Past and Present: a Perfect combination

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Present

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Past

I have eaten fish three times this week. I love fish.

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I’m not hungry because I have just had lunch.

To start this lesson, let’s try to translate some sentences. Ready? Click on the sound icon to listen to the sentences in Portuguese and write them in English.

I have had dinner out twice this week, and it is still Thursday.

Check your answers.

Click to see the sentences.

Eu jantei fora duas vezes esta semana e ainda é quinta-feira.

Eu não estou com fome porque acabei de almoçar.

Eu comi peixe três vezes esta semana. Eu adoro peixe.

I have eaten fish three times this week. I love fish.

Eu não estou com fome porque acabei de almoçar.

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Eu jantei fora duas vezes esta semana e ainda é quinta-feira.

Did you have difficulties to translate them? Did you observe that in all situations the Present Perfect tense was used to refer to a past event?

Eu comi peixe três vezes esta semana. Eu adoro peixe.

I have had dinner out twice this week, and it is still Thursday.

I’m not hungry because I have just had lunch.

We hope the rules and exercises you’ll find here are helpful. Let’s get started?

The Present Perfect tense is considered one of the most difficult verb tenses for Brazilians. Therefore, don’t get disappointed if you don’ t fully understand it now!

Here, you will learn about the use and form of the Present Perfect tense, focusing on the contrast with the Past Simple tense.

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Yes, I have been to Germany once.

Is this your first trip to the USA?

Life experiences with indefinite past

Have you traveled to the USA before?

We use the Present Perfect tense to talk about...

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Have you ever been abroad?

No, but my sister has been there many times.

Yes. My husband and I have never visited the USA.

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My husband isn't hungry now.

I have lost my keys.

My son can't play tennis today. He has hurt his arm.

Recent events with a result in the present

He has just eaten dinner.

Can you open the door?

My bank manager calls me every week, but it's Thursday and he has not called me yet.

Past events that might happen again.

It's mid September and I have been to São Paulo for a meeting with the board of directors twice this month.

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It's two o'clock and my boss has already drunk five cups of coffee today.

So, what can we conclude about the use of the Present Perfect tense?

It’s a tense that we use to talk about past events that somehow have a connection with the present:

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Life experiences with indefinite past Recent events with a result in the present Past events that might happen again

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Now, let’s check if you understood the three uses of the Present Perfect tense, click on the corresponding use of the Present Perfect tense of the sentences.

1) The President has just resigned. (Life Experience /Recent Event /Event that might happen again ) 2) Helen has never eaten octopus. (Life Experience /Recent Event /Event that might happen again ) 3) John has been to Helen’s house three times this week. (Life Experience /Recent Event /Event that might happen again ) 4) Have you ever been to Australia? (Life Experience /Recent Event /Event that might happen again ) 5) I have cut my finger. It’s bleeding. (Life Experience /Recent Event /Event that might happen again ) 6) How many e-mails have you sent today? (Life Experience /Recent Event /Event that might happen again ) Well done! Oooops! Observe the signal expressions.

Exercise 1

HAVE/HAS 

 +  PARTICIPLE

The Present Perfect is formed by the auxiliary HAVE and the participle form of a main verb.

Now that you are familiar with the uses of the Present Perfect tense, let’s focus on its form!

Auxiliary verb

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Main verb

studied worked traveled done rained decided graduated

I You She He It We They

a lot for the English test. hard this week. to England twice. his English homework. a lot these days. to go to New York next holiday. from university. Now, they’re 

looking for a job.

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Observe the conjugation of the Present Perfect tense.

have have has has has have have

Negative

Has he<="" font=""> done his English homework?

Affirmative

You haven’t (have not) worked hard this week

Interrogative

He hasn't (has not) done his English homework.

You have worked hard this week.

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Observe the position of HAVE / HAS in the affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences.

Have you worked hard this week?

He has done his English homework.

Make positive, negative or interrogative sentences in the Present Perfect tense by clicking on the words.

A) Text: B) Text: C) Text:

Exercise 2

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D) Text: E) Text: F) Text:

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João is talking about his life experiences. Click on the adequate sentences.

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I have never traveled to the USA. Congratulations! I have never travel to the USA. I haven’t finish my undergraduate course. I haven’t finished my undergraduate course. Congratulations! I have be married twice. I have been married twice. Congratulations! I have learned two foreign languages: English and French. Congratulations! I have learning two foreign languages: English and French. I haven’t spoke to a French native speaker yet. I haven’t spoken to a French native speaker yet. Congratulations!

Exercise 3

Now, fill in the blanks with have or has. Then match the first and second columns, considering, the use of the Present Perfect to express events in João’s recent past life.

