slug: present-perfect title: Present Perfect group: tenses order: 3 summary: A past action with a connection or result that matters now. formula: S + has/have + V-ed/V3
When to use it
Present perfect links a past event to the present moment. The exact time is unknown, unimportant, or the result still applies now.
I have lost my keys. (I don't have them now — the past action affects the present.)
Common signal words: already, yet, just, ever, never, since, for.
Form
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / You / We / They | have eaten | have not eaten | have you eaten? |
| He / She / It | has eaten | has not eaten | has she eaten? |
Use has for he, she, and it; use have for all other subjects. The past participle of regular verbs is the same as the past simple form (verb + -ed). Irregular verbs have their own forms (e.g., eat → eaten, go → gone).
Examples
- She has already finished the report.
- Have you ever been to Japan?
- They have not called us yet.
Common mistakes
- Adding a specific past time marker: "I have seen him yesterday" is wrong because yesterday closes the link to now. Say "I saw him yesterday" (past simple).
- Confusing
have beenandhave gone: "She has gone to France" means she is still there; "She has been to France" means she visited and has returned.