Present Perfect

Present perfect

+ Present Perfect Passive and Present Perfect Continuous

overview

Present Perfect Passive

Form

Use

Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect or Past Simple?

Simple or Continuous?

form

have/has + past participle (3. kolona)

use

Unfinished past

experience

present result

UNFINISHED PAST - an action that started in the past and still continues

Past

unfinished past

present

We have lived in this house for 25 years.

experience

- an experience that happened at some time in one's life.

• the action is finished, but the effects are still felt
• exactly when is not important

Have you ever tried skydiving?

present result

- a past action that has a clear present result

• usually in the recent past

I've already done my homework.

Time expressions

- ever, never, before, already, just, yet, recently, lately, for, since

FOR+ period of time (five years, ages, two weeks...) SINCE + point in time (yesterday, 1991, last week...)

be careful with been and gone She's been to London. Bila je u Londonu. = experience at an unspecified time in the past She's gone to London. Otišla je u London. (i sad je tamo) = present result

Present Perfect or Past SImple?

I've lived in Paris for six years. (And I still live there.) - Živim u Parizu već 6 godina. I lived in Paris for 6 years. (Now I live somewhere else.) - Živjela sam u Parizu 6 godina.

Present Perfect Simple Passive

= have been/has been + Past Participle, for BOTH the Simple and the Continuous. They have been building the swimming pool… /The swimming pool has been built…

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

=(have / has been) and the Present Participle or the – ing form of the main verb. Interrogative form is made by inversion and negative by putting NOT between the auxiliary and the main verb. Short negative forms can also be used (haven’t, hasn’t).

USE

*to describe an activity that is incomplete I’ve been reading a book about astrology.- Čitam knjigu o astrologiji. (I haven’t finished it yet.) *to focus on the activity, not the result or consequence of that activity You look tired. What have you been doing? – Izgledaš umorno. Što si radio?

USE

*to emphasise how long the activity has been going on. Thus, we don’t typically use this tense with verbs which describe an action that lasts a short time, such as begin, break, finish, start, stop, etc.He’s been reading that book for over two weeks. – Čita tu knjigu već više od dva tjedna. *to describe an action which began in the past and continues up to now, but is seen as a temporary state or activity She’s been living here for six months. – Živi ovdje već šest mjeseci. (And she intends to move!)

SIMPLE OR CONTINUOUS?

SIMPLE - completed action, with final numbers or quantity, state verbs CONTINUOUS - duration, longer time, temporary activity, repeated actions

that is all!