We use the Present Perfect to talk about actions or events in the past that still have an effect on the present moment.

 

The taxi has arrived (and it is here).

I have broken that cup (it is broken now).

Where is Ann? She’s gone to the mall (she is still there).

 

To make the Present Perfect, use:

 

have/has + the past participle form of the verb

(See the section on past participle for more information).

 

Singular	Plural
I have visited You have visited He/she/it has visited	We have visited You have visited They have visited

 

Note: in everyday speech and informal writing we usually use the short form of have/has.

 

I have no cash, I’ve spent it on DVDs.

My team’s just won and I’m very happy.

 

The past participle forms of regular verbs end in “-ed”:

 

work  → I’ve worked

play → he’s played

finish → they’ve finished

 

But many common verbs have irregular past participle forms, like in the examples below:

 

do → done eat → eaten read → read see → seen

make → made find → found speak → spoken come → come

 

For a full list of irregular verbs, see the corresponding section.

 

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about a recent event or action. Use the adverbs “just” and “already” to emphasise that the event or action is recent and happened before now:

 

The train from New-Delhi has just arrived.

I’ve just finished watching the game.

They’ve already finished their trip.

 

We also use the Present Perfect when we think about the past and present together. We use it for past actions or events that are linked to the present (started in the past and are still happening now):

 

I’ve lived in this house for 20 years (I started to live in this house 20 years ago and still live here now).

Jack’s lost his hat (he lost his hat recently and still can’t find it now).

She’s been a famous singer since 2010 (and she still is).