Recent event in the past Impact on the present (1) Ouch! My mother cut her finger. ( ) He is looking for a new one. (2) My neighbors just arrived at home. ( ) It doesn’t stop bleeding. She’d better go to the hospital. (3) My brother quit his job. ( ) We are full! (4) My girfriend and I had lunch. ( ) The lights are on!

Exercise 4

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João tennis three times, but he soccer only once. He English twice, but he to the library just once. João dinner out, and he TV once. He his friends at the mall. He will do it on Friday. He to the movies or to the park. He will do it on Sunday. He barbecue yet.

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Exercise 5

It’s Thursday evening and João is talking about his agenda this week. Make positive and negative sentences considering his activities and using the Present Perfect.

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I hope you’ve understood the use and form of the Present Perfect tense!

Now, it’s time to contrast the Present Perfect with the Past Simple. It might be confusing because both refer to past events.  After all, what’s the difference between them?

Go ahead to get the answer and practice more...

Exercise 6

When did he propose to her? Yesterday Last week I don’t know exactly

Answer the following questions by clicking on the adequate alternatives:

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Henry has proposed to Mary, and they are going to marry in six months.

Exercise 7

Henry proposed to Mary yesterday!

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When did he propose to her? Yesterday Last week I don’t know exactly

B) Henry proposed to Mary yesterday!

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A) Henry has proposed to Mary!

Observe the two sentences:

In sentence the speaker is using a definite time in the past. In sentence the speaker does not know when it happened. Sentence is in the Present Perfect. Sentence is in the Past Simple.

And complete the explanation, using A or B

When did you travel to Europe?

My brother has just had dinner.

I have been to Germany.

I went to Germany last year.

Past Simple

Present Perfect

Did you eat oysters when you visited New Orleans?

My husband has already drunk three cups of coffee today.

My sister lived in France in 2010.

I didn't see my parents last week.

How many times have you traveled to Europe?

My brother had dinner a few minutes ago.

I haven't seen my parents this week yet.

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My husband drank three cups of coffee this morning. (It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon)

My sister has lived in France.

Past and Present: a Perfect combination Let’s see more examples:

Have you ever eaten oysters?

Let’s practice a little more!

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We hope the difference between the Present Perfect and the Past Simple is clear to you.

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1) Claire (has just told /just told ) her parents about her plans to live in Europe for a year. They are worried. 2) Mathew (didn’t do /hasn’t done ) the proficiency test last week. He was feeling very sick. 3) My nieces like going to the beach. They (have already been /were already ) there three times this month. 4) Stella wants to see Macbeth. She (didn’t watch /hasn’t watched ) any plays or movies by Shakespeare yet. 5) (Have you seen /Did you see ) João yesterday? fim NOVO

Exercise 8

Complete the sentences by clicking on the correct verb form (Present Perfect or Past Simple) of the verbs in parenthesis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MNFbbWWRIs

For further practice on the Present Perfect Simple, watch this video clip by clicking on the link below:

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http://www.perfect-english- grammar.com/present-perfect-use.html.

If you want (or need) to do some more practice on this grammar topic, refer to

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Note that in all sentences the speaker talks about past events without mentioning when they occurred.

Note that in all sentences the speaker talks about recent past events that have an impact on the present.

Note that in all sentences the speaker talks about past events that may still happen in the present moment.

It's mid september and I have been to São Paulo for a meeting with the board of directors twice this month.

My bank manager calls me every week, but it's thursday and he has not called me yet.

We don't say when the experience happened. It’s unknown or not important. The relation between the past and the present prevails.

We say when the experience happened. It means that the event started and finished in the past. So, there’s no relation between the past and the present.

Examples:

Next page

1.1 Participle of regular verbs

- Participle of regular verbs have the same rules as the verbs in the past simple.

worked       worked traveled      traveled decided       decided

1. Past Participle

work       worked clean      cleaned cook       cooked

Previous page

- Make the past participle by adding 'ed' to regular verbs.

dance            danced memorize      memorized decide           decided

- If the verb finishes in E, just add D.

study       studied cry           cried try           tried

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- If the verb finishes in Y, preceded by a consonant, change Y into I and add ED;

play          played stay           stayed enjoy         enjoyed

- If the verb finishes in Y, preceeded by a vowel, just add ED.

commit          committed control           controlled prefer            preferred

- If the verb has one syllable and finishes in CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant), double the last consonant and add ED.

1.2- Participle of irregular verbs

see         seen meet      met drink      drunk go          gone sleep      slept

- Irregular verbs change their form