Here’s a simple diagram to show the basic difference:
1 The first sentence, “I read [pron: /red/] the article”, means that I read it three days ago, on Monday, and that’s finished.
2 The second sentence, “I have read the article” means that I read it during the last three days, and I have now finished it.
3 The third sentence, “I have been reading the article”, means that I started reading it, but I haven’t finished. I will continue to read it into the future.
That seems straightforward, but the present perfect can be a bit of a nightmare, for two reasons:
First, the connection between past and present may be literally true, as when you come home from work and call out to your family:
“I’ve arrived!”
You have literally just walked through the door, so the event starts in the past and finishes in the present.
But there is a second possibility, which I look at below, when the connection with the present and future may be alive in your head, but is not real.
Second, different parts of the English speaking world use the present perfect very differently – or don’t use it at all.
As I love to say: “it’s more complicated than that, but this is enough to start with”. I’ve written some notes on the more complicated stuff below.
You might also like to look at this video:
The first part of the video is about using present simple for past events, and the second part is about the two main uses of the present perfect.
More Complicated Stuff
Real or unreal?
Imagine a different scenario.
1 You are now a house painter, and you have been given the job of painting the door. You did some work on the door, and your wife/boss arrives and looks at what you did. The following conversation takes place:
Boss: Have you finished the work?
You: Yes, I’ve painted the door.
Boss: Good job!
You painted the door hours earlier, so you have not just finished, but in this conversation, we are not interested in when you did it, but whether you can now show the work for it to be inspected.
2 At the end of the day, you cycle home, still in your painting clothes, and with paint on your hands. Your wife looks at you and says:
Wife: You’re dirty!
You: Well, I’ve been painting!
The work is finished, but in your appearance you still carry the consequence of what you were doing; you are still covered in paint!
Here’s another example.
Imagine a boy coming home after playing football. His mother looks at him and says:
Mum: You’re all covered in mud!
Boy: Well, I’ve been playing football!
The football game finished long before, but the results of the game are still very visible, so the boy uses the present perfect progressive to explain why he is dirty. The football game is finished, but the effect will continue for a while into the future . . . (until he has a shower)
Different dialects
In British English, the present perfect tenses are regularly used; in American English they are used much less. Wanting to know whether he was hungry, I once said to my American friend Rob:
Me: Have you had lunch?
Rob: We never say that! [in the USA]
Me: OK, what do you say?
Rob: Did you eat already?!?
Me: Oh, OK . . .
We all speak as we speak: I use the present perfect quite often; my friend Rob, like many millions of Americans, uses it much less.
This is not a value judgement; in every language there are different versions and dialects, depending on where we live and who we mix with. Ultimately we all have our own idiolect, the way we as an individual use language, which is unique to us. Other people recognise our idiolect, and are (mostly) happy with it. It is part of what makes each of us a unique human being, and enhances the wonderful diversity of our world.
That’s all for now! © Shepherd School of English