The Present Perfect Tense Formation and Explanation
The present perfect tense can be used in TWO very different ways:
1. Present Perfect Tense in the Indefinite Past: The indefinite past is some time in the past, but we either don’t know or don’t say when in the past.
Examples:
I have eaten breakfast this morning. You don’t know what time. The time, this morning, isn’t finished
My wife has had two babies. My wife is 60 years old, so you know she had the babies a long time ago, but you don’t know when.
I have lived in Tunisia and Iran for about two years each. Obviously this was in the past, but I didn’t tell you when in the past.
In other words, the indefinite past is used to introduce a past time topic or event with an indefinite meaning as to when it happened in the past. Its emphasis is on the introduction of the action and not on when it took place. It simply says, "This has happened at some time in the past and I am going to talk about it." Note: Once a native speaker is sure that the reader/listener understands the topic, he or she will change to the definite, simple past tense.
More Examples:
I have traveled around the world, and I have studied many languages in my life.
Americans have walked on the moon. I have seen pictures of the astronauts.
My sons have both graduated from university.
2. The present perfect tense can be used to describe actions that began in the past, continue in the present, and may continue in the future. Thus, the action of the verb is not finished.
Examples:
I have taught English as a second language since 1971. I began to teach ESL in 1971 and I am still teaching ESL.
My wife and I have lived in Seattle for 36 years. We came here 36 years ago, and we are still living here
Seattle has always had rainy weather. Throughout history, it had always rained a lot in Seattle.
None of the above actions is finished. They began in the past but are not finished. Compare these to the second set of examples below. These actions finished earlier; I said when they finished. In other words, they finished at a “definite” time in the past. When I want to say when they finished, then I must change to the simple past tense because the time is “definite.”
Definite Past Actions
My wife had one baby in 1985 and the other one in 1987.
I lived in Tunisia from 1971 to 1973, and in Iran from 1974 to 1976.
In the present perfect tense, you cannot use definite past tense time words because the definite past tense stops the time. Remember that it is the “time” that allows for the present perfect to be used with actions that are finished in the past. If we don’t say when, the time, something happened, then we can use the present perfect. If we say when it happened, then we must use the simple past tense. Look at the sentences below:
I have gone to Disneyland in California.
I went to Disneyland in California in 1982 and 1992.
In the first sentence, I said “have gone” because I didn’t say when I went. The time was the indefinite past time. In the second sentence, however, I said “went” because I told you the years 1982 and 1992, both of which are the definite past time.
As a result, with the present perfect tense we can not use time words or expressions such as the following list of words:
yesterday
last week
two months ago
when I was a boy
before I got up this morning
last night
All of the above words and expressions (and many others) put the time of the action in the definite past time. Thus, with these expressions we need to use the definite past tense.
On the other hand, we can use expressions such as the following list of words because they “say” that something has already begun but is not finished.
so far
yet
up to now
for (time) [“For can be used with the simple past tense and the present perfect tense.]
since
The following words do “say” that something is already finished, but they can be used in the present perfect because they “say” that the time was very close to the present time.
already
lately
recently
Examples of the last group:
I have already written most of this page. It has rained a lot recently. I have had headaches lately. Lately I have felt sick to my stomach. My son has recently bought a car.
Present Perfect Tense: Affirmative Form
I gone
You have eaten
We done
They played
He gone
She has eaten
It done
played
Examples:
I have been at school for two hours so far today. (I got here two hours ago and I am still here now. I will continue to be here for about five more hours today.)
My son has lived in Japan since July 25, 2009. (He arrived in Japan on July 25, 2009. He is in Japan now. I don’t know how long he will remain in Japan.)
My wife has taught cooking classes in Seattle since 1981. (She began teaching cooking classes in Seattle in 1981. She still teaches cooking classes in Seattle. I don’t know when she will stop teaching cooking classes in Seattle.)
Hopefully, you have learned a lot of English grammar so far. (You began studying in the past. You are still studying grammar but need to study more. Some day you will finish.
The weather has recently gotten better in Seattle. (The weather was very bad in January and February. March was a little warmer. In April, May, and June, it will get even better.)
Present Perfect Tense: Negative Form
I gone
You eaten
We haven’t done
They played
He hasn’t studied
She shrunk
It started
Examples:
I haven’t seen my friend Bob in many years.
My son hasn’t called home since last Wednesday.
