What is the Present Perfect Tense?
In grammar, the word 'perfect' means 'completed'.
This tense is called present perfect, because it is made of:
- the present tense of the helping verb 'have'
- the perfect (completed) form of the main verb
Note that the helping verb is in the present tense, but the main verb is in its completed form! Therefore, this tense is not a present tense.
How to form the Present Perfect
The present perfect tense = have/has + main verb (past participle). There is often an adverb between have/has and the main verb.
- see: They have seen this movie before.
- visit: He has visited China before.
- fly: Tommy has already flown on an airplane.
The verb 'be' becomes 'have/has been':
- I have been there before.
- She has been there before.
Why use the Present Perfect
In practice, the present perfect tense functions as a past tense, with the following differences:
1. Present Perfect can be used for things that we still do and situations that still exist:
- We lived in France for 10 years. (= we don't live there anymore)
- We have lived in France for 10 years. (= and we still live there)
- He competed in the Olympics three times. (= he has retired from the Olympics)
- He has competed in the Olympics three times. (= and he still competes!)
2. Present Perfect focuses more on the result than on the action/state itself:
- They lived in London before moving to Melbourne. (= focus is on the state of living in London)
- They have lived in London before, so they know it well. (= focus is on the results of living in London, i.e. their experience and knowledge of it)
Since Present Perfect can be used for things we still do and focuses on the result of those things, we don't use it for specific points in time:
- I have worked abroad before.
- I worked abroad last year. (=correct)
- I have worked abroad last year. (=incorrect)
