present perfect extra

It is useful to distinguish two uses of the Present Perfect Tense.

 

Use 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.

Examples:

What is an unspecified time before?

The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:

 

Topic 1: Experience
You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..."
You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience.
The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.

Examples:

 

Topic 2: Change Over Time
We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.

Examples:

Topic 3: An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting
We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened.
Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.

Examples:

 

Note that Dutch uses the Onvoltooid Tegenwoordige tijd in some of those cases:

Topic 4: Multiple Actions at Different Times
We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times.
Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible.

Examples:

Use 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs (= verbs that need no -ing to express the Progressive. Examples are: to be, to need, to exist, to own, to want) we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now.
"For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect.

Examples:

 

Note that Dutch uses the Onvoltooid Tegenwoordige Tijd in those cases:
Ik ben al twee weken verkouden/Ze is al zes maanden in Nederland/Mary houdt van chocola van jongs af aan.