Present Perfect Tense

• Time reference: Connects past to present
• No specific time: Focuses on experience, not when
• American vs. British: Different usage preferences
• Adverb placement: Never with definite past times
• Result focus: Emphasizes current impact

Person	Structure	Example
I/You/We/They	have + past participle	"I have visited Japan."
He/She/It	has + past participle	"She has broken her phone."

• Regular verbs: add -ed (work → worked)
• Irregular verbs: memorize (go → gone, see → seen)
• Spelling changes: stop → stopped, study → studied

• "I haven't finished my homework."
• "He hasn't called since Tuesday."

• have not → haven't
• has not → hasn't

• "Have you eaten sushi before?"
• "Has the meeting started?"

• "Where have you been?"
• "Why has she left early?"

• "Have you ever ridden a horse?"
• "Has he never traveled abroad?"

• "I have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro." (At some point in my life)
• "She has published three novels." (Career achievement)

ever, never, before, once/twice, many times

• "The CEO has just announced her resignation." (Very recent)
• "I have recently changed jobs." (Not saying exactly when)

just, recently, lately, already, yet (questions/negatives)

• "We have had four tests this semester." (Semester still ongoing)
• "I haven't seen John today." (Today isn't over)

today, this week/month/year, in the last/past few days

• "They have lived here since 2015." (Still living here)
• "I have known Sarah for years." (Still know her)

• Since + point in time (since Monday, since 9am)
• For + duration (for hours, for a long time)

• "I have lost my keys!" (Result: I can't open the door now)
• "She has painted the room blue." (Result: It looks different now)

broken, finished, lost, bought, cleaned, changed

• "The doctor has seen twelve patients today." (At various times)
• "I have watched that movie five times." (On different occasions)

Present Perfect	Simple Past
"I have been to Paris." (Experience, no time)	"I went to Paris last year." (Specific time)
"She has written three emails today." (Day not over)	"She wrote three emails this morning." (Morning passed)

• Indefinite time: already, yet, ever, never, before
• Recent time: just, recently, lately, so far, up to now
• Unfinished periods: this week, today, in the last month

• Definite past times: yesterday, last week, in 2020, when I was young

British English	American English
"I have just seen him."	"I just saw him."
"Have you had lunch yet?"	"Did you have lunch yet?"

• ❌ "I have seen him yesterday." → ✅ "saw"

• ❌ "She has went home." → ✅ "has gone"

• ❌ "They never been abroad." → ✅ "have never been"

• ❌ "We've lived here since five years." → ✅ "for five years"

1. "He (not/finish) _____ his project yet." (hasn't finished)
2. "(You/ever/be) _____ to Australia?" (Have you ever been)

1. "I have seen that movie last month." → ❌ (Definite time: saw)
2. "She has worked here since June." → ✅ (Unfinished period)

1. Change to negative: "They have visited Rome." → "They haven't visited Rome."
2. Form a question: "The train has arrived." → "Has the train arrived?"

• Developed from Old English "habban" (to have) + past participle
• Originally indicated possession of completed actions

• Spanish: "He comido" (haber + past participle)
• French: "J'ai mangé" (avoir + past participle)
• German: Uses simple past more frequently ("Ich aß" vs. "Ich habe gegessen")
• Russian: No direct equivalent - uses context and adverbs