Tenses · CEFR B1 · Independent
Present Perfect — English tenses
Started earlier, matters now. No finished time is mentioned.
The shape
have / has + third form
Talk about experience and about what has changed.
In Hindi
काम पहले हुआ, पर असर अब है। कोई पक्का समय नहीं बताया जाता।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I have gone there last year. | I went there last year. A finished time like "last year" needs the past simple. |
Present Perfect examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
They have not replied yet.
उन्होंने अभी तक जवाब दिया नहीं।
She has already left the office.
वह पहले ही ऑफ़िस से निकल चुकी है।
She has already sent the file.
वह पहले ही फ़ाइल भेज चुकी है।
She has already finished her work.
वह पहले ही अपना काम ख़त्म कर चुकी है।
She has already booked the ticket.
वह पहले ही टिकट बुक कर चुकी है।
She has already met the client.
वह पहले ही क्लाइंट से मिल चुकी है।
They have not seen the report yet.
उन्होंने अभी तक रिपोर्ट देखी नहीं।
They have not paid the bill yet.
उन्होंने अभी तक बिल भरा नहीं।
They have not confirmed the date yet.
उन्होंने अभी तक तारीख़ पक्की की नहीं।
They have not started the work yet.
उन्होंने अभी तक काम शुरू किया नहीं।
Learn these first
These come first. The rest of this makes more sense once they are automatic.
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- Present Perfect ContinuousB2Say how long you have been doing something
- already / yet / just / everB1Say whether something has happened or not, yet
- for / sinceB1Say how long, without the mistake everybody makes
- Past SimpleA1Tell somebody what happened yesterday
Questions people ask
- What is the present perfect used for?
- Started earlier, matters now. No finished time is mentioned. In practice: talk about experience and about what has changed.
- How do you form the present perfect?
- have / has + third form.
- What is the most common mistake with the present perfect?
- Saying “I have gone there last year.” instead of “I went there last year.”. A finished time like "last year" needs the past simple.
Where present perfect fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Present Perfect is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to tenses. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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