Present Perfect

Forming the Present Perfect

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called 'Verbs'.

Affirmative
Subject	to have	past participle
She	has	visited.
Negative
Subject	to have + not	past participle
She	has not (hasn't)	visited.
Interrogative
to have	subject	past participle
Has	she	visited?
Negative interrogative
to have + not	subject	past participle
Hasn't	she	visited?

To Walk, present perfect

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I have walked	I haven't walked	Have I walked?
You have walked	You haven't walked.	Have you walked?
He, she, it has walked	He, she, hasn't walked	Has he, she, it walked?
We have walked	We haven't walked	Have we walked?
You have walked	You haven't walked	Have you walked?
They have walked	They haven't walked	Have they walked?

Functions of the Present perfect

The Present Perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.

BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same.

The Present Perfect is used to describe

• An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)
• An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)
• A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal several times.
• An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'. I have just finished my work.
• An action when the time is not important. He has read 'War and Peace'. (= the result of his reading is important)

Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past. Read more about choosing between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.

Actions started in the past and continuing in the present

• They haven't lived here for years.
• She has worked in the bank for five years.
• We have had the same car for ten years.
• Have you played the piano since you were a child?

When the time period referred to has not finished

• I have worked hard this week.
• It has rained a lot this year.
• We haven't seen her today.

Actions repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now.

• They have seen that film six times
• It has happened several times already.
• She has visited them frequently.
• We have eaten at that restaurant many times.

Actions completed in the very recent past (+just)

• Have you just finished work?
• I have just eaten.
• We have just seen her.
• Has he just left?

When the precise time of the action is not important or not known

• Someone has eaten my soup!
• Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'?
• She's studied Japanese, Russian, and English.

Present Continuous

Forming the present continuous

The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts - the present tense of the verb to be + the present participle of the main verb.
(The form of the present participle is: base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving, smiling)

Affirmative
Subject	+ to be	+ basic verb + ing
She	is	talking.
Negative
Subject	+ to be + not	+ basic verb+ ing
She	is not (isn't)	talking
Interrogative
to be	+ subject	+ basic verb+ ing
Is	she	talking?

Examples: TO GO, present continuous

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I am going	I am not going	Am I going?
You are going	You aren't going.	Are you going?
He, she, it is going	He, she, it isn't going	Is he, she, it going?
We are going	We aren't going	Are we going?
You are going	You aren't going	Are you going?
They are going	They aren't going	Are they going?

Note: alternative negative contractions: I'm not going, you're not going, he's not going etc.

Functions of the present continuous

As with all tenses in English, the speaker's attitude is as important as the time of the action or event. When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete

The present continuous is used:

• to describe an action that is going on at this moment: You are using the Internet. You are studying English grammar.
• to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend: Are you still working for the same company? More and more people are becoming vegetarian.
• to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared: We're going on holiday tomorrow. I'm meeting my boyfriend tonight. Are they visiting you next winter?
• to describe a temporary event or situation: He usually plays the drums, but he's playing bass guitar tonight. The weather forecast was good, but it's raining at the moment.
• with "always, forever, constantly", to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions: Harry and Sally are always arguing! You're constantly complaining about your mother-in-law!

BE CAREFUL! Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form

Verbs that are not usually used in the continuous form

The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form because they refer to states, rather than actions or processes.

Senses / Perception

• to feel*
• to hear
• to see*
• to smell
• to taste

Opinion

• to assume
• to believe
• to consider
• to doubt
• to feel (= to think)
• to find (= to consider)
• to suppose
• to think*

Mental states

• to forget
• to imagine
• to know
• to mean
• to notice
• to recognise
• to remember
• to understand

Emotions / desires

• to envy
• to fear
• to dislike
• to hate
• to hope
• to like
• to love
• to mind
• to prefer
• to regret
• to want
• to wish

Measurement

• to contain
• to cost
• to hold
• to measure
• to weigh

Others

• to look (=resemble)
• to seem
• to be (in most cases)
• to have(when it means "to possess")*

Exceptions

Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with can: : I can see... These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning

• This coat feels nice and warm. (your perception of the coat's qualities)
• John's feeling much better now (his health is improving)
• She has three dogs and a cat. (possession)
• She's having supper. (She's eating)
• I can see Anthony in the garden (perception)
• I'm seeing Anthony later (We are planning to meet)

Simple present tense

The simple present tense is used:

• To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
  I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)
• To give instructions or directions:
  You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
• To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
  Your exam starts at 09.00
• To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
  He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

Be careful! The simple present is not used to express actions happening now.

Examples

• For habits
  He drinks tea at breakfast.
  She only eats fish.
  They watch television regularly.
• For repeated actions or events
  We catch the bus every morning.
  It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
  They drive to Monaco every summer.
• For general truths
  Water freezes at zero degrees.
  The Earth revolves around the Sun.
  Her mother is Peruvian.

• For instructions or directions
  Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
  You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.
• For fixed arrangements
  His mother arrives tomorrow.
  Our holiday starts on the 26th March
• With future constructions
  She'll see you before she leaves.
  We'll give it to her when she arrives.

Forming the simple present tense: to think

Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative
I think	Do I think?	I do not think
You think	Do you think?	You do not think
He thinks	Does he think?	He does not think
She thinks	Does she think?	She does not think
It thinks	Does it think?	It does not think
We think	Do we think?	We do not think.
They think	Do they think?	They do not think.

Notes on the simple present, third person singular

• In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:
  he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.
• Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of the verb.
  He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.
• Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
  fly --> flies, cry --> cries
  Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
  play --> plays, pray --> prays
• Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
  he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

Examples

• He goes to school every morning.
• She understands English.
• It mixes the sand and the water.
• He tries very hard.
• She enjoys playing the piano.