How a sentence is constructed in the present perfect. Present Perfect Tense - present perfect tense in English: rules of education and use, time markers, example sentences

How do you like this phrase: "No one is perfect, that's why pencils have erasers." "Nobody's perfect, that's why pencils have erasers"? However, the “Perfect” still exists, and it is “Present”. What is Present Perfect?

To begin with, it is worth noting that there is simply no equivalent to this time or the Real Completed in the Russian language - this is the whole difficulty of understanding. But hold on! We're here to sort things out. Let "s go!

Present Perfect Education Rules

Let's take an example:

I have seen this film before.

In the first place with us subject(subjects or subject), then auxiliary verb(auxiliary) - have or has + Past Participle = seen.

Using the Present Perfect

• When we talk about experience and achievements ( experience & achievements):

I have jumped with a parachute!- I jumped with a parachute!
I’ve just graduated from University and got a diploma!- I just graduated from university and received my diploma!
She has started to walk!- She started walking!

• To show some changes:

You’ve lost weight!- You've lost weight!

• When the action took place in the past, but we do not know exactly when, or the time does not matter. The main thing is not when the action took place, but its result in the present:

Have you read this book?- Did you read this book? (Ever?)
Nick has traveled a lot... - Nick traveled a lot.

• In offers with Stative/State verbs when the action started in the past, continues in the present and can continue in the future. The following words can be used in these sentences: since(since) and for(during):

I've known him for ten years.- I have known him for 10 years (I knew in the past, I know now, and maybe I will know in the future).
I haven’t felt well since Monday.- I haven't been feeling well since Monday.

• When the time for the action is determined by words just(just now), already(already), yet(yet). Exact connection with the present:

I’ve just seen an interesting movie.- I just watched an interesting film.
She has already left.- She's already gone.
The show has not begun yet.- The show hasn't started yet.

• When the action took place in a period that has not yet ended. These periods include: today(today), this morning(this morning), this week(this week), this month(this month), this year(this year) etc .:

She has called her best friend this morning.- She called her best friend in the morning (the morning is not over yet).
I have never been to China.- I've never been to China. (I have never been to China throughout my life.)

• Description of events of the recent past. Usually the words are used in such cases recently(recently), lately(recently, recently):

We have come back recently.- We recently returned.
You’ve worked hard lately.- You've worked a lot lately.

• When the action occurs the first (second, third, etc.) time:

It's the first time I have done it.- I did it for the first time.
It's the second time I have driven a car.- I drove the car for the second time.
It’s the third time she has called him this morning.“This is the third time she called him this morning.

Usage features of been and gone in Present Perfect: examples

« Been" and " gone»Are past participles (third form of the verb), gone Is the past participle form of the verb go, and been- the past participle form of the verb be. Everything seems to be clear, but when translating into Russian or from Russian, students have many problems. Let's take a look at examples:

Is Ann in the office? No, she has just been to Great Britain. And she is at home today relaxing. She’ll be here tomorrow.

Is Ann in the office? No, she has just gone to China. She is spending there one month supervising the work of our subsidiary and is coming back on the 25th.

As you can see from the context in the first case, Anna was in the UK but has already returned. Her journey has just ended.

In the second case, on the contrary, her journey has just begun, she left and will stay in China for another month.

It follows that Present Perfect with “ been"Means back and forth action, and Present Perfect with" gone"Means action only there.

Conclusion

After all of the above, the question arises: “Why then Rast Simple if there is a Present Perfect? ​​"

There is a huge difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect. Past simple happened in the past... We know when and the time is over. It means that the present is not included in it. Yesterday, last year, two minutes ago. All this already finished time.

What if time unfinished? Today, this week, over these ten years (all these time intervals include the moment "now"), then we use Present perfect... Let's compare:

I’ve fed a tiger today. I fed ten tigers yesterday.
She went to Europe last summer. I've never been to Europe in my life.
We’ve had many customers this week. We didn’t have so many customers last week.

I lived here for ten years. I've lived here for ten years.

