Present perfect

Present perfect

Do you know how to use phrases like She's called every day this week, I've broken my leg and Have you ever been to Scotland? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how the present perfect is used.

He's been to ten different countries.
I haven't seen her today.
My phone's run out of battery. Can I use yours?
Have you ever dyed your hair a different colour?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Present perfect: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

We use the present perfect simple (have or has + past participle) to talk about past actions or states which are still connected to the present.

Unfinished time and states

We often use the present perfect to say what we've done in an unfinished time period, such as today, this week, this year, etc., and with expressions such as so far, until now, before, etc.

They've been on holiday twice this year.
We haven't had a lot of positive feedback so far.
I'm sure I've seen that film before.

We also use it to talk about life experiences, as our life is also an unfinished time period. We often use never in negative sentences and ever in questions.

I've worked for six different companies.
He's never won a gold medal.
Have you ever been to Australia?

We also use the present perfect to talk about unfinished states, especially with for, since and how long.

She's wanted to be a police officer since she was a child.
I haven't known him for very long.
How long have you had that phone?

Finished time and states

If we say when something happened, or we feel that that part of our life is finished, we use the past simple.

We visited Russia for the first time in 1992.
I went to three different primary schools.
Before she retired, she worked in several different countries.

We also use the past simple for finished states.

We knew all our neighbours when we were children.
I didn't like bananas for a really long time. Now I love them!

Past actions with a result in the present

We can use the present perfect to talk about a past action that has a result in the present.

He's broken his leg so he can't go on holiday.
There's been an accident on the main road, so let's take a different route.
They haven't called me, so I don't think they need me today.

Again, if we say when it happened, we use the past simple.

He broke his leg last week so he can't go on holiday.

However, we often use the present perfect with words like just, recently, already, yet and still.

We've recently started going to the gym.
She's already finished season one and now she's watching season two.
Have you checked your emails yet?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Present perfect: Grammar test 2

Language level

Average: 4.1 (89 votes)
Profile picture for user Peter M.

Submitted by Peter M. on Sun, 30/08/2020 - 08:07

In reply to by Gloria Pérez

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Hi Gloria Pérez,

Over is correct here. You could also say for.

 

We usually use over (+a period of time) when something happens intermittently, while for (+a period of time) suggests something happens continually. Thus, in your example I think over is the better choice.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Gloria Pérez on Thu, 03/09/2020 - 23:58

In reply to by Gloria Pérez

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Thank you very much Peter! Actually, I used "on a daily basis" because I wanted to make clear that it was "every day". Then, I would have needed to use "for" to convey my meaning. In fact, I'm a bit confused now because, unless "on a daily basis" has another meaning different from "every day", I don't see how you can use "over" (that refers to something you do intermittently) with the time expression "on a daily basis" (that refers to something that you do everyday)... I know that you do not provide translations, but honestly speaking, I do not know how to translate/interpretate the sentence if I use "over"... well, it's not a big deal ;-)!

Hello again Gloria,

The first thing to note is that the difference here is very nuanced and not one which is a hard and fast rule.

 

An intermittent action here is one which occurs many times over a given period of time. This contrasts with an action which is constant and unbroken. In other words, if I do something for three hours then it suggests I spent the whole time on the task. If I do something over three hours it suggests I did in in that time, but may have taken breaks or done it in a series of repeated efforts. That is why over seems slightly more appropriate to me in your example, but either would be perfectly fine.

 

As I said, the difference is very slight and in most cases both can be used.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Hamdy Ali on Tue, 18/08/2020 - 22:46

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Hi there Choose the correct answer: They(come- came- have come) across a traditional coffee shop on their walk in the old part of the city. I want explanation for the answer please.
Profile picture for user Peter M.

Submitted by Peter M. on Thu, 20/08/2020 - 09:09

In reply to by Hamdy Ali

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Hello Hamdy Ali,

I'm afraid we don't provide answers to these kinds of questions. We're happy to help users with their English through explanations are clarifications, but we don't provide answers to tasks from elsewhere. If we did so, we'd end up doing users' homework and tests for them!

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Kim Hui-jeong on Sun, 02/08/2020 - 02:30

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1. Mozart composed many classics. 2. Mozart has moved many people. Are both of these sentences correct? I'm not sure about the second. Mozart lived in the past, but people who were moved by him include people who lived after him. So, I guessed the second may be possible. Am I right?

Hello Kim Hui-jeong,

Yes, both sentences are correct. The present perfect is possible in the second sentence because even though Mozart is dead, his music can still influence people today. Well done!

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by brian1010 on Tue, 28/07/2020 - 11:49

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I am confused about the difference between the present perfect tense and the present continuous tense. I would like to ask whether the present continuous tense in the following sentence could be replaced with the present perfect tense and, if yes, whether there would be any difference in meaning. "A lack of government spending is keeping the reform from achieving its intended purpose." Thanks teachers.

Hello brian1010,

It would depend on the actual situation described here (that is, how long this reform has been in place), but it sounds to me as if there would be little if any difference in meaning between the present continuous and present perfect continuous here. The latter form would emphasise the fact that the lack of funding began in the past, but the present continuous also suggests this. This is why I'd say there's little difference in this specific case.

This is not always the case, though. Hope this helps you make more sense of this.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi teacher, Thanks for your reply. You said there is little difference in meaning between the present continuous and present perfect continuous in that sentence. How about using the present perfect tense instead? Thanks.