Present perfect simple
A2 25 / 50
In short
The present perfect connects the past and now: have/has + past participle. We use it for life experiences, recent news, and things that started in the past and are still true. We do not use it with a finished-time word like yesterday or last week.
The rule
Make the present perfect with have / has + the past participle (the “3rd form” of the verb).
- Regular verbs: the past participle ends in -ed, the same as the past simple (work -> worked, live -> lived).
- Irregular verbs: you must learn the 3rd form (go -> went -> gone, see -> saw -> seen).
Use the present perfect for four main jobs:
| Use | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Life experience | something happened (or not) at some time in your life - the exact time is not important | I have visited Rome. / I have never tried sushi. |
| Recent action | a finished action that feels close to now - often with just, already, yet | She has just left. |
| Up to now | started in the past and is still going - with for and since | We have known each other for years. |
| Past action, present result | something happened and we can still see the result now | I have lost my keys. (= I don’t have them now) |
The key contrast with the past simple: if the sentence has a finished-time word (yesterday, last week, in 2019, two days ago, when I was a child), use the past simple, not the present perfect.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| I have seen him yesterday. | I saw him yesterday. |
| She has called me last week. | She called me last week. |
After since, a past simple is normal: the starting point can be a whole clause naming the event that began the period, and that clause takes the past simple while the main verb stays in the present perfect - We have shared an office since the team moved upstairs. That past simple only marks where the period starts, so it does not switch the main verb to the past simple.
Note (AmE vs BrE): American English often uses the past simple where British English uses the present perfect, for example Did you eat yet? (AmE) vs Have you eaten yet? (BrE). Both are understood.
Forms & patterns
Positive: subject + have/has + past participle
| Subject | have/has | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | have | finished | the work. |
| he / she / it | has | finished | the work. |
Negative: subject + have not / has not + participle. Short forms: haven’t, hasn’t.
| Subject | haven’t/hasn’t | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | haven’t | seen | the film. |
| he / she / it | hasn’t | seen | the film. |
Questions: Have/Has + subject + participle?
| Have/Has | Subject | Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have | you | tried | it? |
| Has | she | called | back? |
Short answers: Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t. - Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t.
Short forms of have/has in positives: I’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve, he’s, she’s, it’s.
Starter list of irregular past participles:
| Base | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been |
| go | went | gone |
| see | saw | seen |
| do | did | done |
| make | made | made |
| have | had | had |
| take | took | taken |
| write | wrote | written |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| meet | met | met |
been vs gone:
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| He has gone to the shop. | He is still away (he is at the shop now). |
| He has been to the shop. | He went and came back. |
Examples
| English | Note |
|---|---|
| Have you ever been to Spain? | Life experience; ever = at any time in your life. |
| I’ve never tried Thai food. | A life experience that did not happen. |
| She’s just finished her homework. | Just = a very short time ago. |
| Have you done it yet? | Yet in a question asks about an expected action. |
| He hasn’t called me back yet. | Yet in a negative = up to now it has not happened. |
| We’ve lived here for ten years. | For + a length of time; still true now. |
| They’ve known each other since 2010. | Since + a starting point; still true now. |
| I’ve lost my phone, so I can’t call you. | A past action with a clear present result. |
Common mistakes
- I have seen him yesterday. -> I saw him yesterday. - a finished-time word needs past simple.
- She have finished. -> She has finished. - use has with he/she/it.
- I have went to London. -> I have gone / been to London. - use the participle (gone/been), not the past simple went.
- I live here for five years. -> I’ve lived here for five years. - “up to now” needs present perfect, not present simple.
- I’ve been there since two weeks. -> I’ve been there for two weeks. - for + length of time, since + start point.
Tips
- Trigger words for the present perfect: ever, never, just, already, yet, so far, for, since.
- Trigger words for the past simple: yesterday, ago, last (week/year), in 2019, when…. If you see one, switch tense.
- for answers “how long?” (for two days); since answers “from when?” (since Monday, since we moved in).
- gone = still away; been = went and came back. Picture the person: are they here or not?