The Present Perfect Tense: Part One


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In today's lesson we continue our unit on verbs and we begin our discussion of the verb tense, the Present Perfect.

Before we begin, you might want to reference our lesson, " What Is the Difference between a Verb Tense and a Time Reference?"

How Do We Form the Present Perfect Tense?

The present perfect tense consists of two parts.  Use -


  1. the proper form of the verb have

  2. the past participle (also known as the 3rd part of the verb of the main verb.

Here are a few examples:

  • Over the years, I have learned that love remains only if the husband and wife help and understand each other.

  • Since my father decided to move to America, he has changed and my parents' lives have gone in different directions.

The Past Participle Form


Regular Verbs

In a regular verb, the past participle (sometimes called the 3rd part of the verb) is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.

Let's use the verb (to) wait as our example.

have + past participle form of the verb
I, you have waited
he, she, it has waited
we, they have waited

Irregular Verbs

Here is a chart of some common verbs that are irregular in the 3rd part of the verb.

Base Form Simple Past Tense Form* Past Participle** Present Perfect Tense
 
beat beat beaten has, have beaten
break broke broken has, have broken
do did done has, have done
drive drove driven has, have driven
eat ate eaten has, have eaten
give gave given has, have given
go went gone has, have gone
know knew known has, have known
make made made has, have made
put put put has, have put
see saw seen has, have seen
       
*   also known as the 2nd part of the verb; sometimes known as the -ed form of the verb
** also known as the 3rd part of the verb; sometimes known as the -en form of the verb
       

Please stay tuned for our next lesson, which is an audio lesson:  WHEN TO USE the Present Perfect Tense

Here's a sample of what we will be discussing:  "Does the present perfect tense mean that the action is taking place in the present?" The present perfect tense includes an action or state that began in the past and may continue into the present.

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