Learn Present Perfect Easily in 9 Minutes

Summary

In 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

00:00

📚 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.

05:01

🗣️ 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.

Keywords

💡Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that occurred in the past but have relevance or effects in the present. It's formed with 'have' or 'has' followed by the past participle of the verb. For example, 'I've lost my keys' emphasizes that the result of losing the keys (not being able to get into the house) is still affecting the present.

💡Past Simple

Past simple is used for actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. In contrast to the present perfect, it focuses on when the action happened. For example, 'He visited Hungary in 1990' uses past simple because it specifies the time the action occurred.

💡Result in Present

In the context of present perfect tense, the 'result in present' refers to the ongoing relevance or impact of a past action. For example, 'I've lost my keys' indicates that the present situation (being locked out) is a direct result of the past action (losing the keys).

💡Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard rules for forming past tenses. In the present perfect tense, they require memorization of their third form. For example, 'run' changes to 'run, ran, run,' and 'bring' changes to 'bring, brought, brought.' These forms need to be learned as they do not follow the regular pattern of simply adding 'ed.'

💡Regular Verbs

Regular verbs follow a standard pattern in forming past tenses, typically by adding 'ed' to the base form. In present perfect, these verbs' third form is the same as their past simple form. For example, 'play' becomes 'played, played,' and 'stop' becomes 'stopped, stopped.'

💡Unfinished Time Word

Unfinished time words like 'this year,' 'this week,' and 'today' refer to periods of time that are still ongoing. In present perfect tense, these words indicate that the action has occurred at some point during the ongoing period. For example, 'You've accomplished so much today' uses present perfect to highlight actions completed within the current day.

💡Life Experiences

The present perfect tense is often used to discuss life experiences, highlighting actions or events that have happened at some indefinite point in the past. For instance, 'I've been to Great Britain once' implies an experience that affects the present understanding of the speaker, regardless of when it specifically occurred.

💡Negative Form

The negative form of the present perfect tense is made by adding 'not' after 'have' or 'has.' It indicates actions that have not occurred. For example, 'I haven't seen this before' uses the negative form to express that the speaker has not experienced or observed something up to the present moment.

💡Question Formation

In present perfect, questions are formed by placing 'have' or 'has' before the subject, followed by the past participle of the verb. When adding a question word (who, what, when), it precedes 'have' or 'has.' For example, 'Have you ever been to the United States?' and 'What have you done today?' demonstrate this structure.

💡Contracted Forms

Contracted forms in English involve shortening phrases, commonly seen with 'I have' becoming 'I've.' In informal contexts, contractions are widely accepted, such as in conversations or casual writing. However, in formal academic contexts, full forms like 'I have' are preferred. For example, in formal writing or tests, one should say 'I have been there' instead of 'I've been there.'

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

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detailed really interactive with a lot

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information about tenses you really need

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desk only for you guys because you're

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much for watching this video i'll see

you on my course where i will talk about

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seeing you there please subscribe to

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