In general, the present perfect is a mix of the present and the past. It is used for actions in the past that have significance in the present.
Grammatical Rules
Form
To form the present perfect tense we use the auxiliary verb “to have” in the present simple tense, as well as the past participle of the principal verb. For regular verbs, the past participle of verb is the regular past simple form (verb + “-ed”). See the lesson on the past simple for more information on forming the past tense.
To form the present perfect tense we use the auxiliary verb “to have” in the present simple tense, as well as the past participle of the principal verb. For regular verbs, the past participle of verb is the regular past simple form (verb + “-ed”). See the lesson on the past simple for more information on forming the past tense.
| Subject |
Auxiliary |
Short Form |
Past Participle |
| I, you, we, they |
have |
I’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve |
talked, learned, traveled… |
| he, she, it |
has |
he’s, she’s, it’s |
talked, learned, traveled… |
Note: Keep in mind that there are many irregular past participles in English. Below is a list of some of the most common irregular past participles.
| Verb |
Past Simple |
Past Participle |
| be |
was/were |
been |
|
do |
did |
done |
|
go |
went |
gone |
|
make |
made |
made |
|
see |
saw |
seen |
Structure
Subject + auxiliary verb (to have) + past participle…
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I have [I’ve] talked to Peter.
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She has [She’s] gone to work.
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We have [We’ve] been to London.
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They have [They’ve] learned English.
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Subject + auxiliary verb (to have) + “not” + past participle…
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I haven’t talked to Peter.
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We haven’t been to London.
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They haven’t learned English.
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3. Interrogative Sentences
Auxiliary verb (to have) + subject + past participle…?
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Have you talked to Peter?
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Have they learned English?
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Uses
The present perfect is used for actions or events that occurred at an unspecified time before the present. The specific time is not important and therefore we generally do not use specific time expressions (“this morning”, “yesterday”, “last year”…) with the present perfect. On the other hand, we can use nonspecific time expressions with the present perfect (“never”, “ever”, “many times”, “for”, “since”, “already”, “yet”…). This concept of nonspecific time is quite difficult to understand and so below you will find further explanation of the particular uses of the present perfect.
1. The present perfect is used to describe an experience. It is not used for specific actions.
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I have never flown in a plane.
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He has worked in many different museums.
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We have been to Rio de Janeiro.
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2. We use the present perfect to express change over time.
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I have become more timid in my old age.
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Their English has improved a lot this year.
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He has learned to be more patient.
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3. The present perfect is used for accomplishments.
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Our football team has won the championship three times.
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Dan has finished writing his first novel.
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Scientists have succeeded in curing many illnesses.
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4. We use the present perfect for actions or events that have not yet happened. The use of the present perfect in these cases indicates that we are still expecting the event or action to occur. Therefore, we frequently use the adverbs “yet” y “still” with the present perfect.
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The plane hasn’t arrived yet.
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Our team still hasn’t won a championship.
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You haven’t finished your homework yet?
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5. The present perfect is used to discuss actions or events that occurred at various times in the past. The use of the present perfect in these cases indicates that further actions or events are possible in the future.
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We have spoken several times, but we still can’t reach an agreement.
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Our team has played 4 games so far this year.
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I love New York! I have been there 5 times already and I can’t wait to go back.
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6. As we will see, in general we use the present perfect continuous for situations that began in the past and continue into the present. However, as we have learned, there are some verbs which we cannot use in the continuous tenses. In these cases, we use the present perfect simple.
6. As we will see, in general we use the present perfect continuous for situations that began in the past and continue into the present. However, as we have learned, there are some verbs which we cannot use in the continuous tenses. In these cases, we use the present perfect simple.
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How long has Michael been in Barcelona?
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I have loved you since the day I met you.
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El presente perfecto equivale más o menos al pretérito perfecto del español. Veremos las diferencias en la sección sobre usos. En general, es una mezcla entre el presente y el pasado. Lo usamos para acciones en el pasado que tienen importancia en el presente.
Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
Form (Forma)
Para formar el presente perfecto, se usa el verbo auxiliar “to have” en el presente y el participio pasado del verbo. Para verbos regulares, el participio pasado es la forma simple del pasado. Ver la lección sobre el pasado simple para más información sobre como formar el pasado.
Para formar el presente perfecto, se usa el verbo auxiliar “to have” en el presente y el participio pasado del verbo. Para verbos regulares, el participio pasado es la forma simple del pasado. Ver la lección sobre el pasado simple para más información sobre como formar el pasado.
| Sujeto |
Verbo auxiliar |
Forma Corta |
Participio Pasado |
| I, you, we, they |
have |
I’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve |
talked, learned, traveled… |
| he, she, it |
has |
he’s, she’s, it’s |
talked, learned, traveled… |
Nota: Ten en cuenta que hay muchos participios pasados irregulares en inglés. A continuación tienes una lista de unos de los participios pasados irregulares más comunes.
| Verbo |
Pasado Simple |
Participio pasado |
| be |
was/were |
been |
| do |
did |
done |
| go |
went |
gone |
| make |
made |
made |
| see |
saw |
seen
|
Structure (Estructura)
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to have) + participio pasado…
Ejemplos:
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I have [I’ve] talked to Peter.(He hablado con Peter.)
