Two people searching a living room with a magnifying glass, an old key, a purse and a lamp around them A2 · Elementary

Present Perfect Tense in English (A2)

The present perfect (have/has + past participle) links the past with the present, describing experiences and recent events. This lesson introduces its form and its most common uses.

Written and reviewed by Vugar Novruzov, Founder & Publisher · How we write our lessons

Looking for something else? See the Present Perfect on a timeline, with short stories.

The present perfect connects the past to the present. It describes actions that happened at an unspecified time before now, or that started in the past and continue into the present. I have visited Japan says something about your experience today; it does not say when the visit happened, and that vagueness is the whole point.

The form is have or has plus the past participle. For regular verbs the participle is the -ed form, identical to the past simple. For irregular verbs it is the third form, which often differs — see, saw, seen; go, went, gone. This is why irregular verb lists give three columns rather than two.

The rule that governs everything else is this: the present perfect cannot be used with a finished time expression. You can say I have seen that film, but not I have seen that film yesterday. The moment you specify a completed past time, English requires the past simple. Learning this single restriction prevents most present perfect errors.

Timeline: a band running from the past up to the present moment
The band starts in the past and touches NOW without a marker anywhere in between. That contact is the tense: I have lost my keys reports a past event whose result is standing in the present, which is why an exact past date cannot be attached to it.

How to form Present Perfect Tense

have or has + past participle, with have doing the auxiliary work.
FormI / you / we / theyhe / she / it
AffirmativeI have finished. / I've finished.She has finished. / She's finished.
NegativeI haven't finished.She hasn't finished.
QuestionHave you finished?Has she finished?
Short answer (yes)Yes, I have.Yes, she has.
Short answer (no)No, I haven't.No, she hasn't.
The verb be (am, is, are)am / are → have been: I have been ill. They have been busy.is → has been: She has been ill all week.
Typical time wordsever, never, just, already, yet, since, forrecently, so far, this week

Present Perfect Tense: the key rules

  1. Form: have/has + past participle, for past actions connected to now.

    I've lost my keys (— so I can't get in now).

  2. Use it for life experience without saying when.

    She has visited ten countries.

  3. Use it for news and recent events.

    The president has resigned.

  4. Learn participles with their verbs: go → gone, see → seen, do → done, be → been.

    Have you ever been to Rome?

When to use Present Perfect Tense

Present perfect vs. past simple

Both describe past actions, but only one of them can carry a finished time expression. That is the deciding test.

Present perfect — time unstated or unfinished

The when does not matter, or the period is still open. Connects to now.

I've read that book. I've seen her twice this week.

Past simple — time finished and stated

A specific, completed past moment. The connection to now is broken.

I read that book last summer. I saw her on Monday.

Present Perfect Tense in example sentences

Present Perfect Tense in a real conversation

Watch the tense switch the moment a specific past time is mentioned.

Interviewer:Have you worked in this sector before?

Candidate:Yes, I've spent four years in logistics.

Interviewer:Where did you work before that?

Candidate:I worked at a shipping company from 2016 to 2019.

Interviewer:Have you managed a team?

Candidate:I've led a team of six since January.

Common mistakes (and how to fix them)

Check yourself: 10 Present Perfect Tense questions

Answer these and see the reason for each one. They are 10 of the 60 exercises in the full Present Perfect Tense practice set.

  1. I ___ lost my wallet.

    • have
    • has
    • am
    • did
    Show answer

    have — The first person takes have plus the past participle.

  2. Which sentence is correct?

    • I have saw him yesterday.
    • I saw him yesterday.
    • I has seen him yesterday.
    • I have seen him yesterday.
    Show answer

    I saw him yesterday. — A finished time expression like yesterday requires the past simple.

  3. She hasn't ___ her homework yet.

    • doing
    • did
    • done
    • does
    Show answer

    done — The participle of do is done.

  4. They ___ just arrived at the airport.

    • did
    • has
    • is
    • have
    Show answer

    have — They takes have, and just goes after the auxiliary.

  5. Which sentence means the person is still abroad?

    • He has gone to Italy.
    • He has been to Italy.
    • He went to Italy.
    • He was in Italy.
    Show answer

    He has gone to Italy. — Gone to means the journey is not finished; been to means it is.

  6. Which time expression can NOT be used with the present perfect?

    • before
    • last week
    • ever
    • never
    Show answer

    last week — Last week is a finished period, so it requires the past simple.

  7. I ___ lost my train ticket somewhere.

    Show answer

    have — The first person takes have plus a past participle.

  8. I've ___ my phone somewhere in the flat.

    Show answer

    left — The participle of leave is left.

  9. She has ___ a new job in Antalya.

    Show answer

    found — Find, found, found — the second and third forms are identical here.

  10. She has ___ her hair very short.

    Show answer

    cut — Cut is the same in all three forms.

Practise Present Perfect Tense today

Drill the boundary with the past simple — that is where the tense is won or lost.

  1. Write six things you have done in your life, with no time expression.
  2. Rewrite three of them in the past simple, adding a specific past time.
  3. Correct these: I have seen him yesterday. — She has went home. — I am here since May.
  4. Write four sentences about this week using the present perfect.

Present Perfect Tense: frequently asked questions

Why can I not say I have seen him yesterday?

Because yesterday is a finished time, and the present perfect requires the time to be either unstated or still open. The two are in direct conflict. Say I saw him yesterday with the past simple, or I have seen him with no time expression at all. This single restriction explains the majority of present perfect errors, so it is worth treating as an absolute rule.

What is the difference between gone to and been to?

Been to means the person visited and has returned: She has been to Paris three times. Gone to means the person went and is still there: She has gone to Paris, so she is not in the office. This is one of the few places where English makes the distinction grammatically rather than by adding words, and confusing the two changes the meaning completely.

Do Americans use the present perfect differently?

Yes, somewhat. American English often uses the past simple where British English would use the present perfect, particularly with just, already and yet: Did you eat yet? is normal American, while British English prefers Have you eaten yet? Both are understood everywhere. If you are learning British English, use the present perfect in those cases.

Why is it I have lived here for six years and not I live here for six years?

Because the sentence describes a situation that started in the past and continues now, and English marks that combination with the present perfect. The present simple I live here describes only the current fact, with no duration. Many languages use a present tense here, which makes this one of the most persistent transfer errors — and one that is very noticeable to a native ear.

Keep building your A2 English