Or sign in with your account on:

Not a member yet? Register

Present Perfect vs Past Perfect - Rules and exercises for intermediate level

Friday, 04 December 2009
Example of present perfect vs past perfect: We weren't hungry. We'd just had lunch. Example of present perfect vs past perfect: We weren't hungry. We'd just had lunch. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license

A comparison between the present perfect vs past perfect tenses in English with a clear explanation of the differences in use between these two tenses, with straightforward explanations and exercises. Online resource for intermediate-level English students. 

 

Different uses of the present perfect and the past perfect

Present Perfect

We use the Present Perfect Simple for an action or a state that began in the past and is connected with the present i.e. The action still continuous now or there is a result in the present from the action.
• The house is dirty. They haven't cleaned it for weeks.
• We aren't hungry. We've just had lunch.


We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show an action or a state that started in the past and has continued up until now with duration.



• I hope the bus comes soon. I've been waiting for 25 minutes.


• She's out of breath. She has been running .

 

Past Perfect

We use the Past Perfect Simple to express a completed action in the past before another action in the past.
• The house was dirty. They hadn't cleaned it for weeks.
• We weren't hungry. We'd just had lunch.


We use the Past Perfect Continuous for emphasizes a duration of an action which happened before another in the past.



• At last the bus came. I'd been waiting for 25 minutes.


• She was out of breath. She had been running.

- The Past Perfect Continuous gives past activities time and duration.

- In the Present Perfect Continuous the action began in the past and continues to the present.

Rate this item
(9 votes)
published in Past Perfect Tense
Read 59871 times
Last modified on Sunday, 05 February 2017 22:43

Free English lessons in your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter and receive free grammar lessons and exercises, graded readers with comprehension questions, and tips on how to improve your English. And stay updated on the WeLoveTeachingEnglish services.