present perfect tense
- noun
- /ˈprɛzənt ˈpɜrfɪkt tɛns/
- Specialized
:
tiempo pretérito perfecto
Examples
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Could you make a lesson about the present perfect tense, when we can use it?
Blog text (23) -
The teacher explained that the present perfect tense is used to show actions completed recently.
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In English, the present perfect tense is formed using 'have' plus the past participle of the verb.
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Students often confuse the present perfect tense with the simple past tense in their writing.
Synonyms
1
2.7
A verb tense showing an action finished but connected to now
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is fully compositional: 'present' (current), 'perfect' (completed), and 'tense' (verb time) combine to denote a verb form expressing completed actions with present relevance. This follows standard grammatical naming patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Present perfect tense gives a simple picture: think of a job you have just finished that still matters now, like a room you painted that looks new. The name uses present ('now') and perfect ('finished'), so the tense shows actions that are done but connected to the present.