PRESENT PERFECT

PRESENT PERFECT

We use this tense for unfinished and finished actions:

Unfinished Actions

We use this tense when we want to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present. Usually we use it to say 'how long' an action or state has continued with 'since' and 'for'. Often, we use stative verbs in this situation:

• I've known Karen since 1994.

• She's lived in London for three years.

'Since' and 'For'

We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004, April 23rd, last year, two hours ago). The fixed time can be another action, indicated with the past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived):

• I've known Sam since 1992.

• I've liked chocolate since I was a child.

• She's been here since 2pm.

We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months):

• I've known Julie for ten years.

• I've been hungry for hours.

• She's had a cold for a week.

Finished Actions

1: Life experience

(we don't say when the experience happened, just sometime in the past)

• I have been to Tokyo.

• She has lived in Germany.

• They have visited Paris three times.

• We have never seen that film.

• Have you ever read 'War and Peace'?

2: A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result)

• I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house).

• She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today).

• They've missed the bus (so they will be late).

• I've cooked dinner (so you should come and eat).

3: With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today, in the last year)

• I haven't seen her this month.

• She's drunk three cups of coffee today.

• This week they've been shopping four times.

Note: We can't use the present perfect with a finished time word:

• I've seen him yesterday.

'Been' and 'Gone'

In this tense, we use both 'been' and 'gone' as the past participle of 'go', but in slightly different circumstances.

Been

We use 'been' (often when we talk about 'life experience') to mean that the person being talked about has visited the place, and come back. Notice the preposition 'to':

• I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in London, where I live).

• She has been to school today (but now she's back at home).

• They have never been to California.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOS

There are two main times we use this tense. Remember we can't use it withstative verbs.

1: To say how long for unfinished actions which started in the past and continue to the present. We often use this with for and since. (See thepresent perfect for the same use with stative verbs)

• I've been living in London for two years.

• She's been working here since 2004.

• We've been waiting for the bus for hours.

2: Actions which have just stopped (though the whole action can be unfinished) and have a result, which we can often see, hear, or feel, in the present (focus on action). (See the present perfect for a similar use which focuses on the result of the action)

• I'm so tired, I've been studying.

• I've been running, so I'm really hot.

• It's been raining, the pavement is wet.

• I've

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