When do you use present perfect

Actions repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now. They have seen that film six times It has happened several times already.

She has visited them frequently. We have eaten at that restaurant many times. I have just eaten. We have just seen her. Has he just left? When the precise time of the action is not important or not known Someone has eaten my soup! Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'? She's studied Japanese, Russian, and English. You have walked You haven't walked. Have you walked? He, she, it has walked He, she, hasn't walked Has he, she, it walked?

Joan has studied two foreign languages. A: Have you ever met him? B: No, I have not met him. Examples: You have grown since the last time I saw you. The government has become more interested in arts education.

Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established. My English has really improved since I moved to Australia. Examples: Man has walked on the Moon. Our son has learned how to read. Doctors have cured many deadly diseases. Scientists have split the atom.

Examples: James has not finished his homework yet. Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate. Bill has still not arrived.

The rain hasn't stopped. Examples: The army has attacked that city five times. I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.

We have had many major problems while working on this project. She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick. Examples: Have you been to Mexico in the last year? I have seen that movie six times in the last month. They have had three tests in the last week. She graduated from university less than three years ago.

She has worked for three different companies so far. My car has broken down three times this week. Examples: I went to Mexico last year. I went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one. I have been to Mexico in the last year.

The present perfect is a tense that links the past to the present in some way. That can mean talking about your life experience until now, or describing an action that started in the past and continues in the present, or talking about a recent event that is relevant to now. The key thing is that we never use a finished time with the present perfect unlike the simple past , such as yesterday, last week, in Instead we use an unfinished time expression, like today, this week, this year, in your life.

Compare the following:. For example,. The only small variation of this is with the third person singular that requires has instead of have.

Here is a table with a complete set of examples:. We use the present perfect to describe a recent action or ask if something has happened recently. We often use the present perfect in this case when some action or situation has an effect on the present. We also use the present perfect to talk about actions or situations that started in the past and continue in the present. When you need to choose between using the present perfect and the past simple, ask yourself these questions:.

Practice is essential of course, and above all practice through speaking. At Wall Street English you learn the different uses of the present perfect in different lessons and even at different levels, and in every case you learn to use it naturally through listening and speaking.