Practice
English practice: present perfect basics
Sign in to saveYou can say I have finished the report when the result matters now. If you add a finished time such as yesterday, use the past simple instead: I finished the report yesterday.
Use the present perfect to connect a past action or state with the present, and choose the past simple for a finished past time.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I've finished the report; she's already sent the invoice. /aɪv ˈfɪnɪʃt ðə rɪˈpɔːt; ʃiːz ɔːlˈredi sent ði ˈɪnvɔɪs/
The short answer
Use have or has plus a past participle when a past action has a connection with the present. Use the past simple when you say when a finished action happened.
I have misplaced my keys, so I cannot open the garage.
Why it works: The keys were misplaced earlier, but the missing keys are a problem now.
6 more examples
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Maya has visited Japan twice.
The sentence reports Maya's experience without saying the dates of her visits.
Not this:Maya
visitedJapan in 2023. What changes: In 2023 is a finished time, so the past simple is the natural choice. -
I have lost my bus pass.
The loss happened earlier, but the missing pass affects the speaker now.
Not this:I
lostmy bus pass on Monday. What changes: On Monday gives a finished past time, so use the past simple. -
We have lived in this neighborhood for six years.
The speakers moved there in the past and still live there now.
Not this:We
livedin that neighborhood for six years before we moved. What changes: Before we moved shows that the earlier period is finished, so the past simple fits. -
Priya has already sent the invoice.
Already shows that the action is complete by now, perhaps earlier than expected.
Not this:Priya
sentthe invoice yesterday morning. What changes: Yesterday morning is a completed time, so use the past simple. -
Have you finished the online form yet?
Yet asks whether the result is complete by the present time.
Not this:
Did you finishthe online form before lunch? What changes: Before lunch sets a finished time, so use the past simple question. -
This is the best film I have seen this year.
This year is still continuing, and the sentence compares experiences up to now.
Not this:That was the best film I
sawlast year. What changes: Last year is finished, so the past simple is used.
Read the full guide
First, ask whether the sentence names a finished past time. Words such as yesterday, last week, and in 2024 usually need the past simple. Without a finished time, decide whether the sentence is about life experience, a present result, or something that continues until now. Those meanings often use the present perfect.
Build the form with have or has
The present perfect has two parts. Choose have or has, then add the past participle. Say I have checked, they have checked, and she has checked. The participle may be regular, such as checked, or irregular, such as seen or written.
Our teacher has written the feedback.
Has agrees with the singular subject our teacher, and written is the past participle of write.
Choose the form: My friends ___ arrived.
Use have: My friends have arrived. Friends is plural.
Use it for experience without a finished date
Use the present perfect to talk about something that happened during a person's life when the exact date is not the point. Ever and never often appear with this use. The question asks about experience up to now, not about one completed day.
I have never tried skiing.
Never describes the speaker's experience up to the present.
Which form asks about life experience: Have you seen this play or Did you see this play in May?
Have you seen this play asks about experience without a finished date.
Show a result that matters now
Use the present perfect when an earlier action creates a result that is important now. The speaker may not say when the action happened because the current result is the useful information.
The printer has stopped, so we cannot print the tickets.
The stopped printer is a present problem, so has stopped connects the earlier change with now.
Choose the form for a current result: I have broken my glasses or I broke my glasses last Friday?
I have broken my glasses focuses on the present problem. The second sentence gives a finished date.
Use since and for with a continuing situation
Use the present perfect for a situation that began in the past and still continues. Since gives the starting point. For gives the length of time. The period reaches the present.
Nora has worked at the library since 2020.
Since 2020 names the start of a job that continues now.
Which word gives a length of time: since or for?
Use for for a length of time, as in for three months. Use since for a starting point.
Use already and yet for a result by now
Already often says that something is complete by now, sometimes sooner than expected. Yet is common in questions and negative sentences when you ask whether an expected action is complete by now.
The team has already chosen a meeting room.
Already points to a completed choice before the present moment.
Complete the question: Have you paid the bill ___?
Use yet: Have you paid the bill yet? The question asks whether payment is complete by now.
Choose the past simple for a finished time
Use the past simple when the sentence says when a past action happened in a completed period. Yesterday, last weekend, in 2022, and two hours ago give finished time. Do not combine these expressions with a present perfect form.
Leo bought a new laptop last weekend.
Last weekend is over, so bought is past simple.
Which sentence fits a finished time: I have met her yesterday or I met her yesterday?
I met her yesterday is correct because yesterday is a finished past time.
Before you go
Remember this
Use have or has plus a past participle when a past action connects to now. Use it for experiences without a finished date, results that matter now, and situations continuing from the past. Use the past simple with a completed past time such as yesterday, last year, or in 2023.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: present perfect basics"
When do I use the present perfect?
Use the present perfect when a past action or state connects with the present. Maya has visited Japan twice reports experience without dates, and I have lost my bus pass explains a present problem caused by an earlier action.
Maya has visited Japan twice.
How do I form the present perfect?
Use have or has plus a past participle. Say I have checked, they have checked, and she has checked. For irregular verbs, use the participle form, such as seen, written, or gone.
Maya visited Japan in 2023.
What is the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?
The present perfect connects a past event with now and does not use a finished past date. The past simple names a completed time. Compare Maya has visited Japan twice with Maya visited Japan in 2023.
I have lost my bus pass.
Can I use the present perfect with since and for?
Yes. Use since for a starting point and for for a length of time when the situation continues now. We have lived in this neighborhood for six years describes a period that began earlier and still reaches the present.
I lost my bus pass on Monday.
How do already and yet work with the present perfect?
Already often shows that an action is complete by now, as in Priya has already sent the invoice. Yet is common in questions and negative sentences about an expected result by now.
We have lived in this neighborhood for six years.