When and How to use Present Perfect Tense
Hola muchachos! It has been too long since my last episode, but I am glad to be back! (Just like Back in Black by AC/DC :)) In this episode you will learn how/when to use the Present Perfect Tense. There are many uses for this tense, but the most common ones are explained in this episode! There is a homework (tarea) for you guys as well!
Transcription:
Hey guys welcome to another episode of English Made Simple….This is Episode 11 numero 11 (once) we’re starting this show a little bit different…. we are starting this show with AC/DC!
Yes, I’ve been away for too long and now I’m glad to be back thank you Brian Johnson That’s Brian Johnson singing from AC/DC did you know that a new singer from ACDC is Axl Rose from the old Guns n Roses…. now he’s the new singer of AC/DC right. There is a street in the city of Melbourne called AC/DC It was named after AC/DC the band because AC DC is Australian right there’s a little trivia for you! Thank you guys for joining in…now my name is Milena. Welcome welcome to English Made Simple I have been really busy this week He estado muy ocupada últimamente.
But now I am back, back in black as AC/DC says…I have been really busy since I arrived in Australia So I’ve been busy visiting my family and now I am finally settling in so I’m able to record this episode for you! hope you didn’t miss me too much :)
In the last episode I started talking about past perfect tense covering a little bit of grammar because there’s (there are) a few questions that people have asked me about Past Perfect and recently the Present Perfect Tense as well.
Ok. So let’s get straight into this guys. Let’s do it!
So the present perfect tense when do we use it talks about actions that began in the past and I still happening now so for example as I mention just before, my personal example I have been really busy since I arrived in Australia last week so I’m still busy but I’ve started to be busy since I arrived in Australia visiting my family… spending time with my family and that’s an example of a present perfect tense. How do we form present perfect tense we use something called an auxiliary verb to have a helping verb to have HAVE + PARTICIPLE. And which leads me to the next point that present perfect is a little bit similar to Spanish… in Spanish we say haber, we use HABER.
It’s a helping verb, HABER + PARTICIPLE. So if I ask you have you seen the latest James Bond movie for example you can tell me yes I have already seen it or No I haven’t seen it yet. We say: Ya la he visto. In the Spanish example, ya la he visto, we use the auxillary verb Haber and then we use the participle Visto. And in English, it’s the same! It’s I have already seen it OR No, I haven’t seen it yet. Another way to use the present perfect tense is to talk about experiences. I can ask you …have you ever been to an AC DC concert? That’s an experience, a concert is an experience. It can be experienced with trying new food going to a new restaurant it can be seeing a movie it can be about travel sports, events any type of events anything to do with experience we would ask questions like: have you ever … have you tried Thai food? Have you tried food from Thailand? That’s what I mean. Right.
Another thing to help you use the present perfect tense we use something called Time Markers or Clues or pistas in Spanish so for example, the words like SINCE, EVER, NEVER, FOR A LONG TIME, FOR A YEAR, FOR A MONTH, ALREADY, JUST, RECENTLY. I can’t think of anymore but There is other words that you can use that…anything to do with time so when I use the example of have you seen the latest James Bond movie you can answer yes I have already seen it so we use the word ALREADY which tells us that I have seen it recently. This is an example of a time marker. Have you ever tried Mexican food for example have you ever tried CEVICHE? ever or never when you answer in a negative form.. I have never tried Ceviche. For example. I love Ceviche, I have tried it, delicious! Muy rico!
Alright here’s a little homework for you guys I want you to try and practice present perfect tense when you talk about experiences you can practice with your brother or your sister with your family members you can practice with your friends when your practice English or you can go to a meetup (meetup.com). A Meetup I mentioned in one of my first few episodes a meetup.com is a place where you can socialize You can find different groups and socialize with people and I’m sure that in your countries you will have a meetup to do with English language, learning English language. So here’s your homework you can go either to a meetup or to talk to your brothers or sisters to practice using Present Perfect Tense something to do with experience.
So if you’re going to meet up OK find a native speaker and you usually recognise them when they try to speak Spanish with a funny accent you know when they say muchas gracias for example alright you know you’ve got an English speaker there! Haha
So, ask them something! Ask them! Hey man have you ever tried Mexican food? Have you ever been to San Cristobal Hill? Uhm.. Cerro San Cristobal in Chile. I don’t know that’s the first thing that came to my mind… have you ever been to Argentina Argentina so this is a simple exercise for you to practice present perfect tense to give you some kind of an idea of when to use it. Now there’s other ways to use this tense but I don’t want to overwhelm you!
All you have to know is that we use it when we talk about experiences and we use it when we talk about an action that happened in the past and it’s still happening now. And I used an example, in my situation… I have been really busy since I arrived in Australia last week. For example. Right. So, does that clarify a little bit about the Present Perfect Tense?
The uses are very similar to the Spanish use of present perfect tense, hopefully you are not confused. I am going to finish off this episode with a few more examples of Present Perfect Tense! Now…
Have you shared this episode with 1000 of your closest friends? :)
Han compartido esto con miles de sus mejores amigos y familiares?
Have you been to my website yet, www.www.englishmadesimple.net?
Han estado en mi pagina web www.www.englishmadesimple.net? Have you been there?
Have you downloaded the Free eBook to help you improve your English?
Han bajado/descargado mi ebook gratis para ayudarles a mejorar tu inglés?
Yes Milena, yes we have, now leave us alone, dejanos en paz, stop asking us these silly questions. Alright alright, whatever :)
Guys, what else? What else would you like to hear on this podcast? I want to help you so POR FAVOR, send me a message, ask me what you would like to learn. Hope you enjoyed this one guys! I’ll speak with you soon. Hasta la vista! Chao!