1 PUBLISHER'S NOTICE Copyright © 2019 english FULL:TIME (the “Publisher"). All Rights Reserved. Published in the United States of America. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Publisher. We prosecute pirates to the full extent of the law. Facts and information are believed to be accurate at the time they were placed in this document. All data provided in this document is to be used for information purposes only. All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 2 The Present Perfect Tense Made Easy Explanations & Examples Do you struggle with the present perfect tense in English? If you do, you are not alone! Millions of English learners struggle with this tense. That’s because it either doesn’t exist in their language -OR- if it does exist in their language, it’s used differently than it’s used in English. My goal is to make this tense easy for you. So, I’m going to show you how to make it and explain when to use it. Once you learn the patterns, everything will start to make sense. Let’s begin! How do we form the present perfect? That’s easy! Just use SUBJECT + HAS/HAVE + VERB (in past participle form). First, let’s look at how we combine has/have with the subject of the sentence ● “Have” combines with I, you, we, you guys, & they ● “Has” combines with he, she & it Positive Positive + contraction Negative Negative + Contraction #1 Negative + Contraction #2 I have I’ve I have not I haven’t I’ve not You have You’ve You have not You haven’t You’ve not He has He’s He has not He hasn’t He’s not She has She’s She has not She hasn’t She’s not It has It’s It has not It hasn’t It’s not We have We’ve We have not We haven’t We’ve not You guys have **You guys’ve You guys have not You guys haven’t **You guys’ve not They have They’ve They have not They haven’t They’ve not All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 3 Here are a few things to note about the chart above: First, “you guys’ve” & “you guys’ve not” are awkward in writing, but OK in spoken, informal English. Next, another way of addressing multiple people is “you all.” I tend to use “you guys,” but in a more formal situation, I would say “you all.” And, finally, ya’ll, which is the contraction of “you all” is more common in other regions of the US (like in the south), but I use it sometimes just for fun. But what if the subject is a noun like doctor, Jack, or school? Can we still use contractions with something like that? YES!! Here are some examples: ● The doctor’s helped 13 patients today. (has helped) ● Jack’s gone outside to play. (has gone) ● The school’s been there for 150 years. (has been) On the next page, we’ll talk more about contractions and how to use them. For now, let’s look at some verbs... Verb (base form) Verb (simple past) Verb (past participle) walk walked walked want wanted wanted play played played sing sang **sung broke broke **broken fly flew **flown ** Some verbs are irregular in past participle form. Unfortunately, there are no rules to determine which verbs are regular and which ones are irregular. This is information you simply have to memorize. All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 4 Now let’s look at the present perfect in some example sentences. Examples: ● Have you ever watched a movie in 3D? ● He has been a teacher for 10 years. ● Scientists have recently discovered a potential cure for cancer! Native speakers love to contract the present perfect whenever possible to make their speech faster. So, if we can contract it, we do! Examples: ● He’s been a teacher for 10 years. ● I’ve always wondered how rockets work. ● He’s had a stomach ache all day! TIP: Never end a sentence with a contraction! Example: Person 1: Have you ever been to Italy? Person 2: Yes, I’ve. This is wrong! It should be, “Yes, I have.” Native speakers use contractions a lot! It helps us speak faster and sound natural. However, some contractions that are OK in spoken English are not OK in writing! Here’s an example… “Scientists’ve recently discovered a potential cure for cancer!” Saying “scientists’ve” is OK, but this isn’t something you should write. It just looks weird! Instead, you should write “scientists have.” All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 5 Next, let’s talk about negative statements with the present perfect. Examples: ● I have not been to Disneyland. ● She has not started her homework. ● It h as not started raining yet. These sentences are grammatically correct, but in spoken English they sound weird. What do they need? Contractions! This is how I would say it… ● I haven’t been to Disneyland. ● She hasn’t started her homework. ● It h asn’t started raining yet. TIP: Native speakers often avoid using contractions when they want to emphasize something. Consider this dialogue as an example: Mom: Honey, did you start your homework? Daughter: Yeah, I’ve already started it. Mom: What? Sorry, I didn’t hear you. Daughter: I said, “YES, I HAVE ALREADY STARTED IT”! IMPORTANT: If you are writing an academic essay for a college class, n ever use contractions. This is considered informal and inappropriate in academia. Only use contractions in school if you are writing an informal essay, anecdote, story, or something of that nature. On the other hand, contractions are OK in business writing, but use them sparingly. The more formal your communication, the less you should use contractions. Personally, I use contractions quite a bit in my business emails. Businesses aim to connect with people, and in order to do that, you have to be “personable.” Having a relaxed, casual tone in business communication makes you more relatable and builds trust. Of course, if the company you work for has different standards, you should follow those. In general, though, western companies are becoming more and more “casual” in their communication. All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 6 Ok, now that you understand the importance of contractions and have seen how we use the present perfect tense in positive and negative sentences, let’s talk about when to use the present perfect tense. The