How and When to Use Present Perfect Tense
What is the present perfect tense?
Present perfect tense describes an action that began in the past and often continues into the present. The tense indicates a link between the past and the present, often identifying the impact of the past action.
This continuation is how present perfect differs from the past tense, which depicts an action that already happened/concluded.
How to use present perfect tense
Forming the present perfect tense includes the auxiliary (helper) verb “has” or “have” and the past participle form of a verb. The past participle form of a regular verb is created by adding a “-d” or “-ed” to the end of the word (e.g., jumped, looked, walked).
A sentence written in the present perfect tense with a regular verb would be structured as follows:
Subject + has/have + verb + -d/-ed
He has lied about being sick.
To form the present perfect tense for irregular verbs, do not add a “-d” or “-ed” to the verb. Use has/have + the appropriate irregular past participle (e.g., begun, seen, taken).
There are three occasions where the main verb does not immediately follow “has/have”: negatives, questions, and adverbs.
Negatives: When writing a sentence that indicates something will not happen, “not” separates “has/have” and the past participle form of the verb. Writers can also choose to combine “has/have” with “not” to form a contraction.
The package has not arrived yet.
The package hasn’t arrived yet.
Questions: When asking a question, there is no single specific word that comes between “has/have” and the main verb. The two could be separated by one or more words that depend upon the structure of the question.
Have you gone to Disney World?
Have you ever gone to Disney World?
Adverbs: As a word that usually describes a verb, adverbs can be placed after “has/have” when using the present perfect tense.
The team has already completed their warm-up drills.
When to use present perfect tense
The present perfect tense is used for the following:
Use 1: Past action continues into the present
He has played the guitar since he was 10 years old.
She has worked here for 15 years.
Use 2: Specific time of the action is unknown or unimportant
She has studied many different languages.
They have left everything behind.
Use 3: Recently completed actions; often used with “just” or “now”
I’ve just finished shoveling the driveway and it’s snowing again.
We have completed painting the kitchen now, so let’s move on to the bathroom.
Use 4: Changes over time
She couldn’t believe how much her brother has matured since graduation.
His grandson has grown at least a foot since he last saw him.
Use 5: Action that is expected to finish but has yet to
I have not finished all the deliveries and my shift is almost over.
The coach has not ordered the food for the banquet yet.
Use 6: Multiple actions completed in the past; likely to happen in the future
I have been to that restaurant five times.
She has given the same gift every year.
Present perfect tense examples
The following sentences include the use of the present perfect tense with regular verbs:
Use 1: They have volunteered here for two years.
Use 2: She has learned to control her temper.
Use 3: Their cousin has just arrived for the weekend.
Use 4: The leaves have turned a brilliant yellow since last week.
Use 5: We haven’t baked all the cookies for the bake sale.
Use 6: Her friend has helped her study for every exam.
The following sentence include the use of the present perfect tense with irregular verbs:
Use 1: They have begun to remodel the kitchen.
Use 2: She has written three short stories.
Use 3: The whole family has just eaten dinner.
Use 4: The student has become a much better public speaker.
Use 5: He has not taken the written portion of the exam.
Use 6: Their dad has sent their mom flowers every Valentine’s Day.