Grammar › Verb Tenses › Present Perfect
Present Perfect
The present perfect (have/has + past participle) connects the past with now. Use it for:
- Experiences at an unspecified time — I've been to Rome.
- Recent actions with a result now — She's lost her keys.
- Situations that started in the past and continue — We've lived here since 2020.
Never use it with finished-time expressions like yesterday or in 2019 — use the past simple instead.
How to form the present perfect
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | subject + have/has + past participle | She has finished her homework. |
| Negative | subject + haven’t/hasn’t + past participle | They haven’t arrived yet. |
| Question | Have/Has + subject + past participle? | Have you eaten? |
The past participle is the verb + -ed for regular verbs (worked, played) and the third form for irregular verbs (go → gone, see → seen, eat → eaten).
When to use the present perfect
1. Life experiences (unspecified time)
Use it when when is not important — only the experience matters.
- I’ve visited Japan twice.
- Have you ever tried sushi?
⚠️ Typical error:
I have visited Japan in 2022.→ If you say when, use the past simple: I visited Japan in 2022.
2. Recent actions with a present result
The action is finished, but the result is important now.
- She’s lost her keys. (= she can’t open the door now)
- I’ve just finished the report. (= it’s ready now)
⚠️ Typical error:
She has lost her keys yesterday.→ Yesterday is finished time → She lost her keys yesterday.
3. Situations that started in the past and continue now
Use since (starting point) or for (period).
- We’ve lived here since 2020.
- He’s worked at the school for ten years.
⚠️ Typical error:
I live here since 2020.→ With since/for + a situation that continues, English needs the present perfect: I’ve lived here since 2020.
Signal words
| Word | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| just | before the participle | I’ve just seen her. |
| already | before the participle | We’ve already eaten. |
| yet | end of negatives and questions | She hasn’t called yet. |
| ever / never | questions / negatives | Have you ever been to Rome? |
| since / for | with continuing situations | I’ve known him since June / for years. |
Common mistakes
1. Using the present perfect with finished time. The number-one error for Spanish, Catalan, French and Italian speakers, because their languages allow it. If the time is finished (yesterday, last week, in 2019, this morning — when the morning is over), use the past simple.
2. Confusing since and for. Since + starting point; for + duration.
3. Confusing been and gone. Been = went and came back (experience). Gone = went and is still there.
✏️ Practice: Present Perfect
1. She ___ in Girona since 2019.
2. I ___ that film yesterday.
3. ___ you ever ___ sushi?
4. We've known each other ___ ten years.
5. He's ___ to the bank. He'll be back in ten minutes.
6. They ___ their homework yet.
7. I've worked here ___ I left university.
8. Choose the sentence with the same meaning as: 'I started living here in 2020 and I still live here.'
9. She ___ her keys — she can't open the door.
10. Which sentence means the same as 'This is the first time I have eaten paella'?
11. Fill in the gap
She ___ in Girona since 2019. (live)
Type two words.
12. Correct the mistake
I have seen that film yesterday.
Type the whole corrected sentence.
13. Fill in the gap
We've lived here ___ five years.
Type since or for.
✏️ Practice: Fill in the gaps
20 original sentences covering all three forms (affirmative, negative, question) and the three uses from the lesson: experience, present result, and a situation that continues — always the simple form, never the continuous.
✏️ Practice: Put the words in order
Tap the words below to build each sentence in the right order. Twenty original sentences, mixing statements, negatives and questions — all present perfect simple.
✏️ Practice: Match the past participles
Tap a base verb, then tap its irregular past participle. Present perfect always needs the participle, never the base form — these twenty are the ones learners mix up most.
✏️ Practice: Beat the clock
15 seconds per question. Pick the option that completes the sentence correctly — the auxiliary, the participle, and the tense all have to be right.
20 questions, 15 seconds each. The clock starts when you press Start.
✏️ Practice: Find the mistake
Each sentence has exactly one mistake. Tap the word you think is wrong. Twenty original sentences.
✏️ Level check: How well do you know it?
20 mixed questions — typing, word order, participles, multiple choice, and spot-the-mistake. One pass, then a breakdown of where you're strong and where to go back and practise.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?
The past simple describes finished actions at a finished time (I saw him yesterday). The present perfect describes actions with a connection to now — an experience, a result, or a situation that continues (I have seen that film, so I don't want to watch it again). If you can say exactly when it happened, use the past simple.
When do I use 'since' and when do I use 'for'?
Use 'since' with a starting point (since 2020, since Monday, since I arrived). Use 'for' with a period of time (for three years, for a long time, for two hours).
Is the present perfect the same as the Spanish or Catalan 'pretérito perfecto'?
No, and this causes many mistakes. In Spanish and Catalan you can say 'he visto a Juan esta mañana', but in English you cannot use the present perfect with a finished time. If the time is finished, English uses the past simple: 'I saw Juan this morning' (said in the afternoon).
What is the difference between 'been' and 'gone'?
'He has been to Paris' means he went and came back — it's an experience. 'He has gone to Paris' means he went and is still there now.
👩🏫 For teachers
CEFR objectives for “Present Perfect”:
- Can form affirmative, negative and interrogative present perfect sentences with regular and irregular participles (CEFR B1).
- Can distinguish present perfect from past simple in contexts with and without finished-time markers.
- Can use since/for, just/already/yet and ever/never appropriately.
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