Present Perfect
Present Perfect Simple
| Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I have eaten. | I haven't eaten. | Have I eaten? |
| You have healed. | You haven't healed. | Have you healed? |
| He has fallen. | He hasn't fallen. | Has he fallen? |
| She has ached. | She hasn't ached. | Has she ached? |
| It has worked. | It hasn't worked. | Has it worked? |
| We have treated. | We haven't treated. | Have we treated? |
| They have diagnosed. | They haven't diagnosed. | Have they diagnosed? |
Present Perfect Continuous
| Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I have been eating. | I haven't been eating. | Have I been eating? |
| You have been healing. | You haven't been healing. | Have you been healing? |
| He has been falling. | He hasn't been falling. | Has he been falling? |
| She has been aching. | She hasn't been aching. | Has she been aching? |
| It has been working. | It hasn't been working. | Has it been working? |
| We have been treating. | We haven't been treating. | Have we been treating? |
| They have been diagnosing. | They haven't been diagnosing. | Have they been diagnosing? |
In many languages, it is common to have a Present Tense to describe the present, and a past tense to describe the past. This is true in English as well, except we also have the Present Perfect, which connects the past to the present - the present situation is related to the past. In other words, the Present Perfect shows how the past is relevant to now.
- She has a new scar. (Present)
- She had surgery last month. (Past)
- She has had surgery. You can see her new scar. (Present Perfect)
Because of this, it is important to understand that the use of the past tense in English has no clear connection to the present. When we use the past tense, we are concerned with a past time.
- They listened to a great medical lecture last night.
- He fixed the problem with the medical insurance yesterday.
- He restructured this clinic two years ago.
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