What Is the Perfect Aspect? (with Examples)
What Is the Perfect Aspect? (with Examples)
The perfect aspect (or complete aspect as it's sometimes called) is the aspect of a verb which expresses a completed action.Perfect aspect is the term for verbs in a perfect tense.
Examples of Verbs in the Perfect Aspect
Here are some examples of verbs in the perfect aspect:In the Past Tense
- We had seen.
- I had cleaned.
- She had drunk.
- I have seen.
- She has taken.
- It has found.
- You will have finished.
- They will have eaten.
- She will have swum.
Forming the Perfect Aspect
The perfect aspect is formed using a form of the auxiliary verb have and the past participle. For example:Forming the Past Perfect Tense
"had" + past participle
- They had played.
"has" or "have" + past participle
- He has played.
- We have played.
"will have" + past participle
- He will have played.
Verb Tenses Showing the Perfect Aspect
Here is a list of the verb tenses. The ones in the perfect aspect are shaded.| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple past tense | I went |
| past progressive tense | I was going |
| past perfect tense | I had gone |
| past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
| The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
| simple present tense | I go |
| present progressive tense | I am going |
| present perfect tense | I have gone |
| present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
| The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
| simple future tense | I will go |
| future progressive tense | I will be going |
| future perfect tense | I will have gone |
| future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going |
See Also
complete aspect What is aspect? What is the perfect tense? What is the past perfect tense? What is the present complete tense? What is the future present tense? Glossary of grammatical terms
