PRESENT PERFECT

Both present perfect simple and continuous talk about something which started in the
past and…

- has a result in the present:

o He’s twisted his ankle, so he can’t play football with us this afternoon
o I’ve been partying all weekend, so I’m feeling tired now
- is still happening now:
o We’ve been building and extension to our house (and we haven’t
finished yet)

Often they are interchangeable. But we are going to see some differences between
them. First, we are going to talk about their forms; then, we will talk about their
respective uses.

I. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

It corresponds approximately to the “pretérito perfecto español”, but their respective

uses are not exactly the same.

FORM:
The present perfect is formed with the present of the verb “to have” and the past
participles of the verb being conjugated (-ed if regular).

Affirmative form: I have worked…

Negative: I have not worked
Interrogative: Have I worked?

PRONUNCIATION OF ENDING –ED:

/p/ clap clapped

/f/ laugh laughed
/s/ fax faxed
Unvoiced /S/ (sonido SH) crash Crashed
/ t/
(except /t/)
/tS/ (sonido CH) watch watched

/k/ talk talked

all other sounds play played
Voiced
(for example: /b/, /g/, /v/, follow followed / d/
(except /d/)
/m/, /n/, /r/, /l/, /y/, /z/ …) rain rained
Con sonidos Invent Invented
/t/ o /d/ /Id/
/t/ y /d/ demand demanded

Note: In adjectives ending in –ed, the pronunciation is usually /id/. E.g.: Aged, naked,
dogged, wicked, sacred, wretched.

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USES:
1. For a past action, the RESULT of which maintains some relation with the
present: I have no money; I’ve lost my wallet.
2. Actions which have taken place within a period of time which still HAS NOT
FINISHED. In this case, the present perfect will normally be accompanied by:
a. adverbs or adverbial phrases such as “today”, “this week”, “this
month”, etc.
b. Adverbs or adverbial phrases of indefinite time such as ever,
never, already, yet. Have you eaten yet? I’ve already finished: I’ve just
got your letter.
c. In recently completed actions the present perfect is used with the
adverb “just” interpolated: I have just got your letter.
3. To indicate an action or state begun in the past and still going on in the present:
Sue has been ill since Tuesday
4. For past actions, even when they are completed, provided that the time is not
indicated, in which case the simple past is used: Have you read that novel / seen
that film? Have you ever been to Brighton? Yes, I have been there. Si se
contesta: “Sí, estuve allí la primavera pasada”: Yes, I was there last spring
(because time is now definite: so, simple past).
5. After It is/This is the first time/second time… we use present perfect simple
because this refers to one’s life up to the present moment. E.g.: This is the first
time that have eaten Japanese food.

II. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS / PROGRESSIVE:

The present perfect progressive is the equivalent of the Spanish “pretérito perfecto” of
the verb “estar” + “gerundio”. In English the use of this tense is more frequent than in
Spanish, which normally prefers the periphrastic construction of “llevar” + “gerundio”
in many situations:

I’ve been waiting for you since two o’clock = Llevo esperándote desde las dos (=He
estado esperándote…)

FORMATION:

The present perfect progressive is formed with the present perfect of the verb “to be” +
the “-ing” form of the verb being conjugated.

- Structure of the Affirmative form: Subject + have/has + been + -ing form. E.g.:
I have been working …
- Negative: Subject + have/has + not + been + -ing form. E.g.: I have not been
working
- Interrogative: Have/has + subject + been + -ing form. E.g.: Have I been
working?

USES:

- It is used for an action which extends from the past up to the present moment
and which may continue into the future: I have been doing this for years.

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 - Naturally the action does not have to be going on at the present moment; it
simply has to have current relevance: He’s been working the whole morning
and now he’s having lunch.
- It is very common for present perfect progressive structures to be used with the
prepositions “since” and “for”:
o Present perfect progressive + since + precise moment in time: I’ve been
living in Málaga since May.
o Present perfect progressive + for + period of time: I’ve been living in
Málaga for two months.

PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE AND PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE:

Often they are interchangeable. However:

1. The Present perfect progressive places the emphasis on the developing action,
whereas the present perfect simple views it as finished, placing the emphasis on
the present result:
 I’ve been repairing the car and my hands are dirty (I’ve been carrying out a
repair which may or may not have been finished)
 I’ve repaired the car; you don’t have to take it to the garage (the repair is
complete).
2. The present perfect simple says how much you have done: I’ve cooked three
pizzas; The Present perfect progressive says how long you’ve been doing
something: I’ve been cooking all afternoon.
3. The present perfect simple may give the idea that something is more
permanent (I’ve always lived here); whereas the Present perfect progressive
may give the idea that something is temporary (We’ve been eating dinner in
the garden while the weather has been so warm).
4. The present perfect simple is used when we want to say how many times
something has been repeated (completed action): I’ve invited her two or three
times but she always says she’s busy; whereas the Present perfect progressive
emphasises the process of change over a period of time (how long) and that
these changes are not finished (action in progress): Your English has been
improving tremendously since you started doing your homework!

HOMEWORK:
Complete the theory about the present perfect with Unit 2 in Vince’s Book (Macmillan),
including the exercises. Do the exercises of your student’s book and workbook
(Cambridge U.P.), Unit 1, dealing with grammar.