PRESENT PERFECT

Have / Has + Past Parciciple

El pasado y el presente están conectados.

La acción no terminó.
Empezó en el pasado y todavía continua o continúan sus efectos.
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Unfinished time:
Today – This month – This year – This week

“I have eaten fish today” (the action finished but not the day).

“This morning I have gone to the bank…” (if it’s still the morning)
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Unfinished actions:
Used with FOR and SINCE.

“I have lived in this city for five years.” (todavía vivo aquí)

“I have known her since high school.”

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Since + Date:
Debemos conocer la diferencia.
Hay un sustantivo en lugar de la fecha.

“She hasn’t been the same since Luis”

“She hasn’t been the same since the Twin Towers”
“I haven’t eaten since she left”
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Quantity:
Conociendo o no la cantidad.

“I’ve been typing letters since 8” (not knowing the quantity)

Present Perfect Continuous.

“I’ve typed 20 letters” (quantity known)

Present Perfect Simple.

 Exception: “This architect has been directing 3 buildings at the same time”
Simultaneidad
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Results showing up now:

La acción terminó pero los resultados se ven.

“They haven’t cleaned the table”

(You are seeing it dirty now)

I don’t mention what I see (dirty), but what caused it

(the origin of the consequence I see now).
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When it’s the First/Second/Only/Last Time:

When you start with “the first time” you use always Present Perfect.

“It’s the first time I have written a letter”

“This is the second time I have eaten sushi”
“This is the last time I have told you”
“This wasn’t the first time (that) I had told you”
“This isn’t the first time I haven’t done my homework”
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VS. SIMPLE PAST:
Si hay un punto de referencia en PASADO que indica que la acción terminó,
no se puede usar Present Perfect. Se usa SIMPLE PAST.

Present Perfect: “Me puse los guantes en el bolsillo” (no se sabe cuándo)
“I have put on the gloves in my pocket”

Simple Past: “Me puse los guantes en el teatro” (adverbio de tiempo encubierto “cuando
estaba”)
“I put on the gloves in the theatre”

 When you are naming an obvious past situation, you use Simple Past.

(Ex. World War)

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VS. SIMPLE PAST:

All the following examples are Simple Past because there is a time reference:

“Nos reunimos la semana pasada”

“Nos hemos reunido la semana pasada”
“Nos hemos estado reuniendo la semana pasada”.
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VS. PAST PERFECT:

Had + Past Participle

The past of the past.

Is a flashback in the PAST. Is used when the chronologic order is broken.

“Hace 3 años que vivo acá” > “I have been living here for 3 years”
“Hace 3 años que vivía allá” > “I had been living there for 3 years”