THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
The present perfect tense is an English verb tense used for past actions that are related to or continue into the present. It’s easily recognized by the auxiliary verbs (or helper verbs) have and has, as in, “I have gone fishing since I was a child.”
Of all the English verb tenses, the present perfect is one of the most complicated because there’s not always a direct translation in other languages. So in this guide, we explain everything you need to know to use it perfectly, including how and when to use it, with plenty of present perfect tense examples.
The present perfect tense is one of the common verb tenses in English, used to show an action that happened in the past that is directly related to the present, such as actions that are still continuing or that indicate a change over time. We cover a complete list of when to use the present perfect tense below.
Don’t let the name confuse you—even though the word present is there, the present perfect tense deals with actions that happened or started in the past. In fact, the present perfect tense is often used interchangeably with the simple past tense, although there are some special situations in which you can only use one or the other, also explained below.
In the present perfect tense, the main verbs always use the auxiliary verbs (helper verbs) has or have. The main verb takes a participle form, specifically the past participle. The past participle is often the same form as the simple past form of the verb, unless it’s an irregular verb, which each have their own unique past participle form. We explain in more detail how to form them in our guide to participles.
Only the auxiliary verbs are conjugated to fit the subject-verb agreement in the present perfect tense; the past participle of the main verb remains the same no matter what the subject is. Generally, you use have for all subjects except the singular third-person, which instead uses has.
First-person: I have come a long way.
Second person: You have come a long way.
Third-person plural: They have come a long way.
Third-person singular: He/she/it has come a long way.
The present perfect tense has specific constructions for standard statements, negatives, and questions, explained below. We also discuss how to use the present perfect tense with adverbs and with the passive voice.
For general statements, the most common use of the present perfect, use have or has plus the past participle form of the main verb.
[have/has] + [past participle]
Charlotte has become friends with Wilbur.
We’ve broken up before, but this time feels different.
To use the present perfect tense in the negative, simply add the negative word (like not or never) after the auxiliary verb but before the past participle.
[have/has] + [negative] + [past participle]
I have not slept well since exams started.
My Midwestern friend has never seen the ocean.
This construction works for neither, nor sentences, too.
It’s 11 in the morning, and she has neither eaten breakfast nor gotten dressed.
Please note that it’s clearest to avoid contractions when using the present perfect tense with the negative, at least in American English.
