Common mistakes with the Present

Perfect tense
The Present Perfect tense is made up of have/has and the past
participle of a verb:
He has eaten all the chocolates.
I have included your amendments in the draft agreement.
It is perhaps the most difficult of all verb tenses in English. This is
partly because many other languages don’t have an equivalent, so
speakers of those languages find it difficult to understand the
concept.

In this post I will not try to explain what the Present Perfect tense
means – instead I will show you how to avoid some of the most
common mistakes.

WRONG

We have finally received the requested documents on Monday.

We have submitted the information before we filed the

application.

I have phoned him yesterday.

We have not completed the report last week.

The transaction has not been finalized by 31 December 2017.

We have analysed the contracts during the first due diligence

process.
This issue has been discussed prior to executing the transaction.
All the above examples are mistakes because the Present
Perfect cannot be used with expressions of finished
time (i.e. specified times in the past – underlined in the above
examples).
An expression of finished time is any word or phrase that tells you
when something happened or did not happen. If an expression of
finished time describes when an action happened (or did not
happen) you should use the Past Simple:

RIGHT
We finally received the requested documents on Monday.

We submitted the information before we filed the

application.

I phoned him yesterday.

We did not complete the report last week.

The transaction was not finalized by 31 December 2017.

We analyzed the contracts during the first due diligence

process.

This issue was discussed prior to executing the

transaction.
 
The Present Perfect often goes with adverbs of indefinite
time: 
already
as yet since
before so far
ever still
just to date
never until now
recently yet
We’ve already met a couple of times.
So far the regulator has not indicated that this type of
activity is contrary to the provisions on insurance
activity.
We still have not received payment of the invoice.
Have you ever seen anything like this before?
Mr Smith has just arrived.
We have recently received a new instruction from this
client.
We have not heard from the tax authority yet.
 

The Present Perfect may be used for expressing an action that

continues up to the present time. Compare the following:
I have worked at the company for three years.
(And I work there now.)
I worked at the company for three years.
(I no longer work there.)
WRONG
I am working at the company for three years.
Our lawyers have represented many high profile clients.
(And continue to do so.)
Adam is a highly experienced investigator who has worked on
numerous cases of this type.
(And continues to do so.)
This form is useful in marketing material and CVs.

The Present Perfect is used in sentences that contain the following

constructions:

this is the first time…

it is the second best…
it is the worst…
this is the only time…
etc.
This is the second time that we have asked you to send us the
documents.
This is the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in.
This is the heaviest suitcase I have ever carried.
 

In time clauses with after, until, when, as soon as, once, we

often use the Present Perfect to refer to future events:
As soon as we have heard the verdict from the court we will
contact you.
I won’t contact the client until I’ve received your instructions.
I’ll give you further details when I’ve discussed the situation with
John.
Once I have read all the documentation I assume the matter will
be clear.
In US English, however, it is more common to use the Present
Simple in the same kind of sentence:
As soon as we hear the verdict from the court we will contact
you.
I will not contact the client until I receive your instructions.
WRONG
As soon as we will hear the verdict from the court we will contact
you.
I won’t contact the client until I will receive your instructions.
 

If we talk about something that happened before

something else happened, we do NOT use the Present Perfect:
WRONG
During the inspection it was found that the provision for an
average 5-day working week has been violated.
RIGHT
During the inspection it was found that the provision for an
average 5-day working week had been violated.
“had been violated” is in the Past Perfect tense – i.e. the
inspection is in the past and the violation happened before the
inspection.

WRONG
The Company has admitted in the course of the proceedings that
the boundaries of the tunnel have been measured incorrectly.
RIGHT
The Company has admitted in the course of the proceedings that
the boundaries of the tunnel were measured incorrectly.
“were measured” is in the Past Simple tense – i.e. the proceedings
are ongoing (we know this because “has admitted” is the Present
Perfect, which expresses action that continues up to the present
time) and the incorrect measurements were made before the
proceedings.
 

Has / have + been + verb-ing

TO FORM THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The Present Perfect Continuous is formed of 3 parts:
– auxiliary verb to have in the Present Simple tense (have / has)
– auxiliary verb to be in the Past Participle (been)
– main verb in the Present Participle (ending +ing)

affirmative: subject + auxiliary (to have) + auxiliary (to be) + main verb

negative: subject + auxiliary (to have) + not + auxiliary (to be) + main verb
questions: auxiliary (to have) + subject + auxiliary (to be) + main verb
negative questions: auxiliary (to have) + subject + not + auxiliary (to be) + main verb
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS USES
to talk about an action started in the past and that may or may
not be continuing in the present…

I have been taking cookery classes. (and I am still taking the classes)

The choir have been singing all afternoon. (and are still singing

now).

The choir have been singing all afternoon and are taking a break

now.

with for and since to indicate a time period for an action that

started in the past

Since last February I have been taking cookery classes.

Mary has been seeing a new doctor for the last two months.