Present perfect

The present perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact, the structure of the present perfect tense is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense. In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English.

 

How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?

The structure of the present perfect tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
    have   past participle

Here are some examples of the present perfect tense:

  subject auxiliary verb   main verb  
+ I have   seen ET.
+ You have   eaten mine.
- She has not been to Rome.
- We have not played football.
? Have you   finished?  
? Have they   done it?

Contractions with the present perfect tense

When we use the present perfect tense in speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this when we write. 

I have I've
You have You've
He has
She has
It has
John has
The car has		 He's
She's
It's
John's
The car's
We have We've
They have They've

Here are some examples:

  • I've finished my work.
  • John's seen ET.
  • They've gone home.