THE PRESENT PERFECT

MORPHOLOGY: The form is not complicated. It’s the appropriate present tense
conjugation of have followed by the past participle of the main verb. We’ll use go as an
example.
I have gone We have gone
You have gone You have gone
He/she/it has gone They have gone.

Question form is easy too: Have I gone? Have we gone?

Have you gone? Have you gone?
Has he/she/it gone? Have they gone?
Negatives aren’t complicated: I have not gone, or I haven’t gone
You have not gone, or You haven’t gone
He/she/it has not gone or He/she/it hasn’t gone
…
SYNTAX and SEMANTICS: You didn’t think this would be too easy too did you my little
optimist? It’s not. The proper use of this form is probably the most difficult thing in
English grammar for non-Anglos. First, forget the French ‘passé compose’. This isn’t the
same, even though it does look the same.
The present perfect connects the past to the present. It is used in these situations:
- A situation existed in the past and continues to exist in the present. Ex: I have
been at school since nine o’clock this morning (you are still here).

- A situation happened in the past and it could happen again. Ex: I have visited
Quebec City several times. (It’s reasonable to expect that I can return. It’s not
too far from Montreal.)

- A situation happened at some previous time which is not specified. Ex: “Have
you been to Quebec City?” (You aren’t asking when. Remember the two rules for
the past tense…)

- A situation happened in the past, but has a present impact. Ex: You tell a friend
while the two of you are choosing a movie to watch, “I’ve seen Deadpool, like,
six times already”. So I’m basically saying that I don’t want to watch it now.
EXERCISE ONE: Conjugate my friends, conjugate! (Using simple past and present perfect)

Marie (be) IS everywhere, or almost. She (to canoe) HAS CANOED up the Amazon, and she (to
ski) HAS SKIED in the French Alps. Marie (to dine) HAS DINED in Paris, she (to have) HAS high tea
in London, she (to celebrate) HAS CELEBRATED New Year’s Eve in Time Square, and she (to
spend) HAS SPENT time photographing kangaroos in the Outback.

However, there is one exotic and exciting place that Marie (to never see) HAS NEVER SEEN, the
dairy farms of Chambly! For years, she (to dream) HAS DREAMED of seeing the noble Holstein in
its native environment, but she (to never have) HAS NEVER HAD the opportunity to make this
trip of a lifetime.

Last week, everything (to change) CHANGED Marie (to enter) ENTERED a contest sponsored by
the Canadian Dairy Council, called “Who (to see – negative) HAS NOT SEEN the heartland of
Canadian Milk Production?” As Marie (to say) SAID to her best friend when she (to enter)
ENTERED, “I (to never go) HAVE NEVER GONE to Chambly, but I (to often dream) HAVE OFTEN
DREAMED of it. This is my big chance! You can imagine her surprise and joy when she (to win)
WON.

The trip (to be) WAS wonderful. She (to arrive) ARRIVED last Thursday. She (to tour) TOURED
Chambly’s cow district for the whole day. “It’s the most interesting thing I (to ever do) HAVE
EVER DONE”, she (to exclaim) EXCLAIMED when the day (to end) ENDED.

QUESTION TIME: Write five questions you can ask a classmate about: ever visiting Chambly,
milking a cow, stepping in a cow patty, shopping at the Champlain Mall, and winning a contest.

1. Have you ever had the chance to visit Chambly or any other dairy farm? If so, what was your
experience like?

2. Have you ever tried milking a cow? If not, would you be interested in giving it a try, or do you
have any reservations about it?

3. Do you have any funny or memorable stories about stepping in a cow patty or any other
unexpected encounters on a farm?

4. Have you ever been to Champlain Mall for shopping? What do you think sets it apart from
other malls you've visited?

5. Have you ever won a contest or sweepstakes? If yes, what was the prize, and if not, is there a
particular type of contest you would love to win?