Present perfect simple

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What is it?

The present perfect simple is a compound tense in English, it is formed thanks to the auxiliary “have” and the past participle of the verb. It expresses an action that has a link between the past and the present, which is why it is often confused with the past simple (preterite).


Its form is similar to the past perfect compound in Spanish, but be careful: these two tenses express a different meaning, since the logic of the tenses is not the same between the two languages, and they do not always translate the same.


The construction of the simple present perfect is as follows: auxiliary have in present (have, has) + past participle.



How to form the present perfect in English?


The past participle corresponds to the verbal base + ending -ed, except irregular verbs. In speech, the auxiliary have is often contracted to 've or 's.


Examples:


TipoInglésInglés (contraído)Español
Verbo regularHe has called the hospital, the ambulance is coming.He’s called the hospital, the ambulance is coming.Acaba de llamar al hospital, viene la ambulancia.
Verbo irregularYou have run away.You’ve run away.Te has escapado.
Verbo irregularHe has thrown the ball.He’s thrown the ball.Él ha lanzado la pelota.

1. The affirmative form

To form an affirmative sentence in present perfect simple, we use the following structure: subject + have (+ adverb) + past participle + sentential complement.

2. The interrogative form

To form a question in the present perfect simple, the subject and auxiliary have must be inverted. These are the two structures that must be used:

Interrogative word + auxiliary have + (adverb +) subject + past participle + sentential complement
Auxiliary have + (adverb +) subject + past participle + sentential complement

3. The negative form

To form a negative sentence in present perfect simple, you must add the negation word not after the auxiliary have: subject + auxiliary have + not + past participle + sentential complement.

The auxiliary have can be contracted in the negative form:

have not ➝ haven’t
has not ➝ hasn't



Examples:



TipoInglésInglés (contraído)Español
Sentencia afirmativaI have just bought a new car.I’ve just bought a new car.Acabo de comprar un coche nuevo.
Sentencia afirmativaWe have changed since we left our country.We’ve changed since we left our country.Hemos cambiado desde que dejamos nuestro país.
Frase interrogativaWho has bought this car?Who’s bought this car?¿Quién ha comprado este coche?
Frase interrogativaHave you already watched this movie?–¿Has visto alguna vez esta película?
Sentencia negativaThey have not seen each other in a while.They haven’t seen each other in a while.Hace tiempo que no se les ve.
Sentencia negativaShe has not eaten meat since she read this book.She hasn’t eaten meat since she read this book.No come carne desde que leyó este libro.

When is the present perfect used?


  • For past actions that continue in the present
  • For a completed action that has consequences in the present
  • For an action in which the result is important, but the moment in which it occurs is not
  • For an action repeated over an indeterminate period of time
  • With certain adverbs: just, already, never, ever, yet, …
  • With the formulation: This is the first time…



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