The perfect tenses

The perfect tenses are used for actions that are completed or “perfected” by the present, or by a particular point in the past or future.

The three perfect tenses are:

  • the present perfect
  • the past perfect
  • the future perfect.

The present perfect tense

The present perfect tense is used for actions that finished in the past, but which affect the present.

   How it is formed

  • To form the present perfect tense of regular verbs, add the present tense of the auxiliary verb to have to the the past participle of the main verb. (To form the past participle, add -ed to the base form of the verb.)

         Example: have/has + verb + ed (e.g. have/has walked)

  • To form the present perfect tense of irregular verbs, refer to the table of irregular verbs to find the correct past participle.

 

Examples

  • I have finished sweeping the kitchen floor so I can now wash the dishes.
  • Luis has finished his assignment, but wants to check it one last time.
  • The service has begun so please keep quiet.
  • They have decided to have an early night so will not be going to the party.
  • The easterly wind has brought the rain.
  • Lisa has swum from Robben Island to Cape Town.

<alt="swimmer in black wetsuit and red cap swimming in ocean, showing Table Mountain in the background">


The past perfect tense

The past perfect tense is for actions that were completed in the past before something else happened.

 

   How it is formed

  • To form the past perfect tense of regular verbs, add the past tense of the auxiliary verb to have (had) to the past particle of the main verb.

         Example: had + verb + ed (e.g. had walked)

 

 

Examples

  • My match had finished before the rain started.
  • The aeroplane had landed by the time we got to the airport.
  • Marus and Maria have dated since high school.
  • Lenny had eaten his supper by the time his mother arrived home from work.
  • The two children had already finished primary school when their younger brother was born.
  • The giraffe had eaten the acacia tree before the tourists arrived.

<alt="giraffe bending neck to eat from low bush.">

 


The future perfect

The future perfect tense is used for actions that are expected to take place before a particular time in the future.

   How it is formed

  • To form the simple future tense, add the future form of the verb to have (will have) to the past participle of the main verb.

         Example: will have + verb + ed (e.g. will have walked)

Examples

  • Maria will have finished the report before she leaves the office.
  • We will have lived in Cape Town for 20 years by the end of August.
  • My grandparents will have arrived at the station by the time I get there.
  • By the time you read this letter, I will have left.
  • I will have finished writing this blog post before I leave the office tonight.
  • They will have spent all their savings by the time they get back from their around-the-world trip.

Refer to the verb timeline always when you are learning about verbs.

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Thank you for reading this post.

  • Want to practise your grammar in context and take your knowledge of English to the next level?
  • Why not subscribe to my weekly grammar quiz and worksheets. 

Select the option to subscribe at the bottom of this page.