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Rules›Present Perfect: simple or continuous
A2

Present Perfect: simple or continuous

Present Perfect links the past to now. Use have/has + past participle for experience and for a past action with a result now, and have/has been + verb-ing when the focus is an ongoing activity and how long it has continued up to now.

  1. experience and results now, across statements, negatives and questions

    When to use it
    have/has + past participle links a past action to now: she has finished the report
    tells life experience with no exact past time: I have visited Japan
    shows a result now from a past action: he has lost his keys, so he can't get in
    negatives and questions keep have/has: hasn't called, Have you seen it?

    Build an example

    Subject
    Past participle
    Shehasfinished

    She has finished.

    He, she, it take has + past participle.

    Signal words
    everneveryetjustalreadyso farrecently
    Spelling
    regular verbs→past participle = the -ed formfinish -> finished
    irregular verb→use the special past participlego -> gone
    irregular verb→use the special past participlesee -> seen
    Common mistake
    She have finished her report.She has finished her report.
    He, she, it take has, not have.
    ✗ Present Perfect works with any past time word.
    ✓ It does not go with finished past times like yesterday, last week, or in 2019. Those times take Past Simple.