CEFR A2

    Present Perfect

    Learn to talk about life experiences, recent events, and actions with present results. Practice forming sentences with have/has + past participle.

    Learn Present Perfect Tense

    What You Will Learn

    The Present Perfect tense connects past actions to the present. Learn to talk about experiences, recent events, and actions that started in the past and continue to now.

    Learn to form the tense: have/has + past participle
    Talk about life experiences
    Describe recent past actions with present results
    Use time expressions like already, just, yet, for, since

    What is Present Perfect?

    Present perfect = have/has + past participle. Use when a past event is connected to the present.

    I have visited Paris.She has finished her work.They have lived here for ten years.He hasn't eaten yet.

    Past participle

    Regular: add -ed (same as past simple). Irregular: must memorise — go→gone, eat→eaten, see→seen, do→done, have→had, be→been, write→written.

    The Present Perfect tense connects past actions to the present moment. It's used for experiences, recent events, and actions that started in the past and continue.

    Life Experiences

    "I have visited Paris three times."

    "She has never eaten sushi."

    "They have seen that movie."

    Recent Past & Continuing Actions

    "I have lived here for five years."

    "He has just finished his work."

    "We have known each other since 2018."

    📖 A Story: Sarah's Travels

    Sarah has always loved travelling. She has visited ten different countries so far.

    She has just returned from Japan, where she tried sushi for the first time.

    Her best friend has never been on a plane, but Sarah has already booked their next trip together.

    They have known each other since primary school and have always dreamed of seeing the world.

    The Present Perfect helps us talk about experiences and actions that connect the past to the present!

    Key Pattern!

    Present Perfect = have/has + past participle

    ✓ I have visited → I've visited

    ✓ She has finished → She's finished

    ✓ They have lived → They've lived

    How to Form Present Perfect

    Learn the simple pattern to create Present Perfect sentences with regular and irregular verbs.

    Positive Sentences

    I have visited (I've visited)

    You have finished (You've finished)

    He/She has eaten (He's/She's eaten)

    We have seen (We've seen)

    They have lived (They've lived)

    Negative Sentences

    I have not visited (I haven't visited)

    You have not finished (You haven't finished)

    He/She has not eaten (He/She hasn't eaten)

    We have not seen (We haven't seen)

    They have not lived (They haven't lived)

    Try It

    Complete these sentences:

    1. "I __________ (visit) London many times."

    2. "She __________ (not finish) her homework yet."

    3. "They __________ (live) here since 2020."

    💡 💡 Check your answers

    1. "I have visited London many times." or "I've visited London many times."

    2. "She has not finished her homework yet." or "She hasn't finished her homework yet."

    3. "They have lived here since 2020." or "They've lived here since 2020."

    Time Expressions with Present Perfect

    Learn the words that often go with Present Perfect tense.

    Experience & Recent Events

    already
    just
    yet
    never

    "I have already finished my work."

    Duration & Time Period

    for
    since
    ever
    recently

    "We have lived here for five years."

    Question Words

    Common Questions

    Have you ever...?

    How long have you...?

    Have you ... yet?

    Time References

    in your life

    so far

    up to now

    "Have you ever been to Paris?"

    Want to try a Present Perfect quiz?

    Practice with multiple choice questions

    Past Participles

    Learn how to form past participles for regular and irregular verbs.

    Regular Verbs: Add -ed

    For most verbs, add -ed to the base form:

    work
    worked
    +
    visit
    visited

    play → played, learn → learned, live → lived

    Common Irregular Verbs

    gogone
    seeseen
    eateaten
    writewritten

    Common Mistakes

    ❌ I have go to London (should be I have gone to London)
    ❌ She has see that movie (should be She has seen that movie)
    ❌ They have eated dinner (should be They have eaten dinner)

    Ready to test your Present Perfect knowledge?

    Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises

    Common Mistakes

    ❌ I have visit London.

    ✓ I have visited London.

    ❌ She has finish her work.

    ✓ She has finished her work.

    ❌ They have live here for five years.

    ✓ They have lived here for five years.

    ❌ We have see that movie.

    ✓ We have seen that movie.

    ❌ He has go to school.

    ✓ He has gone to school.

    Master Present Perfect sentence building!

    Drag and drop words to form correct sentences

    Practice Tips

    Talk about your life experiences in English
    Describe things you have done recently
    Practice with time expressions like 'already', 'just', 'yet', 'for', 'since'
    Learn common irregular verbs and their past participles
    Use the speaking practice section to improve your pronunciation

    Speaking Practice

    To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!

    I have visited London three times.

    She has already finished her homework.

    They have lived here since 2020.

    We have never been to Japan.

    He has just started his new job.

    I have known her for five years.

    She has worked here for a long time.

    They have already seen that movie.

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