Experience Matters: Present Perfect in Action
Have you ever wanted to talk about things you’ve done in your life or experiences youāve had without focusing on when exactly they happened? Thatās where the present perfect tense comes in! In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use the present perfect tense to discuss experiences, achievements, and changes. Itās like a special tool in English that helps you link past actions to the present moment. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to use the present perfect confidently in conversations, personal posts, and articles.
Basic Aspects of Present Perfect
The present perfect tense is used to talk about actions or experiences that have relevance to the present moment. Itās formed using “have” or “has” followed by the past participle of the verb.
Now we are going to watch a short video to have context of the present perfect:
When to Use Present Perfect:
- To talk about experiences: When you want to mention something you’ve done at some point in your life, without specifying exactly when. (e.g., “I have visited London.”)
- To describe recent actions: When something happened recently and it still affects the present. (e.g., “She has just finished reading the book.”)
- To discuss changes over time: When something has changed from the past to the present. (e.g., “The city has become more crowded.”)
it’s time to give more details about this topic…
Learning Activities
Take part in the activities below to apply what you’ve learned in this lesson:
But first! Complete the following activity and once you finish, show your score to your teacher. Good Luck
Experience Sharing Bingo
Objective: Practice using the present perfect tense to share personal experiences.
Instructions: Create Bingo cards with different life experiences listed in each square, such as āhas traveled to another country,ā āhas tried a new sport,ā or āhas met a celebrity.ā Students will interact with their classmates to find someone who has experienced each item and fill in their Bingo cards. When they have a line completed, they shout āBingo!ā and share some of their findings with the class. This helps practice forming sentences in the present perfect and encourages students to learn about each other’s experiences.
Change Over Time Debate
Objective: Discuss changes over time using the present perfect tense.
Instructions: Divide students into small groups and assign each group a topic related to changes over time (e.g., āHow has technology changed in the last decade?ā). Each group will prepare a short debate using the present perfect tense to discuss how the topic has evolved. For example, āTechnology has advanced rapidly over the past ten years.ā After the debates, groups will present their findings to the class. Points will be awarded for the use of the present perfect tense and the quality of their arguments.