Learn Present Perfect Easily in 9 Minutes
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, the host of Lingua Marina delves into the complexities of the present perfect tense, a common stumbling block for English learners. They clarify that despite its name, the present perfect is not a past tense but a present one, focusing on past actions with present consequences. The video covers the formation of the tense using 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of a verb, with attention to spelling changes in regular verbs. It distinguishes present perfect from past simple, emphasizing the lack of concern for exact timing in present perfect. The host also advises on formal usage in academic settings, provides examples, and offers a course for further study.
Takeaways
- 😀 The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that occurred in the past but have relevance or results in the present.
- 🕒 It's crucial not to confuse present perfect with the past tense, as present perfect emphasizes the present impact of past actions.
- 🗣️ The structure of present perfect involves using 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of a verb, with attention to irregular verbs' unique forms.
- ⚠️ Spelling changes in regular verbs when forming the past participle, such as 'study' becoming 'studied', are important to note.
- 📅 Time expressions like 'ever', 'never', 'since', 'already', and 'yet' are indicative of the present perfect tense.
- 🚫 Avoid using exact time references with present perfect, as it focuses on the result, not the specific time an action occurred.
- 📝 In formal writing, especially for academic tests like TOEFL or IELTS, use the full verb form without contractions (e.g., 'I have been there' instead of 'I've been there').
- ❌ The negative form of present perfect is made by adding 'not' after 'have' or 'has' (e.g., 'I have not seen this before').
- ❓ For questions in present perfect, the structure starts with 'have' or 'has' followed by the subject and then the past participle.
- 🗣️ Proper word order is essential in English, especially when speaking to native speakers, to ensure clear communication.
Q & A
What is the main difference between the present perfect tense and the past tense?
-The main difference is that the present perfect tense emphasizes the connection between a past action and its present result or effect, while the past tense focuses on the action itself without necessarily linking it to the present.
Why is the present perfect tense considered a present tense rather than a past tense?
-The present perfect tense is considered a present tense because it links past actions to their current consequences or states, hence the name 'present perfect', which indicates that the focus is on the present impact of past events.
How is the present perfect tense formed in English?
-The present perfect tense is formed using 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of the verb. For regular verbs, the past participle is typically formed by adding 'ed' to the base form, while irregular verbs have unique past participle forms that must be memorized.
What is the significance of the words 'ever', 'never', 'since', 'already', and 'yet' in the context of the present perfect tense?
-These words are often used to indicate that an action or state has a connection to the present, which is a key feature of the present perfect tense. They help to express whether an action has occurred at an unspecified time in the past, has not occurred, or is ongoing.
Why is it important to use the correct word order when forming questions in the present perfect tense?
-Correct word order is crucial for clear communication. If the word order is incorrect, especially for non-native speakers, it may be difficult for native speakers to understand the intended meaning, as they are accustomed to the standard word order in questions.
Can you provide an example of how to use the present perfect tense to talk about life experiences?
-Yes, you can say 'I have traveled to Italy' to express that you have had the experience of traveling there at some point in the past, with the implication that this experience may have an impact on your present.
What is the difference between using 'I have worked here for five years' and 'I worked here for five years'?
-Using 'I have worked here for five years' with the present perfect tense suggests that you are still working there, while 'I worked here for five years' with the past simple tense implies that you no longer work there.
How should one avoid mixing up the present perfect tense with the past simple tense?
-To avoid confusion, focus on whether the action has a present result or relevance. If it's just a completed action with no present connection, use the past simple tense. If the action has ongoing implications, use the present perfect tense.
Why is it advised not to use contractions when writing formal essays or taking academic tests?
-Contractions are considered informal. In academic writing and testing, it's important to use formal language to maintain a professional tone and to meet the expectations of formal English.
What is the function of the present perfect tense when an unfinished time expression like 'this year' or 'today' is used?
-When using unfinished time expressions with the present perfect tense, it indicates that an action has occurred at some point within a period that is still ongoing, emphasizing the relevance of the action to the present moment.
