Present Perfect Tense — English — 3rd Year Secondary (Literary Stream) — Baccalaureate — Algerian Curriculum

Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect tense connects the past to the present. It is used to describe past actions that have a result in the present, experiences in life, actions that started in the past and continue to the present, and news or recent events. It is formed with “have/has” + past participle.

Formation

Affirmative: Subject + have/has + past participle.
Negative: Subject + have/has + not + past participle.
Question: Have/Has + subject + past participle?

• I have visited Paris. / She has finished her work.
• They have not arrived yet. / He hasn’t called.
• Have you ever been to London? / Has she seen the movie?

Uses of Present Perfect

• Life experiences (ever/never): “I have never eaten sushi.” “Have you ever traveled abroad?”
• Past actions with present result: “I have lost my keys.” (I can’t find them now).
• Actions continuing to present (since/for): “She has lived here for 10 years.” “He has worked here since 2015.”
• Recent news (just/yet/already): “The train has just arrived.” “I have already finished.” “Have you done it yet?”

Signal Words

• ever, never, just, already, yet, since, for, recently, lately, so far, up to now, today, this week/month/year.

Present Perfect vs Past Simple

Use Past Simple for completed actions at a specific time in the past: “I visited Paris in 2022.”
Use Present Perfect for experiences without a specific time: “I have visited Paris.” (at some point in my life).

For more English grammar, see Conditionals and Passive Voice and Relative Clauses.

Exercises

1. Complete with Present Perfect: “I (never/be) to China.” “She (just/finish) her homework.”
2. Choose between Present Perfect and Past Simple: “I (saw/have seen) that movie last week.” “She (lived/has lived) in London since 2020.”
3. Write 3 sentences about things you have done today using Present Perfect.

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