Present Perfect

Never mind the past. What's done is done. What is really relevant is the effect of the past on the present. For that we use the Present Perfect tense. Got it?


Don't get it? Well, let's have a good look at the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Progressive tenses.

In my mind, I have been president now for over 5 years.



I have been waiting for you to see a doctor for over 5 years now.


As is the case with other verb tenses, the present perfect tense has its progressive form. How are these tenses formed? Let’s take a look.


All perfect verb tenses are so named because they use the auxiliary verb “HAVE” followed by a participle. In the case of the Present Perfect tense, this form is used:

HAVE + Past Participle

EXAMPLE: Len has taught English for over 19 years.
The word “taught” is a past participle.


OK. Let's have a look at a few more examples.


Alright, student. Is this clear to you? Yes? Good. So, let's look at the Present Perfect Progressive now.

In the case of the Present Perfect Progressive tense, this form is used:

HAVE + Past Participle + Present Participle

EXAMPLE: Len has been teaching English since 9:30 AM.
Note that the past participle in the Present Perfect Progressive tense is always “BEEN”.

Brainstorm: Why do we always use “been” with the Present Perfect Progressive?

It is not so hard to understand the forms of these verb tenses, but how do we use them? And what do they mean? Well, let’s take a look at a couple of examples and see if we can figure this out.

Examples:
[] Len has eaten sushi before.
[] Len has been eating hotdogs all his life.

In the first case, we mean that Len ate sushi at some time in the past. We also think that his experience is still related to the present time. However, in the second case, we mean that Len started something in the past time that is continuing even now. The Present Perfect focuses on experience. The Present Perfect Progressive focuses on continuation.

Often, especially in questions, the Present Perfect is used to talk about experience. For example: Have you sung in a karaoke box before?

There is also a tendency to use the Present Perfect Progressive when speaking about the “near” past and the Present Perfect when talking about a time in the past further removed from the present time. Compare these sentences.

  1. Len has played guitar since he had hair on his head. (Maybe this was a long time ago.)
  2. Len has been teaching since 9:30 AM. (It was probably not long ago.)
  3. Eleazar has studied Russian. (Yes, but at some point he stopped.)
  4. Monica has been speaking only English since class started. (However, she may speak Spanish to someone after class.)

OK. Now, it's time to test your knowledge of the Present Perfect tense.



check Check-Up

Complete each sentence below using the appropriate form of the verb.



1) Melissa ________________________ Len’s lunch before. So, keep an eye on her.

Wrong
stole
Right
has stolen


2)Did you know that Mukhammad _______ Elena's lunch?

Wrong
has stolen
Right
stole

3) Up to now, she ________________________ in California for over three weeks.

Wrong
was
Right
has been


4) Ronaldo _____________________ about becoming a teacher for a few weeks, and now he has finally made the decision.

Right
has been thinking
Wrong
has thought


5)Monica ________________________ since the club opened this evening. She is tireless.

Right
has been dancing
Wrong
has danced


6)Abby _________________________ to scuba dive. Now, she has a license.

Wrong
has been learning
Right
has learned


7)Melissa insists that she _______________________ about Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt.

Right
has not dreamed
Wrong
has not been dreaming


8)People who _____________________ often get better medical insurance rates.

Wrong
have not been smoking
Right
have not smoked


9)Have you ________________ hard at school?

Wrong
studied
Right
been studying

10)Nikita, have you ________________________ your classmate’s cooking before?

Wrong
been eating
Right
eaten


Students often confuse the use of the Simple Past and the Present Perfect. It is helpful to remember that the Simple Past is used for that which was completed in the past (and is no longer relevant in the present time).

So, when do we use the Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive tenses? There are essentially three general occasions:

  1. To indicate that something occurred in the past time, but is still relevant in the present time.
    Len has taught English before. (Maybe Len stopped teaching in the past. But he could still teach today if he wished.)
  2. To indicate that something began in the past time and has continued to the present time.
    Len has been teaching English since 9:15 AM.
  3. To indicate a certain experience.
    Has Len eaten sushi before?


Note: Some words suggest, or even demand, the use of the Present Perfect; others are used only with the Past Tense.

Grammarian The Grammarian says: Never use ago with the Present Perfect; use it only with the Simple Past or Past Progressive. On the other hand, since and for are often used with the Present Perfect.

Compare the following sentences and determine when we use Present Perfect (or Present Perfect Progressive) with the words since and for.

  1. Sana has known how to use the Present Perfect since last week.
  2. Karen has spoken English for several years.
  3. Len has taught English since the last dinosaur died.
  4. Len has been teaching us for about three weeks.
  5. Diego has been speaking to Eleazar since class started a few minutes ago.


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