PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS - EXPLANATION

HAVE/HAS+VERB in the Past Participle(third form)

I have taken = eu am mancat we have given

You have seen = tu ai vazut you have eaten

He has been = el a fost they have told

She has had= ea a avut

It has flown= el/ea a zburat

It shows an action

- Which has just taken place

- Which has happened at a time not mentioned
- Which started in the past and continues in the present.
- Which took place in the past but its results are obvious in the present

PRESENT PERFECT = from past to present.

It is used:

1.When there is no time expression: We have done the housework.

2. with just(= tocmai, abia) (a recent action): Somebody has just knocked on the door.

3. with already ( affirmative sentences) and yet (in negative and interrogative sentences):

He has already eaten lunch.=( déjà)

Has he eaten lunch yet?( déja) No he hasn’t eaten lunch yet.( inca)

4. with ever/ never before; You have never been to such a museum before.

5. with so far, till now, until now, up to now= pana acum; My friends have been on holiday so far.

6.since= din, de la(( the beginning of an action): I have been at work since early in the morning.

Since 8 o’ clock; since Monday; since January; since 2012; since summer; since I came home;

7. for = timp de( the duration of an action); She has had this cat for two years.

For a long time; for an hour; for three days; for months; for five years; for ages= for a long time;

8.lately= in ultimul timp; It has rained a lot lately;

Recently : We have repaired our car recently.

9.how long= cat timp: How long have you lived here?
10. before: You have seen this book before.

11. for the last/ past two weeks/ three days/ five months/ two hours(= in ultimele doua zile) ; They have
worked in a new office for the past four months.

12.because ( a past action whose effects are felt in the present): She is ill( the effect) because she has eaten too
much ice cream( the action).He is angry( the effect) because he has quarreled with his best friend( the past
action);

13.unfinished past :

-today : I have studied a lot today.

-this week/month/winter/year/ morning/afternoon/evening;

It hasn’t been cold this winter but last winter, it was much colder.

14. adjectives in the superlative and comparative: This is the fastest car I have ever seen. It looks like the best
film we have ever watched; My friend has never ridden a better bicycle before.

15. it’s the first/ the second time: It’s the first time we have eaten seafood.

16.PRESENT PERFECT + SINCE + PAST TENSE: We have waited for you since the bell rang.

They have been friends since they started school.

17.when we OPEN A CONVERSATION we use PRESENT PERFECT; when we ask for DETAILS , we use PAST TENSE:
( details are asked with question words: who, what, when, where, why, how much, how):

“Have you met Lucy? “ “ Yes, I have.”

“ When did you meet her?” “ I met her yesterday afternoon.”

“ Have they phoned you?” “ Yes, they have.”

“ What did they tell you about the trip?”

We use PAST TENSE with such past time expressions( when the time of the action is known):

- Yesterday
- Last week/month/year/ summer, etc.
- Ago: two hours ago, three days ago, five years ago, ten minutes ago, etc.
- At 8 o’clock, at noon, at Christmas, etc.
- - in November, in 2016, in autumn;
- On Saturday, on Friday, etc.
- When: When did you find your missing cat?/ I don’t remember when we found our missing cat.
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

It is made up of: I have been running= am alergat/ alerg

Have/has been + verb + ing You have been writing= tu ai scris/ tu scrii

It expresses:

1.A past action which started in the past which continues in the present and may extend into the future, whose
duration is very important, especially with time expressions such as: since, for, all morning, all day, all week,
etc.

They have been picking strawberries for five hours.( They started picking strawberries five hours ago and they
are still picking strawberries).

2. An action which started and finished in the past( no time expression) and which lasted for some time. The
result of the action is visible in the present:

She is not tired. She has been sleeping for eight hours.( She is not sleeping any more, but the fact that she is
not tired is visible in the present).

3. A past action which is annoying in the present:

Who has been using my computer? ( I am annoyed about this)

Why have you been eating my cakes?

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE VERSUS CONTINUOUS

Present Perf. Simple is used with numbers( the fact that the action happened is important):

We have repaired three computers.

She has read two books this month.

Present perfect continuous is used with

- a.FOR : the duration of the action;

She has been driving for four hours.

They have been working in this office for ten years.

-b.SINCE : the beginning of the action;

They have been sleeping since 9 o’ clock.