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Present Perfect
We use the Present Perfect for actions in the past which have a connection to the present. The time when these actions happened is not important.

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We use the Present Perfect for recently completed actions.

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We use the Present Perfect for actions beginning in the past and still continuing.

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It is a combination of past and present.
An actions in the past has something to do with the present.

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1) Result of an action in the past is important in the present (It is not important when this action happened.
When we use a specific time in the past - e.g. yesterday - then we use the Simple Past.)
I have cleaned my room. (It is clean now.)

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Has Peggy ever been to Tokyo? (Has
Peggy been there or not?)

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2) Recently completed actions
He has just played handball. (It is over now.)
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Actions beginning in the past and still continuing - mostly with since (point of time) or for (period of time)
We have lived in Canada since 1986. (We still live there.)

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4) together with lately, recently, yet
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I have been to London recently. (no specific point of time)

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He has not written the e-mail yet. (He has not done it.)

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 .

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Affirmative
Subject to have past participle
She has visited

Subject to have + not past participle
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She hasn't visited

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Interrogative to have subject past participle
Has she visited..?

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Interrogative negative to have + not subject past participle
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Hasn't she visited...?

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Example: to walk, present perfect
Affirmative
I have walked
You have walked
He, she, it has walked
We have walked
You have walked
They have walked

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Negative
I haven't walked
You haven't walked
He, she, it hasn't walked
We haven't walked
You haven't walked
They haven't walked

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Interrogative
Have I walked?
Have you walked?
Has he,she,it walked
Have we walked?
Have you walked?
Have they walked?

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Add -ed with regular verbs.
regular verbs infinitive + -ed

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Sometimes the are exceptions in spelling when adding -ed.
1) consonant after a short, stressed vowel at the end of the word stop – stopped swap – swapped

We do not double the consonant if it is not stressed: benefit - benefited (Here we stress the first 'e', not the 'i'.)
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In Britsh English we double one -l at the end of the word: travel - travelled

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2) one -e at the end of the word
Leave out the -e. Add -d.
love – loved save – saved

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3) verbs ending in –y
Verbs ending in 'y' preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u):Add -ed.
play - played
Change 'y' to 'i' after a consonant.
Then add -ed.
worry - worried

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You have to know all forms of the irregular verbs very well. For the Present
Perfect you need the form of the verb which can be found in the 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs.
 go - went - gone

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1) have as a full verb affirmative sentence
I, we, you, they:
I have had a book.
he, she, it:
He has had a book.

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 negative sentence
I, we, you, they:
I have not had a book.
he, she, it:
He has not had a book.

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 question
I, we, you, they:
Have I had a book?
he, she, it:
Has he had a book?

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2) be as a full verb affirmative sentence
I, we, you, they:
I have been to Britain.
he, she, it:
He has been to Britain.

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 negative sentence
I, we, you, they:
I have not been to Britain.
he, she, it:
He has not been to Britain.

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 question
I, we, you, they:
Have I been to Britain?
he, she, it:
Has he been to Britain?

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3) do as a full verb affirmative sentence
I, we, you, they:
I have done an exercise.
he, she, it:
He has done an exercise.

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 negative sentence
I, we, you, they:
I have not done an exercise.
he, she, it:
He has not done an exercise.

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 question
I, we, you, they:
Have I done an exercise?
he, she, it:
Has he done an exercise?

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Long forms and short forms in the
Present Perfect
We often use short forms of the auxiliaries. The Present Perfect is formed with the auxiliary have. So short forms are used frequently with the Present
Perfect.

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Affirmative long form
I, we, you, they:
I have gone he, she, it: he has gone

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Affirmative short form
I, we, you, they:
I've gone he, she, it: he's gone

 negative (have not)long form
I, we, you, they:
I have not gone he, she, it: he has not gone

 short form
I, we, you, they:
I haven't gone or
I've not gone he, she, it: he hasn't gone or he's not gone

EXERCISES 1