Present perfect simple - Level II

The present perfect simple is one of the twelve verb tenses that exist in English. Since it is one of the most used on a day-to-day basis, it is very important to know when it is used and what its structure is like in order to use it correctly. 

In this post we will learn the present perfect simple at level II, so the explanations are in English and the examples shown have an intermediate difficulty.

Uses of the present perfect simple

We use the present perfect simple for:

1. Explaining actions or habits that started in the past which remain unfinished and continue into the present. Usually ‘for’ and ‘since’ are used for this.

• I have known Susan since we met in the autumn of 1961.
• For decades Japan has been the main provider of manga and anime to the world.
• Frankie has eaten an ice-cream per day since the summer started.
• Pablo has dated his current mate since they started hanging out in 2019.

2. Expressing actions or situations that happened some time ago during someone’s life.

• Fatima has travelled to Giza more times than I can remember.
• He has never seen all three of the Godfather films in a single session.
• This poor dog has lived in several foster homes since it was abandoned.
• My sisters have finished reading all the books my grandparents have.

3. Talking about a finished action or event from the recent past which result is still relevant in the present.

• My computer has crashed so I can’t complete my school report!
• My grandparents have returned so we cannot go to their pool anymore
• The school year has begun, but William and Paul can still come to the party.
• Has she fixed the website so we can work today?

Structure of the present perfect simple

Affirmative sentences

Subject + auxiliary verb (have) + verb in past participle + rest of the sentence

• He has eaten all the hotdogs we had in the house.
• Tanya and Kate have visited many new cities in the last couple of years.
• The cat has slept over my good shirt all day long on my bed.
• They have ended their friendship after Carl dropped a piano on Paul.

When the subject is the third person singular (he/she/it) we use has instead of have. Also remember that some verbs are regular, therefore ending with –ed, –d or –ied, and some are irregular.

Negative sentences

Subject + auxiliary verb (have) + not + verb in past participle + rest of the sentence

• He has not eaten all the hotdogs we had in the house.
• Tanya and Kate have not visited many new cities in the last couple of years.
• The cat has not slept over my good shirt all day long on my bed.
• They have not ended their friendship after Carl dropped a piano on Paul.

Note: We usually use the contractions haven’t and hasn’t instead of have not and has not: these are more used in a formal register.

• I haven’t killed that spider in self-defense. = I have not killed that spider in self-defense.
• The wolf hasn’t attacked anyone yet. = The wolf has not attacked anyone yet.

Interrogative sentences

Auxiliary verb (have) + subject + verb in past participle + rest of the sentence + ?

• Has he eaten all the hotdogs we had in the house?
• Have Tanya and Kate visited many new cities in the last couple of years?
• Has the cat slept over my good shirt all day long on my bed?
• Have they ended their friendship after Carl dropped a piano on Paul?