Perfect TensesA2–B1
Present perfect and past perfect: have, has or had plus the past participle for an earlier event seen from a later point. A finished time such as yesterday or ago takes the past simple: I saw her yesterday. I have seen her today.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A2: choose A2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A2: choose A2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA2–B1
| Tense | Question | Statement | Negative | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helper | Subject | Verb | Subject | Helper | Verb | Subject | Helper | Verb | |||
| Present perfect | Have | I | worked? | I | have | worked. | I | haven't | worked. | ||
| you | You | You | |||||||||
| Has | he | He | has | He | hasn't | ||||||
| she | She | She | |||||||||
| it | It | It | |||||||||
| Have | we | We | have | We | haven't | ||||||
| they | They | They | |||||||||
| B1Past perfect | Had | I | worked? | I | had | worked. | I | hadn't | worked. | ||
| you | You | You | |||||||||
| he | He | He | |||||||||
| she | She | She | |||||||||
| it | It | It | |||||||||
| we | We | We | |||||||||
| they | They | They | |||||||||
OverviewA2
Each perfect tense is have + past participle: have / has for the present, had for the past.
- In questions the helper goes before the subject; in negatives it takes not: haven't, hasn't, hadn't.
- The main verb is always the past participle: worked, seen, gone.
- has goes with he, she, it; had is the same for everyone.
- Short forms: I've, she's (= she has), I'd (= I had).
The past participleA2
| Type | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| regular verbs | V + -ed | work → worked / live → lived / study → studied |
| irregular, same as past simple | participle = past simple form | have → had / buy → bought / meet → met |
| irregular, own form | learn each one | see → seen / write → written / eat → eaten / do → done |
| go, be | go has two participles | go → gone / been · be → been |
- The -ed spelling is the same as in the past simple: see Simple Tenses.
- All irregular forms: Irregular verbs table.
Present perfect: formA2–B1
- A short answer repeats have / has: Have you met Tom? — Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.
- ever, never, just and already go between have / has and the participle: I've never seen snow. / He's just left.
- yet goes at the end, in negatives and questions: I haven't finished yet. / Have you finished yet?
- B1How long asks about the length of a state up to now: How long have you lived here?
Present perfect: useA2–B1
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Life experience, no time given | I've been to Paris twice. |
| Recent news | I've just seen Anna. |
| Result visible now | I've lost my keys. |
| Unfinished time (today, this week) | I've had three coffees today. |
| B1A state from the past up to now (for, since) | She's lived here since 2019. |
- been = went and came back; gone = went and is still there: She's been to Spain. / She's gone to Spain.
- B1for takes a length of time; since takes a starting point: I've known her for ten years / since 2015.
Past perfect: formB1
- A short answer repeats had: Had they left? — Yes, they had. / No, they hadn't.
- already, just and never go between had and the participle: I'd never flown before.
Past perfect: useB1
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| An action before another past action | When I got home, she had already cooked. |
| An action before a past time | By 8 o'clock he had left. |
| The reason for a past situation | He was tired. He had worked all night. |
- Time words: when, after, before, by the time, already.
- The story itself takes the past simple; the past perfect looks back from it.
Compare: present perfect and past simpleA2
| Present perfect | Past simple |
|---|---|
| past event, time open or unfinished | finished time, stated or known |
| I've seen that film. | I saw it last night. |
| ever, never, just, already, yet | yesterday, last week, ago |
- A finished-time word (yesterday, last week, ago) takes the past simple.
- US: the past simple is common with just, already and yet: I just ate.
Typical errorsA2–B1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| I have seen him yesterday. | I saw him yesterday. | finished time → past simple |
| B1I live here since 2010. | I have lived here since 2010. | since / for + state up to now → present perfect |
| She has went home. | She has gone home. | have / has + past participle |
| She have lost her keys. | She has lost her keys. | he / she / it → has |
| I have gone to Paris twice. | I have been to Paris twice. | a visit and return → been |
| B1When I arrived, the film has already started. | When I arrived, the film had already started. | earlier past action → had + participle |
| B1Had you saw him? | Had you seen him? | after had use the past participle |