Present Perfect tense with Yet & Already
Learn how to use the present perfect tense (have / has + past participle) with “just”, “yet” & “already” in this free English grammar lesson. This lesson is part of a complete Elementary English Course. The exercises for this project are here.
How to Form the Present Perfect Simple
Present perfect Simple
Have / Has + Past Participle
| Subject | Auxiliary verb | Example of subject + auxiliary verb + past participle |
|---|---|---|
| I | have | I have arrived |
| You | have | You have arrived |
| He / She / It | has | He has arrived / she has arrived / It has arrived |
| We | have | We have arrived |
| They | have | They have arrived |
These examples show the present perfect in use.
- He has gone.
- She has eaten.
- I have done it.
Negatives
These examples show negative forms of the present perfect. The auxiliary verb is negated with not. it can be written as have not, has not or contracted to haven’t or hasn’t.
| Subject | Negative auxiliary verb (no contraction) | Negative auxiliary verb (with contraction) | Example of subject + negative auxiliary verb + past participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | have not | haven’t | I haven’t arrived |
| You | have not | haven’t | You haven’t arrived |
| He / She / It | has not | hasn’t | He hasn’t arrived / she has arrived / It has arrived |
| We | have not | haven’t | We haven’t arrived |
| They | have not | haven’t | They haven’t arrived |
- She hasn’t gone.
- She has not eaten.
- I haven’t done it.
Questions
When we make questions in the present perfect we change the order of the subject (I, you, he, she, etc…) and the auxiliary verb (have / has).
| Subject | Auxiliary verb | Example of subject + auxiliary verb + past participle |
|---|---|---|
| I | have | Have I arrived? |
| You | have | Have you arrived? |
| He / She / It | has | Has he arrived? / Has she arrived? / Has it arrived? |
| We | have | Have we arrived? |
| They | have | Have they arrived? |
Here are some examples of questions formed in the present perfect.
- has she gone?
- Has she eaten?
- Have I done it?
When do we use the present perfect?
We use the past perfect tenses to talk about;
- Recent actions.
- Actions in an unfinished time.
- General past experiences (ever, in my life).
Present Perfect for Recent Past Actions
Recent events and news can be described by the present perfect tenses.
- “I’ve been working a lot lately.”
- “Tom and Rosa have had a baby!”
- “I’ve recently started a new job.”
Present Perfect Tenses for Unfinished Times
Whether the time that we say something happened is finished or not can dictate whether we use the present perfect or the past simple.
Some unfinished times that go with the present perfect;
- Today,
- this week,
- this month,
- this year,
- recently,
- in my life.
Present Perfect for the General Past
We can use the present perfect tenses to talk about actions and states in the general (unspecified) past.
- I’ve been to Paris a few times.
- I’ve finished my exams.
To specify exactly when something happened you need to use the past simple;
- I went to Paris in 1998, 1999 & 2005.
- I did my last exam last Friday.
Past simple for specific past times or events
It is common to ask questions about the general past using the present perfect tenses and then change tense to talk about the details in the past simple tense;
- Have you ever been to Paris?
- Yes I have, I went last year.
or ;
- Have you ever met a celebrity?
- Yes I have, I met Mick Jagger at a bar once.
This lesson about the past simple and the present perfect gives more details about the differences between these tenses.
Just, Yet & Already
Just
We use the word just to say that something happened very recently.
Just goes before the main verb.
- They have just arrived! (They have arrived very recently).
- I have just finished. (I finished a few minutes ago).
Yet
We use yet and already with the present perfect to say that something has or hasn’t happened before the present moment.
We use yet with negative verbs and questions.
- I haven’t finished yet. (it is not finished at this time).
- They haven’t arrived yet. (At this moment they are not here, perhaps they will come soon).
Already
Already is used with a positive verb. It is placed before the main verb.
- I don’t want any food thanks, I have already eaten.
- I don’t want to watch that film, I have already seen it. I saw it at the cinema last year.
Exercises
Check that you understand how to use this tense with the exercises below.