Lesson 1.

1
Present Perfect
El presente perfecto
El presente perfecto equivale ms o menos al pretrito perfecto del espaol. Veremos las
diferencias en la seccin 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 leccin sobre el pasado simple para ms informacin sobre como
formar el pasado.

Sujeto Verbo auxiliar

Forma Corta Participio Pasado

I, you, we, they

have

Ive, youve, weve, theyve

he, she, it

hes, shes, its

has

talked, learned, traveled

talked, learned, traveled

Nota: Ten en cuenta que hay muchos participios pasados irregulares en ingls. A
continuacin tienes una lista de unos de los participios pasados irregulares ms comunes.

Verbo Pasado Simple

be

was/were

do

did

done

go

went

gone

Participio pasado

been

make made made

see

saw

seen

Structure (Estructura)

1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases affirmativas)

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to have) + participio pasado

Ejemplos:

I have [Ive] talked to Peter. (He hablado con Peter.)

She has [Shes] gone to work. (Ha ido a su trabajo.)
We have [Weve] been to London. (Hemos ido a Londres.)
They have [Theyve] learned English. (Han aprendido ingls.)

2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to have) + not + participio pasado

Ejemplos:

I havent talked to Peter. (No he hablado con Peter.)

She hasnt gone to work. (No ha ido a su trabajo.)
We havent been to London. (No hemos ido a Londres.)
They havent learned English. (No han aprendido ingls.)

3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)

Verbo auxiliar (to have) + sujeto + participio pasado?

Ejemplos:

Have you talked to Peter? (Has hablado con Peter?)

Has she gone to work? (Ha ido a su trabajo?)
Have you been to London? (Has ido a Londres?)
Have they learned English? (Han aprendido ingls?)

Uses (Usos)
Se usa el presente perfecto para acciones que ocurrieron en un tiempo no concreto antes
de ahora. El tiempo especfico no es importante. Por lo tanto, no solemos usar
expresiones de tiempo especficas (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 especfico es bastante difcil de comprender, por este motivo, a continuacin

tienes los usos particulares del presente perfecto.

1. Se usa el presente perfecto para describir una experiencia. No lo usamos para

acciones especficas.

Ejemplos:

I have never flown in a plane. (Nunca he volado en un avin.)

He has worked in many different museums. (Ha trabajado en muchos museos
diferentes.)
We have been to Ro de Janeiro. (Hemos ido a Ro de Janeiro.)
2. Se utiliza el presente perfecto para un cambio en el tiempo.
Ejemplos:
I have become more timid in my old age. (Me he vuelto ms tmido en mi vejez.)
Their English has improved a lot this year. (Su ingls ha mejorado mucho este
ao.)
He has learned to be more patient. (Ha aprendido a ser ms paciente.)
3. Se usa para los exitosos.

Ejemplos:

Our football team has won the championship three times. (Nuestro equipo de ftbol
ha ganado el campeonato tres veces.)
Dan has finished writing his first novel. (Dan ha terminado de escribir su primera
novela.)
Scientists have succeeded in curing many illnesses. (Los cientficos han tenido
xito en la curacin de muchas enfermedades.)
4. Usamos el presente perfecto para acciones que todava no han sucedido. El uso
del presente perfecto en estos casos indica que an estamos esperando la accin,
por eso, frecuentemente usamos los adverbios yet y still.

Ejemplos:

The plane hasnt arrived yet. (El avin no ha llegado todava.)

Our team still hasnt won a championship. (Nuestro equipo an no ha ganado un
campeonato.)
You havent finished your homework yet? (No has acabado todava los deberes?)

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 ms acciones en el futuro.

Ejemplos:

We have spoken several times, but we still cant reach an agreement. (Hemos
hablado varias veces, pero todava no podemos llegar a un acuerdo.)
Our team has played 4 games so far this year. (Nuestro equipo ya ha jugado 4
partidos este ao.)
I love New York! I have been there 5 times already and I cant wait to go back. (Me
encanta Nueva York! Ya he estado all 5 veces y no puedo esperar para regresar.)
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
unos verbos que no podemos usar en los tiempos continuos. En estos casos,
usamos el presente perfecto.

