Present Perfect Simple

The Present Perfect Simple tense is used to talk about a past time which has very strong meaning and connection with the present.

Form

We make the present perfect simple by using have/has and the past participle:

Note, we do not use this tense with an adverb telling us when the event happened:

Usage

We use the present perfect tense in several ways, generally though to talk about our experiences (whether we have done them or not)

From the Past to the Present

An event started in the past and continues till now, possibly carrying on into the future:

Recent Events

These recent events strongly affect the present:

This last example affects the present because everyone else can stop looking.

Headlines

Headline news:

General Experiences

These are general experiences in life:

Expected Actions (yet)

With actions we are expecting to happen; we often use this with yet:

Recent Actions

We often use the present perfect with recently, lately and just to talk about something done very recently.

With the Past Simple

Often we will use the present perfect and then continue on with the past simple so we can specify the time when an event happened:

Gone/Been

The verb go is used with two past participles, gone and been:

In the first example they are not here now; in the second they went and then returned.

See Also

Truth or Lie - an activity to practice the Present Perfect Simple

PPS Swap - another game to pracice the Present Perfect Simple

Unique PPS People - a game to practice the Present Perfect Simple