I triennio 3rd class

The present perfect and the present perfect continuous

1. The present perfect: Is used to talk about actions or events, which have present
consequences
I have worked at a pub

I have lost my keys = ho perso le chiavi----- I don’t know when

vs
Last Monday I lost my keys

Last Monday I met Luca = lo scorso lunedì io incontrai Luca

I have met Luca….. ho incontrato Luca

To Meet met met

To eat ate eaten
To be was/were been

The structure of the present perfect is:

Subject + have/has + past participle

There are three main ways that we use the present perfect in English.
The first one is to talk about things that started in the past and continue to the present.
They are unfinished actions.

When we talk about these events or states, we often mention how long the’ve been going
on for or when they started:

- I have lived in the UK all my life

- She has been at university since 1999
- William and I have been married for three months
- Studio le percussioni dal 2012:
Presente Perfetto
I have studied the percussions since 2012
I HAVE STUDIED THE PERCUSSIONS FOR 10 YEARS
I have worked
I have eaten

Since-
For –
 The second way that we use the present perf. is to talk about our experiences up to the
present.
When we do this, we don’t talk about exactly when something happened. SO the time is
not specified!!
We are just generally telling somebody about our life experiences.
- I have been to the UK three times
- We have met the Queen
- My daughter has read all the Harry Potter books.

Finally, we also use the present perfect to talk about past events and actions that have
consequences in the present.
- I have eaten breakfast, so I’m not hungry.
- Lucy has lost her keys, so she is going to be late for work.
So=perciò

2. The present perfect continuous: for an action that started in the past and continues to the
present:
I have been working for three hours today (I’m still working now, but I started three hours
ago)
I have been playing the drums since 2018 - since I was 3 years old da quando
Io ho stato suonando = io suono dal 2018

I have played the drums since 2012 = io ho suonato

I have been playing the drums since 2012

I have been playing percussions for 10 years.

I have been playing percussions since 2012.

The structure of the present perfect continuous is:

Subject + have/has + been +verb-ing

We use this tense to talk about something that has started in the past and continues to the
present. It might sound very similar to the present perfect, but there are a few key differences.
One big difference is the structure:
I have been eating chocolate.

With the present perfect continuous, we often use it to talk about things that we have been doing
uninterrupted that haven’t finished.
We use this tense to emphasise HOW LONG something HAS BEEN HAPPENING.
- I have been watching that tv show for weeks
- Ellen has been replying to emails for two hours already.

We use it to talk about things that have been done recently (recentemente) or lately
(ultimamente):
 - Look! It’s been snowing for hours
- I have been practicing my football skills a lot recently.

We use the present perfect cont. with since and for.

- I’ve been studying English since 2003

We usually don’t use the present perf. cont. to talk about states, FOR EXAMPLE: TO LOVE, TO
HATE, TO BELIEVE, TO UNDERSTAND; TO KNOW

You wouldn’t say: I have been belonging to a band for a long time.
You would say: I have belonged to a band for a long time.

You can say: I’ve know her for years;

You cannot say: I’ve been knowing her for years.

- They have been trying to call you all day.

- She hasn’t been feeling well lately.
With the verbs: TO LIVE, TO STUDY and To WORK there’s no difference between the
present perfect and the present perf. cont.

Io studio inglese dal 2017

Sometimes there is a difference in meaning between these two tenses.

1. The present perf. cont. Is used to emphasise the amount of time that has passed.
 2. The present perfect is generally neutral.
e.g.
She’s been working for hours! Lei lavora da ore MORE EMPHASIS ABOUT THE TIME
THAT HAS PASSED!
She’s worked for hours! Lei lavora da ore
3. THE PRESENT PERF. is used to talk about how much or how many:

e.g She has eaten three pieces of toast this morning

VS
She has been eating three pieces of toast this morning it doesn’t work

4. The present perf. cont. often focuses on the action itself whereas the present perf. focuses
on the completion of the action.

e.g. I’ve been watching the TV series you recommended – I’m still watching it
I’ve watched the TV series you recommended - I’ve finished watching it.

She has been seeing

She has seen

5. With the present perf. we can use YET and ALREADY

Io ho già visto il film

Hai già visto il film?

Ripasso:
Prepositions of time:

In the present
In the past
In the future

Translate:

- Nel futuro vorrei sposarmi

- In passato, studiai tanto a scuola (to study hard)

In 1991
In the 80s
In the 19th century

Translate:

- Sono nato nel 1994

- Sono nato negli anni 90
- Mio nonno nacque nel diciannovesimo secolo

In summer
In the winter
In autumn
In spring

Translate:
- In autunno mi piace guardare le foglie che cadono
- In primavera mi sento davvero positiva
- In estate vado al mare

In June
In November
In a few weeks
In five weeks’time

- A Novembre sarò trentenne

- Fra tre settimane finirà la scuola

In the morning
In the afternoon
In the evening

At night
 Idiomatic expressions

1. A drop in the ocean: a very small or insignificant part of something

bigger:

2. Actions speak louder than words: better to do something rather than only talking:
Stop apologizing and prove to me that I can trust you: actions speak louder than
words.
3. To add fuel to the fire: to exacerbate a problem, to make a problem worse:
Don’t tell her about the delays: you’ll just be adding fuel to the fire
4. The ball is in your court: it is your turn to make the next step or decision:
I’ve done all I can do, the ball is in your court, now.
2. To bend over backwards: to do whatever it takes to help someone:
Our company is bending over backwards to satisfy our customers.
3. To bite off more than you can chew: to take a task that is too big, or more tasks at the
same time
I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with this project.
4. By the skin of one’s teeth: to only just succeed at something by a narrow margin
I think that I might have passed that exam by the skin of my teeth!
5. To cry wolf- to call for help when you don’t need it.

Watch a video:

Peppa Pig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By21aLT3Qq0

Student 1: What are you doing in the holidays?

Student 2:

- the jungle
- the desert
- the south pole
- the mountains
- the park

Student 1: What would you do if your car broke down?

Student 2:

Student 1: Can I borrow your car?

Student 2:

Student 1: Are you expert at map reading?

Student 2:

- What animals are mentioned in this episode?

Translate:

- clever clogs= a person who is irritatingly intelligent

- upside down=
- swings=
- that might be tricky=
- I’ll do my best=
- to spoil something=
- to climb mountains=
- to reach the sky=
- to go backwards=
- to land=
- to take off=
To lend= dare in prestito
To borrow= prendere in prestiyo
- to fly around the world=
- what did it look like?
- stay quite=
- keep quite=