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Intermediate

Mastering the Present Perfect Tense

Understand when and how to use the present perfect tense correctly in everyday English.

What is the Present Perfect?

The present perfect tense connects the past with the present. It's formed with have/has + past participle.

When to Use It

Life experiences: "I have visited Paris three times."
Recent actions: "She has just finished her homework."
Unfinished time periods: "We have studied a lot this week."

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

This is one of the trickiest distinctions in English. The key difference: use past simple when the time is finished and specified, use present perfect when the time is unfinished or not specified.