The Present Perfect Lesson

The Present Perfect Tense

What is the present perfect?

The present perfect is a verb tense used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action begins in the past (not necessarily specified) and carries into the present.

But first, let's put it into context by comparing it with the other "present" friends...

Used to indicate general truths, habits, and things that are considered permanent.

Simple Present

Used to describe actions/events happening now or in the near future.

Present Continuous

Used to express actions that began in the past and continue into the present.

Present Perfect

​"I am a dog."

​"I am looking at you."

​"I have had a hard winter."

How do we form this verb?

Subject + "has" or "have" + the past participle

E.g.
Singular subject: The grass has grown a lot since May.

Plural subject: The Edmonton Oilers have played well.

3. An action that was completed in the very recent past: "I have just eaten."

1. An action that started in the past and continues into the present: "I have lived here since 1991."

4 Common situations where the Present Perfect is used:

​2. A repeated action that occured between the past and now: "We have visited Ottawa many times."

​4. An action when the time is not important: "We have studied all the verb tenses."

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses the present perfect tense correctly?

• She had known about the surprise for a long time.

• She knew about the surprise for a long time.

• She has known about the surprise for a long time.

• She has know about the surprise for a long time.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses the present perfect incorrectly?

• My cat has been sick for two days.

• He has broken his arm last summer.

• I have not tried skydiving yet.

• We have stayed at that resort many times.

-Albert Einstein

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

Thank you!
:)