In which case am I still here I live? Of course, I've lived here for ten years because it means that the action started in the past and still continues... I lived here for ten years means I lived a long time ago, but I already moved. Here you walk past a house in which you once lived a long time ago, and say: I lived here for ten years a long time ago.

We hope that now you have no doubts! Have a great English and evolve!

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

I am sure that many people who study a language on their own reach Present Perfect and ... this is where their study ends, because according to the explanations from the textbook, not everyone can understand How is it? and why is it? In this article, I will not rewrite the rules, I will try to clearly and clearly explain what Present Perfect is.

First of all, let me remind you of the formation of this time.

We form the statement using the auxiliary verb have or has and the main verb in the third form, which in grammar is called Past Participle. If the verb is correct (regular), then the ending is added to it -ed, if the verb is irregular, then we take the third form from the third column of the table of irregular verbs. In this article, I will refer to Past Participle as V3:

In negation, a negative particle is added to the auxiliary verb not:

To form an interrogative form, an auxiliary verb is placed before the subject ( Subject):

Not all ad hoc questions can be asked in Present Perfect. For example, a question with a word is impossible, because in Present Perfect the interlocutors are only interested in the result. If we are interested in time, then we need to use another grammatical structure to express actions in the past.

Using the Present Perfect

Present Perfect is the present perfect tense. From the name it is clear that this time denotes an action that was performed in the past, but is associated with the present. How does it relate to the present? How do we understand that it is connected?

From theory, you probably remember that this time should be used when talking about the result of an action; if the action began in the past, but is still ongoing; and even if we talk about our life experiences; when the action took place in a period of time that has not yet ended ... Surely you have already read about this many times in books or heard from a teacher.

I will try to explain to you step by step and clearly in what cases Present Perfect is used in English. I will try to give life situations that you face every day, and in which it is appropriate and even necessary to use Present Perfect. In this article, I will give you small tasks, by completing which, you can see the importance of using this time. I would like to point out that my explanation will be significantly different from the ones you read in the grammar textbooks.

What makes Present Perfect different from other times? These are its markers (they are also called qualifier words, time indicators). Let's highlight the main markers of this time:

I'm going to tell you about each of these, as each marker reflects a major use of time.

1. Just (just now)

The just time pointer is often used with Present perfect and indicates that the action has just happened and there is a certain visible and meaningful result.

In the statement, the place just is after the auxiliary verb:

In negatives, just is not used. In general matters, it is extremely rare.

Just is used in special questions with question words (, Why, etc.) You can see questions like this with just:

What has just happened? - What just happened?

What has he just done / said? - What did he just do / say?

What just happened? Someone just broke a cup.

When did this action take place? In the recent past, we do not know exactly when.

What do we know? We only know about the result of the action. And we can say about this in Present Perfect:

What did they just do? They just cleaned the room.

We do not know the exact time, but we have a visible result - the room is clean.

They have just cleaned the room.

What did he just do? He just woke up.

We do not know the time of his awakening (although there is a clock in the photo), but we see the result: he no longer sleeps.

He has just woken up.

What did you just do? You just read the explanation. The action has taken place, there is a result: you learned about the word just.

You can say:

I have just read the explanation.

Exercise: After performing some action, having received the result, talk about its completion:

I have just had my breakfast.

You can look out the window and comment on what just happened there:

The tall man has just crossed the street. Two girls have just entered the shop.

2. Already / yet (already; yet)

Present Perfect is used to describe an action that has already happened or has not happened yet... In these cases, we are invariably interested in the result, not in time. To make it clearer, consider an example from life.

Imagine you come to a store with a shopping list.

Having already made some purchases, you stopped to see what you already acquired.

Let's consider different situations.

You read and translate complex text. So far, you have only translated ten pages. You are still working with text. You say:

I have translated ten pages so far. - I have translated ten pages so far.

Your friend is a writer. He writes novels. He has published one novel so far and continues to write. You will say about him:

He has published one novel so far. - He has published one novel so far.

The company you work for is expanding rapidly. So far, you have opened twenty new offices across the country and the company continues to grow:

Our company has opened twenty new offices so far. - Our company has opened twenty new offices at the moment.