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She has [She’s] gone to work.(Ha ido a su trabajo.)
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We have [We’ve] been to London.(Hemos ido a Londres.)
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They have [They’ve] learned English.(Han aprendido inglés.)
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2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to have) + “not” + participio pasado…
Ejemplos:
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I haven’t talked to Peter.(No he hablado con Peter.)
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She hasn’t gone to work.(No ha ido a su trabajo.)
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We haven’t been to London.(No hemos ido a Londres.)
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They haven’t learned English.(No han aprendido inglés.)
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3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
Verbo auxiliar (to have) + sujeto + participio pasado…?
Ejemplos:
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Have you talked to Peter?(¿Has hablado con Peter?)
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Has she gone to work?(¿Ha ido a su trabajo?)
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Have you been to London?(¿Has ido a Londres?)
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Have they learned English?(¿Han aprendido inglés?)
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Uses (Usos)
Se usa el presente perfecto para acciones que ocurrieron en un tiempo no concreto antes de ahora. El tiempo específico no es importante. Por lo tanto, no solemos usar expresiones de tiempo específicas (“this morning”, “yesterday”, “last year”…) con el presente perfecto. Se puede usar el presente perfecto con expresiones de tiempo no concretas (“never”, “ever”, “many times”, “for”, “since”, “already”, “yet”…). Este concepto de tiempo no específico es bastante difícil de comprender, por este motivo, a continuación tienes los usos particulares del presente perfecto.
1. Se usa el presente perfecto para describir una experiencia. No lo usamos para acciones específicas.
Ejemplos:
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I have never flown in a plane.(Nunca he volado en un avión.)
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He has worked in many different museums.(Ha trabajado en muchos museos diferentes.)
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We have been to Río de Janeiro.(Hemos ido a Río de Janeiro.)
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2. Se utiliza el presente perfecto para un cambio en el tiempo.
Ejemplos:
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I have become more timid in my old age.(Me he vuelto más tímido en mi vejez.)
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Their English has improved a lot this year.(Su inglés ha mejorado mucho este año.)
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He has learned to be more patient.(Ha aprendido a ser más paciente.)
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3. Se usa para los éxitos o logros.
Ejemplos:
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Our football team has won the championship three times.(Nuestro equipo de fútbol ha ganado el campeonato tres veces.)
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Dan has finished writing his first novel.(Dan ha terminado de escribir su primera novela.)
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Scientists have succeeded in curing many illnesses.(Los científicos han tenido éxito en la curación de muchas enfermedades.)
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4. Usamos el presente perfecto para acciones que todavía no han sucedido. El uso del presente perfecto en estos casos indica que aún estamos esperando la acción, por eso, frecuentemente usamos los adverbios “yet” y “still”.
Ejemplos:
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The plane hasn’t arrived yet.(El avión no ha llegado todavía.)
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Our team still hasn’t won a championship.(Nuestro equipo aún no ha ganado un campeonato.)
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You haven’t finished your homework yet?(¿No has acabado todavía los deberes?)
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5. Se utiliza el presente perfecto para hablar sobre acciones en diferentes momentos en el pasado. El uso del presente perfecto en estos casos indica que son posibles más acciones en el futuro.
Ejemplos:
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We have spoken several times, but we still can’t reach an agreement.(Hemos hablado varias veces, pero todavía no podemos llegar a un acuerdo.)
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Our team has played 4 games so far this year.(Nuestro equipo ya ha jugado 4 partidos este año.)
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I love New York! I have been there 5 times already and I can’t wait to go back.(¡Me encanta Nueva York! Ya he estado allí 5 veces y no puedo esperar para regresar.)
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6. En general, usamos el presente perfecto continuo para situaciones que han empezado en el pasado pero siguen en el presente. Pero como hemos visto, hay algunos verbos que no podemos usar en los tiempos continuos. En estos casos, usamos el presente perfecto.
6. En general, usamos el presente perfecto continuo para situaciones que han empezado en el pasado pero siguen en el presente. Pero como hemos visto, hay algunos verbos que no podemos usar en los tiempos continuos. En estos casos, usamos el presente perfecto.
Ejemplos:
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How long has Michael been in Barcelona?(¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado Michael en Barcelona?)
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I have loved you since the day I met you.(Te he querido desde el día que te conocí.)
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