Experiences and results — have/has + past participle
The Present Perfect is made from two parts: have/has + the past participle.
| Person | Affirmative | Short Form | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / You / We / They | have seen | I've seen | haven't seen |
| He / She / It | has seen | He's seen | hasn't seen |
For regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the Simple Past form: base + -ed
| Base Form | Past Participle | Example (Present Perfect) |
|---|---|---|
| walk | walked | I have walked to school. |
| play | played | We have played tennis. |
| study | studied | She has studied hard. |
| help | helped | They have helped me. |
Irregular verbs have special past participle forms. These must be memorized.
| Base Form | Past Participle | Example (Present Perfect) |
|---|---|---|
| go | gone | She has gone to Paris. |
| have | had | I have had a great time. |
| see | seen | We have seen that film. |
| do | done | They have done their homework. |
| be | been | I have been to London. |
| come | come | He has come to my party. |
| take | taken | She has taken my book. |
| write | written | I have written three emails. |
| eat | eaten | They have eaten lunch. |
| speak | spoken | He has spoken English all day. |
Use the Present Perfect to talk about experiences in your life. We don't say when or how many times.
Examples: "I have been to Paris." "Have you ever travelled by plane?" "She has visited 15 countries."
Use the Present Perfect when the past action has a result in the present.
Examples: "She has finished her homework." (= Her homework is done now.) "He has lost his keys." (= He doesn't have his keys now.)
just = eben, gerade — "I have just arrived." (Ich bin gerade angekommen.)
already = schon — "She has already finished." (Sie ist schon fertig.)
yet = noch (in Fragen/Negation) — "Have you finished yet?" "I haven't finished yet."
ever = je — "Have you ever been to Australia?" (Warst du je in Australien?)
never = nie — "I have never tried sushi." (Ich habe Sushi noch nie probiert.)