Outlines
📚 Understanding the Present Perfect Tense
The paragraph discusses the complexities of the present perfect tense, which is often misunderstood by English learners. It clarifies that while the present perfect is used to talk about past actions, it is actually a present tense because it emphasizes the present result of past actions. The script explains that the tense is formed using 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of a verb. It differentiates between regular and irregular verbs in forming the past participle and cautions about the spelling changes in some regular verbs. The paragraph also highlights time expressions that indicate the use of present perfect, such as 'ever,' 'never,' 'since,' 'already,' and 'yet,' and advises against using exact time references like 'yesterday' or specific dates, which suggest the past simple tense. Additionally, it stresses the importance of using the full verb form in formal academic English, especially in tests and essays, and provides the structure for forming negative and interrogative sentences in the present perfect tense.
🗣️ Mastering Word Order and Usage of Present Perfect
This paragraph continues the discussion on the present perfect tense, focusing on its correct usage and word order. It emphasizes the importance of word order in forming questions and negative sentences, as incorrect order can lead to misunderstandings, especially when speaking with native speakers. The paragraph outlines scenarios where present perfect is used, such as describing life experiences and ongoing actions within a timeframe. It provides examples to illustrate the difference between present perfect and past simple, noting how the presence or absence of a time stamp can change the meaning. The script also includes an exercise to test the viewers' understanding of when to use present perfect versus past simple. Lastly, the speaker promotes a comprehensive English language tenses course, offering a discount to viewers, and encourages viewers to subscribe to the channel for more English learning content.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Present Perfect
💡Past Simple
💡Result in Present
💡Irregular Verbs
💡Regular Verbs
💡Unfinished Time Word
💡Life Experiences
💡Negative Form
💡Question Formation
💡Contracted Forms
Highlights
Present perfect is a present tense, not a past tense, because it connects past actions with present results.
The key aspect of present perfect is the focus on the result in the present, not the exact time in the past.
Forming present perfect involves using 'have' or 'has' followed by the third form of the verb.
Regular verbs in the third form are typically formed by adding 'ed', but some verbs change their spelling.
Irregular verbs have unique third forms that must be memorized, such as 'run', 'run', 'run'.
Certain words like 'ever', 'never', 'since', 'already', 'yet' often indicate the use of present perfect.
When a specific time is mentioned, past simple is used instead of present perfect.
In formal contexts like tests, avoid contracting verbs in present perfect.
The negative form of present perfect is made by adding 'not' after 'have' or 'has'.
For questions in present perfect, 'have' or 'has' is moved before the subject.
Correct word order is crucial for clear communication, especially with native speakers.
Present perfect is used for actions that started in the past and affect the present.
It is also used to talk about life experiences, such as travel or education.
Unfinished time periods like 'this year' require the use of present perfect.
The difference between present perfect and past simple can change the meaning of a sentence.
An exercise is provided to differentiate between present perfect and past simple.
The instructor offers a comprehensive course on English language tenses with exercises.
A discount code is provided for the course to viewers of the video.
The video concludes with an invitation to subscribe and engage with the channel for English learners.
Transcripts
hey guys welcome to lingua marina let's
talk about english students least
favorite tense which is present perfect
because it is so confusing i was taught
at school that present perfect is a past
tense which is not because if we look at
its name it says present perfect which
means that yes we're talking about our
actions in the past
but their result is still here with us
in the present this is why it's present
perfect it's a present tense and it's
really important not to mix it up with
the past tense it's really important to
use it in the right way so today we're
gonna talk about present perfect one of
the most important things to remember
about present perfect is that we don't
really care
when exactly something happened
for example i say i've lost my keys i
don't really care if i lost them
yesterday i don't really care if i lost
them a week ago i care about the result
i've lost my keys and i can't get into
my house this is the result and so it
doesn't matter when exactly
the action happened it matters that the
result is still here it's my present i
can't get into my house the way we form
this tense is that we use either have or
has i have you have they have we have
it she he
has after that we use our verb in the
third form and here please pay attention
we have regular verbs where the third
form is the same as second and is easily
formed by adding ed play played played
stop stop stopped
and we have irregular verbs that you
have to learn
run
run
run bring broad broad rise rose risen so
we use the third form and please
remember that some regular verbs
actually change the way they're written
so for example say sad sad we get rid of
y in the second and third form and we
add i d
study studied studied so just pay
attention to the spelling of those words
so we have has or have
we have a verb in the third form and if
it's a regular verb we add ed if it's
irregular verb we just learn the third
form and very often
we have a word
that tells us that we have to use
present perfect
