Lesson 44 · Stage 4: Tenses & modal verbs
Present perfect
IntermediateForm & use
have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now
1.Form
The present perfect = have / has + past participle (V3). Use has with he / she / it and singular nouns, and have with all other subjects. In speech it is almost always shortened: I've, you've, she's, they've.
| I / you / we / they | he / she / it | |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | I've finished. | She's finished. |
| Negative | I haven't finished. | She hasn't finished. |
| Question | Have you finished? | Has she finished? |
| Short answer | Yes, I have. / No, I haven't. | Yes, she has. / No, she hasn't. |
's can be is or has. If a past participle follows, it is has: She's gone = She has gone. But She's going = She is going.
2.The past participle (V3)
Regular verbs: V3 is the same as the past simple, with -ed (work → worked, stop → stopped, study → studied). Irregular verbs have to be learned — many have a V3 that is different from the past simple, and that is where most mistakes happen.
| Group | Examples (V1 – V2 – V3) |
|---|---|
| V2 and V3 are the same | buy – bought – bought, have – had – had, make – made – made, tell – told – told, find – found – found |
| V3 ends in -n / -en | see – saw – seen, eat – ate – eaten, take – took – taken, write – wrote – written, ride – rode – ridden, fly – flew – flown |
| i – a – u | drink – drank – drunk, swim – swam – swum, begin – began – begun, sing – sang – sung |
| V3 is the same as V1 | come – came – come, become – became – become, run – ran – run, put – put – put |
| Special | be – was/were – been, go – went – gone, do – did – done |
After have / has you always need V3, not the past simple: She has gone (not has went), I've eaten (not have ate). When you learn an irregular verb, learn all three forms.
3.When to use it
The present perfect links the past and the present: something happened, but the speaker is thinking about now. That is why the sentence usually doesn't say when it happened.
1. A past action with a result you can see now
I've lost my keys. I can't get into the house.
Someone has eaten my cake!
The price of rice has gone up a lot.
2. News and things that have just happened — often with just
Guess what? Lan has passed her driving test!
The bus has just left. We'll have to wait for the next one.
3. Experience up to now — have you ever… / I've never…; when it happened doesn't matter
Have you ever been to Hoi An?
I've never eaten frog legs.
This is the first time I've driven a car.
not: the first time I drive
4. A period of time that isn't over yet: today, this week, this year, so far…
I've had three cups of coffee today.
today isn't over
We haven't had much rain so far this year.
5. A situation that started in the past and is still true — with for, since, How long…?
We've lived in this flat since 2019.
not: We live here since 2019
How long have you known Minh?
They've been married for ten years.
Many languages show this meaning with a small word like “already” or “ever” and leave the verb alone. English changes the verb itself: I have lived here for five years (not I live here five years). But not every finished action is present perfect: with a finished time like yesterday, English uses the past simple — I met her yesterday.
4.Gone or been
Go has two participles with different meanings: has gone (to) = went and isn't back (they are there or on the way); has been (to) = went there and came back — often used for experience.
Mai isn't here. She's gone to the post office.
she isn't back yet
I've been to the post office. Here are your stamps.
Have you ever been to Japan?
5.Present perfect or past simple?
If the sentence has a finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2019, three days ago, when I was a child), use the past simple, not the present perfect — even if the result is still there.
| Present perfect | Past simple |
|---|---|
| I've lost my phone. | I lost my phone yesterday. |
| Have you ever been to Da Lat? | When did you go to Da Lat? |
| She's worked here since 2020. | She worked here from 2018 to 2020. |
This is explained in detail in the lesson “Present perfect vs past simple”. Just / already / yet / ever have their own lesson, “Present perfect with just / already / yet / ever”, and for / since / ago are in “For / since / ago”.
6.Common mistakes
I live here since I was a child.I have lived here since I was a child.
since (from then until now) needs the present perfect.
She has went home.She has gone home.
has + V3 (gone), not the past simple.
I have seen him yesterday.I saw him yesterday.
yesterday is a finished time → past simple.
How long do you know Minh?How long have you known Minh?
Asking how long up to now → present perfect.
This is the first time I visit Hue.This is the first time I've visited Hue.
After this is the first time, use the present perfect.
He have finished his homework.He has finished his homework.
he/she/it → has.
Examples
- We have lived in this flat since 2019.
- I haven't finished the report yet.
- My parents have never been abroad.
- My sister has just bought a new laptop.
