The Present Perfect

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions or situations that have happened at some time in the past but are relevant to the present. 

To form the present perfect we use the auxiliary verb “have” (or “has” for third-person singular subjects) followed by the past participle (3rd form) of the main verb.

How to form the Present Perfect:

• Affirmative: Subject + have/has + past participle

Example: I have finished painting my room.

• Negative: Subject + have/has + not + past participle

Example: I have not eaten breakfast yet.

• Interrogative: Have/has + subject + past participle?

Example: Have you been to London?

Explanation of the Present Perfect with examples

Continued Actions: For actions that started in the past and continue to the present.

• I have lived in London for 25 years – we use for when we want to mention the exact time – ie, years, days, hours, minutes
• Simon has been married since 2010 –  we use since when we want to mention a specific time in the past that the event started.

Experience: To talk about life experiences.

• I have been to Paris. This sentence means that at some time in the past you were in Paris. The exact time does not matter and it is not relevant how many times you visited.

Recent Past: To indicate actions that have recently taken place.

• They have just spoken to my mother. We use just to express the fact that the event happened in the very near past.

Completed Actions with Present Relevance: When the result of a past action affects the present.

• I have lost my keys (and still can’t find them).

The present perfect tense in English is very important as it helps convey time relationships between past actions and the present.

Present Simple

The present simple tense uses the base form of the verb (eg work) and describes regular actions and things that are generally true all the time.

Regular. Repeated Actions

We use the Present Simple to express that an action or event regularly occurs.

• I work in a hospital
• I live in London
• He works in a hospital  Note: With the third person singular (she/he/it), we add an –s or -es

We frequently use adverbs of frequency like always, often, usually, sometimes, and never to indicate regular events in various tenses.

• I never drive to the office
• I always eat breakfast at 8 am

General truths

• Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
• The moon goes around the Earth
• He likes you.

Endings for 3rd person singular

In the present simple tense, most verbs in the third person singular (he, she, it) take an “-s” or “-es”. Here are some common examples:

1. Go → goes
2. Do → does
3. Say → says
4. Make → makes
5. Take → takes
6. Come → comes
7. Know → knows

The verbs BE and HAVE have specific endings depending on the pronoun

BE

• I am
• You are
• He/She/It is
• We are
• You (plural) are
• They are

HAVE

• I have
• You have
• He/She/It has
• We have
• You (plural) have
• They have

For verbs ending in -y preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ies (e.g., cry → cries).

1. Study → studies
2. Fly → flies
3. Try → tries
4. Carry → carries
5. Hurry → hurries
6. Cry → cries
7. Deny → denies
8. Multiply → multiplies
9. Modify → modifies
10. Apply → applies

In these cases, verbs that end in -sh, -ch, or -x typically take an -es ending, while those ending in -o may also take -es or simply add an -s, depending on the specific word.

Verbs Ending in -sh:

1. Finish → finishes
2. Wish → wishes
3. Punish → punishes
4. Establish → establishes
5. Furnish → furnishes

Verbs Ending in -ch:

1. Watch → watches
2. Catch → catches
3. Teach → teaches
4. Match → matches
5. Search → searches

Verbs Ending in -x:

1. Fix → fixes
2. Mix → mixes
3. Flux → fluxes (less common)
4. Annex → annexes
5. Transfix → transfixes

Verbs Ending in -o:

1. Go → goes
2. Do → does
3. Echo → echoes
4. Hero → heroes
5. Video → videos