Forms: has gone, have listened.
We make questions and negatives with have and the participle of the main verb:
| Positive statement | They have gone. | She has listened. |
| Negative statement | They haven't gone. | She hasn't listened. |
| Positive question | Have they gone? | Has she listened? |
| Negative question | Haven't they gone? | Hasn't she listened? |
We use the present perfect forms to connect past time with present time. We use the present perfect simple for an action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present, e.g.:
| A: Has Susan lived in Canada for many years? (¿Hace muchos años que Susan vive en Canadá?) |
| B1: Yes, she has lived in Canada for 10 years. (Sí, hace diez años que vive en Canadá.) |
| B2: Yes, she has lived in Canada since 1994. (Sí, vive en Canadá desde 1994.) Compare: Susan went to live in Canada 10 years ago. (Susan se fue a vivir a Canadá hace diez años.) |
| I haven't seen Paula for a long time. (Hace mucho tiempo que no veo a Paula.) |
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This use includes sentences with this century, this year, this month, this week, today, this afternoon, etc., e.g.:
| Have there been many problems this year? (¿Ha habido muchos problemas este año?) |
| We haven't had any rain this week. (Esta semana no ha llovido.) |
| What have you done today? (¿Qué has hecho hoy?) |
We also use the present perfect simple for a past event that has a consequence in present time, e.g.:
| Peter has lost his watch. (Peter ha perdido el reloj.) |
| I've mended my bike. (He reparado mi bici.) |
In this use we often use already, yet and still … not, e.g.:
| John has already written the letter. (John ya ha escrito la carta.) |
| A: Has John written the letter yet? B1: No, he hasn't written it yet. (John todavía no ha escrito la carta.) B2: No, he still hasn't written it. (John todavía no ha escrito la carta.) |
We can also use the present perfect simple with how often? and an expression of frequency, e.g.:
| A: How many times/often have you washed your hair this month? (¿Cuántas veces/con qué frecuencia te has lavado el pelo este mes?) |
| B: I've washed it two or three times a week. (Me lo he lavado dos o tres veces por semana.) |
In reference to a person's achievements (and without a time adverbial), if we use the present perfect, the implication is that the person is still alive, e.g.:
| Sally Jennings has written three novels and many short stories.
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We also use the present perfect, often with ever, never or a number of times, to refer to the complete history of a place or life of a living person, e.g.:
| A: Have you ever eaten kangaroo meat? (¿Has comido alguna vez carne de canguro?) |
| B: No, I've never eaten kangaroo meat. (No, no he comido nunca carne de canguro.) |
| Jim has seen that film six times. (Jim ha visto aquella película seis veces.) |
| This village has never had many tourists. (Este pueblo nunca ha tenido demasiados turistas.) |
We also use the present perfect simple in the following way, e.g.:
| This is the first time I've eaten kangaroo meat. (Es la primera vez que como carne de canguro.) |
With just the present perfect corresponds to acabar de in Spanish, e.g.:
| The post has just arrived. (El correo acaba de llegar.) |
| I've just met the new director. (Acabo de conocer a la nueva directora.) |
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