Present Perfect with "Since" and "For"

Present Perfect with "Since" and "For"

Let's remember what we have already studied. First, how we do make a sentence in the present perfect?

Subject + have/has + past participle

• I have gone to China.

• We have eaten Chinese food.

• He has seen a panda.

What do these sentences mean? Something happened in the past, but we don't know the specific time.

• I have gone to China.

• We have eaten Chinese food.

• He has seen a panda.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

• I has done my homework.

• I have done my homework.

• I have doing my homework.

• I done my homework.

If we say the specific time, we need to use the simple past.

• I went to China in 2015.

• We ate Chinese food yesterday.

• He saw a panda at the zoo last month.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

• I have did my homework yesterday.

• I do my homework yesterday.

• I have done my homework yesterday.

• I did my homework yesterday.

When we ask questions, we switch (change) the subject and have/has.

• Have you ever gone to China?

• Have they eaten Chinese food?

• Has your son seen a panda?

• Has Andrew had Chinese students?

Open Ended

Have you ever studied another language (besides English?) Write your answer.

We can also use the present perfect to talk about something that started in the past and continues now (still happening). For example:

• We have been married for 6 months.

• I have lived in the USA since 2015.

• Andrew has taught English for 11 years.

Andrew has taught English for 11 years.

This means that he started teaching English 11 years ago, and he continues to teach English today (he is still an English teacher).

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

• He has worked at this company for 10 years.

• He works at this company for 10 years.

• He is working at this company for 10 years.

• He have worked at this company for 10 years.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

• Maria knows her boyfriend for six months.

• Maria have known her boyfriend for six months..

• Maria has known her boyfriend for six months.

• Maria know her boyfriend for six months.

These sentences answer the question "How long?" For example, "How long have you lived in the USA?"

When we answer a question with "how long," we use the words "since" and "for."

We use "since" with a specific time: September, 2017, last week, yesterday, March 22

We use "for" with a period of time: two months, three years, one week, a day, 12 hours

Multiple Select

Choose ALL of the correct answers.

I have been married since _____.

• one year

• 2019

• six months

• May

• last week

Multiple Select

Choose ALL of the correct answers:

We have had this car for ______.

• 10 months

• 10 months ago

• 2020

• 10 years

• January

Open Ended

How long have you lived in the USA? Answer in a complete sentence.

Open Ended

How long have you been married (or single, divorced, etc.)? Answer in a complete sentence.

Open Ended

How long have you studied English? Answer in a complete sentence.

What about "ago" and "in"? We use them with the simple past.

We use "ago" with a period of time:

I came to the USA 5 years ago.

We use "in" (and sometimes "on" or "at") with a specific time:

I came to the USA in 2015.

I came to the USA on July 10, 2015.

Is it correct to say "I have been living" or "He has been working"?

Yes! This is called present perfect continuous. We will study it later. 🙂 For now, remember that you can say "I have lived in the USA for 5 years" or "I have been living in the USA for 5 years." They're both correct.

These are all correct!

• I have lived in the USA for 5 years.

• I have been in the USA for 5 years.

• I have been living in the USA for 5 years.

These are NOT correct!

• I been living in the USA for 5 years.

• I living in the USA for 5 years.

• I am living in the USA for 5 years.

• I have been lived in the USA for 5 years.

Poll

How do you feel?

• I understand this very well. 😀

• I understand a little, but I need more practice. 🤔

• I don't understand this at all. 🤯