12

12A present perfect

Have
Ho>
I / you / we /they
he / she / it
1seen that fit m?
A Have you sccn his new fil m? 5 45 >1)
B Ycs. I'\'c sccn aB his film,>,
She has n 't read a ny 11 3rT) PotteT boo\...s.
o
1 Have you evcr read a Rus,>ian 1l0l'cI? y I I/YOU' we/they I have,
es, he/she/it has,
Sara h 's nevcr worked in a big co m pan~.
J )-iu\'c yo u fini shed the exercise?
o
You r parents ha \ 'C arrived. They're in t he Jiving room.
Nil/0,
you / we / they I haven't ,
he /she /it hasn't ,
\Ve use the present perfect when we talk or ask about things
that ha\'e happened in the paSt, but when wc don't say wl1cn . • To make the present perfect use !r1ll'c l/lrlS + the past participle-
2 Wc often lIse the present perfect with fl'er (= at any time in of I he \'erb.
yo ur life) and IICI'{'r (: a t no time:' in you r life). '5 = !ra5 in present perfect.
J We a lso use [he present perfect to tal k about somcrh ing that • Past pa rt iciples of regu lar verbs are the same as the past
h;IS recently happened . si mple.
full form of have contraction past participle infinit ive past simple past participle
of main .... erb
like liked liked
I have I've
want wanted wanted
You have You ' ve
El He I She l it has He I She lit's
• Pa St participles ofir regub r \'erbs are sometimes the sa me as
We have We've
They have They've Ihe past si mple. e.g. rend, bur sometimes different, e.g. seen.
seen that film.
I have not I haven't infinit ive past simple past participle
You have not You haven't
read Ti: read rr.!J read fcd
G He / She/It has not He /She /It hasn't
We have not We haven't see saw seen
They have not They haven't
(There is a li st ofi rregub r past pa rticiples o n p.165)

12B present perfect or past simple?

been or gone?
A H ave yo u been la Luigi's? B Yes, I ha\'c. 5 52 ))
A When did you go there? B I wcntlast \\cekend.
l'q~ bee n to Italy. 5 53 >1)
A \\'hod id yo ugo w ith ? B I \\cnt wilh ~ome people
~'I ) ~ister's gone to Ital~' to stud) Italian .
frorn work.
I've been 10 Ne\\ York I wire. I wcnt to \ isit 1l1\ sister - s he's
beell 10 and nOlle fa have different meani ngs. been is the past
married to a n t\ merican.
paniciplc of be. and noue is the past participle of 80.
In the present perfect wc use beeu fO (NOT gone-It) or betn-in)
We oftcn use the present pe rfeel lO as k abouI or tell
to say thal some body has visited a place.
somebody a boUl a past action for the firs t time. Wc don't
ask l s3Y when the ac tion happened: Ha veyolI been 10 Luigi's? 1'1'i' beell to fire USA three lime5. /-II/I'e )'011 b eel! fO 'hI' ltI'll'
I've been ro New )'ork /lI'ice. Ifa/iUlI reSfatrrGlII ilt Geo rne Slreet?

We Ihen use the pa s t s i m p le 10 ask/talk about specific past Wc use noli(' 10 when somebody goes to a place and is slill
details: Whell did y Oll no tllere? I lVellf 10 l.i5if 111)' si5ler. there:
We use the pas t simple N OT Ihe present per fecI with wllell My parents Ita l'eno lle 10 fhe USAJo r their holidaY5. Till')' dar,'l
and past lime expressions. e.g. yesterday.lasf week: come back Imli/ Satu rday.

W/l e" did you see it? N OT IVht:frhrn~'OIr1~t1-it? Compare: Nick II/u beell t o Paris", He visited Paris and came
back at some time in the paSI.
I saw it ias' w eek. NOT h~iHtlSMI'ttk;
N ick has80lle t o I)aris '" He wem 10 Pa ris and he is in Paris
now.