Present Perfect – I have done (2)
When we speak about our LIFE EXPERIENCE:
You want to speak about the past? => Preterit tense.
You want to speak about your experiences? => Present Perfect form (have + past participle).
-Dear Ambassador, have you been in many countries?
-Yes, I’ve been in 35 countries. I’ve visited many cities.
-Really? Where have you been?
-I’ve been to Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, Brasil, Paraguay, blablabla…
-Have you been to London?
-Yes, of course, I’ve been to London, but only with my family.
-You’re a lucky man, always travelling…
-Yes, sure!
Here, we are talking about the past until …. tonight, NOW, recently, this moment, the present,
so we use the form HAVE BEEN / HAVE DONE
Timescale:
past ————————-> now (time of speaking) ——–> future
past —I’ve been to …—–> now (time of speaking)
We use the Present Perfect
1/ when the period is not finished at the time of speaking:
Keywords: the last hours, the last days, the last month, recently, etc …
today, this afternoon, this morning, this month, this term, this year, etc …
I’ve seen Peter this afternoon.
I haven’t worked a lot this term.
2/ This is the first time something is happening?
Keywords: this is the first time ….
This is the first time I have lost my keys.
This is the second time You have broken the car.
This is the third time He has met her.
BUT: if you refer to the past, with yesterday, last year, when I was young, last night, in the 1990’s, => it’s the past = PRETERIT and not the present perfect !
I heard that song for the first time when I was twenty.
(when I was fourteen = past = preterit).
I‘ve heard that song many times.
(until the moment of speaking = life experience = present perfect).
- 009: Present Perfect: I have done
- 010: Present Perfect: I have done, about our life experience (2)
- 010: Present Perfect until now …
- 010: Present Perfect with SINCE and FOR
- 011: Present Perfect Continuous: I have been doing
- 012: Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous?
- 012: Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous? (2)