How do you like this phrase: “No one is perfect, that’s why pencils have erasers.” - “No one is perfect, that’s why there are erasers on pencils”? However, “Perfect” still exists, and it is “Present”. What is “Present Perfect”?

To begin with, it is worth noting that there is simply no equivalent to this tense or the Present Complete in the Russian language - this is where the whole difficulty of understanding lies. But hold on! We're here to sort it all out. Let's go!

Rules for the formation of the Present Perfect

Let's look at an example:

I have seen this film before.

We have first place subject(subjects or subject), then auxiliary verb(auxiliary) - have or has + Past Participle = seen.

Using the Present Perfect

• When we talk about experience and achievements ( experience & achievements):

I have jumped with a parachute!- I jumped with a parachute!
I’ve just graduated from University and got a diploma!- I just graduated from university and received a diploma!
She has started to walk!- She started walking!

• To show some changes:

You've lost weight!- You've lost weight!

• When an action happened in the past, but we do not know when exactly, or time does not matter. The main thing is not when the action occurred, but its result in the present:

Have you read this book?- Did you read this book? (Ever?)
Nick has traveled a lot. - Nick traveled a lot.

• In sentences with Stative/State verbs when an action began in the past, continues in the present and may continue in the future. Words that can be used in these sentences are: since(since) and for(during):

I’ve known him for ten years.- I have known him for 10 years (I knew him in the past, I know him now, and maybe I will know him in the future).
I haven’t felt well since Monday.- I haven't been feeling well since Monday.

• When the time of action is determined by words just(just now), already(already), yet(more). Precise connection with the present:

I’ve just seen an interesting movie.- I just watched an interesting film.
She has already left.- She's already gone.
The show has not begun yet.- The show hasn't started yet.

• When an action took place during a period that has not yet ended. These periods include: today(Today), this morning(this morning), this week(this week), this month(this month), this year(this year), etc.:

She has called her best friend this morning.- She called her to the best friend in the morning (the morning is not over yet).
I have never been to China.— I have never been to China. (I have never been to China in my entire life.)

• Description of events of the recent past. Usually in such cases the words are used recently(recently), lately(V Lately, recently):

We have come back recently.- We just returned.
You've worked hard lately.- You've been working a lot lately.

• When the action occurs for the first (second, third, etc.) time:

It’s the first time I have done it.- I did this for the first time.
It’s the second time I have driven a car.- I drove the car for the second time.
It’s the third time she has called him this morning.“She called him this morning for the third time.”

Peculiarities of using been and gone in the Present Perfect: examples

« Been" And " gone» are past participles (the third form of the verb), gone is the past participle form of the verb go, and been is the past participle form of the verb be. Everything seems clear, but when translating into or from Russian, students have many problems. Let's look at examples:

Is Ann in the office? No, she has just been to Great Britain. And she is at home today relaxing. She'll be here tomorrow.

Is Ann in the office? No, she has just gone to China. She is spending there one month supervising the work of our subsidiary and is coming back on the 25th.

As you can see from the context in the first case, Anna was in the UK, but has already returned. Her journey has just ended.

In the second case, on the contrary, her journey has just begun, she has left and will stay in China for another month.

It follows that the Present Perfect with " been" means back and forth action, and the Present Perfect with " gone" means action only there.

Conclusion

After all of the above, the question arises: “Why then? Past Simple, if there is a Present Perfect?”

There is a huge difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect. Past simple happened in the past . We know when, and the time is over. This means that the present is not included in it. Yesterday, last year, two minutes ago. All this already finished time.

And if unfinished time? Today, this week, over these ten years (all these periods of time include the moment “now”), then we use Present Perfect. Let's compare:

I've fed a tiger today. I fed ten tigers yesterday.
She went to Europe last summer. I’ve never been to Europe in my life.
We've had many customers this week. We didn't have so many customers last week.

I lived here for ten years. I’ve lived here for ten years.

In what case am I still here? I live? Of course, I’ve lived here for ten years because it means that the action started in the past and is still ongoing. I lived here for ten years means I lived a long time ago, but have already moved. So you walk past the house in which you once lived a long time ago, and say: I lived here for ten years a long time ago.

We hope that now you have no doubts! Have a great English and evolve!

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other times in English

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

For English language learners, the difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple has been and remains one of the most common difficulties in mastering tenses. English verb. Let's discuss the difference between these two crucial times.

In Russian grammar, for example, such opposition does not exist. Using Present Perfect instead of Past Simple conversely, students make mistakes due to the fact that both tenses express a past action that ended before the present moment. In Russian, in such situations, the past tense of the perfect verb is used. For example:

Vasya was born in 1990.
Vasya was born in a local hospital.

Vasya went to school in 1996.
Vasya went to school.

Yesterday Vasya ate the whole cake.
Vasya ate the whole cake.