All of the above actions have taken place in the past, but we are evaluating their results at the moment, while the action continues.

Question: How many points in this article have you read so far?

5. Never / ever

If you decide to indulge in memories and talk about your life experience, then no time Present perfect you can't do it.

Do you love to travel? What countries have you been to?

I have been to France. - I was in France.

I have been to Italy. - I was in Italy.

I have been to Spain. - I was in Spain.

It doesn't matter when you went to these countries, the main thing is that you have been there, that you got impressions, you can tell about it.

What countries have you not visited yet? You can use negation or the word never to tell you about it. The place never in a sentence is after the auxiliary verb have / has:

I haven’t been to India. - I have never been to India. - I've never been to India.

I haven’t been to China. - I have never been to China. - I've never been to China.

I haven’t been to Japan. - I have never been to Japan. - I've never been to Japan.

If never is used, then a negative particle not unnecessary, because never itself is negative.

You want to ask questions of your interlocutor. Use the word ever:

Have you ever been to London? - Have you ever been in London?

I really hope that my explanation helped you understand the essence of Present Perfect time. Send your feedback

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Any tenses of the Perfect category indicate the perfection of the action, that the situation is complete, and not long-term or permanent. As for The Present Perfect Tense - ‘it’s a time that certainly has to do with real action, as its name suggests.

general information

The main feature of such a temporal form is that the speech in sentences with Present Perfect is about a completed action, the result of which is directly related to the current time. Very often there is a time where there is no emphasis on connection with the present, but the basis is solely the fact of an event that has occurred.

Here are examples of sentences that show how the present perfect tense looks and is used in English:

· You have done more than stay young; you have stayed a child - You did more than just stay young - you stayed a child
I have made you a bed upstairs, make yourself at home - I made you a bed upstairs, make yourself at home

As can be seen from these examples, present perfect tens, as it is called in Russian transcription, is used to express not just an event that took place in the past, but reflects the result of a perfect action that is relevant now.

Education Present Perfect

The present completed tense often gives difficulties to those who are still at the stage of learning English, because here several nuances come into force at once, which are extremely important to take into account. Firstly, Present Perfect is necessarily formed using auxiliary verbs. These are such auxiliary verbs as have and has (the latter is used only for the third person pronouns used in the singular - he, she, it). Secondly, this verb in the present perfect tense is followed by the main verb, which stands in the form Past Participle, or Participle II (the people are the third form of the verb). Here it is important to navigate the list of irregular verbs, but for the correct ones everything is easier, because just the ending –ed is added to the word.

Therefore, the classic Present Perfect formula looks like this:

Have
Has + V (3) (–ed)

I have never had a chance to meet anyone here - I never had a chance to meet anyone here
She has worked in this company for 3 years already - She has worked in this company for 3 years

Questions and denials

Interrogative sentences

here they are formed with the same auxiliary verbs have and has, which in the general question, that is, in the one, the answer to which can be "yes" or "no", stand in the original position:

Have you already finished your course work? - Have you finished your term paper yet?
Has he just returned from his trip? - Has he just returned from his trip?

Special questions,

at the beginning of which there is an interrogative word like when, why, how, etc., are formed according to a similar principle, with the only difference that these interrogative words occupy the initial position:

How long has she been here? - How long has she been here?
Why has he written so many articles today? - Why did he write so many articles today?

Present Perfect Formula in Negative Sentence

practically does not differ from the affirmative form. Here the grammar provides for the simple use of the particle not after the auxiliary verb, where have not = haven't, hasn't = has not. The denial looks like this:

I haven’t completed my daily report yet - I have not finished my daily report yet
He still hasn’t brought us money - He still hasn’t brought us money

Note: the rule provides for the use of this tense in special interrogative and negative constructions with the inclusion of the phrase "ever", where the used Present Perfect time markers are the adverbs ever or never:

Have you ever been to Bangkok? - Have you ever been to Bangkok?
· I have never seen such a beautiful landscape! - I have never seen such a beautiful landscape!

