Present Perfect — The bridge between past and present
The present perfect connects an action from the past to the present:
Estructura
| Sujeto | Auxiliar | Participio | Ejemplo |
|---|
| I / You / We / They | have | visited | I have visited Paris. |
| He / She / It | has | eaten | She has eaten sushi before. |
Tres usos fundamentales
| Uso | Ejemplo | Marcador |
|---|
| Experiencias | Have you ever tried sushi? | ever, never |
| Logros recientes | I have just finished my homework. | just, already, yet |
| Acciones no terminadas | I have lived here for 5 years. | for, since |
⚠️ Present Perfect vs. Past Simple
- ✅ "I have visited Paris." (without specific tense → present perfect)
- ✅ "I visited Paris last year." (specific time → past simple)
- ❌
"I have visited Paris last year." (incorrect!)
Marcadores temporales clave
| Present Perfect | Past Simple |
|---|
| ever, never | yesterday |
| already, yet | last week/month/year |
| just, recently | in 2020 |
| for, since | ago |
| so far | when I was young |
💡 If you can date it, use past simple. If you're talking about "sometime in your life," use present perfect.