English has long been the language of international communication, although many people do not speak it. This is especially true for the people of our country. It seems that this language is taught at school, they want to make it one of the compulsory subjects when passing the exam, but still for many it is a great difficulty.
Many people say that this language has difficult grammar. Too difficult to learn English. Present Perfect, for example, is generally very difficult to even understand. In fact, everything is much simpler than many people think. Let's try to figure out what kind of "beast" it is - Present Perfect.
What is Present Perfect
For a Russian person, this temporary form is unusual in that it simply does not exist in their native language. This time is something between the past and the present. On the one hand, the action has already taken place, and on the other hand, there is always a connection with the present, in the form of the result of the action performed.
When you need to say exactly such sentences in English, Present Perfect is exactly the tense you need to use. In addition, there is another hint for us how to use this time. It is necessary to refer to the verbs in the perfect form. After all, "perfect" is exactly what is translated - "perfect". So, is there a difference between the words - did and did, drew and painted, cooked and cooked? That's right, the second pairs of words are in the perfect form, so when it becomes necessary to use words in this form, we will need it, such an important time.
How the Present Perfect is formed
As a rule, all grammar references give a concise formula: to have+V3. Those who see these not entirely clear symbols for the first time may have difficulty in starting to do something with them. In fact, there is nothing complicated here.
The verb to have is an auxiliary verb that changes to has for the pronouns he, she, it. As for the mysterious designation V3, there is nothing complicated here either. This is just the third form of the verb or the past participle. If the verb is irregular, then this participle can be found in the third column, and if it is correct, then in this case, you just need to add the -ed ending to it. So, in order to successfully use this time in your speech, you need to keep in mind the form of construction and, of course, do not forget irregular verbs! To do this, you must first learn them so as not to stumble when remembering them.
Using time
Sowhen we have already figured out how the Present Perfect is formed, it's time to move on to situations where this tense is used.
- Experience or situation that has already happened in life. The time that is ideal for such seemingly difficult moments of speech is the Present Perfect. Sample sentences are as follows: I have already seen this film - I have already seen this film. We have met before - We met before.
- Achievements of one person or group of people. When it is necessary to highlight in speech exactly the action that resulted in a visible or tangible result, the Present Perfect is always used. Example sentences focusing on achievements: We have already done all this difficult work - We have already done all this difficult work. The engineers have already designed the project - The engineers have already designed the project.
- Various changes occurring over a period of time. If the moment when the changes began appears, then it begins with the word since - since. Examples: Since we met last time, you have change a lot - Since we last met, you have changed a lot. The situation has become worse since they stopped working - The situation has become worse since they stopped working.
- Any situations where there is a tangible result after the action has passed. Wherever there is a sense of satisfaction from the action performed, as well as the action itself, the Present Perfect should be used. Sample sentences: I have just cooked the dinner - I justcooked dinner. The boy has done his homework - The boy has done his homework.
How is Present Perfect different from Past Simple
Learning to distinguish between the simple past tense and the present complete is a big problem for beginners to learn English. In fact, there is no great difficulty in this, and it is enough just to practice more after understanding the grammar in theory. So the differences are:
- Past simple or simple past tense has nothing to do with the present. All events occurred at some point in the past, and the exact time when this event occurred usually appears.
- There are specific keywords that will immediately point to a particular time. For example, for the past tense, these words are as follows: yesterday - yesterday, ago - back, last - the past, the exact designation of the date in the past. As for the second tense, the words are: just - just now, already - already, yet - still, since - since then.
- Also, the tense is indicated by the form of the verb: perfect or not. If the view is imperfect, then this is the simple past tense, if not, then the present perfect.
Real Perfect Continuous
It turns out that there is also a completely unusual mixture of continuous and perfect tenses. How rich is English! Present Perfect Continuous is the name of this tense. It is unusual in that it combines two tenses.
This time is used for thoseactions that began at some point in the past, continued for some time and by now there is already a certain result.
In order to build this time, you need to clearly know how the continuous time and the completed time are built. And the formula is: to have+been+Ving. That is, the obligatory presence of the auxiliary verb have, which for the third person singular turns into has, the verb been and the semantic verb with the ending -ing, indicates the present continuous completed tense.
Some examples of how this tense is used:
I have been waiting for you for a long time - I've been waiting for you for a long time.
She has already been looking for a job for three months - She has been looking for a job for three months.
Both of these examples show actions that started in the past, then continued up to the present and had a result. In the first case, the result is a person who has been waiting for a long time, and in the second case, a person who is still without a job.
Conclusion
Despite the difficulty of using these two tenses for us Russian speakers, who have only one past, present and future tense in their native language, it is not at all difficult to understand and start using them. It is only necessary that they "rest in bed", which requires a certain amount of time. It is during this period that a complete understanding of what Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect is will come. Examples of sentences that you need to pass through yourself, as many as possible,carefully analyzing each of them will help to understand the meaning of these tenses more clearly.
It will take quite a bit, and you will use these once incomprehensible tenses in speech without hesitation!