most important thing to remember about the present perfect is that it connects the past and the present. Now, let’s talk about the 7 most common ways we use this tense. We use the present perfect tense… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. To talk about things that happened or started in the past and continue today When we don’t care to emphasize when exactly something happened To talk about achievements To talk about things we expect to happen that have not happened yet To talk about something that has changed over time To talk about life experiences To talk about something that just happened Things that happened or started in the past and continue today ● He’s been a manager for 7 years. This means he became a manager 7 years ago and is still a manager today. ● I’ve been really sick lately This means I got sick some time in the past and I’m still sick today. It could also mean that I keep getting sick again and again. Maybe I got a cold for a week, then it healed. Two days later I got a sore throat. When that healed, I suddenly got an ear infection. When we don’t care to emphasize when exactly something happened ● I’ve been to Spain twice. This sentence means I went to Spain twice in the past, but I’m not emphasizing when exactly I went. If I wanted to emphasize when I went, I would say something like “I went to Spain twice, once in 2014 and once in 2016.” All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 7 ● I’ve had three exams this week. Here, I’m telling you that I had three exams, but you don’t know when exactly I had them. Maybe I had all three on Monday. Or maybe I had one on Monday, one on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday. Also, maybe I will have more! In contrast, if I say, “I had three exams this week,” I’m implying that they are finished and I won’t have any more. Achievements ● Meryl Streep has won 3 Oscars. Now, if Meryl Streep won three Oscars in the past… why don’t I just say she won them! Why do I use the present perfect tense? Well, this is because Meryl Streep is still an actress and makes lots of movies, so she may win more. Her accomplishment is not necessarily over. But, if we were talking about Katharine Hepburn, we would say she won 4 oscars. Why? Because she’s no longer alive and can’t win any more Oscars. Since her achievements are “finished, ” we would use the simple past tense. Things we expect to happen that have not happened yet ● I haven’t heard back from the company yet. Let’s say you did a job interview last Sunday and I ask, “Hey! Did you get the job?” You might say, “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from the company yet.” This means you are expecting a call, but it has not happened yet. ● Scientists have not yet discovered a cure for cancer. We all expect scientists to eventually find a cure for cancer, but (as far as we know) it hasn’t happened yet. Something that has changed over time Think about the first day you started learning English. ● I bet your English has really improved a lot since then! All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 8 Do you see how this works? Over time, your English has changed; it has improved and continues to improve. This is why we use the present perfect, to link the past and the present and to emphasize the change over time. ● I’ve lost a lot of weight since I started the keto diet. This means I started the diet in the past, I continue to follow it in the present, and my body has changed over time while on the diet. In contrast, if someone says, “I lost a lot of weight on the keto diet,” they are implying that they no longer follow this diet. Life experiences We use the present perfect to talk about things we have done & things we have never done. You will often hear questions like this... Have you ever been on a plane? ● Have you ever seen “The Office”? ● Have you ever met the President? ● Here are a few sentences with my own life experiences: ● ● ● ● I’ve traveled to 7 countries. I’ve never donated blood. I’ve been a teacher for over 10 years. I’ve never gotten a tattoo. To talk about something that just happened ● As you have seen in this lesson… This is something a teacher would say to conclude a lesson. She says “as you have seen” because you just saw it. ● She’s gone out for lunch. All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 9 Let’s say you went to your co-workers desk to chat and she wasn’t there. You ask if anyone has seen her. Then someone replies, “Ah, you just missed her. She’s gone out for lunch.” That means she was there a minute ago, but she just left and went out to eat somewhere. BONUS TIP #1: The present perfect is often used to talk about questions you’ve had for a while that you still have. Here are some examples… ● I’ve always wanted to know… if God exists. ● I’ve always wondered… if aliens are real. ● I’ve never understood… why people have to be so selfish! BONUS TIP #2 : The present perfect is often used to emphasize a result rather than the action it took to get that result. Just consider these examples: ● I’ve had a stomach ache all day! I didn’t tell you that I ate a whole box of donuts and that’s why I have a stomach ache. I’m emphasizing the result, not the behavior that created the result. ● She’s failed the test 3 times already! Here, I didn’t tell you that she never studied and that’s why she failed the test. Again, I’m emphasizing the result of someone’s actions, not the actions themselves. As you have seen, the present perfect is used to communicate several specific ideas. However, we can often combine many of these ideas in ONE sentence. For example, let’s look at the following sentence. “I’ve been a teacher for over 10 years and have worked with hundreds of students all over the world.” All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 10 Here, we are... ● ● ● ● Showing something started in the past & continues today Highlighting an achievement Talking about life experience And we are not emphasizing when exactly everything started. Ready to practice? Here are several sentences for you to read and an analyze. Think about the meaning of each sentence and what the present perfect tense is trying to communicate. 