We use different tenses to indicate the time period of action. Let us learn about the present perfect simple tense through this article.
Here we will go through relevant examples of the present perfect simple tense:
Examples | Explanations. |
1. Raju has broken his leg. | The leg is not cured. It is still injured. |
2. They have gone to Mumbai. | They went to Mumbai and they are still in Mumbai. |
3. I have been to Spain. | Here the past action of visiting Spain is still true. |
4. Ravi has not talked to his parents. | The action of not talking to his parents is still true |
5. I have informed him about the meeting. | The action of informing about the meeting has relevance even now. It is not a past action. |
6. I have met him before | I have met him. It is still a fact and continues to be the same in the present. |
7. Ann has not eaten home-cooked food since she moved to the city. | To date, after moving to the city, Ann could not eat any home-cooked food. So to show the relevance, we used simple present perfect tense. |
When to use the present perfect simple tense?
There are some situations when we can use the present perfect simple tense. Let us see them.
We can use the present perfect simple tense when we want to show that a past action has an effect on the present. Thus, the connection of that past action with the present is established.
Here is the list of situations and examples describing when can we use the present perfect simple tense.
Examples | When we can use the present perfect simple tense. | Explanations |
8. The price has increased | To express a change over a period of time. | The increase in price happened over time. |
9. I have been to Madrid | Expressing an experience. | The experience of visiting Madrid is explained. |
10. Researchers have discovered a vaccine for the epidemic. | To talk about an accomplishment | The accomplishment here is the discovery of the vaccine. |
11. Radha has worked for the company for 6 years. | To show a continuing action that has started in the past. | Radha still works for the company. He started working 6 years back. |
12. I have not seen her today | When the time period of action is not completed | The conversation is happening today. The day is not over. Therefore present perfect simple tense is used. |
Why use the present perfect simple tense?
We have discussed when to use the present perfect simple tense in our conversation. Now let us find out why we use it.
We use present perfect simple tense because it can indicate an action, that happened in the past, and has relevance in the present and future.
Below are two examples that can tell us why to use the present perfect simple tense.
Examples | Explanation |
13. Anna has lost her gold chain. | The gold chain is lost in the past and it is not found yet. So we use the present perfect simple tense here. |
14. My sister has broken my toy car. | The action happened in the past but it has relevance even now. The car is still broken. So we use the present perfect simple tense. |
Present perfect simple tense formula.
We have gone through the concept of present perfect simple tense. Let us learn the formula of the present perfect simple tense.
The formula of present perfect simple tense is subject +has/have+past participle form of the verb (v3).
Let us see how the formula is applied in sentences with the help of the below examples:
Examples. | Subjects | Have or has | Past participle form of the verb. |
15. I have worked hard for the exam. | I/you/we/they | have | ‘Worked’ is the past participle form of the verb ‘work’. |
16. She has seen the movie. | She/he/it | has | ‘Seen’ is the past participle form of the verb ‘see’. |
How to use present perfect simple tense.
The present perfect simple tense uses auxiliary verbs ‘has /have’ according to the subjects used in a sentence.
With the help of below examples, we will get an idea about how to use present perfect simple tense:
Examples | Subjects | Auxiliary verbs |
17. I have worked hard for the exam. 18. We have spoken to the teacher. |
I/you/we/they | Have |
19. She has gone to grandma’s home. 20. He has written the exam |
He/ She/It | Has |
Indeed, it is now clear that we can use present perfect simple tense to show an action that happened in the past has relevance even in the present moment.
Hi, My name is Ammu Shaji. I hail from Kerala. I hold a post-graduate degree in English Language and Literature. I am an Academic writer by passion and profession.