Learn to avoid typical Present Perfect mistakes like confusing it with the Past Simple tense or misusing "since" and "for" at our San Diego school's English language course, ensuring confident communication.
What makes learning the Present Perfect so challenging? Some irregular verbs and their forms are tricky to memorize, indeed. But even though you know them, they don’t do the trick. Well, the Present Perfect is so difficult to grasp not only because of the long list of irregular verbs but also because it has no equivalents in many other languages and expresses various meanings.
You still keep making some mistakes while you converse with your friends. So, until you find an English language coirse in San Diego that suits you best, read this article as we discuss the most common Present Perfect mistakes and how to avoid them. Read on!
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Mastering the Present Perfect Tense is a trial and error process, and you’ll definitely make a lot of mistakes along the way. Let’s examine the most typical ones.
Whenever we talk about a definite point in the past, we need the Past Simple Tense. But if the period is unfinished, if we don’t specify when something occurred, or if an activity started in the past and lasts up to the present moment, we need the Present Perfect.
We need a Past Simple form in this sentence because we have a precise time something occurred: Monday.
On the other hand, in this sentence, we have a Present Perfect verb form as the period hasn’t ended yet.
In this example, we have an activity that started in his early childhood and hasn’t finished yet.
Since and for are the most common Present Perfect indicators, but unfortunately can’t be used interchangeably. We use since with a period, but if we want to emphasize how long something has lasted, we need for.
NB: for can be used in other tenses too.
Whenever we discuss an immediate, ongoing, or recent event, we use the Present Perfect Simple with this is the first time construction:
Is this the first time you’ve sung this song?
However, we can’t use the Present Perfect Continuous for stative verbs (know, like, love, etc.)
Wrong: I have been knowing her for ages.
Right: I have known her for ages.
Wrong: I have been reading 3 books this week.
This sentence means that you have been reading 3 books simultaneously and that you haven’t finished reading them.
Right: I have read 3 books this week.
This example indicates you’ve finished all 3 books.
How does the Present Perfect sound now? Not easy, right? Wait until you learn about the Past Perfect and the most common mistakes students make while using it.
But don’t let these tenses terrify you. Simply come to the College of English Language, and let our experienced teachers assist you in your language learning journey in one of our hi-tech classrooms in the vicinity of Balboa Park. We are waiting for you!
