How do you choose between the Present Perfect and Past Perfect?

 

The Present Perfect is used to talk about an action that took place in the recent past and is still relevant to the present moment.

 

The bus has left and we have to wait for another one.

 

The Past Perfect is used to talk about an action that took place before another moment in the past.

 

The bus had left before we arrived to the station.

 

Consider the following examples:

 

Present Perfect	Past Perfect
I am so excited. I have just passed my exam.	I was so excited. I had passed my exam.
We‘ve finished the game and now we have dinner.	We‘d finished the game when mom called us for dinner.
His team has won and he’s very happy.	His team had won, so he went to the bar to celebrate their victory.

 

To make questions in the Past Perfect, use:

 

Had + subject + past participle

 

Singular	Plural
Had I seen? Had you seen? Had he/she/it seen?	Had he seen? Had she seen? Had they seen?

 

 

Had you seen Helen playing squash with Nicole before the rain started?

 

Had he made any mistakes before the teacher asked him to hand in the test?

 

You looked pale. Had anybody scared you?

 

 

Note: in short positive answers to the Past Perfect questions we use only full forms of had.   In short negative answers we can also use short forms of had.

 

 

– Had you made your homework before the movie started?

– Yes, I had (No, I hadn’t).

 

– Had he finished cleaning when you came in?

– Yes, he had (No, he hadn’t).

 

To make negative statements in the Past Perfect, use:

 

had not + the past participle form of the verb:

 

Singular	Plural
I had not (hadn’t) left You hadn’t left He/she/it hadn’t left	We hadn’t left You hadn’t left They hadn’t left

 

Nick hadn’t attended our meeting, so we discussed everything without him.

 

I hadn’t read the play before I went to the theatre to see it.

 

They were so excited. They hadn’t danced together since 2014.     

 

The Past Perfect is normally used with the Past Simple to talk about two or more events that happened at different times in the past.

 

In such statements the Past Simple describes the event that is closest to the time of speaking. The Past Perfect describes an event further back in the past.

 

The train had left (Past Perfect) before we arrived (Past Simple) at the station. (The train left earlier and we arrived later).

 

Anthony had gone (Past Perfect) to the university when I knocked (Past Simple) on his door.

 

He had cooked (Past Perfect) dinner before Gwen got back (Past Simple) from work.

 

To make the Past Perfect, use:

 

had + past participle

 

Singular	Plural
I had planned You had planned He/she/it had planned	We’d planned You’d planned They’d planned

 

In the following examples, even if the Past Simple action is first in the sentence, it still happened later:

 

The traffic was bad because a car had broken on the road.

 

When we arrived at the stadium, the game had already started.

 

How do you choose between the Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect?

 

The Present Perfect Continuous is used to show that an activity in the past was in progress. It is possible that the activity is still taking place.

 

We’ve been looking at those beautiful paintings for two hours.

 

The Present Perfect is used to show that an activity in the past is finished.

 

We’ve selected our favorite painting among those exhibited.

 

Consider the following examples:

 

Present Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect
I‘ve been cooking dinner. It will be ready soon.	I‘ve cooked dinner. It is ready now.
Jane‘s been running today. Now she’s really tired.	Jane has just run a race. Now she’s receiving a medal.
We‘ve been eating too much lately. We must eat less.	We‘ve eaten all cake. The plates are empty.

 

To make questions in the Present Perfect Continuous, use:

 

Have/Has + subject + been + the “-ing” form of the verb

 

Singular	Plural
Have I been reading? Have you been reading? Has he/she/it been reading?	Have we been reading? Have you been reading? Have they been reading?

 

Have you been watching the movie?

Yes, come in, let’s watch it together.

 

Has she been studying French this year?

Yes, and she is taking her exam next Monday.

 

Have they been waiting for the bus for an hour?

Unfortunately… Looks like the bus broke down.

 

 

To make negative statements in the Present Perfect Continuous, use:

 

have/has not (haven’t/hasn’t) + been + the “-ing” form of the verb

 

Singular	Plural
I haven’t been running You haven’t been running He/she/it hasn’t been running	We haven’t been running You haven’t been running They haven’t been running

 

I haven’t been eating all day. I am very hungry.

Vicky hasn’t been sleeping last night and now she looks drowsy.

We haven’t been talking to each other since last Friday.

 

The Present Perfect Continuous is used to talk about a continuing activity in the past that still influences the present moment. This activity might just have stopped or might still be happening:

 

I have been painting the house all day. I am exhausted (past activity affects the present moment).

 

He‘s been fixing his car. He’s covered in oil (while fixing is still taking place).

 

To make the Present Perfect Continuous, use: 

 

have/has + been + the “-ing” form of the verb

 

Singular	Plural
I have been skating You’ve been skating He/she/it has been skating	We’ve been skating You’ve been skating They’ve been skating

 

I’ve been cooking all evening. Now I have to do the dishes.

Jane’s been running for almost an hour. She is very tired.

 

How do you choose between the Present Perfect and Past Simple?

 

Tense	Usage
Present Perfect	Recent actions and events which are connected with the present
Past Simple	Recent actions and events in finished time periods (last week, yesterday, at the weekend, etc)

 

Present Perfect:

 

Jack has lived in Madrid for 10 years so far (and he still lives there).

I’ve just finished reading this book, it’s so amazing (this happened recently and now I share my impressions).

 

Past Simple:

 

Mary called a taxi and left home at 10 o’clock yesterday (finished period of time).

The sun shone all day on Monday (finished period of time).

 

Generally speaking, the Past Simple is used to talk about something that happened at a definite time in the past (yesterday, last week, ago, then, when, etc.). The Present Perfect is used when a particular time is not specified.

 

Past Simple	Present Perfect
I saw a great movie yesterday.	I haven’t seen that movie.
John didn’t climb Mount Everest that year.	Alison has climbed Mount Everest twice.
Margaret ate too much last night.	Tom hasn’t eaten curry before.

 

Use the Present Perfect to talk about an event or situation which began in the past and continues now.

In such statements we often use time expressions with since and for, e.g. for a week, since yesterday, for a long time, since 2010:

 

I love my new office, I’ve worked there for five months already.

Today we celebrate our anniversary, we’ve been married since 2007.

 

Quite often the Past Simple is used immediately after the Present Perfect. In such cases we use the Past Simple to give more details or information:

 

Have you been to Russia?

Yes, I have. I visited Moscow last May.

 

I‘ve lost my watch. I put it on the table and now I can’t find it.

 

Timothy has passed his exam. He got 80%.

 

To make questions in the Present Perfect, use:

 

Have/Has + subject + the past participle form of the verb

 

Singular	Plural
Have I visited? Have you visited? Has he/she/it visited?	Has he visited? Has she visited? Have they visited?

 

Has she seen the latest James Bond movie?

It’s 11 o’clock already. Have you cleaned up your bedroom?

Have you been in France? No, I haven’t.

 

Note: in short positive answers to the Present Perfect questions we use only full forms of have/has. In short negative answers we can also use short forms.

 

Have you read this book?

Yes, I have (No, I haven’t).

 

Has he ever played golf?

Yes, he has (No, he hasn’t).

 

We often use the adverb “ever” when asking questions about events in people’s lives. In such questions we put “ever” before the past participle:

 

Have you ever been to Australia?

Has she ever tried your cooking?

Have they ever met each other?

 

Use “How long…?” to ask for how much time a situation has continued:

 

 

How long has she lived in Rotterdam?

She has lived in Rotterdam for six years.