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Present Perfect Tense
What Is the Present Perfect Tense?
The present perfect tense is an English verb tense used to describe an action that began in the past (despite being a present tense). For example:- John has taken Sarah's advice.
- They have fixed the fence.
[subject]
+ "has" or "have"
+ [past participle]
Table of Contents
- More Examples of the Present Perfect Tense
- Video Lesson
- Comparing the Present Perfect Tense and the Simple Past Tense
- Forming the Present Perfect Tense
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- The Other Present Tenses
- Printable Test
More Examples of the Present Perfect Tense
Here are some more examples of the present perfect tense:- The board has decided to uphold the appeal. (This sentence carries the connotation that the board continues to uphold the appeal.)
- I have taken the wrong path. (Connotation: I am still on the wrong path.)
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Comparing the Present Perfect Tense and the Simple Past Tense
Here is another example of the present perfect tense (highlighted). For comparison, the example is given alongside similar-looking example featuring the simple past tense.- Janet has run two miles. (This is the present perfect tense. In this example, Janet is still running when the words were said.)
- Janet ran two miles. (This is the simple past tense. In this example, Janet has stopped running when the words were said.)
- David has worked alongside two of the world's finest scientists in the field of entomology. (This is the present perfect tense. In this example, David might have finished working with those scientists, but the sentence carries the connotation that he is still working as an entomologist.)
- David worked alongside two of the world's finest scientists in the field of entomology. (This is the simple past tense. This example carries the connotation that David no longer works as an entomologist.)
Forming the Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is formed:[subject]
+ "has" or "have"
+ [past participle]
- I have worked.
- She has painted.
Forming the Past Participle (Regular Verbs)
If it's a regular verb, the past participle is the same as the simple past tense. In other words, it is formed like this:Add "ed" to most verbs:
- jump > jumped
- paint > painted
- chat > chatted
- stop > stopped
- sew > sewed
- play > played
- fix > fixed
- incur > incurred
- prefer > preferred
- open > opened
- enter > entered
- swallow > swallowed
- thrive > thrived
- guzzle > guzzled
If the verb ends [consonant + "y"], change the "y" to an "i" and add "ed":
- cry > cried
- fry > fried
Forming the Past Participle (Irregular Verbs)
If it's an irregular verb, the past participle is formed in all sorts of different ways. Here are some examples:- arise > arisen
- catch > caught
- choose > chosen
- know > known
The Negative Version
If you need the negative version, you can use the following construction:[subject]
+ "has not" or "have not"
+ [past participle]
- The board has not decided to uphold the appeal.
- I have not taken the wrong path.
The Question Version
If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:"has" or "have"
+ [subject]
+ [past participle]
- Has the board decided to uphold the appeal?
- Have I taken the wrong path?
[question word]
+ "has" or "have"
+ [subject]
+ [past participle]
- Why has the board decided to uphold the appeal?
- How have I taken the wrong path?
Infographic for the Present Perfect Tense

Top 10 Regular Verbs
Top 10 Irregular Verbs
All 4 Past Tenses
Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
|
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
|
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
|
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
|
All 4 Present Tenses
Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
|
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
|
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
|
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
|
All 4 Future Tenses
Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
|
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
|
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
|
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
|
The Other Present Tenses
The present perfect tense is one of four present tenses. This table shows all four of the present tenses: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 |
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