For our brother, all verbs are in the past tense. After all, in the Russian language the emphasis is on the fact that the action has already happened!

In English, it is very important to indicate the completion or incompleteness of an action, as well as the relation of the action to the present moment (whether the result of the action exists or not).

Let's look again at our examples from the point of view of an English-speaking interlocutor:

Vasya was born in 1990. = Completed action in the past, indicating exactly when the action took place (1990).
Vasya was born in a local hospital. = Result: maybe Vasya is only 2 days old and is being taken home today.

Vasya went to school in 1996.= A completed action in the past, indicating exactly when the action occurred (1996).
Vasya went to school.= Result: Vasya is a schoolboy.

Yesterday Vasya ate the whole cake. = Completed action in the past, where exactly when the action occurred (yesterday) is indicated.
Vasya ate the whole cake. = Result: No cake!

Or another example:

The action is cut off from the present by indicating a moment in the past: Past Simple or Past Indefinite is used.

The Present Perfect indicates an action from the past that is connected to the present through a result that exists in the present.

Past Simple expresses an action that took place in the past, and also states the fact that an event occurred in the past. Past Simple is widely used when describing events that took place in the past, or in conversations about past events.

Here is a cheat sheet and a reminder at the same time:

1) Present Perfect is never used with such designations of past moments as yesterday, last week, an hour ago, at five o'clock, etc. Past Simple is used with them.

2) If these adverbs are present, then they are used rather with the Present Perfect:

Ever (ever)
- already (already)
- before (before)
- never (never)
- yet (yet)
- not yet (not yet)
- since (since)
- for (during)
- just (just now)
- recently (recently)
- rarely (rarely)
- lately (lately)
- so far (for now)

3) If the question begins with when, use the Past Simple rather than the Present Perfect. When indicates that the question is about a past moment.

Now let's pay attention to the formation of these two times:

At the end of the story I offer you look at this text and work with English times. All times are highlighted in a different color.

By the way, here is a translation of the examples with Vasya:

Vasya was born in 1990.
Vasya has been born at a local hospital.

Vasya started school in 1996.
Vasya has started school.

Vasya at the whole cake yesterday.
Vasya has eaten the whole cake.

For English language learners, the difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple has been and remains one of the most common difficulties in mastering English verb tenses. Let's discuss the difference between these two crucial times.

In Russian grammar, for example, such opposition does not exist. Using Present Perfect instead of Past Simple conversely, students make mistakes due to the fact that both tenses express a past action that ended before the present moment. In Russian, in such situations, the past tense of the perfect verb is used. For example:

Vasya was born in 1990.
Vasya was born in a local hospital.

Vasya went to school in 1996.
Vasya went to school.

Yesterday Vasya ate the whole cake.
Vasya ate the whole cake.

For our brother, all verbs are in the past tense. After all, in the Russian language the emphasis is on the fact that the action has already happened!

In English, it is very important to indicate the completion or incompleteness of an action, as well as the relation of the action to the present moment (whether the result of the action exists or not).

Let's look again at our examples from the point of view of an English-speaking interlocutor:

Vasya was born in 1990. = Completed action in the past, indicating exactly when the action took place (1990).
Vasya was born in a local hospital. = Result: maybe Vasya is only 2 days old and is being taken home today.

Vasya went to school in 1996.= A completed action in the past, indicating exactly when the action occurred (1996).
Vasya went to school.= Result: Vasya is a schoolboy.

Yesterday Vasya ate the whole cake. = Completed action in the past, where exactly when the action occurred (yesterday) is indicated.
Vasya ate the whole cake. = Result: No cake!

Or another example:

The action is cut off from the present by indicating a moment in the past: Past Simple or Past Indefinite is used.

The Present Perfect indicates an action from the past that is connected to the present through a result that exists in the present.

Past Simple expresses an action that took place in the past, and also states the fact that an event occurred in the past. Past Simple is widely used when describing events that took place in the past, or in conversations about past events.

Here is a cheat sheet and a reminder at the same time:

1) Present Perfect is never used with such designations of past moments as yesterday, last week, an hour ago, at five o'clock, etc. Past Simple is used with them.

2) If these adverbs are present, then they are used rather with the Present Perfect:

Ever (ever)
- already (already)
- before (before)
- never (never)
- yet (yet)
- not yet (not yet)
- since (since)
- for (during)
- just (just now)
- recently (recently)
- rarely (rarely)
- lately (lately)
- so far (for now)

3) If the question begins with when, use the Past Simple rather than the Present Perfect. When indicates that the question is about a past moment.

Now let's pay attention to the formation of these two times:

At the end of the story I offer you look at this text and work with English tenses. All times are highlighted in a different color.

By the way, here is a translation of the examples with Vasya:

Vasya was born in 1990.
Vasya has been born at a local hospital.

