• The present perfect tense

• The present perfect continuous tense

• Present perfect simple vs. Present perfect continuous tense

• Practice exercises.

Present perfect tense

Usage: The present perfect tense• puts emphasis on the result

Ex: She has written five letters.• expresses an action that is still going on.

Ex: School has not started yet.• expresses an action that stopped recently

Ex: She has cooked dinner.• expresses a finished action that has an influence on the present

Ex: I have lost my key.• expresses an action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking

Ex: I have never been to Australia.

Form of present perfect:

Positive Negative Question

I/you/we/they I have spoken.

I have not spoken.

Have I spoken?

He/she/it He has not spoken.

He has not spoken.

Has he spoken?

For irregular verbs, use the participle form (see list of irregular verbs, 3rd column). For regular verbs, just add “ed”.

The adverbs are frequently used in the present perfect:

• For: When talking about the length of time (duration), we use the present perfect with for + a period of time.

Ex: I have worked here for five years. She has lived here for twenty years. They have been married for six months.

• Since: When talking about a starting point, we use the present perfect with since + a point in time.

Ex: I have lived here since 1998. They have been married since June. We have been at this school since last year.

• adverbs (ever, never, already, yet, still) 'Ever' and 'never' are always placed before the past participle.

Ex: Has she ever met someone famous? I have never visited London. I’ve never been so sick.

Already, yet and still: It can be placed before the main verb (past participle) or at the end of the sentence.

Present perfect continuous

USAGE: The present perfect continuous tense

• puts emphasis on the duration or course of an action (not the result)

Example: She has been writing for two hours.• action that recently stopped or is still going on

Example: I have been living here since 2001.• finished action that influenced the present

Example: I have been working all afternoon.

Form of present perfect continuous:Positive Negative Question

I/we/you/they I have been speaking.

I have not been speaking.

Have I been speaking?

He/she/it He has been speaking.

He has not been speaking.

Has he been speaking?

Signal Words of Present Perfect Progressive: all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week

Reminder:

Verbs with stative meanings are not used in the progressive. The present perfect, NOT the present perfect continuous, is used with stative verbs to describe the duration of a state that began in the past and continue to the present.

Ex: I have known Alice since he was a child.

Incorrect: I have been knowing Alice since he was a child.

Present perfect simple vs. Present perfect continuous

Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous

Form Have/has + V-ed/ V3 Have/has + been + V-ed/V3

Usage The present perfect simple expresses an action that is still going on or that stopped recently, but has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.

The present perfect progressive expresses an action that recently stopped or is still going on. It puts emphasis on the duration or course of the action.

Adverbs frequently used

For, since, already, ever, never, yet, still, etc.

all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week, etc.

Example I have written five letters. I have been playing football since 3 o’clock.

• We can use both the present perfect simple and the present perfect

continuous to describe an activity that started in the past and

continues up to the present and possibly into the future.

Ex: They have been studying English for three years.

They’ve studied English for three years.

• We can use the present perfect simple and the present perfect

continuous with lately and recently.

Ex: I’ve been working hard lately.

I’ve done a lot of work lately.

• Present perfect simple.

• Present perfect continuous.

• Present perfect simple and present perfect continuous.

EXERCISES

Put the verbs into the correct form (present perfect simple).

1. Since classes began, I (have, not)_____ much free time. I (have)____ several big tests to study for.

2. The science of medicine (advance)______ a great deal in the 19th century.

3. We (have)_____ three major snowstorms so far this winter. I wonder how many more we will have.

4. I (write)______ them three times, but I haven’t received a reply.

5. The telephone (ring)_________ four times in the last hours, and each time it has been for my office mate.

6. A: What are you going to order for dinner?

B: Well, I (have, never)________ vegeterian pizza, so I think I’ll order that.

7. Bill (be)_________ here since 22nd.

8. So far this week, I (have)_________ two tests and a quiz.

9. Alex is an artist. He (draw)______ many beautiful pictures in his lifetime.

10. Fatima (see, never)_________ snow in her entire lifetime.

Put the verbs into the correct form (present perfect progressive).

1. He (work)___________ in this company since 1985.

2. I (wait)_____ for you since two o'clock.

3. Mary (live)_________ in Germany since 1992.

4. Why is he so tired? He (play)_____ tennis for five hours.

5. How long (learn / you)______ English?

6. We (look for)_______ the motorway for more than an hour.

7. I (live)____________ without electricity for two weeks.

8. The film (run / not)_________ for ten minutes yet, but there's a commercial break already.

9. How long (work / she)_________ in the garden?

10. She (not / be)_________ in the garden for more than an hour.

Put the verbs into the correct tense. (present perfect simple or present perfect

progressive)

1. I (play)_________ football for five years.

2. My team (win / only)_________ two matches so far.

3. The others (be / always)________ better.

4. Are we not there yet? We (walk)________ for hours.

5. But we (cover / only)__________ an area of five miles so far.

6. I (finish/just)_______ my homework.

7. I (work)________ on this essay since two o'clock.

8. Jane (go out)______ with Bob for seven years.

9. Martin (date)________ three girls this week.

10. How long (wait / you)_________ for us?

Listen to the conversation between an interview and Lennart Dahlgren, and

complete extracts 1-41. Mr. Dahlgren, IKEA__________ in Russia for several years, and

you arrived at the start. How long_____ in Russia?

I______ since 1998. That’s when IKEA_________ operations in Russia.

2. How many stores_______ ?

We______ five stores so far, and we_______ several large shopping malls in the last few years.

3. Consumer demand________ steadily since we_____ the first store.

4. We________ the percentage of our global supply that comes from Russia for a number of years. We_____ several factories throughout Russia – near St Petersburg, Moscow, and Karelia.

Listen to the second part of the interview and complete extracts 1 and 2.

1. But bureaucratic problems________ fewer recently.

For example, the Government _____ the number of

licences that are needed for a company to set up.

2. However, we_____ a number of things in the time

we______ here. We___ management training

programmes to help new Russian entrepreneurs.

We_____ to show how a modern company has to work

to survive in the international market.