The Present Perfect Tense

A step-by-step lesson on forming and using the present perfect, with plenty of practice.

What Is the Present Perfect?

The present perfect connects the past to the present — it describes something that happened in the past but is still relevant now.

How to Form It

$\text{have / has} + \text{past participle}$

I have finished my homework. ✅
She has eaten already. ✅

Step-by-Step: Making Sentences

1
Choose the correct auxiliary
Use have with I, you, we, they.
Use has with he, she, it.
2
Find the past participle
Regular verbs: + -ed → work → worked
Irregular verbs: must be memorised → go → gone, eat → eaten
3
Build the sentence
Subject + have/has + past participle [+ rest of sentence]
They have visited Paris.
4
Negate or question it
Negative: She has not seen that film.
Question: Have you been to the zoo?

Common Signal Words

Use	Signal words	Example
Experience	ever, never	Have you ever tried sushi?
Just finished	just	He has just arrived.
Not yet done	yet	I haven't packed yet.
Already done	already	We've already eaten.
This period	today, this year	I have read two books this month.

Warning

Never use the present perfect with a specific finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2019).
❌ I have seen her last week.
✅ I saw her last week.

Real world: news broadcast

A news presenter says: "Police have arrested a suspect in connection with last night's robbery." The present perfect is used because the arrest is recent news — it happened in the past but is directly relevant to the present moment. News reporters use the present perfect constantly to announce breaking events.

Real world: job CV / résumé

On a CV, candidates write: "I have managed a team of five people" or "I have completed a Level 3 Accounting qualification." These statements use the present perfect because the experience is in the past but directly relevant to the applicant's current qualifications — exactly what the present perfect is designed to express.

Real world: airport announcement

"Passengers on flight BA456 have already boarded. The gate has now closed." Announcements use the present perfect with "already" and "now" to communicate that an action just completed is relevant to the present situation. Understanding this tense is essential for navigating airports, stations, and public information systems.

Tip If you can add "at some point in your life" and the sentence still makes sense, use the present perfect (experience use). If you need to say when exactly, use the past simple instead.

Practice Problems

Write in the correct form: She _______ (not finish) her project yet.

Show answer

She hasn't finished her project yet.

Is the sentence correct? 'They have visited Rome in 2019.' If not, fix it.

Show answer

Incorrect. '2019' is a finished time → use past simple. Correct: 'They visited Rome in 2019.'

Form a question: you / ever / ride / a horse?

Show answer

Have you ever ridden a horse?