Vasya started school in 1996.
Vasya has started school.

Vasya at the whole cake yesterday.
Vasya has eaten the whole cake.

Students often make mistakes by using the Present Perfect instead of the Past Simple and vice versa, since both tenses express a past action that ended before the present moment and correspond in Russian to the past tense of a perfective verb. However, Past Simple and Present Perfect are fundamentally different from each other. Past Simple expresses action, happened in the past period of time, states the fact of an event occurring in the past. Therefore, Past Simple is used in narration, i.e. when recounting events that took place in the past, or when talking about past events. With . Therefore, the Present Perfect is used not in narration, but in a conversation or message concerning the state of affairs at the present time.

and so on. The Past Simple is used with them.

In questions starting with when, Past Simple is always used, not the Present Perfect, because the question is about a past moment or period of time.

Source:
HER. Izrailevich, K.N. Kachalova. Practical English grammar. M.: Vneshtorgizdat, 1952.

See also Differences between Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Jun 09 2011 10:57:35

What does "elapsed period of time" mean? If the action of the Present Perfect, according to you, is finished, then doesn’t it also fall into the “elapsed period of time”?

As for “having a result in the present tense,” the result is perfectly present in the present tense in the case of the Past Simple:

His leg was amputated two years ago, and today (as a result) he has no leg.

In none of these cases will you put the Present Perfect, because the markers won’t allow it.

The Present Perfect cannot be defined as “a completed action bound by a present moment result” (if references to “authorities” are needed, look at what Randolph Quirk says about this. This is, in fact, his phrase verbatim). Present Perfect has completely different differences from Past Simple, namely:

1) the action of the Present Perfect was committed recently, in contrast to the Past Simple;
2) Present Perfect allows us to see the type of verb, unlike, again, Past Simple

Jan 26 2012 21:47:29

rinoceronte What does "elapsed period of time" mean? If the action of the Present Perfect, according to you, is finished, then doesn’t it also fall into the “elapsed period of time”?

For example:

• I have broken is broken.
• Has the secretary come? The speaker is interested in the result of the action has come, i.e. he wants to find out if the secretary is here. He could therefore express his question also with a sentence: Is the secretary here?
• I have opened the window. The speaker draws the interlocutor's attention to the result of the action have opened, i.e. that the window is open. He could also express this with the sentence: The window is open.
• I have not read the book. The speaker wants to say that he has not read the book, i.e. he does not know its contents. He could also express this with the sentence: I don't know the contents of this book.

rinoceronte His leg was amputated two years ago, and today (as a result) he has no leg.
He died last year, and today (as a result) he is dead.
I read the book as a child, and today (as a result) I know its contents.

In none of these cases will you put the Present Perfect, because the markers won’t allow it.

The Present Perfect is never used with such designations of past moments as yesterday, last week, an hour ago, at five o"clock and so on.(Your “two years ago,” “last year,” and “as a child” markers also go here.) The Past Simple is used with them.

rinoceronte 1) the action of the Present Perfect was completed recently, in contrast to the Past Simple;

I got up early today.
I met him this morning.

I don’t know about you, but for me “today” and “this morning” are not “long ago.”

Jan 28 2012 13:58:32

rinoceronte 2) Present Perfect allows us to see the type of verb, unlike, again, Past Simple

Jan 28 2012 14:04:19

Please read the original post more carefully.

Present Perfect expresses an action, although it happened in the past, but With related to the present due to the presence of its result in the present tense.

I have broken my pencil. The speaker means to report a specific result of the action have broken, namely, that the pencil is broken. He could also express this with the sentence: My pencil is broken.

By the way, you replaced the Present Perfect in the active with the passive PRESENT SIMPLE! Do you even understand this? You didn't say "My pencil has been broken". You said "is broken". That is, for you there is no difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple! Although you immediately say that the difference between them is the “result of the action.” They BOTH have the result of action, and you have now unwittingly proven it YOURSELF!

Past Simple is used in narration, i.e. when recounting events that took place in the past, or when talking about past events.

In my opinion and personally, this is a very vague and confusing explanation.

If the Past Simple expresses an action committed “a long time ago,” then the following sentences must be recognized as incorrect:

I once again STRONGLY repeat my request to publish the invitation to my non-profit blog, which you deleted. I think visitors to this sub-forum of yours now understand WHY it wouldn’t hurt for them to look there. But preventing them from looking there is precisely harming their interests. You don’t want to harm the interests of your visitors, do you?

I was constantly confused English times, and it was very difficult for me to understand in what cases to use this unfortunate Present Perfect. Today I will try to explain as clearly and simply as possible in what cases it is necessary to use the Present Perfect, and not some other English tenses.

