THE PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

This verbal tense expresses an action completed in a period of time

including the moment of speaking and this is why it is called present although it
refers to an action that is completed before now. Unfortunately, it is often
confused with the Past Tense Simple, which also expresses an action completed
before now, but which takes very specific and concrete time markers, unlike the
Present Perfect Simple.
Also, it is called perfect to show that the action it expresses began and, in
most cases, finished before the moment of speaking. Remember: all English tenses
whose names contain the word perfect express actions that are anterior to another
moment. In the case of the Present Perfect Simple, the action is seen as anterior
to the moment of speaking.

FORM: THE AUXILIARY VERB USED IN ALL PRESENT PERFECT

PREDICATES IS HAVE – for all persons, except for the 3rd person singular /
HAS – for the 3rd person singular (he, she, it or equivalents).
 Affirmative
HAVE / HAS + 3RD FORM OF THE CONJUGATED VERB
e.g. – I have decided to pay you a visit.; They have moved to London.; She
has graduated from the University.
 Negative
HAVE NOT / HAVEN’T / HAS NOT / HASN’T + 3RD FORM OF THE
CONJUGATED VERB
e.g. – He hasn’t arrived home yet.; We haven’t eaten anything today.;
Mary hasn’t finished cooking dinner.
 Interrogative
HAVE / HAS + (SUBJECT) + 3RD FORM OF THE CONJUGATED
VERB …
e.g. – Has she met James?; How long have you known Bob?; Why have
they come so early?
USE:
1. – to express an action that began and ended before now, but whose
EFFECTS are AT THE MOMENT OF SPEAKING

TIME MARKERS: before, so far, until now, up to now, ever, never,

*This meaning of the Present Perfect Simple often goes without any time
markers, which is a time marker in itself.

e.g. – Have you ever eaten snails?; Bob has never studied German.; They
haven’t met so far.; I’ve seen them before.; Mary has come back from
holiday.(*)

2. – to express an action that has taken place either just once or repeatedly
over an interval of time that includes the moment of speaking

TIME MARKERS: often, ever, never, sometimes, occasionally (+ before /

so far); or: once / twice / three times… + so far / before / today / this
week / this month…

e.g. – I’ve met her occasionally.; I’ve never done this before.; Have you
been there often?; Jane has visited me twice this year.; Jim has been to
London four times this month.; I’ve seen Mary twice today.; How often
have you been to Paris so far?

3. – to express an action that has completed recently / in the proximity of

the moment of speaking

TIME MARKERS: recently, lately, of late, in the past / last few weeks /
months…, already (+, ?+), just (+), yet (-, ?-).

e.g. – Have you seen him recently?; I’ve been busy of late.; They haven’t
worked much lately.; We have eaten a lot of sweets in the past few weeks.;
I’ve just finished my homework. (+); Have you already arrived? (?+); She
has already done the laundry. (+); I haven’t finished yet. (-); Haven’t you
seen this movie yet? (?-).
4. – ONLY with STATE VERBS, to express a state that began before the
moment of speaking, but is still in progress (instead of the Present
Perfect Continuous)

TIME MARKERS: since Monday / 10 o’clock / we last met…, for 2

minutes / 3 days / 5 weeks / a long time / ages…

e.g. – Harry and John have known each other for ages.; I haven’t seen him
since he left for home.; They have been married for 20 years.; Have you
heard from him since yesterday?

** Unlike state verbs (be, have, see, hear, know, understand, like, etc.),
action verbs (walk, sleep, try, eat, work, travel, etc.) use since- and for-time
markers only when they build predicates in the Present Perfect Continuous
(e.g. – I have been working since morning.; They haven’t been sleeping
for three days.).

*** To make sure when you need to use the Past Tense Simple, and not the
Present Perfect Simple, remember the time markers we use with the Past
Simple: (2 minutes / 5 weeks / a long time…) ago, last (week / month /
year…), yesterday, at (3 a.m. / noon / midnight / 4:15…), in (2010 /
September / the evening…), on (Monday / Easter’s Eve / Christmas…),
before we met / he came / school started…, until (today / yesterday…), etc.!