Present Perfect Simple

form

We make the present perfect simple by using the present of have with the past participle of the main verb:

Singular PluralI have talked We have talkedYou have talked You have talkedHe/she/it has talked They have talked

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• We often use the contracted form of the auxiliary (‘s/ ‘ve ), particularly after pronouns (e.g. I, he, they):

He’s written a long letter to the manager.

They’ve often said they didn’t like the music in the lift.

• When we speak informally, we often use the contracted form with names and other noun subjects; we don’t normally do this when we write:

Your wet umbrella’s dripped water all over the floor.

Tim and Nicky’ve taken all the toffees!

Remember, many common verbs have irregular past participles.

The verb go changes to has been to in the present perfect when we mean has visited:

Mr Conway has been to Venice (= He has visited Venice. He is not there now.)

but we use has gone to somewhere to mean is visiting:

He has gone to Venice. (=He is in Venice now.)

Questions and negatives

• To make a question in the present perfect, we usually put the auxiliary verb (have/has) before the subject:

Have you found your scarf?Why has James left the door open?

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• We make the negative by adding not or n’t after the auxiliary have/has:

Robin has not seen the film Titanic!!!They haven’t mended the computer yet.

• We often reply to a present perfect question with a short yes/ no answer using the auxiliary have/has or haven’t/hasn’t:

Has Graham arrived yet? Yes, he has.Have the girls bought their bus tickets? No, they

haven’t.

use

We use the present perfect when we are talking about the past in relation to the present. We use it for:

Something which began in the past and still the case:

Andy has been friends with Paul since they were six. (They are still friends.)

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something which has continued up to the present moment but has now finished:

I’ve been away for a couple of weeks. (I have just come back now.)

something in the recent past which has direct consequences in the present:

Woody has bought a new motorbike. (He has got a new bike now.)

They haven’t finished painting the hall. (The hall is half painted.)