The perfect tenses: Past, present and future perfect

The perfect tenses in English (present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect) are used to express events that are completed relative to another point in time. Each perfect tense has its own structure and usage, which we will explain step by step! Stay focused.

1. Present Perfect Tense:

The present perfect tense is used to talk about events that started in the past and continue to the present at an unspecified time .

Form:

• Affirmative:

Subject + has or have + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

• Negative:

Subject + has or have + not + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

• Interrogative:

Has or have + subject + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence ?

Examples:

• I have eaten my post-workout meal already. (event completed at an unspecified time.)
• Sarah has lived in Paris for five years. (Action that started in the past and continues.)
• Victoria and Juse haven't finished their homework yet. (Action not completed as of now.)
• Has Noah visited Big Ben before? (Asking about an unspecified time in the past.)

2. Past Perfect Tense:

The past perfect tense is used to talk about an event  that was completed before another action in the past.

Form:

• Affirmative: 

Subject + had + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

• Negative:

Subject + had + not + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

• Interrogative:

             Had + subject + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence +?

Examples:

• By the time Mia arrived, I had finished my work. 
• Alexander had never seen Titanic movie before last night. 
• My cousins  hadn't spoken to each other for years. 
• Had Willy and Hansal met each other before the wedding? 

3. Future Perfect Tense:

The future perfect tense is used to talk about an event that will be completed in the future before another event.

Form:

• Affirmative : 

 Subject + will + have + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

• Negative : 

Subject + will + not + have + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

• Interrogative :

 Will + subject + have + past participle of the verb + the rest of the sentence .

Examples:

• By next year, Chloe will have finished her studies . 
• Lucas won't have received the package by tomorrow. 
• Will you have completed the task by Friday morning ? 

Tasks

Task 1 : present perfect or past simple? Choose the correct tense.

1. Handa  …………(to live) in New York for ten years.
2. I …………… (to see) Harry Potter movie last week.
3. We …………..(not to finish) shopping yet.
4. My neighbors …………….(to buy) a new car last month.
5. Ania …………(to leave) already by the time I arrived .

The correction of Task 1 :

1. Handa has lived in New York for ten years .
2. I saw Harry Potter movie last week .
3. We haven't finished shopping yet .
4. My neighbors bought a new Porsche car last month .
5. Ania had already left by the time I arrived .

Task 2 : Search for the mistake in each of the following sentences then correct it .

1. I have went to the store earlier today.
2. She have seen the movie before.
3. We had never been to that restaurant before.
4. They has already left when I called them.

The correction of Task 2 : 

1. I have gone to my office earlier today .
2. She has seen the movie before.
3. We had never been to that restaurant before. ( this sentence is correct )
4. My friends have already left when I called them .

Task 3 : Complete the following table .

The verb	The past participle of the verb
To be
	Broken
To choose
	Done
To eat
	Made
To see

The correction of Task 3 : 

The verb	The past participle of the verb
To be	Seen
To break	Broken
To choose	Chosen
To do	Done
To eat	Eaten
To make	Made
To see	Seen

Task 4 : Conjugate the verb “to know” in the past , present and future perfect tenses .

The correction of Task 4 :

The tenses	Past perfect	Present perfect	Future perfect
Personal pronouns
I	Had known	Have known	Will have known
You	Had known	Have known	Will have known
He / she / it	Had known	Has known	Will have known
We	Had known	Have known	Will have known
You	Had known	Have known	Will have known
They	Had known	Have known	Will have known

Recapitulation of the lesson

This was our lesson for today . The perfect tenses are essential for indicating actions that have been completed relative to other events in the past, present, or future. With practice, you can master these tenses and use them naturally in conversation and writing.