Verb Tenses
Present perfect
Use when the past still matters now, not when you name a finished past moment.
Why this happens
Present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past actions to now, but writers use it with finished time markers (*I have seen him yesterday) or skip it when the result still matters (I lost my keys and cannot enter). Has versus have errors and wrong participles (has went) are frequent. Ask whether the time is finished or still relevant — that single question sorts most present perfect mistakes in exam answers.
See it in a sentence
IncorrectShe has visited Paris in 2019.
CorrectShe visited Paris in 2019.
Teaching note: In 2019 is finished — simple past visited.
IncorrectI have saw that film already.
CorrectI have seen that film already.
Teaching note: Present perfect needs the past participle seen, not saw.
IncorrectHe have finished the assignment.
CorrectHe has finished the assignment.
Teaching note: Third person singular he takes has finished, not have finished.
More examples
I have lived here since 2020.
Since + point in time keeps action relevant to now.
Have you ever submitted late work?
Ever marks experience up to now.
Just, already, and yet often appear with present perfect.
She has just arrived; I have already replied; Have you finished yet? — all tie action to now.
News has broken — American English often uses has with collective news.
Present perfect works when the result matters now.
Quick check
We have completed the survey last Monday.
Show the fix
We completed the survey last Monday. Last Monday names finished time, so simple past completed fits — not present perfect have completed.
Practice this topic in Wrytesmart
Open the grammar workspace to complete interactive exercises for present perfect. You will spot errors, fill blanks, and transform sentences — always with teaching notes that explain the principle, not just the correction.
Master present perfect in context
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