The weather hasn’t changed much yet.
We haven’t finished studying the perfect tenses yet.
I haven’t started working on my next book yet.
My sons haven’t played with toys for a long time.
Present Perfect Tense: Yes/No Question Form
I seen that movie?
you studied French before?
Have we followed the directions correctly?
they bought any food this week?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
he decided to go to college?
Has she drunk any coffee today?
it begun to rain yet?
Examples:
Has your friend come back from her vacation yet?
Have you ever seen a ghost?
Has the snow melted yet?
Have you already had dinner tonight?
Has the temperature reached 60 degrees yet this year?
Present Perfect Tense: Information Question (WH Question) Form
Who I taken ------------?
What you watched ---------?
Where have we played with -----?
When they shown-------------?
Whose (noun) has he worn-------------?
Which (noun) she gotten------------?
Whom it received ---------?
How crept --------------?
How many (noun) have/has
How much (noun) has
Examples:
Whom have you seen recently?
Where have you been for such a long time?
What has your mother cooked for dinner this evening?
How many times have you gone to the Space Needle in Seattle?
Which restaurant have you decided to go to this evening?
Whose pictures have you seen?
Who’s taken your car without telling you?
Who’s driven in a snow storm in the mountains?
How much has he paid for his new car?
Who has written all of these exercises?
Which friend has your son gone out with tonight?
Exercise 11: Change the following sentences from the simple present tense to the present perfect tense, please. Write complete sentences. You may also have to change the “time words.” Use words such as forever, always, for, since, all their lives.
1. We eat our lunch every day.
2. My mother always cleans the house during the weekend.
3. Boys all over the world make a lot of noise.
4. Students write sentences every quarter.
5. My sister smokes a lot of cigarettes every day.
6. Old people shrink day by day.
7. Some people speak a lot of languages.
8. Writing these sentences takes a lot of time.
9. We always swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
10. Doing homework helps you to learn English.
11. I get tired from sitting in front of a computer for a long time.
12. I listen to music almost every evening.
Exercise 12: Change these sentences to the present perfect tense, please. Be care because you may also have to change the “time words.” Write out the complete sentence.
1. I swam in the ocean two times last year.
2. I worked for many years overseas.
3. I saw my students many times last week.
4. My wife cooked dinner for us every night.
5. My son swept the floor last week.
6. We came to English classes last quarter.
7. Some boys caused trouble at school last week.
8. My mother washed our clothes every week.
9. Driving my car made me tired.
10. We listened to the news at noon every day last year.
11. My neighbor cleaned his yard last week.
12. I had a headache many times last month.
Exercise 13: Look at the following groups of sentences. Read them and then write them using the present perfect tense please.
1. I planted a garden the first year I came to Seattle.
I plant a garden every year without fail.
I will plant a garden next year.
2. I first taught school in 1966.
I teach school every year.
I will teach school for eight more years.
3. My wife began teaching cooking classes in Seattle in 1981.
She teaches cooking classes every year.
She will teach continue teaching cooking classes next year.
4. My son Alex started working in Japan three years ago.
He still works in Japan.
He will continue working in Japan until he goes back to university again.
5. We got our dog Rosie nine years ago.
She lives with us now. (Hint: Use either the verb have or live.)
She will live with us until she dies.
6. I first visited Italy in 1971.
I visited Italy in 1972, 2005, 2007, and 2010.
I will visit Italy again someday.
7. My sister began owning her hair dressing salon in 1989.
My sister owns the hair dressing salon now.
8. I had a beard when I went to college.
I have the beard now.
9. I bought my car four months ago.
I have my car now.
I will have my car until it stops running well.
10. I built my greenhouse a long time ago.
I use it every year to grow peppers in.
I will use my greenhouse for as long as I live in Seattle.
11. My son began writing music when he was six years old.
He studied music composition in university
He has a job as a music composer.
He will probably always write music for as long as he lives.
12. My wife speaks Indonesian.
She learned to speak Indonesian as a child.
She will know how to speak Indonesian all of her life.
13. I have a headache now.
I had a headache this morning when I woke up.
I will probably have a headache all day today.
14. We started studying English this quarter last month.
You take classes every day from Monday through Friday.
We still have many days to go before the quarter ends.
15. I never visited the North Pole.
I will never visit the North Pole.
______________________________________________________________________________
