Present Perfect

Objective:

• Understand the usage of the present perfect tense in asking and answering questions about the duration of actions or states.
• Distinguish between the present simple, present continuous, and present perfect tenses.

1. Present Perfect for Duration:

• Form: How long have you + [past participle verb] + [object]?
• Example: How long have you been in Ireland?

2. Present Perfect vs. Present Simple:

• Present Simple: Describes general facts, habits, or routines.
  • Example: Vicky lives in London.
• Present Perfect: Indicates actions or states that started in the past and continue to the present or are recently completed.
  • Example: Helen has been in Ireland since Monday.

3. Present Perfect with 'For' and 'Since':

• For: Duration of time.
  • Example: She has been in Ireland for three days.
• Since: Starting point in time.
  • Example: She has been in Ireland since Monday.

4. Present Perfect Simple (Have/Has + Past Participle):

• Used for actions or states that began in the past and continue to the present.
• Example: They have been married for five years.

5. Present Perfect Continuous (Have/Has Been + -ing):

• Indicates actions or states that started in the past and are still ongoing.
• Example: How long have you been learning German?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Language Level