Present Perfect Tense

English

Present Perfect Tense in English:

When Do We Use Present Perfect?

Life Experiences

I have visited Paris three times.
She has never tried sushi.
We have seen that movie before.

Recent Completed Actions

He has just finished his homework.
They have recently moved to a new house.
The train has already left the station.

Unfinished Actions (Duration)

I have lived here for ten years.
She has worked at the company since 2015.
We have known each other since childhood.

Present Results of Past Actions

I have lost my keys. (I can't open the door now)
She has broken her leg. (She can't walk now)
They have painted the room. (It looks different now)

How to Form Present Perfect

Subject	Affirmative (+)	Negative (-)	Questions (?)
I	I have worked	I haven't worked	Have I worked?
You	You have worked	You haven't worked	Have you worked?
He/She/It	He has worked	He hasn't worked	Has he worked?
We	We have worked	We haven't worked	Have we worked?
They	They have worked	They haven't worked	Have they worked?

Key Rule:

Use have/has + past participle (third form of the verb):

Regular verbs: work → worked
Irregular verbs: go → gone, eat → eaten, see → seen

Note: Use has for he/she/it, have for I/you/we/they

Signal Words

Ever Never Just Already Yet Recently So far Since For Lately

Examples:

Have you ever been to Japan?
I haven't finished my work yet.
She has already seen that movie.
We have lived here for five years.
He has worked here since 2020.

Real-Life Examples

Job Interview

Interviewer: "How long have you worked in marketing?"

Candidate: "I have worked in this field for eight years. I have managed several successful campaigns, but I haven't worked internationally yet."

Travel Experience

"We have visited fifteen countries so far. Recently, we have traveled to Southeast Asia. I have never seen such beautiful beaches! But we haven't been to Africa yet."

Common Mistakes & Tips

Mistake: "I ~~have seen~~ him yesterday." (incorrect time reference)

Correct: "I saw him yesterday." (use Past Simple for specific past time)

Mistake: "She ~~has written~~ a book last year."

Correct: "She wrote a book last year." (completed action in past)

Essential Tip:

Use Present Perfect for unspecified time before now. Use Past Simple for specific time in the past:

"I have visited Paris." (unspecified when)

"I visited Paris last summer." (specific time)

Quick Practice

1. She __________ (finish) her homework already.

has finished

2. __________ you ever __________ (be) to London?

Have, been

3. We __________ (not see) that movie yet.

haven't seen

4. They __________ (live) here since 2010.

have lived

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

Present Perfect	Past Simple
I have visited Rome. (experience in my life)	I visited Rome last year. (specific time)
She has lost her keys. (can't find them now)	She lost her keys yesterday. (past action)
We have lived here for 5 years. (still living here)	We lived there for 5 years. (not living there now)
They have finished the project. (recently completed)	They finished the project last week. (specific time)

For vs. Since:

For + period of time (for three days, for a long time)
Since + starting point (since Monday, since 2020)

Examples: "I've known her for ten years." "I've known her since 2014."

Polish

Czas teraźniejszy Present Perfect w języku angielskim:

Kiedy używamy czasu Present Perfect?

Doświadczenia życiowe

I have visited Paris three times.
She has never tried sushi.
We have seen that movie before.

Niedawno zakończone działania

He has just finished his homework.
They have recently moved to a new house.
The train has already left the station.

Niezakończone działania (okres trwania)

I have lived here for ten years.
She has worked at the company since 2015.
We have known each other since childhood.

Bieżące skutki przeszłych działań

I have lost my keys. (I can't open the door now)
She has broken her leg. (She can't walk now)
They have painted the room. (It looks different now)

Jak tworzyć czas Present Perfect

Podmiot	Zdania twierdzące (+)	Zdania przeczące (-)	Pytania (?)
I	I have worked	I haven't worked	Have I worked?
You	You have worked	You haven't worked	Have you worked?
He/She/It	He has worked	He hasn't worked	Has he worked?
We	We have worked	We haven't worked	Have we worked?
They	They have worked	They haven't worked	Have they worked?

Kluczowa zasada:

Używamy have/has + imiesłowu czasu przeszłego (trzecia forma czasownika):

Czasowniki regularne: work → worked
Czasowniki nieregularne: go → gone, eat → eaten, see → seen

Uwaga: Używamy has dla he/she/it, have dla I/you/we/they

Słowa kluczowe

Ever Never Just Already Yet Recently So far Since For Lately

Przykłady:

Have you ever been to Japan?
I haven't finished my work yet.
She has already seen that movie.
We have lived here for five years.
He has worked here since 2020.

Przykłady z życia wzięte

Rozmowa kwalifikacyjna

Interviewer: "How long have you worked in marketing?"

Candidate: "I have worked in this field for eight years. I have managed several successful campaigns, but I haven't worked internationally yet."

Doświadczenia podróżnicze

"We have visited fifteen countries so far. Recently, we have traveled to Southeast Asia. I have never seen such beautiful beaches! But we haven't been to Africa yet."

Typowe błędy i porady

Błąd: "I ~~have seen~~ him yesterday." (niepoprawne odniesienie czasowe)

Poprawnie: "I saw him yesterday." (używamy Past Simple dla konkretnego czasu przeszłego)

Błąd: "She ~~has written~~ a book last year."

Poprawnie: "She wrote a book last year." (działanie zakończone w przeszłości)

Podstawowa zasada:

Używaj Present Perfect dla nieokreślonego czasu przed teraźniejszością. Używaj Past Simple dla konkretnego czasu w przeszłości:

"I have visited Paris." (nieokreślone kiedy)

"I visited Paris last summer." (konkretny czas)

Szybkie ćwiczenia