A. Present Perfect Simple
1. Is used to talk about a past time, which has very strong meaning for the present.
e.g: Q) Where's Jane?
A) She has gone out. She should be back in an hour.
2. The present perfect simple is used to discuss events that have just been completed at the moment of speaking.
For example:
Q) Have you done your homework?"
A) "Yes, I've just finished it."
3. It is often used to suggest that a past action still has an effect upon something happening in the present.
For example:
"The pound has fallen against the dollar."
4. It is also used to discuss unfinished time.
For example:
Q) Have you done your homework today?
A) No, I haven't done it yet.
Note - You are talking about today and today isn't finished, so you may do your homework later!
Q) Have you ever been to England?"
A) "Yes I have."
Note - You are talking about something that has happened in your life and your life isn't finished!
5. You can also use the present perfect to discuss something from the past but you don't want to say exactly when.
For example:
Q) "Are you learning any languages?"
A) "Yes, I've begun to learn English."
6. This tense is often used to discuss events that have been happening over a period of time, but aren't finished yet.
For example:
Q) "How long have you studied English for?"
A) "I've studied English for 2 years now."
7. However it is better (grammatically speaking) to use the Present Perfect Continuous to express yourself in this way.
For example:
Q) "How long have you been studying English for?"
A) "I've been studying English for 2 years now."
B. Present Perfect Future
1. Discussing the future using the present perfect simple form
You can use the present perfect simple form to say that something will have happened by a certain time in the future.
"This time next year I will have finished my exams."
2. Discussing the future using the present perfect continuous form (also known as the future perfect continuous using will have been doing).
You can use the present perfect continuous form to say how long something will have been happening by a certain time in the future.
"This time next year I will have been teaching English for 9 years."
C. Present Perfect Continuous
1. The present perfect continuous tense is often used (with for or since) to describe how long something has been happening up to now.
For example:-
Q) How long have you been studying English?"
A) I've been studying English for four years."
Note - You can just say "For four years."
Q) How long have you been living in Germany?
A) I've been living here since 1998.
Note - You can just say "Since 1998".
2. The present perfect continuous is also used to refer to an event that may or may not be finished when its effect can be seen now.
For example:-
Look! It's been snowing.
Note - It's not necessarily snowing now but you can see the effect (the snow on the ground).
3. You should also use the present perfect continuous when talking about how long you have been doing your current job or working on unfinished projects:-
For example:-
I have been working at BT for three years.
We have been exporting to China since 1999.
D. Past Perfect Simple
1. The past perfect simple tense is used to go further back in time when we are already talking about the past. It can make it clear that something had already happened at the time we are talking about.
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Statements + |
Statements - |
Questions |
Short answer + |
Short answer - |
|
I'd worked... He'd worked... She'd worked... It had worked... You'd worked... We'd worked... They'd worked... |
I hadn't worked… He hadn't worked... She hadn't worked. It hadn't worked ... You hadn't worked… We hadn't worked… They hadn't worked… |
Had I worked...? Had he worked...? Had she worked...? Had it worked...? Had you worked...? Had we worked...? Had they worked…? |
Yes, I had. Yes, he had. Yes, she had. Yes, it had. Yes you had. Yes we had. Yes they had. |
No, I hadn't. No, he hadn't. No, she hadn't. No, it hadn't. No, you hadn't. No, we hadn't. No, they hadn't. |
2. We form the past perfect simple by using the auxiliary verb had and the -ed form of the regular verb (the past participle)irregular verb forms have to be learned:
For example:
"I had already done the shopping by the time she came home."
"I was late for work, by the time I arrived the client had already left."
3. The past perfect simple can be used to show how often something happened in the past.
For example:
I'd visited the city many times before.
It can also be used to express unfulfilled wishes or dreams. Sometimes called the Third Conditional.
For example:
"If I had won the lottery I would have bought a new car." Note: If I had done something I would have done something else.
E. Past Perfect Continuous
1. The past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about longer situations that continued up to the moment in the past we are talking about. For example:
"By the time I left England we had been living in Bristol for five years."
"Her back was sore because she had been sitting at the computer all day."
2. It is also used to say how long something went on for, up to a time in the past.
For example:-
We apologised because we had kept them waiting for 3 hours.
We apologised because we had kept them waiting since lunchtime.
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