Ejemplos:

How long has Michael been in Barcelona? (Cunto tiempo ha estado Michael en
Barcelona?)
I have loved you since the day I met you. (Te he querido desde el da que te
conoc.)

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The Present Perfect Simple Tense

The Perfect Tenses
The opinion of many native and non-native English speakers is that the perfect
tenses are far from being perfect. They cause headaches for most people. On
these pages, we will break the perfect tenses down into short sections that will
make them easier to understand.
Useful Tip
Time Expressions in the Present Perfect.
Use since with a specific year or a period in the past > since
2002 / since I was a child
Use for with a number of years > for twenty years
Use ever and yet in questions and negatives
> Have you ever / hasnt been yet
Use already and never, just between have/has and the verb > has already
finished / have just been
Use before, since, for, already, many times, so far, yet at the end of a sentence
or questions > Have you been there before?
The present perfect simple tense is used to
Describe actions that occurred in the past but are still relevant to the present.
Rani has broken her arm. (She broke it in the past and cant use her arm now.)
Describe an action that started in the past but is still happening on a regular or
habitual basis (like the present simple).
The girls have played tennis at the club since 2005. (They started to play
tennis there in 2005 and still play there today. This does not mean they are
playing tennis at the moment.)
Describe actions that were repeated several times in the past.
Ive already made several calls. (Up until now)
The specific time in the past is unimportant, just the fact that it happened.
Note: Time Expressions Present Perfect
NEVER use the same time expressions that you use in the past simple tense,
such as: yesterday, a week ago, last night. You MAY use unspecific time
expressions such as: ever, never, since, for, already, many times, before, so
far, yet.
The Typical Present Perfect Sentence

In order to form a typical sentence in the present perfect simple, choose a

subject ((the person or thing that has done the action), add an auxiliary (or
helping) verb: has or have + the V3 (past participle) form of the verb and then
add the rest of the sentence.
SUBJECT

HAVE/HAS +VERB(V3)
(PAST PARTICIPLE)

REST OF SENTENCE

I / YOU / WE / THEY

have met

him before

HE / SHE / IT

has lived

here for three years

The V3 (past participle) form of a regular verb looks just like a regular verb in
the past simple:
walk > walked / study > studied / stop > stopped / create > created
There are quite a few irregular verbs in English. It pays to memorize them.
Note: Has Had A verb combination that often causes confusion in the present
perfect simple is has had or have had. Ex. I have had enough of your
complaining! Have is the auxiliary (or helping) verb and had is the V3 (or past
participle) of the main verb to have. It may look strange, but it is correct.
Contractions in the Present Perfect Simple
In general, we contract the subject (the person or thing that has done the
action) and form of have:
I have > Ive Ive used those images before.
He has > Hes / She has > Shes / It has > Its Hes already had the surgery.
We have > Weve / You have > Youve / They are > Theyve Weve just
gotten home.
You may have noticed that the 3rd person singular (he, she, it) contractions
look like those in the present progressive. You can tell them apart by the use of
the V3 and from the context of the sentence: he is > Hes eating now. / he has
> Hes eaten dinner already
Save the long forms for when you want to create emphasis. When speaking,
you should stress the have/has.
He has sung that song. I know he has.
Negative Sentences in the Present Perfect Simple Tense
Spelling Tip
When shortening the auxiliary verb have/has and the negative, just remove the
o in not and add an apostrophe ()

has not > hasnt

have not > havent
When creating negative sentences, we usually use hasnt or havent together +
the V3 (past participle) form of the verb. Save the long forms (has not, and
have not) for when you want to create emphasis. When speaking, put the
stress on not.
Subject

Auxillery Verb

I / You / We /
They
He / She / It

havent (have
not)
hasnt (has not)

Verb in V3
(Past
Participle)
ridden
lost

Rest of Sentence

a bike in many
years
enough weight yet

I havent eaten at that restaurant in a long time.

