Present perfect
Experience and news with have + past participle: I've been to Rome, she's just left, have you finished yet?
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The present perfect connects the past with now. We use it for things we have done in our life up to now, and for past actions with a result we can see or feel now. We don't say when the action happened.
Form: have or has + past participle
Use have with I, you, we, they and has with he, she, it. Regular past participles end in -ed, like the past simple (worked, finished). Irregular verbs have their own form, the third one in a verb list: see, saw, seen.
Subject | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
I, you, we, they | I've seen | I haven't seen |
he, she, it | she's seen | she hasn't seen |
- I've visited a lot of museums in London.
- My brother has bought a new car.
- We haven't met the new manager.
- Incorrect: She have finished the report.
- Correct: She has finished the report.
- Incorrect: I've saw that film.
- Correct: I've seen that film.After have, use the past participle (seen), not the past simple (saw).
Questions and short answers
Put have or has before the subject. Don't use do or did.
Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
Have you finished? | Yes, I have. | No, I haven't. |
Has he called? | Yes, he has. | No, he hasn't. |
- Have you spoken to Karen? Yes, I have.
- Has the post come? No, it hasn't.
- What have you done with my keys?
Experience: ever and never
Use the present perfect for experiences in your life up to now. The exact time is not important. Ever means "at any time in your life" and is used in questions. Never means "at no time". Both go before the past participle.
- Have you ever worked at night?
- I've never driven a lorry.
- Karen has worked in three different countries.
- Incorrect: I haven't never been to Scotland.
- Correct: I've never been to Scotland.Never is already negative, so the verb stays positive.
No finished time
If you say when something happened (yesterday, last year, in 2020, two days ago), use the past simple, not the present perfect.
- I've been to Rome.
(At some time in my life.)
- I went to Rome last year.
- Incorrect: Have you ever been to London last year?
- Correct: Did you go to London last year?
- Correct: Have you ever been to London?Ever asks about your whole life. Last year is a finished time. Choose one of them.
Been and gone
Go has two past participles. Been to a place means the person went there and came back. Gone to a place means the person is there now, or on the way.
- I've been to the supermarket. The fridge is full.
- Karen has gone to the supermarket. She'll be back in an hour.
- Have you ever been to Ireland?
- Incorrect: Sorry, Sam isn't in the office. He's been to lunch.
- Correct: Sorry, Sam isn't in the office. He's gone to lunch.He is still at lunch, so use gone.
A result now
Use the present perfect for a past action when the result matters now.
- I've left my phone at home.
(I haven't got it with me now.)
- The taxi has arrived.
(It is outside now.)
- Somebody has opened the window.
(It is open now.)
Just, already and yet
Just means "a very short time ago". Already means "before now", often earlier than someone expected. Both usually go between have and the past participle. Yet means "up to now". It goes at the end of negative sentences and questions.
Word | Sentence type | Example |
|---|---|---|
just | positive | I've just had lunch. |
already | positive | I've already paid. |
yet | negative and question | I haven't paid yet. Have you paid yet? |
- The train has just left.
- You don't need to call Sam. I've already told him.
- Have you booked the hotel yet? No, not yet.
- Incorrect: I've finished just my lunch.
- Correct: I've just finished my lunch.
- Incorrect: He hasn't called already.
- Correct: He hasn't called yet.In a negative sentence use yet, at the end.
American English often uses the past simple with these three words: Did you eat yet?
Practise this rule
Related rules
Where this rule sits
Syllabus topics on this page
- A2ElementaryPresent Perfect: experience
- A2ElementaryPresent Perfect: just / already / yet