Explaining the present perfect tense - intro: E2-14G

 

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Explanation

 

 

 

The present perfect tense usually does not exist in the learner’s own language, so it can be quite difficult to understand. The best advice I can give you is this: don’t spend many, many hours trying to learn everything you can about it in books. Expose yourself to real spoken English and listen to how native speakers use it – after all, English children learn it without any grammar book!

Here, I will give you some brief indications, but without going into lots of detail.

Look at the table. We will go through the four cases mentioned there.

1. This time period. If we talk about an unfinished time period – today, this week, this year etc - we use the present perfect. A past time period, by contrast – yesterday, last week, last year - uses the past simple.

I haven’t worked on my English today.

I studied English for a couple of hours yesterday.

Be careful with ‘this morning’. 

I’ve sent a few e-mails this morning.  (Said in the morning, which is not over yet.)

I sent a few e-mails this morning.  (Said in the afternoon or evening of the same day.)

2. Time period not mentioned. In this case, the statement made refers to all my life until now. It is used for summarising, or inviting a summary.

I’ve had a happy life, although I haven’t travelled as much as I would have liked.

Have you enjoyed your years in South Africa?

This contrasts with particular past times, where the past simple is used:

Well, I enjoyed my first ten years in South Africa, but after my wife died things got very difficult.

3. ‘Ever’ is used in questions about what a person has experienced.

Have you ever seen a volcanic eruption?

‘Never’ is used in negative answers.

My cousin is very intelligent, but she’s never been to university.

The meaning is: in a person’s life so far, i.e. until now.

He’s often talked of writing a book.

This is in contrast to the case where a specific past time period is referred to:

My cousin didn’t go to university until her children were grown-up.

4. Unfinished action or situation. In this case, something has been started, is going on, but has not finished.

I’ve marked a pile of exam papers (but I haven’t finished yet).

This contrasts with:

I marked a pile of exam papers yesterday – I was exhausted.

Note how the past simple will always include a reference to the time when this happened - underlined:

A lot of African footballers have come to play in Europe.  (still going on)

The first African footballers arrived in Europe in the 1980s. (finished)

 

Exercise

In the table below, each example of the present perfect in use is contrasted with an

example of the past simple. The column on the right is for you to make your own

example of each type of use, both for the present perfect and for the past simple.

 

Description of use	My example of use	Your example of use
This time period       Previous time period	I’ve bought a new car this week     I sold my old car last week
Time not mentioned (BUT means: in my life until now)   Time mentioned	I haven’t read many books     I didn’t read books when I was a teenager
Ever (questions) never, always, often.. (statements) – in your/my life until now   At an earlier time in your / my life	·         Have you ever broken your arm? Yes, I’ve broken both arms. (general)        Yes, I broke both arms in a motorcycle  accident (specific)
Unfinished action / situation     Finished action	She’s worked at the bank for five years (and she still works there now)   She worked at the bank for five years (but she doesn’t work there now)