English Grammar for proficiency: The Present Perfect Tense

As a general rule, Present Perfect Tense is used for situations that started in the past and are connected to the moment of speaking.

Affirmative	I/You/We/They + have + V3
	He/She/It + has + V3
Negative	I/You/We/They + have + not + V3
	He/She/It + has + not + V3
Question	Have + I/You/We/They + V3
	Has + He/She/It + V3

	Example	Short Form
+	I have gone.	I've gone
	He has gone	He's gone.
−	I have not gone.	I haven't gone.
	He has not gone.	He hasn't gone.
+?	Have you gone?	––
	Has he gone?	––
-?	Have you not gone?	Haven't you gone?
	Has he not gone?	Hasn't he gone?

	Time Expressions
	since, for, ever, never, already, yet, just, recently, lately, before, so far, until now, up to now, today, this morning/afternoon/evening, this week/month/year, in recent times, in recent years, in the past decade, over the past two years, in the last few years, over the last six months

Usage

Until now

It is used to indicate an action or event that started in the past and continues until now, usually with adverbs such as 'for, since, until now, so far'.

・I have lived in China for five years.

・It has not rained here for weeks.

・I have lived here all my life.

・How long have you worked here?

・We haven't had any problems so far.

・He has been in hospital since Friday.

・They have known each other since childhood.

It is used to indicate an action or event that happened in the past and has a result now (its effect continues).

・I’ve lost my keys. (My keys are still missing.)

・I have forgotten his name. (I still don't remember his name.)

・She has gone shopping. (She is still shopping.)

・I can't play football because I have broken my leg.

・He has missed the bus, so he'll be late for the meeting.

Change

It is used to indicate a development or change that has happened recently over a period of time, usually with the adverbs 'in recent times, in the last few years, over the last six months, over the past decade, in the past year'.

・The city has grown rapidly in recent years.

・Prices have increased steadily in the last few years.

・He has become a successful entrepreneur over time.

・Inflation has increased greatly over the last five months.

・Technology has advanced significantly in the past decade.

・The company has expanded its operations for the past three years.

Finished Event

It is used to state or announce a recent event, usually with the adverbs 'just, yet, already'.

・I have just finished my work.

・We have already had lunch.

・He hasn't arrived home yet.

・The president has given a speech.

・They have recently bought a new car.

Unfinished Time

It is used to indicate an event that has been done in a time period that has not yet finished, such as 'today, this morning, this week, this year'.

・I have not drunk coffee today. (The day is not over - I can still drink it.)

・It has rained a lot this month.

・Have you seen Tom this week?

Experience

It is used to express an experience that occurred in an unspecified period of time in the past or an action that was performed several times, usually with the adverbs 'ever, never, always, several times, before'.

・Have you ever been to France?

・I have never ridden a horse.

・I have watched that movie before.

・She has traveled to Europe several times.

It is used in the structure 'It's first/second, etc. time (that) + present perfect tense' to indicate the number of times an experience occurred in an unspecified period of time in the past.

・It's the first time he has ridden a horse.

・It's the second time that I have visited here.

It is used in the structure 'It's + superlative + noun + present perfect tense' to indicate what an experience was like in an unspecified period of time in the past.

・It's the best book I have ever read.

・It's the worst movie I've seen this year.

・It's the most difficult puzzle I've ever solved.

It is used in the structure 'It is/has been + a period of time + since + simple past/present perfect' to indicate how much time has passed since an experience or event that occurred at an unspecified time in the past. Although this structure can be used in four different ways, the following two structures are commonly used.

・It is three years since I last saw him.
・It has been three years since I last saw him.

・How long is it since his father died?
・How long has it been since his father died?

Notes

'Have been' and 'Have gone'

	'Have been' indicates that a person has been somewhere and is not there at the time of speaking, while 'have gone' indicates that a person has gone somewhere and is still there.
	I have been to Japan. (I went to Japan and I'm not there now.) I have gone to Japan. (I went to Japan and I'm still in Japan.)

Specific Time Period

	Adverbs of time such as 'yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2009' are used with simple past tense to indicate a specific period of time in the past. They are not used with 'present perfect tense'.
	✗ I have seen him yesterday. ✓ I saw him yesterday. ✗ I have not worked last week. ✓ I didn't work last week.

Ongoing Event

	When expressing an event that started in the past and continues until the moment of speaking, 'simple present tense' is not used, 'present perfect tense' is used.
	✗ I know him for a long time. ✓ I have known him for a long time.