Present Perfect Tense – Definition, Structure, Rules and Examples

Introduction

The use of present perfect tense in a sentence represents the effects of actions that happened in the past on the present.

Most commonly, it signifies experiences or changes that have occurred. It acts as a bridge between past and present. 

Structure of the Present Perfect Tense

Subject + have/has + past participle + the rest of the sentence

In the table given below, the structure of the present perfect tense as per the type of sentences –

Types of sentenceRuleExamples
PositiveSubject + have/has + past participle + the rest of the sentence  1. I have walked for 20 minutes.

2. She has cooked dinner for us.

3. They have worked on a project.  
NegativeSubject + have/has + not + past participle + the rest of the sentence  1. I have not walked for 20 minutes.

2. She has not cooked dinner for us.

3. They have not worked on a project.  
InterrogativeHave/has + subject + past participle + the rest of the sentence with ?  1. Have I walked for 20 minutes?

2. Has she cooked dinner for us?

3. Have they worked on a project?  
Negative InterrogativeHave/has + subject + not + past participle + the rest of the sentence (or) Haven’t / hasn’t + subject + past participle + the rest of the sentence  1. Have I not walked for 20 minutes?

2. Has she not cooked dinner for us?

3. Have they not worked on a project?  

Application of the Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect Tense is majorly used in five scenarios. In the table below, each scenario is explained well with an example:

ScenariosExamples
Describing experience1. I have been to Spain with my family.

2. He has never boarded a flight.

3. They have read the book twice.  
Change over time1. My cooking has improved as I started to live alone.

2. We have performed better in basketball than in  cricket.

3. The principal has announced the establishment of a cultural club.   
Accomplishments1. Our daughter has scored highest in the exams.

2. They have won a trophy in the tournament.

3. Tenzing Norgay has climbed the Mount Everest.
Expected uncompleted action1. The bus has not arrived yet.  

2. They have not finished their project work.

3. She has not studied French but scored well.  
Multiple actions at different times1. He has moved to different cities in the past five years.

2. We have visited to different countries for the conferences.  

3. She has questioned many suspects during the investigation.

Difference between Simple Past Tense and Present Perfect Tense

The simple past tense focuses on completed actions that can be identified with the mention of specific time like ‘yesterday’, ‘last week’, etc.

On the other hand, in present perfect tense the action begins in past and has ongoing impact on present.

For Example:

  • I studied Physics for the test last night. (Past tense)
  • For degree, I have studied Physics for three years. (Present perfect tense)

How to avoid commonly made mistakes in Present Perfect Tense

There are most common mistakes that are often made in Present Perfect Tense . Below is the list mentioning the mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Use of incorrect Past Participle-  By using wrong verb form, you might end up making incorrect sentence.

For Example:

A. He has went home. (Incorrect)

B. He has gone to his home. (Correct)

2. Errors made in subject-verb agreement – Confusion between use of “has” and “have” leads to error in the sentences. Always be sure about the pronoun and noun to associate with has or have.

For Example:

We has worked last night, so we are resting now. (Incorrect)

Ram has worked last night, so he is resting now. (Correct)

3. Confusion between different forms of tenses is a very common mistake made in the sentence formation.

For Example:

I have read this book last week. (Incorrect)

I have just read this book. (Correct)

In the first sentence, the action occurred recently whereas in the second sentence, the incident happened last week.

According to the rules, we can’t use present perfect with “yesterday”, “last week” or the previous year.

Examples of Present Perfect Tense 

  • I have worked on the project.
  • She has visited Goa twice this year.
  • They have just boarded the train.
  • We have lived in Delhi for five years.
  • He has met with an accident.
  • Navin has met the sales targets for the quarter.
  • I have never seen this waterfall before.
  • Nobody has ever stepped on Mars.
  • They have worked in a group on several projects.
  • We have not decided on the wedding date yet.