Present Perfect
What is the Present Perfect?
The Present Perfect is a verb tense that as its name implies: talks about the present. But that is just a little part. We mainly use it to talk about the past. It is often used incorrectly because of bad translation from a person’s native language. Now we will explain how to form the Present Perfect and how to use it.How to form the present Perfect?
You make the present perfect as follows:Subject + have/has + past participle
| I | have | worked |
| You | have | seen |
| She | has | walked |
| He | has | spoken |
| It | has | rained |
| We | have | forgotten |
| You | have | worn |
Use (of the) Present Perfect
| Why Present Perfect? | Example |
| To talk about an action which is in the past without saying when (no expression of time) |
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| To talk about an action or situation that began in the past and continues in the present |
|
| The present perfect is often used with the following words: already, yet, just, since, so far |
|
| When the action in the past is so recent that you can still notice the consequences |
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| When you say you have never done something before or you ask if someone as ever done something in his life |
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Abbreviations present perfect
In the Present Perfect we can abbreviate the auxiliary verb have and the word not| Have you seen the film? | X no, we don’t abbreviate: affirmative question |
| For the third time: No, I have not seen the film | X no, we don’t abbreviate: when you want to make something really clear |
| The horses have run away | X no, we don’t abbreviate: it would be uncomfortable to pronounce |
| Haven’t you seen the film? | √ yes, we abbreviate: negative question Note: without the abbreviation would also be correct, but it is not common |
| I’ve seen the film | √ yes, we abbreviate: general sentence Note: without the abbreviation would also be correct, but it is not common |
| He’s been there before | √ yes, we abbreviate: general sentence Note: without the abbreviation would also be correct, but it is not common |
Whenever we can we will use abbreviations, because we can speak faster.
Past Participle
- The Past Participle of a verb is normally formed by adding -ED to the infinitive of the verb.
Example:
| Work | worked |
| Talk | talked |
| Need | needed |
- If the verb already ends in E, then you only add the –D.
Example:
| Like | liked |
| Live | lived |
- There is a long list of irregular verbs though.
Some examples:
| See | Seen |
| Forgot | Forgotten |
| Think | Thought |
| Go | Gone |
List of the irregular past participles
| Simple Present | Past Participle | Past Participle |
| arise awake be bear beat become begin bend bet bite bleed blow break bring build burn burst buy catch choose cling come cost creep cut deal dig dive do draw dream drink drive eat fall feed feel fight find fit flee fling fly forbid forget forgive forgo freeze get give go grind grow hang have hear hide hit hold hurt keep kneel knit know lay lead leap leave lend let lie (down) light lose make mean meet pay prove put quit read ride ring rise run saw say see seek sell send set sew shake shave shear shine shoot show shrink shut sing sink sit slay sleep slide sneak speak speed spend spill spin spit split spread spring stand steal stick sting stink strew strike strive swear sweep swim swing take teach tear tell think thrive throw undergo understand upset wake wear weave weep win wind withdraw wring write | arose awoke was, were bore beat became began bent bet bit bled blew broke brought built burned or burnt burst bought caught chose clung came cost crept cut dealt dug dived or dove did drew dreamed or dreamt drank drove ate fell fed felt fought found fit, fitted fled flung flew forbade or forbad forgot forgave forwent froze got gave went ground grew hung or hanged had heard hid hit held hurt kept knelt or kneeled knitted or knit knew laid led leapt or leaped left lent let lay lit or lighted lost made meant met paid proved put quit read rode rang rose ran sawed said saw sought sold sent set sewed shook shaved sheared shone or shined shot showed shrank or shrunk shut sang sank sat slew slept slid sneaked or snuck spoke sped spent spilled or spilt spun spat or spit split spread sprang stood stole stuck stung stank or stunk strewed struck strove or strived swore swept swam swung took taught tore told thought thrived or throve threw underwent understood upset woke or waked wore wove wept won wound withdrew wrung wrote | arisen awoken been borne beaten or beat become begun bent bet bitten bled blown broken brought built burned or burnt burst bought caught chosen clung come cost crept cut dealt dug dived done drawn dreamed or dreamt drunk driven eaten fallen fed felt fought found fit, fitted fled flung flown, forbidden or forbade forgotten forgiven forgone frozen gotten or got given gone ground grown hung or hanged had heard hidden hit held hurt kept knelt or kneeled knitted or knit known laid led leapt or leaped left lent let lain lit or lighted lost made meant met paid proved or proven put quit read ridden rung risen run sawed or sawn said seen sought sold sent set sewn or sewed shaken shaved or shaven sheared or shorn shone or shined shot shown or showed shrunk or shrunken shut sung sunk sat slain slept slid sneaked or snuck spoken sped spent spilled or spilt spun spat or spit split spread sprung stood stolen stuck stung stunk strewn struck or stricken striven or strived sworn swept swum swung taken taught torn told thought thrived or thriven thrown undergone understood upset woken or waked worn woven wept won wound withdrawn wrung written |
Grammar Guide
| 1. | Do Does |
| 2. | Make Do |
| 3. | Question Tags |
| 4. | Some Any |
| 5. | To Be |
| 6. | Past Simple |
| 7. | Prefixes |
| 8. | Present Perfect |
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