The present perfect: has gone, have eaten
Past actions that still matter now, how the form is built, and the one word that rules it out.
The answer
The present perfect uses has or have with a past participle, such as she has finished, to talk about something in the past that still matters now.
Examples
He has gone out to play.
The national curriculum’s Year 3 example: he is still out.
I have lost my reading book.
It is still lost now.
The swallows have arrived for the summer.
We have lived here since I was four.
We still live here now.
How to spot it
- Look for has or have followed by a past participle (gone, eaten, finished).
- Ask whether it still matters now. ‘I have lost my book’ means it is still lost.
- The past perfect uses had instead, to look back from a time that is already past.
The common mistake
Using the present perfect with a finished time.
‘I have seen that film yesterday’ does not work. With yesterday or last week, use the simple past: ‘I saw that film yesterday.’
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 3
- On the pupil word list
- Not as a separate term
Year 3 teaches the present perfect instead of the simple past (He has gone out to play, contrasted with He went out to play). Year 5 uses tense choices such as he had seen her before to link ideas across paragraphs.
Try a question
Which sentence uses the present perfect? Tick one.
- Leo finished his painting.
- Leo has finished his painting.
- Leo is finishing his painting.
- Leo will finish his painting.
Show the answer
Answer: Leo has finished his painting.
It uses has with the past participle finished. The others are the simple past, the present progressive and a modal verb.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Maintain consistent tense
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
What is the difference between he went and he has gone?
He has gone to lunch suggests he is still away. He went to lunch just tells you it happened; he may be back already.
What is the past perfect?
Had plus a past participle: I had eaten lunch when you came. It shows something happened before another past moment.
Is ‘I have ate’ right?
No. The present perfect needs the past participle, and for eat that is eaten: I have eaten.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.