

Examples:

• Man has walked on the Moon.

• Our son has learned how to read.
• Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
• Scientists have split the atom.

TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not
happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to
happen.

Examples:

• James has not finished his homework yet.

• Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
• Bill has still not arrived.
• The rain hasn't stopped.

TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have
occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not
complete and more actions are possible.

Examples:

• The army has attacked that city five times.

• I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.
• We have had many major problems while working on this project.
• She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why
she is sick.

Time Expressions with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some point in
our lives before now. Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important.

Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this
with expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far,
up to now, etc.

Examples:

• Have you been to Mexico in the last year?

• I have seen that movie six times in the last month.
• They have had three tests in the last week.
 • She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three
different companies so far.
• My car has broken down three times this week.

NOTICE

"Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the
year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires Simple Past. "In the
last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it
requires Present Perfect.

Examples:

• I went to Mexico last year.

I went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one.
• I have been to Mexico in the last year.
I have been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.

USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the
Present Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now.
"For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be
used with the Present Perfect.

Examples:

• I have had a cold for two weeks.

• She has been in England for six months.
• Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.

Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs
and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study"
are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only,
never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:
 • You have only seen that movie one time.
• Have you only seen that movie one time?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• Many tourists have visited that castle. Active

• That castle has been visited by many tourists. Passive

Simple Past
FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:

• You called Debbie.

• Did you call Debbie?
• You did not call Debbie.

Complete List of Simple Past Forms

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific
time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but
they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.

• I didn't see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her car.
• He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions
happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the
others at 10:00.
• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration
is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes,
all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

• I lived in Brazil for two years.

• Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
• They sat at the beach all day.
• They did not stay at the party the entire time.
• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
• A: How long did you wait for them?
B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can
have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit,
we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when
I was younger, etc.

Examples:
 • I studied French when I was a child.
• He played the violin.
• He didn't play the piano.
• Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
• She worked at the movie theater after school.
• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no
longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the
expression "used to."

Examples:

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

• He didn't like tomatoes before.
• Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences.
Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when
class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The
examples below contain when-clauses.

Examples:

• When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.

• She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in
the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one
dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her
one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the
example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid
her one dollar.

Example:

• I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only,
never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You just called Debbie.

• Did you just call Debbie?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• Tom repaired the car. Active

• The car was repaired by Tom. Passive