7. Present perfect 1 (I have done)
When we say they ‘something has happened’, this is usually new information
He has lost his key = He lost it recently, and he still doesn’t have it
When we use the present perfect, there is a connection with now. The action in the past has a result now
Note the difference between gone(to) and been (to):
- James is on holiday. He has gone to Italy. (=he is there now or on his way there)
- Jane is back home now. She has been to Italy. (= she has now come back)
You can use the present perfect with just, already and yet
You can also use the past simple (did, went, had etc) in the examples on this page. So you can say:
- ‘Is sally here?’ ‘No, she went out.’ or ‘No, she’s gone out.’
- ‘Are you hungry?’ ‘No, I just had lunch.’ or ‘No. I’ve just had lunch’
2. Present perfect 2 (I have done)
When we talk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the present perfect (have been / have travelled etc.)
Been (to) = visited
I’ve never been to China. Have you been there?
In the following examples too, the speakers are talking about a period that continues until now (recently / in the last few days / so far/ since breakfast etc.)
In the same way we use the present perfect with today / this evening / this year etc. when these periods are not finished at the time of speaking (see also Unit 148)
We say: It’s the (first) time something has happened.
- Don is having a driving lesson. It’s his first one. It’s the first time he has driven a car.
- He has never driven a car before
- Bill is phoning his girlfriend again. That’s the third time he’s phoned her this evening
9. Present perfect continuous (I have been doing)
We use the present perfect continuous for an activity that has recently stopped or just stopped. There is a connection with now
You’re out of breath. Have you been running? (=you’re out of breath now)
It has been raining for two hours
We use the present perfect continuous in this way especially with how long, for … and since …, The activity is still happening(as in this example or has just stopped)
How long have you been learning English? (= you’re still learning English)
You can use the present perfect continuous for actions repeated over a period of time.
Silvia is a very good tennis player. She’s been playing since she was eight.
10. Present perfect continuous and simple (I have been doing and I have done)
We are thinking of activity. It does not matter whether it has been finished or not, In this example, the activity (painting the bedroom) has not been finished
Here, the important thing is that something has been finished. Has painted is a completeed action, We are interested in the result of the activity (the painted bedroom), not the activity itself.
- We use the continuous to say how long (for something that is still happening
- We use the simple to say how much, how many or how many times
Some verbs (for example, know / like / believe) are not normally used in the continuous:
But note that you can use want and mean in the present perfect continuous:
I’ve been meaning to phne Jane, but I keep forgetting.
11. How long have you (been) …?
We use the present perfect to talk about something that began in the past and till continuous now.
- I have known / had / lived etc. is the present perfect simple.
- I have been learning / been waiting / been doing etc. is the present perfect continuous.
When we ask or say ‘how long’, the continuous is more usual (see Unit 10):
some verbs (for example, know / like / believe) are not normally used in the continuous:
See also Units 4A and 10C. For have, see Unit 17.
You can use either the present perfect continuous or simple with live and work:
But use the simple(I’ve lived / I’ve done etc.) with always.
We say ‘I haven’t done something since / for …’ (present perfect simple)
I haven’t seen Tom since Monday. (= Monday was the last time I saw him)
12. For and since When …? and How long …?
We use for and since to say how long something has been happening.
- We use for + a period of time (two hours, six weeks etc.)
- We use since + the start of a period (8 o’clock, Monday, 1999 etc)
It is possible to leave out for (but not usually in negative sentences):
They’ve been married (for) ten years. (with or without for)
They haven’t had a holiday for ten years. (you must use for)
We do not use for + all …(all day / all my life etc.):
I’ve lived here all my life.(not for all my life)
You can use in instead of for in negative sentences (I haven’t … etc)
They haven’t had a holiday in ten years. (= for ten years)
We say: | ||
---|---|---|
It’s (It is) | a lone time | since something happened |
It’s been (= It has been) | six months (etc.) | since something happened |
- It’s two years since I last saw Joe. or It’s been two years since… (= I haven’t seen Joe for two years)
- It’s ages since we went to the cinema. or It’s been ages since … (= We haven’t been to the cinema for ages)
13. Present perfect and past 1 (I have done and I did)
The present perfect (something has happened) is a present tense. It always tells us about the situation now. ‘Tom has lot his key’ = he doesn’t have his key now (see Unit 7)
The past simple (something happened) tells us only about the past. If something says ‘Tom lost his key’, this doesn’t tell us whether he has the key or not. It tells us only that he lost his key at some time in the past.
Do not use the present perfect if the situation now is different.
