PERFECT TENSES The three perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect and future perfect)

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1 PERFECT TENSES The three perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect and future perfect) PRESENT PERFECT FORM OF THE PRESENT PERFECT HAVE/HAS (3 rd person singular : he, she, it) + PAST PARTICIPLE PAST PARTICIPLE REGULAR VERBS: infinitive + -ed IRREGULAR VERBS: see the list of the irregular verbs Actions in the past which have an effect (result) on the present moment I have cleaned my room. Present RESULT = My room is now clean. Recently completed action He has just played handball. When an action starts in the past and continues in the present (the situation still exists) We have lived in Canada since When an action took place at an unspecified time in the past She has already bought her own car. When an action has occurred several times in the past I have seen him many times SIGNAL WORDS: just, yet, never, already, ever, so far, up to now, recently, since, for, twice, many times regular verbs I/we/you/they have opened the window. He/she/it has opened the window. regular verbs I/we/you/they have not opened the window. He/she/it has not opened the window. regular verbs Have I/we/you/they opened the window? Has he/she/it opened the window? irregular verbs I/we/you/they have gone to the supermarket. He/she/it has gone to the supermarket. irregular verbs I/we/you/they have not gone to the supermarket. He/she/it has not gone to the supermarket. irregular verbs Have I/we/you/they gone to the supermarket? Has he/she/it gone to the supermarket?

2 PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (Continuous) FORM OF THE PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE + HAVE/HAS (3 rd person singular : he, she, it) + THE AUXILIARY VERB TO BE IN THE PAST PARTICIPLE FORM: "BEEN". + Main VERB + ING) Continuation in the Present: We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continues in the present. He has been painting the house for 5 hours. (He's still painting it). Past actions recently stopped: Use this tense also to talk about actions that began in the past and have recently stopped. I have been waiting for you for half an hour! (I m not waiting anymore because you have come) Temporary Actions and Situations: We use this tense when an action or situation is temporary. I have been working as a waitress for the past week. SIGNAL WORDS: since, for, etc. Tom has been working as a postman for 30 years now. No, I haven't been crying. I m just tired. How long have you been learning English? GOOD TO KNOW! For and Since Since and for are very common time expressions used with the Present Perfect Continuous. We use for with a period of time, for example: I have been living here for 20 years. When talking about a starting point, we use since, for example: I have been living here since 1960.

3 PAST PERFECT FORM OF THE PAST PERFECT HAD (Past form of the verb TO HAVE) + PAST PARTICIPLE PAST PARTICIPLE REGULAR VERBS: infinitive + -ed IRREGULAR VERBS: see the list of the irregular verbs When an action in the past occurs before another action also in the past. (BOTH ARE COMPLETED) Carl had already left when Matt got home. Third conditional: the so-called hypothetical past: we are talking about things that never happened. If only I had known the answer to that question. (but I didn't!) Reported speech Mary said she had already seen this film. Before I went to the park, I had finished my work. I had not seen this movie before we went to the cinema yesterday to see it. Had she eaten the dinner before she went to the cinema? GOOD TO KNOW! People (especially native speakers) do not use the Past Perfect in such sentences very often. For example, they will say: After I washed my car, I went to fill up. Rather than: After I had washed my car, I went to fill up. This is because "after" or "before" tell the listener which action happened first. Still, keep in mind that it is better to use the Past Perfect, especially in written English or when writing exams. NOTE ABOUT THIRD CONDITIONAL! We use it when talking about a past condition that cannot be fulfilled/completed, because the action in the if-clause didn't happen.

4 PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (Continuous) FORM OF THE PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE + HAD (Past form of the verb TO HAVE) + THE AUXILIARY VERB TO BE IN THE PAST PARTICIPLE FORM: "BEEN". + Main VERB + ING Duration of a Past Action: The main use of the Past Perfect Continuous is to express actions or situations that were in progress before some other actions or situations. I had been dating him for 3 years before we got married. Showing Cause: Use this tense to show cause of an action or situation in the past. The road was wet because it had been raining. Third conditional: the so-called hypothetical past: we are talking about things that never happened. If it hadn't been raining, we would have gone to the park. I had been running for an hour when it started raining. He said he wasn't tired because he hadn't been working that day. For how many hours had Fred been painting the house when the ladder fell? NOTE ABOUT THIRD CONDITIONAL! We use it when talking about a past condition that cannot be fulfilled/completed, because the action in the if-clause didn't happen.

5 FUTURE PERFECT FORM OF THE FUTURE PERFECT WILL + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE PAST PARTICIPLE REGULAR VERBS: infinitive + -ed IRREGULAR VERBS: see the list of the irregular verbs Completion before a specified point in the future: The first use of this tense is to talk about future actions that will be finished before some specified point in the future. John will have eaten the whole cake, by the time the birthday party starts! Duration in the Future: Another use of this tense is to talk about actions will last after a given point in the future. By the next year, I will have known Nellie for 20 years. Certainty about the Near Past: use to express conviction that something happened in the near past. The train will have left by now. We have to look for another way to get there. (I'm sure the train has left) SIGNAL WORDS: by, by the time, before, by tomorrow, next month, until, etc I read 40 pages a day. If I keep up the pace, I will have read the book by Tuesday. They won't (WILL NOT) have graduated from university by the end of the year.. Will you have retired by the end of the year? NOTE ABOUT THE FUTURE The Future Perfect appears in two forms: "will" form and "going to" form which can be used interchangably. Example: "She will have finished" means "she is going to have finished"

6 FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (Continuous) FORM OF THE FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE WILL + HAVE + Main VERB + ING Duration: We use this tense to express situations that will last for a specified period of time at a definite moment in the future. By the next year, Ben and his wife will have been living together for 50 years. Showing Cause: English speakers also use this tense when they want to express certainty about the cause of some future situation. By this time, he will have been working for 12 hours, so he will be very tired. SIGNAL WORDS: by 8 o clock, by tomorrow, next month/month/week, this year, etc We will have been driving 6 hours by the time we get home. She won't (WILL NOT) have been writing the book for four months by the end of October. Will he have been writing the composition for a month by the end of February? IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT DURATION! If duration of an activity (e.g. "since April", "for three hours") is unknown then the Future Continuous should be used instead of the Perfect Form. Example: I will be taking a bath. I will have been taking a bath. GOOD TO KNOW! beginning with "how long" are more common. Examples: How long will you have been learning German this year? How long will you have been trying to get your driving license this week? I hope you'll finally make it!