Logotipo da escola Sue’s Chat & That com microfone, nome em azul, rosa e amarelo e ilustração de professora apontando
Logotipo da escola Sue’s Chat & That com microfone, nome em azul, rosa e amarelo e ilustração de professora apontando

B1 - Present Perfect Simple 4

Present Perfect Grammar

⏰Present Perfect

🎯The Present Perfect is a tense that connects the past to the present. We use it when we don't say exactly when something happened, or when the action still matters now.

🔧Structure:

have / has + past participle

I / You / We / They → have + past participle
He / She / It → has + past participle

❓When Do We Use Present Perfect?

1️⃣Personal Experience

We use Present Perfect to talk about things we have done one or more times, but we don't say when.

  • 🎮I have played Minecraft three times today.
  • 📺She has watched "Stranger Things" many times.

🛑Mistake Brazilian students often make:

❌ I have visited Disney in 2019. → Wrong, because the year is specific
✅ Use Simple Past: "I visited Disney in 2019."

2️⃣Actions That Started in the Past and Continue Now

We use Present Perfect for things that started before and are still happening.

Words often used: for (por), since (desde), up to now (até agora)

  • 🏙️I have lived in São Paulo for ten years.
  • ⚽She has played football since she was 6.

🛑Mistake: Using Present Perfect for actions that already finished:

❌ I have studied English for three years, but now I stopped.
✅ Use Simple Past: "I studied English for three years, but now I stopped."

3️⃣Time Periods That Are Not Finished

Use Present Perfect for actions in a period that is still ongoing: today, this week, this month, this year.

  • 🍦I have eaten three ice creams today.
  • 🎮She has played Fortnite five times this week.

🛑Mistake: Using Present Perfect for finished periods:

❌ I have played football yesterday.
✅ I played football yesterday. ⚽

4️⃣Achievements or Big Accomplishments

Use Present Perfect for cool achievements, awards, or big events in life.

  • 🏆I have won the school drawing contest!
  • 📚He has read 10 books this year.
  • 📝She has finished all her homework.

💡Tip: We don't need to say exactly when, just that it happened.

5️⃣Past Finished Actions That Affect the Present (PAPR)

Use Present Perfect for actions in the past that have a result now.

Past Actions Present Results (PAPR)

  • 🎒I have lost my backpack. I can't find it!
  • 📱She has broken her phone, so she can't call anyone.

🛑Mistake: Action finished and no effect now → use Simple Past:

❌ I have lost my notebook, but now I found it.
✅ I lost my notebook, but now I found it.

6️⃣Recent Actions

Use Present Perfect for things that happened recently.

Words often used: just (acabou de), recently (recentemente), lately (ultimamente)

  • 🎮I have just finished my video game.
  • 🏫She has recently moved to a new school.
  • 🎬Have you seen any good movies lately?

🛑Mistake: Using Present Perfect with specific past times:

❌ I have seen a movie yesterday.
✅ I saw a movie yesterday.

🇧🇷Tips for Brazilian Students

  • 🚫Don't translate literally – avoid "já" + specific past time.
  • 🔗Focus on the connection to now – result, experience, unfinished actions.
  • 🔑Signal words: for, since, just, already, yet, never, ever, lately, recently.
  • ⚖️Simple Past = finished action in the past; Present Perfect = past + present connection.