Using the Present Perfect

The use of Present Perfect is typical for the following situations:

1. Completed action

In order to display a perfect action, which has a clear echo in the present tense and, in contrast to time, a simple symbol is used to express completeness. Present Perfect satellites in such situations are specific adverbs already, ever, never, yet (typical for interrogative and negative sentences, where its frequent position is at the end of a phrase), just, for (shows the duration of the action), as well as those time frames, which indicate that the action is not over yet (this year, today, etc.).

He hasn’t called me for ages - He hasn’t called me for ages
We have already found out the latest news - We have already found out the latest news
I have done much this year - I have done a lot this year (in the sense that the year is not over yet)

Note: For Present Perfect just, this is one of the markers, which translates as “just now”. But in the event that the just now construction is used, then the use of Past Simple is typical with it, despite the fact that the translation will be identical:

I have just cooked breakfast - I just cooked breakfast
I cooked breakfast just now - I just made breakfast

Note: the so-called American English, which has become firmly established in modern life, very often does not provide for the use of Present Perfect, even in such obvious situations when there are special helpers in the form of adverbs or there are other factors regulating the use of Perfect. In this case, the perfect is ignored, although the classical grammar does not approve of this:

I have lost my key - I lost my key

2. With the preposition "since" + Past Simple

Special attention should be paid to the situation when with Present Perfect since, a preposition that translates as "from", "from the moment as", is used in one sentence together with. In this sense, the construction of a sentence is built as follows:

I haven’t seen her since I left for Sydney - I haven’t seen her since I left for Sydney

In this example, the first part of the sentence uses Present Perfect, and the second uses Past Simple. Very often in such sentences it is recommended to look for the so-called starting point, that is, the action from which it all began. In this example, this is the part "since I left for Moscow." The use of Perfect is relevant here for the reason that the action is being performed (or has not been performed since then and until now, which shows the result to date). In Present Perfect, examples of such situations are not uncommon, and the English language in this case gives a well-founded reason for this use.

3. In subordinate tense

The use of this tense is also typical for those cases when the perfect is part of the subordinate parts of the tense. Present Perfect marker words in this case are the same as in (Conditional I): these are unions unless, when, as soon as, before, after, etc. The main feature here is that the emphasis is on the completeness of the event, and not on its fact. Suggestions for Present Perfect here can be as follows:

I will not call him until you have told me everything - I will not call him until you tell me everything
They will come as soon as I have finished my work - They will come as soon as I finish my work

Note: There is an exception to this rule. Provided that the verbs in Present Perfect here belong either to the category of movement (arrive, come, return, etc.) or sensory perception, then the use of the present perfect tense with them is undesirable, it will be correct to put the familiar Present Simple, which is more often used in a conditional sentence the first type:

I will be glad when he comes - I will be glad when he comes
She will get in a fury when she hears my words - She will get furious when she hears my words

But even here the Present Perfect is possible when there are indications that the speaker deliberately emphasizes completeness and does not expressively emphasize; translation in this case will prove the relevance of the use of the perfect:

I will learn the poem by heart when I have heard it a few times - I will learn the poem by heart when I listen to it several times(completeness is expressively emphasized, performed several times)

Let's summarize

As it becomes clear from all of the above, phrases in a perfect are formed and used when there is an intention to demonstrate the completeness of an action or to display the period of time that it takes up to the present moment. The Present Perfect educational scheme is quite simple, although it requires memorization. Like any other temporary form, Present Perfect Tense has very clear rules of use, so the main thing is to strictly follow all the instructions, and then this time will not cause any inconvenience.

Today in our article we will look at how to use the tense of the verb in the present perfect, the rules for the formation of this grammatical form, examples of use, and much more. I must say that this is one of the most difficult tenses used in the English language. denotes someone's action that took place (began) in the past, but at the same time is related to the present moment in time. That is, you can observe the result of this action in the present.

Present perfect: formation rules

Present perfect is formed as follows:

I / we / you / she / he / it + have or has + past participle

Means in the past tense). For the so-called "regular" verbs (they are, as we remember, the majority) can be obtained by adding the ending "-ed" at the very end of the word. For "irregular" verbs, this method is unsuitable, their past form must be learned by heart. Note that the helper verbs have and has are usually shortened to 've and' s, see:

In case of negation, you should use have not or has not, for short we get haven’t / hasn’t.

