Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly form the present perfect tense and distinguish it from the simple past.
Lesson Explanation
The present perfect describes an action at an unspecified time in the past, or one still relevant now. It is formed with have/has + past participle:
I have visited Paris. (at some point, unspecified when) She has never eaten sushi.
Have is used with I/you/we/they; has is used with he/she/it — the same pattern as the simple present -s rule from Part 2, Lesson 1.
The genuinely important rule: if you mention a specific time (yesterday, last year, in 2020), you must switch to simple past instead: I visited Paris last year. (correct) — not I have visited Paris last year. (incorrect, mixing present perfect with a specific time).
Practice Questions
1. How is present perfect formed?
View Answer
have/has + past participle
2. Which auxiliary goes with “she”: “have” or “has”?
View Answer
has
3. Complete: “I ___ (visit) Paris.” (at some point, unspecified time)
View Answer
have visited
4. Correct or incorrect: “I have visited Paris last year.”
View Answer
Incorrect — mentioning a specific time requires simple past instead.
5. Rewrite correctly: “I have visited Paris last year.”
View Answer
I visited Paris last year.
6. Complete: “She ___ (never / eat) sushi.”
View Answer
has never eaten
7. What does present perfect describe?
View Answer
An action at an unspecified time in the past, or still relevant now.
8. Which auxiliary goes with “they”: “have” or “has”?
View Answer
have
9. Complete: “They ___ (finish) their homework.”
View Answer
have finished
10. What signals that you should use simple past instead of present perfect?
View Answer
Mentioning a specific time.
11. Complete: “He ___ (see) that movie already.”
View Answer
has seen
12. Is “I have visited Paris” specific or unspecific about when this happened?
View Answer
Unspecific.