How to form the present perfect
- Click here to download this explanation as a pdf
- Learn about USING the present perfect here
- For a list of all the present perfect exercises, click here
- 'have' / 'has' + the past participle
- Make the past participle by adding 'ed' to regular verbs (for example, 'play' becomes 'played')
- There are a few verbs that change their spelling when you add 'ed' (for example, 'study' becomes 'studied')
- We also have some completely irregular verbs
(Also, here's some help if you are not sure how to pronounce '-ed' at the end of a verb).
| Positive | Positive Short Form |
| I have played | I've played |
| you have worked | you've worked |
| he has written | he's written |
| she has walked | she's walked |
| it has rained | it's rained |
| we have travelled | we've travelled |
| they have studied | they've studied |
Try an exercise about the positive form here
The negative is really simple too. Just put 'not' after 'have' or 'has':
| Negative | Negative Short Form |
| I have not eaten breakfast today | I haven't eaten |
| you have not been to Asia | you haven't been |
| he has not seen the new film | he hasn't seen |
| she has not played tennis | she hasn't played |
| it has not snowed this winter | it hasn't snowed |
| we have not slept all night | we haven't slept |
| they have not tried the food | they haven't tried |
Try an exercise about the negative form here
To make a question, put 'have' or 'has' in front of the subject:
| 'Yes / No' Questions |
| have I missed the bus? |
| have you visited London? |
| has he worked as a waiter before? |
| has she met John? |
| has it been cold this week? |
| have we arrived too early? |
| have they studied English grammar before? |
As you can imagine, for 'wh' questions, we just put the question word before 'have' or 'has':
| 'Wh' Questions |
| where have I left my umbrella? |
| what have you done today? |
| why has he gone already? |
| where has she been in the UK? |
| why has it rained so much this summer? |
| what have we done? |
| where have they learned English before? |