Present Perfect: Applying Correctly

It is often difficult for beginner students to understand when to use Present Perfect tense, since it is often confused, for example, with Past Simple. Read this section carefully, here we will consider in great detail the Present Perfect time, the rules for its application:

• Present Perfect is used when it comes to actions that began in the past, but, nevertheless, they continue to this day. Often such sentences contain the words "for" and "since":

This old beautiful building has stood on this square for three hundred fifty years - This old beautiful building has stood (and, in fact, continues to stand) on this square for 350 years.

I'm starving. I haven’t eaten since lunch - I'm incredibly hungry. I haven't eaten anything since lunch.

Maria has been to London once, but she would like to travel there again - Maria has already been to London once, but she would like to visit there again.

• The present past tense is used with these phrases: this year / day / week / month, recently, ever, yet. It can be seen that the time period is not defined, but it is closely related to the present. For example:

Have they heard from John recently? - Have they heard anything about Mark lately?

I've been in a lot of places last few weeks - I've been in a lot of places over the past few weeks.

I’ve had five cups of green tea today - I drank 5 cups of green tea today

• As for the Present Perfect time: the rules for its use also apply to those situations when we can already see the result of an action. For example:

The earthquake has destroyed the industry in the whole region - The earthquake destroyed the industry in the whole region (as a result, and now the region still has problems with industrial production).

Present Perfect is the short and most common name for the time of the rules of use which we have just considered. We hope that our article helped you understand this difficult grammatical topic. And remember - everything is learned in practice, that is, the more exercises you do to consolidate the use of the present perfect tense, the fewer mistakes you will make in the future. Note also that Present Perfect is a fairly simple time to use in comparison, for example, with the rules of which imply both the formation of a complex structure (have or has been + Verb-ing), and use in cases where the action began in the past, but at the same time it has not yet ended and, moreover, continues to this day. One way or another, only practice will help you master the English language at a sufficient level to speak and write clearly and competently.

a) Present perfect is used to describe an event that happened in the past and is relevant, significant, significant at the time of speaking about it. It does not matter when this action took place. Present perfect is often used with the adverbs lately and just, already never, ever, yet.
Example: I have forgotten his name. - I forgot his name (and I don't remember at the moment)

b) Present perfect is used when the action has already taken place, but the period of time when it happened has not yet expired.
Example: I have met him today. - I saw him today. ("Today" has not expired yet) He has bought a new car this year. - He bought a new car this year ("this year" is not over yet)

Formation of Narrative Sentences in Present Perfect: Formed using the present tense forms of the auxiliary verb to have(have; has)

Present tense forms of the verb to have:

Word order in a declarative sentence: subject + have / has + predicate with the ending –ed or, if the verb is irregular, then the 3rd form of the verb.
Examples: She has already come. - She's already here. I have just visited this supermarket. - I just visited this supermarket.

Formation of interrogative sentences in Present Perfect: Formed with the auxiliary to have in the present tense -have; has.Word order in special question: question word + have / has + subject + predicate with the ending –ed or 3rd form of irregular verb.
Examples: What have you done? - What have you done? Has he brought this book? - Did he bring this book?

Formation of negative sentences in Present Perfect: Formation of negative sentences occurs using the same auxiliary verbs. The particle not is placed after the auxiliary verb.
Examples: She has not (hasn’t) come yet. - She hasn't come yet. I have not (haven’t) seen him. - I haven't seen him.

Present Perfect should not be confused with Past Simple. When using Past Simple, one of the time pointers is usually used, indicating the moment when the event occurred.
Example: He saw her yesterday. - He saw her yesterday.

When applying Present Perfect, they use any of the Present Perfect indicators - lately (recently), and just (just), already never (never), ever (ever), yet (yet). Speaking of an action that has already taken place, we may not use any pointers at all. If this action or event is relevant at the moment, then Present Perfect is used. Example: I have bought it. - I bought this.

All of the above temporal forms are given here in the active voice.