Jim hasnt worked on Fridays since he joined the company.
My friends havent ever gone to France.
I have not forgiven you!
Yes/No Questions in the Present Perfect Simple
To create a question that will be answered with a yes or no, start the question
with Have or Has, (Havent or Hasnt for a negative question) then add a
subject (the person or thing that has done the action) followed by the V3 (Past
Participle) form of the verb and only then add the rest of the sentence.
AUXILIARY
VERB

SUBJECT

HAVE
HAS
HASNT

I / you / we / they
he / she / it
he / she / it

VERB IN V3
(PAST
PARTICIPLE)
begun
answered
eaten

REST OF
SENTENCE
the meeting yet
your letter
dinner yet

Have you ever gone ice skating?

Has Jerry presented his ideas to the CEO yet?
Wh-Questions in the Present Perfect Simple
Wh- questions are questions that require more information in their answers.
Typical wh- words are what, where, when, why, who, how, how many, how
much.
To create a wh-question, start with the wh-word, then add have or has, then the
subject (a person or thing that has done the action), followed by the V3 (Past
Participle) form of the verb and only then add the rest of the sentence.
WH-

AUXILIARY

SUBJECT

VERB IN V3

REST OF

WORD

VERB

WHAT

have

WHY

has

I / you / we /
they
he / she / it

(PAST
PARTICIPLE)
read

SENTENCE

changed

color

lately

When have I ever lied to you?

Why has Tanya left the country?
How much money have you spent so far?
Tag Questions in the Present Perfect Simple
Tag questions are those short questions that are tagged onto the end of a
sentence. They are used just to make sure that the person youre talking to
understood what you meant or to emphasize what you said.
Theyre formed by using a regular sentence in the present perfect simple, then
adding havent or hasnt and a pronoun (I, you, we, they, he, she, it) and a
question mark.

Examples of the Present Perfect Simple Tag Questions:

John has known her for a couple of years, hasnt he?
They have been in business since 1980, havent they?
You may also add a positive tag when youre using a negative sentence.
Keisha hasnt spoken to you yet, has she?
Those kids have never played rugby, have they?
As a rule: When the sentence is positive, the tag is negative.
When the sentence is negative, the tag is positive.

Exercises Present Perfect Simple

Fill in the correct form of the present perfect simple as in the examples.
1.

Dan has worked in that company for 12 years. (work)

2.

Have you heard the news? (hear)

3.

The boys have never eaten sushi. (eat)

1.

Daniel ____ that video clip at least twenty times. (see)

2.

The workers _______ a break in 4 hours. (not have)

3.

We ___________ them regularly over the last few years. (visit)

4.

_______ Ella _______ her driving test yet? (pass)

5.

Roger _______ to Mexico several times since 2002.(be)

6.

They______ to each other in ages, _______ they? (not speak)

7.

Why _______ Mathew _______his job? (quit)

8.

______the nurses ______ on strike again? (go)

9.

________ they ______ the post yet? (not deliver)

10.

I _____ already_______ you the answer. (tell)

Answers:

1.

has seen

2.

havent had

3.

have visited

4.

Has/passed

5.

has been

6.

havent spoken/have

7.

has/quit

8.

Have/gone

9.

Havent/delivered

10.

have/ told

Examples Present Perfect Simple

Positive
1.

Rani has broken her arm.

2.

The girls have played tennis at the club since 2005.

3.

Ive already made several calls.

Contractions
1.

I have > Ive Ive used those images before.

2.

He has > Hes / She has > Shes / It has > Its Hes already had the surgery.

3.

We have > Weve / You have > Youve /They have > Theyve Weve just gotten
home.

Negative
1.

I havent eaten at that restaurant yet.

2.

Jim hasnt worked on Fridays since he joined the company.

3.

My friends havent ever gone to France.

4.

I have not forgiven you!

Yes/No Questions
1.

Have you ever gone ice skating?

2.

Has Jerry presented his ideas to the CEO yet?

Wh-Questions
1.

When have I ever lied to you?

2.

Why has Tanya left the country?

3.

How much money have you spent so far?

Tag Questions
1.

John has known her for a couple of years, hasnt he?

2.

They have been in business since 1980, havent they?

3.

Keisha hasnt spoken to you yet, has she?

4.

Those kids have never played rugby, have they?