1 Present Perfect (Grammar) (1/3)

PRESENT PERFECT AND THE PAST

Sylvia Grade


Why is
                I have handed in my dissertation last week.       WRONG,
and
                I have handed in my dissertation.                      CORRECT?
 

Some languages have a past tense and a perfect tense to talk about past time; and a present tense which refers to present time. English, however, has got  PRESENT perfect, a tense which relates a past action to the present. By using the expression last week in our example above we definitely place the action in the past and thus separate it from the present: as a result, we have to use the simple past.
 
The present perfect always has a link to the present. When we use a verb in the present perfect we want to know how this activity affects our situation now. When exactly it happened is not important.
 
A past action has an effect NOW
I’ve handed in my dissertation.                                   Iam so relieved! No more burning the candle at both ends!

Our printer has broken down.                                     It is not working now. You cannot use it. We need to call the repair service.
 

A single / repeated action in a time period THAT IS STILL GOING ON
I’ve been writing emails all morning.                                    It is still morning. And Iam exhausted already.

I’ve spoken at a conference twice.                                       Iam talking about my life/experiences up to now without mentioning an exact date.

I’ve worked here since 2004.                                               I still work here.
 

Important indefinite adverbials that show unfinished time include:
        since (with a point in time), for (with a period of time), so far, up till now, recently, lately,
        all my life, all morning (it is still morning), today, this week (month, year ...), already, (not)
        yet, just, ever, never, before
Do not forget that already is used to say that something happened sooner than expected. Yet, on the
other hand, occurs only in questions and negative sentences.
         I’ve already written the report, but I haven’t submitted it yet.        
 

What is the difference between
Peter has been married twice.   and   Peter was married twice.
Have you seen the Matisse Cut-Outs exhibition?   and  Did you see the Matisse Cut-Outs exhibition?
 
In the first sentence Peter is alive and kicking, and might get married a third time. The time period (= his life) is not finished yet. In the second sentence the past tense immediately tells us that Peter is dead. When we use the present perfect with the Matisse Cut-Outs we wish to express that the exhibition is still on – and, luckily, you can still see it. Using the past tense signals the exhibition is over.
 

Placing an action in the PAST
There are quite a number of keywords that indicate an action took place in the past. To mention only the most important ones:
                yesterday, ago, last (week, month ...), in 2013, in February, on Monday, at 5 o’clock
 
Our printer broke down on Wednesday.                           But, no worries. Itis OK again. You can use it.

I wrote emails all morning yesterday.                              It is not that morning any longer. And I have had a good night’s sleep.


Where did you buy your laptop?                                      ... when you were out shopping the other day.
                                                                                    Similar to a when? a where? places an action firmly in the past.

Did you have a good holiday?                                          You are back here. The holiday is over.
 

The past tense for more details
As the past tense gives information about the time of an action, we normally use it for follow-up questions which ask about more information.
 
 
I’ve been to our London office.                                         Really? When did you go? What did you do?
 

FOR with present perfect and with the past tense
Depending on the tense used with for it can either mean “seit” (for and present perfect) or “für einen Zeitraum von” (for and a past tense).
 
I’ve been at the University of Stuttgart for 3 years.                I’m still at Stuttgart University.

I was at the University of Stuttgart for 3 years. Now              I was at Stuttgart for a period of three years.
 
Explanations:
To burn the candle at both ends           to become very tired by doing too much and not sleeping enough

To be alive and kicking                        to be in good health and active

To have a good night’s sleep                to sleep well
 
 
The Use of the Present Perfect in American English
 
In American English present perfect can often be replaced with the past tense, especially with words such as yet, already.
 
Did you see the new Almodóvar film yet?
I sprained my ankle. (My ankle is still sore and I still have difficulty walking.)
 
While you have the choice in American English between present perfect and the past tense in the examples above, you must use present perfect with since and for even in American English.
 
I have played baseball for 20 years. (i.e. I still play)
Since the changeover to bachelor and master degrees, we have had more applications.