ever never since already yet
remember what i told you we don't really
care
about the exact timing of an action so
whenever you have a year ago in 1990
in march
2015
that means that you would probably need
to use past simple because again in
present perfect we don't care about the
exact
point at time we don't care about the
exact day or exact year we just care
about the result so i have
never eaten pizza in my life
okay the result if i try pizza it's
gonna be something new for me i've never
eaten a taco i've been to great britain
once that means if i go now it wouldn't
be a new country for me but it doesn't
really matter whether i've been in great
britain in 2015 or 2020 in this case
would use past simple sim i've been to
italy many times also when you are
taking your toefl test when you're
taking your ielts test or whatever test
that you're taking please do not
contract your
verbs
don't say i've been there
don't write i've been there please say
and write i have been there this is
formal academic english and this is
what's required from you when you're
taking a formal test when you're writing
a formal essay of course when you're
chatting to your friends to your
classmates when you're recording a video
on youtube or watching my videos you're
free to comment below oh my god i was
scared by this slip
when you're commenting on this video you
can totally contract
uh your verbs and say i've been there
i've enjoyed this video so much i've
learned so much from this video marina
you're an amazing teacher you are being
too modest
so feel free to contact below this video
but please don't use contractions when
you are taking an academic test the
negative form in this tense is formed by
adding not i have not
done this i have not seen this before
or if you want to make it shorter you
can say i haven't done this before i
haven't seen this before when you're
forming a question in present perfect
this half goes into the beginning of the
sentence have you ever been to the
united states if you want to add wh
question
your wh word comes first who what when
whatever what have you done today this
wh comes first and then you have your
have or has and then you have your verb
or how many times have you been to the
uk again your question
comes first then you have has a have and
then you have your verb it is really
important to learn the word order
because
when you are speaking to a native
speaker and when your intonation isn't
right when your word order is not right
people might not understand you at all
because when you are talking to native
speakers they are used to talking to
other native speakers and it might be a
little hard for them to understand you
if you have an accent or if you're
mixing up word order this is why
whenever you're learning something
please make sure you're learning
everything accent word order
pronunciation that's really important in
any language okay when do we use present
perfect we use present perfect to talk
about actions that started in the past
or happened in the past and still have
effect on our present i've lost my keys
i can't enter the house they've missed
the bus that means they will be late
i've already eaten means i'm not hungry
so we don't care about when exactly the
action happened we care about the result
in present i've lost my money i've lost
my club and now i've lost my guests
we also use present perfect when we talk
about our life experiences i've been to
the uk i've studied in germany i've done
this so many times before when you talk
about your experiences about things
you've done before you use present
perfect i've never driven before
also if you have an unfinished time word
for example this year this week today
and want to talk about actions that have
happened in the period that is still
ongoing you use present perfect let me
give you a couple of examples we've
already prepared our car twice this year
oh my god and there might be another
repair coming up you've already done so
many things today
you've accomplished so much during this
day and you still have time to do
something else you've already slept for
five hours today stop sleeping come on
time to work so whenever we have this
ongoing time stamp we use present
perfect
i've already seen someone cry today also
quick difference between present perfect
and past simple if you say i worked here
for five years that means you're still
working here if you say i worked here
for five years that means you're no
longer working here you see the subtle
difference in using of tenses makes
everything completely different and
gives a completely different context to
a person you're talking to and let me
give you a quick exercise he
hungry
in 1990 which tense would you use here
another example
he
hungry
two times
so in the first example you have past
simple because it has a time stamp 1990.
he visited hungary in 1990 but in the
second sentence you don't have a
timestamp you just have a number of
times he has visited hungary so he has
visited hungary
two times guys if you like how i teach
you tenses i have a whole course on
english language tenses it's really
detailed really interactive with a lot
of exercises because once you got
information about tenses you really need
to practice them it has a lot of
additional materials for you to practice
to learn to print out and put on your
desk only for you guys because you're
watching this video and you're watching
up to the very end you're getting an
exclusive from a code to take my course
with a discount the link and the promo
code will be below thank you guys so
much for watching this video i'll see
you on my course where i will talk about
other english language tenses and
explain them in more details with a lot
of exercises so looking forward to
seeing you there please subscribe to
this channel if you're learning english
and haven't subscribed yet because this
is one of the mistakes you're making in
your english language like this video if
you enjoy this content i will see you
very soon bye
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