- They’ve gone away. They’ll be back on Friday. (they are away now)
- They went away, but I think they’re back at home now. (not They’ve gone)
You can use the present perfect for new or recent happenings:
‘I’ve repaired the washing machine. It’s working OK now.’ ‘Oh, that’s good’
Usually, you can also use the past simple:
I repaired the washing machine. It’s working OK now
Use the past simple (not the present) for thing that are not recent or new:
Mozart was a composer. He wrote more than 600 pieces of music. (not has been … has written)
We use the present perfect to give new information (see Unit 7). But if we continue to talk about it, we normally use the past simple:
Ow! I’ve burnt myself
How did you do that? (not have you done)
I picked up a hot dish. (not have picked)
14. Present perfect and past 2 (I have done and I did)
Do not use the present perfect (I have done) when you talk about a finished time (for example, yesterday / ten minutes ago / in 2005 / when I was a child), Use a past tense
Use the past to ask When …? or What time …?
- When did your friends arrive? (not have … arrived)
- What time did you finish work?
- We use the present perfect for a period of time that continues until now, For example: today / this week / since 2007
- We use the past simple for a finished time in yesterday / last week / from 2007 to 2010
15. Past perfect (I had done)
Sometimes we talk about something that happened in the past
This is the starting point of the story. Then, If we want to talk about things that happened before this time, we use the past perfect (had …)
When Sarah arrvied at the party, Paul had already gone home
Compare the past simple (left, was etc.) and the past perfect (had left, had been etc.):
- Was Tom there when you arrvied? Yes, but he left soon afterwards
- Was Tom there when you arrived? No, he had already left
- Kate wasn’t at home when I phoned. She was at her monther’s house.
- Kate had just got home when I phoned. She had been at her monther’s house.
16. Past perfect continuous (I had been doing)
You can say that something had been happening for a period of time before something else happened.
We’d been playing tennis for about half an hour when it started to rain heavily
Compare have been -ing (present perfect continuous) and had been -ing (past perfect continuous)
- I hope the bus comes soon. I’ve been waiting for 20 minute. (before now)
- At last the bus came. I’d been waiting for 20 minutes. (before the bus came)
Compare was -ing (past continuous) and had been -ing:
It wasn’t raining when we went out. The sun was shining. But it had been raining
Some verbs (for example, know and like) are not normally used in the continuous
For a list of there verbs, see Unit 4A. For have, see Unit 17.
17. Have and have got
Have and have got (= for possession, relationships, illnesses etc.)
You can use have or have got. There is no difference in meaning
They have a new car, or They’ve got a new car.
With these meaning. (possession etc.). you cannot use continuous forms (am having etc.):
We’re enjoying our holiday. We have / We’ve got a nice room in the hotel. (not We’re having a nice room)
For the past we use had (without got):
Lisa had long hair when she was a child. (not Lisa had got)
In questions and negative sentences there are three possible forms:
Do you have any question? | I don’t have any questions. |
Have you got any questions? | I haven’t got any questions. |
Have you any questions? (less usual) | I haven’t any questions. (less usual) |
Does she have a car? | She doesn’t have a car. |
Has she got a car? | She hasn’t got a car |
Has she a car? (less usual) | She hasn’t a car. (less usual) |
In past questions and negative sentences we use did / didn’t
Did you have a car when you were living in Paris?
We also use have (but not have got) for many actions and experiences.
Sometions I have (= eat) a sandwich for my lunch. (not I’ve got)
I’ve got / I have some sandwiches. Would you like one?
You can use continuous forms (am having etc.) with the expressions
We’ve enjoying our holiday. We’re having a great time. (not We have)
In questions and negative sentences we use do / does / did:
I don’t usually have a big breakfast. (not I usually haven’t)
What time does Chris have lunch? (not has Chris lunch)
18. Used to (do)
Something used to happen = it happened often in the past, but no longer happens.
I used to play tennis a lot, but I don’t play very much now.
We also use used to … for thing that were true, but are not true any more:
This building is now a furniture shop. It used to be a cinema.
‘I used to do something’ is past. There is no present. You cannot say ‘I use to do’
To talk about the present, use the present simple (I do)
The normal question form is did (you) use to …?
Did you use to eat a lot of sweets when you were a child?
The negative form is didn’t use to … (used not to … is also possible):
I didn’t use to like him. (or I used not to like him)
Compare I used to do and I was doing:
- I used to watch TV a lot. (= I watched TV often in the past, but I no longer do this)
- I was watching TV when Rob called. (= I was in the middle of watching TV)
Do not confuse I used to do and I am used to doing (see Unit 61). The structures and meanings are different:
- I used to live alone. (= I lived alone in the past, but I no longer live alone)
- I am used to living alone. (= I live alone, and I don’t find it strange or difficult because I’ve been living alone for some time)