WHEN SHOULD WE USE THE PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE?
➤Unfinished Actions
1: We use this tense when we want
to talk about unfinished actions or states or habits that started in the past
and continue to the present. Usually we use it to say 'how long' and we need
'since' or 'for'. We often use stative verbs.
- I've
known Karen since 1994.
- She's
lived in London for three years.
- I’ve
worked here for six months.
- 'Since'
and 'For'
We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004,
April 23rd, last year). The fixed time can be another action, which is in the
past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived).
- I've known Sam since 1992.
- I've
liked chocolate since I was a child.
- She's
been here since 2pm.
- We use
'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months).
- I've
known Julie for ten years.
- I've
been hungry for hours.
- She's
had a cold for a week.
➤Finished
Actions
2: Life experience. These are actions or events that
happened sometime during a person’s life. We don't say when the experience
happened, and the person needs to be alive now. We often use the words ‘ever’
and ‘never’ here.
- I have
been to Tokyo.
- They
have visited Paris three times.
- We have
never seen that film.
3: With an unfinished time word (this month, this
week, today). The period of time is still continuing.
- I
haven't seen her this month.
- She's
drunk three cups of coffee today.
- I’ve
already moved house twice this year!
- We
CAN’T use the present perfect with a finished time word.
- I’ve
seen him yesterday.
4: A finished action with a result in the present
(focus on result). We often use the present perfect to talk about something
that happened in the recent past, but that is
still true or important now. Sometimes we can use the
past simple here, especially in US English.
- I've lost my keys (so I can't
get into my house).
- She's
hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today).
- They've
missed the bus (so they will be late).
5: We can also use the present perfect to talk about something that happened
recently, even if there isn’t a clear result in the present. This is common
when we want to introduce news and we often use the words ‘just / yet / already
/ recently’. However, the past simple is also correct in these cases,
especially in US English.
-
The Queen has given a speech.
-
I’ve just seen Lucy.
-The Mayor has announced a new
plan for the railways.
➤➤Exercise 8. Present Perfect
Mixed
Make the present perfect -
choose positive, negative or question:
1.
(I / go / to the library today)
2.
(you / keep a pet for three years)
3.
(you / eat Thai food before?)
4.
(it / rain all day?)
5.
(who / we / forget to invite?)
6.
(we / not / hear that song already)
7.
(he / not / forget his books)
8.
(she / steal all the chocolate!)
9. (I / explain it well?) 10.(who / he / meet recently?) 11.(how
/ we / finish already?) 12.(he / study Latin)
13. (I /
know him for three months)
14.
(where / you / study Arabic?)
15.
(what countries / they / visit in Europe?)
16.
(he / hurt his leg)
17.
(she / leave her phone in a taxi)
18.
(we / not / lose our tickets)
19.
(she / call her mother?)
20.
(he / take a
taxi?)