Uncertain time in the past

We use the Present Perfect to say that an event happened at an unspecified point in the past. That is, we do not say when exactly this happened. We only say that it happened in the past. It is not necessary to name a specific time. You cannot use the Present Perfect with expressions such as yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, and so on. And with expressions that do not name a specific moment in time, the Present Perfect should be used. These are expressions ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, and so on.

Let's look at a few examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.(I've seen this movie 20 times).

I think I have met him once before.(I think I met him once).

There have been many earthquakes in California.(There have been many earthquakes in California).

People have traveled to the Moon.(People have flown to the moon).

People have not traveled to Mars.(People didn't go to Mars).

Have you read the book yet?(Haven't you read this book yet?)

Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.(No one has ever climbed that mountain.)

A: Has there ever been a war in Russia?(Has Russia ever had a war?)

B: Yes, there has been a war in Russia.(Yes, there was a war in Russia).

Note that none of the examples specified a specific point in time.

Still, such a formulation as “uncertain point in time” may not be clear to you. Let's split it then use of Present Perfect by topic.

1. Mentioning someone's experience

Can use the present perfect tense, talking about his experience. This is the same as the phrase " I have the experience of…“Accordingly, if you have not had a similar experience to this day, you can say so using the same tense. However, you cannot mention a specific event using the Present Perfect.

I have been to France.(This means that you have had experience in France. You may have been there once, or perhaps several times).
I have been to France three times.(You can put “times” at the end of the sentence as many times as you like).
I have never been to France.(This states that you have no experience of traveling to France.)
I think I have seen that movie before. I've seen this movie before (You've already had this experience).
He has never traveled by train. He has never traveled by train (no such experience)
Joan has studied two foreign languages. Joan learned two foreign languages. (She knows them now).
A: Have did you ever meet him?(Have you met him?)
B: No, I have not met him.(No, I haven’t.)

2. Changes that have occurred over a certain period of time

You have grown since the last time I saw you.(You have grown since the last time I saw you.)
The government has become more interested in arts education.(The state 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.(Japanese has become a popular language in universities since the advent of Asian studies programs.)
My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.(I have improved my English noticeably since moving to Australia.)

3. Achievements

The Present Perfect is used when we mention the achievements of a person or humanity. But we don’t name a specific moment.

Man has walked on the Moon.(Man landed on the moon.)

Our son has learned how to read.(Our son learned to read.)

Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.(Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.)

Scientists have split the atom.(Scientists split the atom.)

4. An event that we are waiting for has not yet occurred

By using the present incomplete tense we mean that we are waiting for some event to happen.

James has not finished his homework yet.(James didn't finish his homework.)

Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.(Susan has not yet become an expert in Japanese, but she can communicate.)

Bill has still not arrived. (Bill hasn't arrived yet.)

The train hasn't stopped.(The train did not stop.)

5. Multiple actions at different times

We use the Present Perfect when talking about events that happened several times in a different time in past. The use of this particular time indicates that the process has not yet ended and may happen again.

For example:

The army has attacked that city five times.(The army attacked the city several times.)

I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.(I had four quizzes and five tests this semester.)

We have had many major problems while working on this project.(We had a lot of big problems while working on the project.)

She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.(She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but no one knows what is wrong with her.)

Expressing time with the Present Perfect

Let me remind you once again that the use of the Present Perfect characterizes some time in the past. It is not so important to name any exact moment in time. Sometimes we want to limit the period of time in the past when talking about our own or other people's experiences.

For example:

Have were you to Mexico in the last year? Have you been to Mexico at least once in the past year?

I have seen that movie six times in the last year. Behind Last year I watched this movie 6 times.

They have had three tests in the last week. They had 3 tests last week.

She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far. She graduated from university less than three years ago. During this time she worked for three different companies.

My car has broken down three times this week. This week my car broke down 3 times.

IMPORTANT NOTICE. "Last year" And "in the last year" have different meanings. "Last year" means "last year", which is a specific point in time, so the Past Simple is used. “in the last year” is 365 days ago, that is, on any of these days. This does not imply a specific point in time, which is why the Present Perfect is used.

I went to Mexico last year. I went to Mexico last year (a year ago).

I have been to Mexico in the last year. I have been to Mexico on at least one of the 365 days between now and last.

Duration from past to present

Relevant for verbs that do not form an ing form (non-continuous verbs), as well as for mixed verbs. In this case, we use the Present Perfect to denote events that began in the past and are still ongoing. “For five minutes,” “for two weeks,” and “since Tuesday” are all expressions that can be used with the present perfect tense.

I have had a cold for two weeks. I've been sick with a cold for two weeks. Got sick in the past, but still continues to get sick.

She has been in England for six months. She has been in England for 6 months. She arrived last year and hasn't left yet.
Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl. Mary has loved chocolate since childhood.

Sometimes verbs that form ing forms can be used with the Present Perfect: For example, the verbs “live,” “work,” “teach,” and “study.”