Advanced Beginner Lesson 3 -
A Widow's Son

Grammar Exercise

ESL with the Bible a widow's son
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This is the fifth part of Advanced Beginner Lesson 3, or you can do it as an individual grammar lesson.

The Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect verb tense is very common and very useful. You can use it to talk about a past action that continues into the present. Here is one example from our lesson. You also saw this sentence in our speaking exercise.

“…God has come to his people.”

Matthew, the writer of this verse, uses the present perfect to tell us that God has come to his people through his Son, Jesus. Jesus came, in the past, and is still here in the present.

 

Present Perfect is a Compound Verb

A “compound verb” needs two words to make one verb.

The first word of the present perfect is always the helping verb “have.” It is conjugated in the present tense:

I have
you have
he/she/it has
we have
they have

The second part of this verb is the action verb in its past participle form. That means that regular verbs have an -ed on the end. Some verbs have irregular past participles, and you will just have to learn them. But don’t worry! Many times these irregular verbs are common verbs, so you will learn and remember them quickly.

Here is another example:

I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me…  (John 15:9)

Jesus began to love us in the past, and it continues into the present. God the Father also loved Jesus, continuing into the present. Present perfect is the correct verb tense to use.

Present Perfect With Irregular Past Participles

Many common verbs have past participles that do not end in -ed. They are irregular, and you just have to learn them. Here are some examples of very common irregular past participles:

  • If you love me, you will do what I have said… (say)  (John 14:21a)
  • …I have told you everything my Father has told me.  (tell) (John 15:15b)
  • …..I have chosen you to leave the world behind… (choose)  (John 15:19b)

“Say,” “tell,” and “choose” are common verbs with irregular past participles.

You Can Use an Adverb With the Present Perfect

It’s very common to use a word like “always,” “never,” “often,” etc. with the present perfect. Just put one of these adverbs between the “have/has” and the participle, like this:

  • …Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do.  (1 Peter 1:5b)
  • How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him?…   (Romans 10:14a)
  • You have often heard me teach…  (2 Timothy 2:2a)

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple 

So what is the difference between the present perfect and the past simple?  When we want to say one event began and ended in the past, we use the past simple.

Jesus went to Galilee.  (“went” is the irregular past simple for “go.”)

That’s one event. It happened in the past, but we don’t know when. Also, we don’t know if Jesus is still in Galilee. Let’s use the present perfect for this sentence:

Jesus has gone to Galilee.  (“gone” is the irregular past participle for “go.”)

The action of the sentence is the same, but the time is different. Now, we can imagine that Jesus went to Galilee and is still there. This is not a one-time event. This is an action that happened in the past and is still happening.

Contractions in the Present Perfect

We know that the present perfect is a compound verb, made with two words. In writing, two words are usually used. But when you are speaking, it’s very common to make contractions, like this:

  • I have eaten = I’ve eaten
  • you have eaten = you’ve eaten
  • he has eaten = he’s eaten
  • she has eaten = she’s eaten
  • it has eaten = it’s eaten
  • we have eaten = we’ve eaten
  • they have eaten = they’ve eaten

Here are some examples:

  • “…We’ve heard that God is on your side…”  (Zechariah 8:23b)
  • “…I’ve been a farmer all my life.”  (Zechariah 13:5b)
  • …He must pay for what he’s done.   Ezekiel (17:19b)

Using the Present Perfect in a Negative Sentence

To make present perfect negative, just put the word “not” after the “have” or “has.”

  • …But you have not listened.  (Jeremiah 25:3b)
  • …I have not forgotten that David was my servant…  (1 Kings 11:13b)

You can make contractions with a negative sentence, too. This time, use the “have/has” and the “not” together, like this:

  • …We haven’t cheated anyone.  (2 Corinthians 7:2b)
  • …Samuel said, “No, the Lord hasn’t chosen him.”  (1 Samuel 16:8b)

Using the Present Perfect in a Question

To make a question using the present perfect, put the “have” or “has” before the subject. 

  • …”Hagar, where have you come from…?”  (Genesis 16:8a)
  • …”Have you noticed this woman?…”  (Luke 7:44b)

You can’t make a contraction when you use the present perfect in a question.

Practice Makes Perfect!

You can use the present perfect in other situations, but the most common is to describe an event that started in the past and continues into the present.

There is a lot of information you can find on the present perfect. There are also interactive quizzes you can do online. Try this worksheet to start. The answers are on the second page.

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