The present perfect is used to talk about past actions or situations that have a connection with the present.
It is formed from the verb have + past participle, e.g.
I’ve (= I have) never met him before.
The Present Perfect is used to talk about single or repeated events which have or haven't happened at an unspecified time in the past - the FACT that something has happened is more
THE HUMAN RACE HAS COME A LONG WAY
‘New’ information
1) We often use the present perfect to give ‘new’ information, for example when we want to report an event that happened a short time ago:
Ouch! I’ve hurt my leg.
Has Michael arrived yet?
Spain have won the World Cup!
Past events that can be repeated.
2) We use the present perfect to talk about a repeated past event that may happen again in the future:
Brazil have won the World Cup five times.
The doctor has saved many lives.
Past events that cannot be repeated
When there is no possibility that the event will happen again in the future, we use the past simple:
The English King Henry VIII got married six times.
Past events that continues up to the present or future
3) We often use the present perfect to talk about a situation that began in the past and continues up to the present or future. It is often used with time expressions such as since, for, never, etc.:
I’ve been married for nearly ten years.
John hasn’t lived alone since 2001.
Pasts event that have a connection with the present
4) We often use the present perfect to talk about a past event that has a connection with the present:
Look! Masa has had a hair cut! (His hair is different now.)
I’ve forgotten my dictionary at home. Can I borrow yours? (My dictionary is at home at the moment.)
NOTE: If we say when something happened in the past, we cannot use the present perfect. We use the past simple:
Yesterday, I forgot my dictionary at home, so I borrowed one from a classmate.
See lesson on Past Simple vs Past Continuous
Dialogue
A: You look different. Have you been on holiday again ?
B: Yes, I’ve just got back from Italy.
A: Really? But you’ve been on holiday five times this year!
Been and Gone
To go has two forms in the present perfect:
Been and Gone
In conversations like those above, we often use Present Perfect with been and gone.
Although it is the past participle of be, the word been is sometimes used a bit like the past participles of come and go:
But there is a difference.
He’s been to the shops.
(= He went there and then returned home.)
She’s gone to the city centre.
(= She went there and she’s there
now.)
PRACTICE TIME
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