Present Perfect

The present perfect connects the past to the present. It describes past actions with present relevance.

Formation

Affirmative

have/has + past participle

Subject	Have + Past Participle
I / You / We / They	have worked
He / She / It	has worked

Examples:

I have finished my homework.
She has lived here for 10 years.
They have seen that movie.

Past Participles

Regular verbs: add -ed (same as simple past)

work → worked
play → played
study → studied

Irregular verbs: must be memorized

Base	Past	Past Participle
be	was/were	been
go	went	gone
see	saw	seen
do	did	done
have	had	had
eat	ate	eaten
write	wrote	written
take	took	taken
give	gave	given
come	came	come

Negative

have/has + not + past participle

I have not (haven’t) finished.
She has not (hasn’t) arrived.
They haven’t seen it.

Questions

Have/Has + subject + past participle?

Have you finished?
Has she arrived?
What have they done?

When to Use Present Perfect

1. Experiences (unspecified time)

Life experiences up to now:

I have visited Paris. (sometime in my life)
She has never eaten sushi.
Have you ever seen a ghost?

Common words: ever, never, before

2. Recent Events with Present Results

Past action, present result:

I have lost my keys. (I can’t find them now)
She has broken her leg. (It’s still broken)
They have arrived. (They’re here now)

Common words: just, already, yet

I have just finished. (very recently)
She has already left. (before expected)
Have you finished yet? (by now?)
I haven’t finished yet. (not by now)

3. Unfinished Time Periods

Time period still continuing:

I have worked here for 5 years. (still working)
She has lived in London since 2010. (still living)
We have had three meetings this week. (week not over)

Common words: for, since, this week/month/year, today

For vs. Since:

for + duration: for 5 years, for 2 hours, for a long time
since + point in time: since 2010, since Monday, since I was a child

4. Changes Over Time

You have grown so much!
The city has changed a lot.
My English has improved.

5. Accomplishments

Scientists have discovered a new planet.
She has written three books.
I have finished the project.

Present Perfect vs. Simple Past

Present Perfect	Simple Past
Unspecified time	Specified time
Connection to present	Completed, no connection
Unfinished time	Finished time