Present Perfect Simple

Hi you!

Among the things we did this week that has just come to an end, you learnt more about a new tense: The Present Perfect Simple. As its name itself indicates, this is a tense that refers back to the past but extends somehow to the present time. As usual, I'm leaving here the summary of all I told you in class.

Form
Affirmative: Subject + HAVE/HAS + past participle
Negative: Subject + HAVEN'T/HASN'T + past participle
Question: HAVE/HAS + subject + past participle ?
Short Answers: Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.

Examples:You have seen that film many times.
They haven't worked with this company.
Has Mark played chess? No, he hasn't.

Remember that the past participle is formed by adding the -ed suffix to the infinitive form if the verb is regular, and if it is irregular you need the third form of the verbs in the irregular verbs list.

Use 1: Personal experiences and past actions that happened at an unspecified time.
I've lived in England.
People have travelled to the Moon, but they haven't been to Mars.
Have you watched a live football match?

Use 2: Finished action with an influence on the present.
She has had a shower.
We have cooked dinner.
They've lost their keys.

Use 3: With periods of time.
I've known him for long.
John hasn't seen his wife since his father's death.
We've studied English for fifteen years.

The Present Perfect is often used with time particles such as since (indicating the starting point of a period, Spanish desde) and for (indicating the period of time itself, Spanish desde hace).
since 2000, since I started university, since last Monday, since five o'clock.
for ten years , for seven months, for three days, for forty minutes.
Other adverbs which usually go with the Present Perfect Simple are just (acabar de), already (ya), yet (ya, todavía), still (aún, todavía), ever (alguna vez, jamás). Look at the examples below and notice the position of these particles in the sentence:
The headmaster has just gone to his office.
I've already done my homework.
The children still haven't got up.
The children haven't got up yet.
Have you had a shower yet?
This is the best film that I have ever seen.
Have you ever been to Britain?



For practice:Exercise1, Exercise2, Exercise3, Exercise4.

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