1. Review: the present perfect tense
The present perfect tense is used when the action is finished but the time is not finished.
The present perfect tense is made by:
- subject + have + past participle (+ unfinished time)
*Present perfect = gone, eaten, seen, been, etc.
| Verb | Present perfect (finished action) | Unfinished time | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| watch | has watched | this week | Andy has watched the film twice this week. |
| miss | have missed | this month | I have missed school three times this month. |
| go | has gone | Susie’s life | Susie has gone to Cairo twice. |
| decide | have decided | our work life | We have decided to leave the company. |
| perform | have performed | time the girls have been in class | The girls have performed really well in their new class. |
2. The present perfect + already
‘Already’ goes between ‘have’ and the past participle.
Adding ‘already’ to a present perfect sentence gives extra meaning:
- for something finished earlier than expected
- for something finished now, which could have been finished later
- for something finished and that can’t be changed
| Subject | Present perfect + already (finished action) | Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | have already finished | It’s only 4pm, but I’ve already finished my dinner. | finished earlier than expected |
| You | have already got | You’re only 18, and you have already got married. Unbelievable. | finished earlier than expected |
| She | has already dumped | I can’t believe she’s already dumped him: they had only been going out for 2 weeks. | finished earlier than expected |
| Ellen’s party guests | had already gone | Oh dear. Ellen has just arrived, but her party guests have already gone home. | finished earlier than expected |
| I | have already done | I‘ve already done my homework, so I’m going to watch TV. | finished now, but could have finished later |
| He | has already painted | He has already painted the wall, so is now working on the roof. | finished now, but could have finished later |
| Tracy | has already spoken | Tracy has already spoken to the boss, so you don’t need to worry. | finished now, but could have finished later |
| Mark | has already completed | The manager asked for the report by Friday, but since Mark has already completed it they will start the project early. | finished now, but could have finished later |
| I | have already worn | I can’t take it back to the shop now: I’ve already worn it. | finished and can’t be changed |
| He | has already married | I wanted to tell him that she is a horrible person, but he has already married her. | finished and can’t be changed |
| I | have already seen | I would go to the cinema with you, but I have already seen that movie. | finished and can’t be changed |
| He | has already read | The teacher gave him a book to read, but he has already read it. | finished and can’t be changed |
3. The present perfect + just
‘Just’ goes between ‘have’ and the past participle.
Add ‘just’ to the present perfect for things that have finished or happened very recently.
| I have only just got here. Did I miss anything? | They have just bought a house. We should go and visit. |
| She has just got divorced, so be nice to her. | Peter is tired because he has just run a marathon. |
4. The present perfect + yet
For ‘yet’, the present perfect uses ‘have not + p.p.’.
‘Yet’ can go either after the p.p., or between ‘have’ and the p.p..
Usually it goes after the p.p.
Use ‘present perfect + yet’ for something not done, but will be done (or is planned to be finished)
| I haven’t done my homework yet; I’ll do it after dinner. | We haven’t met them yet, but I have heard they are very nice. |
| Don’t worry, the game hasn’t started yet. | Bill hasn’t bought the house yet, so maybe he will change his mind. |
5. The present perfect + still
For ‘still’, the present perfect uses ‘have not’.
‘Still’ goes before ‘have’.
Use the present perfect + still for negative situations that have not been stopped, but will be.
*This is a similar idea as ‘yet’ – they should be stopped, but haven’t so far
| I still haven’t called him, but I will do it after dinner. | She still hasn’t seen that movie. We should ask her to come with us. |
| They still haven’t got married? Wow, they have already been dating for 10 years. | Lisa and Chloe still haven’t heard from the bank, so don’t know whether they have the money. |
6. Making questions
Present perfect questions use the following structure:
Have + subject + past participle
Question words (what, why, who, when, etc.) can be added to the front.
Words such as already, just, yet and still can also be added.
| Question word | Have | Subject | Past participle | Example question | + already / just / yet / still |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| have | you | seen | Have you seen Li? | Have you seen Li yet? | |
| Why | have | we | bought | Why have we bought that? | Why have we just bought that? |
| Who | has | she | talked | Who has she talked to? | Who has she already talked to? |
| What | has | he | not done | What has he not done? | What has he still not done? |
7. Test yourself
Click here to test your knowledge of this grammar point.