#Present perfect vs past perfect spanish how to#

present perfect I saw that film yesterday. The present perfect is used to refer to an action that occurred in the past and has present consequences or to an action that began in the past and may continue.Įxamples: Past simple vs.The past simple is typically used to refer to an action that occurred at a definite time in the past and will not continue.I’ve worked on this project since yesterday.īoth the present perfect and past simple refer to past action.Examples: Present perfect and prepositions Laura has eaten at this restaurant before.Įxpressions that refer to a specific time (e.g., “last week,” “yesterday”) are typically used along with a preposition (e.g., “for,” “since”). Examples: Present perfect and adverbsJoseph has never lived in South Africa. Jennifer has left, and Henry has arrived.Īs the present perfect refers to an action that occurred at an unspecified time in the past, sentences in the present perfect commonly use adverbs that refer to non-specific time (e.g., “ever,” “never,” “once,” and “so far”).I’ve cleaned the kitchen and cooked dinner.NoteWhen the present perfect occurs more than once in a sentence and refers to the same subject, the second verb can be written without the auxiliary verb “have.” If the second instance refers to a different subject, a conjugated form of the auxiliary verb should be included. Examples: Present perfect and future simple I’ll call you as soon as I’ve arrived.Īfter Anna has presented the report, we’ll take a short break. In these instances, the present perfect clause is usually preceded by a subordinating conjunction (e.g., “when,” “until”).

The present perfect can also be used along with future simple tense constructions to describe a future action.

#Present perfect vs past perfect spanish how to#

Examples: How to use the present perfect I’ve visited Paris twice before. In affirmative present perfect statements, the subject and auxiliary verb are often contracted (e.g., “ I’ve dreamed”). The only exception is the third person singular form (“he,” “she,” “it,” and singular nouns), which uses “has” instead of “have.” The present perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb “have” along with the past participle of the main verb.

It’s used to talk about experience up to now, a change that occurred over time, recent actions (often used with “just”), and unfinished action that is expected to be completed (in the negative, often with “yet”). The present perfect is used to refer to a completed past action that’s relevant to the present or to an action that began in the past and may continue in the present.

Frequently asked questions about the present perfect tense.