Present perfect forming the present perfect

PRESENT PERFECT
FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT

Affirmative
Subject	to have	past participle
She	has	visited.
Negative
Subject	to have + not	past participle
She	has not (hasn't)	visited.
Interrogative
to have	subject	past participle
Has	she	visited?
Negative interrogative
to have + not	subject	past participle
Hasn't	she	visited?

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called 'Verbs'.
TO WALK, PRESENT PERFECT

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I have walked	I haven't walked	Have I walked?
You have walked	You haven't walked.	Have you walked?
He, she, it has walked	He, she, hasn't walked	Has he, she, it walked?
We have walked	We haven't walked	Have we walked?
You have walked	You haven't walked	Have you walked?
They have walked	They haven't walked	Have they walked?

FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT PERFECT
The Present Perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.
BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same.
THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO DESCRIBE

• 
  An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)
  
• 
  An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)
  
• 
  A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal several times.
  
• 
  An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'. I have just finished my work.
  
• 
  An action when the time is not important. He has read 'War and Peace'. (= the result of his reading is important)
  

Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past. Read more about choosing between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.
ACTIONS STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUING IN THE PRESENT

• 
  They haven't lived here for years.
  
• 
  She has worked in the bank for five years.
  
• 
  We have had the same car for ten years.
  
• 
  Have you played the piano since you were a child?
  

WHEN THE TIME PERIOD REFERRED TO HAS NOT FINISHED

• 
  I have worked hard this week.
  
• 
  It has rained a lot this year.
  
• 
  We haven't seen her today.
  

ACTIONS REPEATED IN AN UNSPECIFIED PERIOD BETWEEN THE PAST AND NOW.

• 
  They have seen that film six times
  
• 
  It has happened several times already.
  
• 
  She has visited them frequently.
  
• 
  We have eaten at that restaurant many times.
  

ACTIONS COMPLETED IN THE VERY RECENT PAST (+JUST)

• 
  Have you just finished work?
  
• 
  I have just eaten.
  
• 
  We have just seen her.
  
• 
  Has he just left?
  

WHEN THE PRECISE TIME OF THE ACTION IS NOT IMPORTANT OR NOT KNOWN

• 
  Someone has eaten my soup!
  
• 
  Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'?
  
• 
  She's studied Japanese, Russian, and English.
  

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed	Example
after a final e only add d	love – loved
final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled	admit – admitted travel – travelled
final y after a consonant becomes i	hurry – hurried

Simple Present
FORM
[VERB] + s/es in third person
Examples:

• 
  You speak English.
  
• 
  Do you speak English?
  
• 
  You do not speak English.
  

Complete List of Simple Present Forms
USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.
Examples:

• 
  I play tennis.
  
• 
  She does not play tennis.
  
• 
  Does he play tennis?
  
• 
  The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
  
• 
  The train does not leave at 9 AM.
  
• 
  When does the train usually leave?
  
• 
  She always forgets her purse.
  
• 
  He never forgets his wallet.
  
• 
  Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
  
• 
  Does the Sun circle the Earth?
  

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.
Examples:

• 
  Cats like milk.
  
• 
  Birds do not like milk.
  
• 
  Do pigs like milk?
  
• 
  California is in America.
  
• 
  California is not in the United Kingdom.
  
• 
  Windows are made of glass.
  
• 
  Windows are not made of wood.
  
• 
  New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.
  

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.
Examples:

• 
  The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
  
• 
  The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
  
• 
  When do we board the plane?
  
• 
  The party starts at 8 o'clock.
  
• 
  When does class begin tomorrow?
  

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

• 
  I am here now.
  
• 
  She is not here now.
  
• 
  He needs help right now.
  
• 
  He does not need help now.
  
• 
  He has his passport in his hand.
  
• 
  Do you have your passport with you?
  

FORMING THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE: TO THINK

Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative
I think	Do I think?	I do not think
You think	Do you think?	You do not think
He thinks	Does he think?	He does not think
She thinks	Does she think?	She does not think
It thinks	Does it think?	It does not think
We think	Do we think?	We do not think.
They think	Do they think?	They do not think.

NOTES ON THE SIMPLE PRESENT, THIRD PERSON SINGULAR

• 
  In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:
  he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.
  
• 
  Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of the verb.
  He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.
  
• 
  Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
  fly --> flies, cry --> cries
  Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
  play --> plays, pray --> prays
  
• 
  Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
  he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes
  

When Should I Use The Present Simple Tense?