1. I have never been to the ocean. 2. I’ve been to New York three times. 3. Have you ever seen Game of Thrones? 4. I haven’t ever broken a bone. 5. He’s been a janitor for 18 years. 6. I’ve just decided to get my Masters degree. 7. They’ve not lived in that house for over 3 years. 8. He’s concluded that any form of social media is unhealthy. 9. We’ve helped more than 20 companies increase their revenue by 30%. 10. They’ve helped patients in over 47 countries. 11. This organization has eliminated hunger in 43 cities. 12. Lionel Messi has competed in international tournaments all over the world. Now, it’s time to go even deeper… Let’s talk about the difference between the following sentence pairs: 1. They cannot grow the business until they get some investors. 2. They cannot grow the business until they have gotten some investors. 1. I’ll let you know your score after I grade the test. 2. I’ll let you know your score after I’ve graded the test. 1. We will not accept the offer until they agree to our conditions. 2. We will not accept the offer until they have agreed to our conditions. All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 11 The difference between each sentence pair is subtle. Basically, the sentences that have the present perfect simply emphasize that one action must be completed before the other can begin. The present perfect in the passive voice Do you remember hearing about the passive voice in English? This is a grammatical construction that emphasizes a result, not the thing or person that created the result. To create the present perfect tense with the passive voice, just use this pattern… HAS/HAVE + BEEN + VERB (in past participle form) Here is an example: ● The lost dog has been found! Who found the lost dog? We either don’t know or we don’t care. We are simply emphasizing that the dog has been found. If we would like to emphasize the person who did the action, we can say something like, “Ana has found the lost dog.” Here are some more sentences that have the present perfect tense used in the passive voice. ● ● ● ● ● ● Gold has been associated with wealth for centuries. Once the car has been washed, it can be painted. Once the tests have been graded, the teacher will tell you your score. This bridge has been built to withstand the test of time! This fine wine has been enjoyed by celebrities all over the world. We’ve been invited to the party, but we’re not sure we’re gonna go. All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 12 The present perfect in sentence dependent clauses The present perfect can also be used in many types of dependent clauses. Remember, a dependent clause is simply a group of words that does not express a complete thought. Clause: All the weight I’ve dropped this month Complete sentence: I can’t believe all the weight I’ve dropped this month! Clause: Which have been considered the most valuable gemstone for centuries Complete sentence: Diamonds, which have been considered the most valuable gemstone centuries, are actually not that rare. Here are some more examples of dependent clauses: (You can try making complete sentences with them.) ● ● ● ● ● The girl who has won three times Three entrepreneurs who have built multi-million dollar businesses Although we have been friends for several years Whenever I’ve made up my mind Whatever method has proven to be more effective Common phrases with the present perfect ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● I haven’t seen her in years. We haven’t talked in ages! I haven’t heard from them in a while. I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’ve had a rough day. I’ve had a great time. Have we met before? Has anyone seen my keys? I haven’t done it yet. Have you heard about…? Have you been here before? This is the first time I’ve been here. It’s been really hot lately! Where’ve you been? All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 13 Present Perfect vs. Past Simple Many students get confused by the present perfect and the past simple. For example, take a look at the following sentences… what’s the difference? ● Did you see my sunglasses? ● Have you seen my sunglasses? “Did you see my sunglasses?” is referring to a specific time or occasion in the past. “Have you seen my sunglasses?” is asking if you have seen them recently, in general, not during any specific moment. Unfortunately, the sentences above don’t give much context. So, check out these dialogues to fully understand… Me: Hey! I saw a really cute pair of sunglasses when we were at Macy’s! They were the white ones with the black stripes. Did you see them? My sister: I did! They were right next to the jewelry counter. I would never wear something like that, but they were cute! Me: I can’t find my sunglasses. I think I left them in your car, but I’m not sure. Have you seen them? My sister: No, sorry! I can look in my car if you want, but I haven’t seen them anywhere. Alright, that’s it! Of course, there’s more you can learn about the present perfect, but this guide has covered the absolute, essential information. I hope you learned something new! Now, it’s time to practice! Talk soon, All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 14 PS. Have you joined our Instagram community? If you haven’t just follow me here on Instagram and use hashtag #englishfulltime when you post in English. Also, if you enjoyed this guide, make a post about it! :) Just take a picture with it, post it on Instagram, tag my account (@theenglishcoach), and use hashtag #englishfulltime. You can tell us what your learned -OR- you can practice using the present perfect by telling us about your life experiences & what you haven’t done yet but hope to do one day. Consider this your homework. :D I can’t wait to see your picture! Here’s mine :) For more help with your English, check out my 12-week program Connect & Communicate and my video collection in E nglish 24/7 All rights reserved © 2019 english FULL:TIME 15
