Grammar · Lesson 6 of 15
The perfect tenses
Present perfect, past perfect and future perfect: talk about experiences, changes over time and what happened before something else.
In this lesson you will
- use the present perfect for experiences, changes and situations that continue to now
- choose between for and since
- use the past perfect to show what happened earlier in a story
- meet the future perfect and the present perfect continuous
Grammar
The present perfect: have / has + past participle
The present perfect connects the past to now. In Speaking Part 1, you'll use it all the time:
| Use | Example from our model answers |
|---|---|
| Experiences (no specific time) | Yes, I have to admit I've fallen for a few. · I've even nodded off in a lecture once or twice. |
| Situations that started in the past and continue now (with for / since) | My best friend and I have known each other since we were six. · I've had a licence for two years. |
| Changes with a result now | My city has grown very fast. · Computers have become indispensable for students. |
Careful: with a finished time (yesterday, last year, in 2019, when I was a child) use the past simple: I went to a stand-up show last year, not I have been to a stand-up show last year.
Present perfect or past simple?
- Have you ever been to a historical museum? Yes, last summer I ______ to the Terracotta Army museum in Xi'an.
- We ______ in this flat for about eight years.
- I ______ piano lessons when I was a child.
- A lot of new coffee shops ______ in my area recently.
- I ______ a full-length mirror when I moved into my flat.
- Since then I ______ a bit of guitar from online videos.
For or since?
For + a period of time (two years, ages). Since + a starting point (2019, I was six, last summer).
- I've worked here ___ about two years.
- We've been friends ___ secondary school.
- I haven't seen my primary school teachers ___ I moved schools.
- I've wanted a dog ___ as long as I can remember.
- The old town has changed a lot ___ I was a child.
Past perfect
had + past participle
Use the past perfect when you tell a story about the past and need to show that something happened earlier:
- By lunchtime, though, I'd made a couple of friends. (the friends came before lunchtime)
- Once, yes, after I'd been out shopping all afternoon. (shopping came first, then I lost my keys)
- Because it had been handed down from his own father, it's a real family heirloom.
Complete the story
Use the past simple or the past perfect of the verbs in brackets.
When I (get) to the station, the train (already / leave). I (realise) that I (forget) to check the timetable, so I (wait) for an hour in the café.
Two more
Present perfect continuous and future perfect
- Present perfect continuous (have been + -ing) emphasises an activity that has continued up to now: I've been learning English for ten years. · How long have you been living there?
- Future perfect (will have + past participle) talks about something finished before a future time: By next summer, I'll have graduated. This is very useful for questions about your plans.
Complete the answers
- How long have you been living in your hometown? I (live) there all my life.
- Do you have any plans for the next five years? By then, I hope I (finish) my master's degree.
- I'm exhausted, because I (study) all day.
Speaking practice
Use the perfect tenses in your answers
These Part 1 questions are perfect for the present perfect. Answer each one out loud in two to four sentences, and record yourself.
- How long have you lived there? (Home)
- Have you ever lost anything? (Lost and found)
- Do you have a friend you have known for a long time? (Friends)
- Have you ever returned anything you bought online? (Shopping)
- What changes have there been in your area recently? (The area you live in)
Press Record, answer out loud, then listen back.
Model: “Yes, my best friend and I have known each other since we were six, so it's a lifelong friendship, and we've always got on well. Although a lot of school friends drift apart or lose touch after graduation, we've made an effort to stay close.” (Friends)
Lesson written for Tips4IELTS. All examples come from our Speaking Part 1 model answers.