One important thing to remember is that we cannot use the present perfect if we mention when the action / event happened.
For example:
I have bought a new car last week. (Wrong)
I bought a new a car last week. (Correct)
I have worked in Spain in 2014. (Wrong)
I worked in Spain in 2014. (Correct)
When we say when the action / event happened, we need to use the past simple.
For example:
I bought a new car last week.
How to make the present perfect
This tense is formed with have/has + the past participle.
The construction of this verb tense is straightforward. The first element is have or has, depending on the subject the verb is conjugated with. The second element is the past participle of the verb, which is usually formed by adding -ed or -d to the verb’s root (e.g., walked, cleaned, typed, perambulated, jumped, laughed, sautéed) although English does have quite a few verbs that have irregular past participles (e.g., done, said, gone, known, won, thought, felt, eaten).
Sentence Structure
Positive Sentence
I have had dinner.
Negative sentence
I have not had dinner.
I haven’t had dinner. (have + not = haven’t)
Question
Have you had dinner?
Check out previous related articles:
- past simple
- present simple
- present continuous.
For example:
I have bought a new car last week. (Wrong)
I bought a new a car last week. (Correct)
I have worked in Spain in 2014. (Wrong)
I worked in Spain in 2014. (Correct)
When we say when the action / event happened, we need to use the past simple.
For example:
I bought a new car last week.
How to make the present perfect
This tense is formed with have/has + the past participle.
The construction of this verb tense is straightforward. The first element is have or has, depending on the subject the verb is conjugated with. The second element is the past participle of the verb, which is usually formed by adding -ed or -d to the verb’s root (e.g., walked, cleaned, typed, perambulated, jumped, laughed, sautéed) although English does have quite a few verbs that have irregular past participles (e.g., done, said, gone, known, won, thought, felt, eaten).
Sentence Structure
Positive Sentence
I have had dinner.
Negative sentence
I have not had dinner.
I haven’t had dinner. (have + not = haven’t)
Question
Have you had dinner?
Check out previous related articles:
- past simple
- present simple
- present continuous.
Jake Borland
Jake Borland is an experienced English teacher with 20 years in the field. As the co-founder and Marketing Manager of Speak English Institute, he is dedicated to delivering high-quality education both in-person and online. Jake’s passion lies in helping students improve their English skills through engaging and effective learning experiences.