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PRESENT PERFECT & CONDITIONALS

PRESENT PERFECT & CONDITIONALS

Present Perfect Tense

 

The present perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact, the structure of the present perfect tense is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense. In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English.

 

In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the present perfect, followed by a quiz to check your understanding:

  

*The present perfect tense is really a very interesting tense, and a very useful one. Try not to translate the present perfect tense into your language. Just try to accept the concepts of this tense and learn to "think" present perfect! You will soon learn to like the present perfect tense!
 
 

How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?

The structure of the present perfect tense is:

subject+auxiliary verb+main verb
  have past participle

Here are some examples of the present perfect tense:

 subjectauxiliary verb main verb 
+Ihave seenET.
+Youhave eatenmine.
-Shehasnotbeento Rome.
-Wehavenotplayedfootball.
?Haveyou finished? 
?Havethey doneit?

Contractions with the present perfect tense

When we use the present perfect tense in speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this when we write. 

I haveI’ve
You haveYou’ve
He has
She has
It has
John has
The car has
He’s
She’s
It’s
John’s
The car’s
We haveWe’ve
They haveThey’ve

Here are some examples:

  • I’ve finished my work.
  • John’s seen ET.
  • They’ve gone home.
*He’s or he’s??? Be careful! The ’s contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs have and be. For example, "It’s eaten" can mean:
  • It has eaten. [present perfect tense, active voice]
  • It is eaten. [present tense, passive voice]
It is usually clear from the context.
 
 

1. Present perfect tense for experience

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about experience from the past. We are not interested in when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:

I have seen ET.
He has lived in Bangkok.
Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.
pastpresentfuture

!!! 
The action or state was in the past.In my head, I have a memory now. 
Connection with past: the event was in the past.
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about the event; I have experience of it.

 

2. Present perfect tense for change

We also use the present perfect tense to talk about a change or new information:

I have bought a car.
pastpresentfuture
-+ 
Last week I didn’t have a car.Now I have a car. 
 
John has broken his leg.
pastpresentfuture
+- 
Yesterday John had a good leg.Now he has a bad leg. 
 
Has the price gone up?
pastpresentfuture
+- 
Was the price $1.50 yesterday?Is the price $1.70 today? 
 
The police have arrested the killer.
pastpresentfuture
-+ 
Yesterday the killer was free.Now he is in prison. 
Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present.
Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past.

*Americans do not use the present perfect tense so much as British speakers. Americans often use the past tense instead. An American might say "Did you have lunch?", where a British person would say "Have you had lunch?"

 

3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation

We often use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started in the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a state (not an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.

I have worked here since June.
He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara?
pastpresentfuture

 
 
 
The situation started in the past.It continues up to now.(It will probably continue into the future.)
Connection with past: the situation started in the past.
Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.
 

 

For & Since with Present Perfect Tense

We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

  • We use for to talk about a period of time - 5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.
  • We use since to talk about a point in past time - 9 o’clock, 1st January, Monday.
forsince
a period of timea point in past time

x------------
20 minutes6.15pm
three daysMonday
6 monthsJanuary
4 years1994
2 centuries1800
a long timeI left school
everthe beginning of time
etcetc

Here are some examples:

  • I have been here for 20 minutes.
  • I have been here since 9 o’clock.
  • John hasn’t called for 6 months.
  • John hasn’t called since February.
  • He has worked in New York for a long time.
  • He has worked in New York since he left school.
*For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.
 
 
 

English Conditionals

There are several structures in English that are called conditionals.

"Condition" means "situation or circumstance". If a particular condition is true, then a particular result happens.

  • If y = 10 then 2y = 20
  • If y = 3 then 2y = 6

There are three basic conditionals that we use very often. There are some more conditionals that we do not use so often.

In this lesson, we will look at the three basic conditionals as well as the so-called zero conditional. We’ll finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

People sometimes call conditionals "IF" structures or sentences, because there is usually (but not always) the word "if" in a conditional sentence.

 

Structure of Conditional Sentences

The structure of most conditionals is very simple. There are two basic possibilities. Of course, we add many words and can use various tenses, but the basic structure is usually like this:

IFconditionresult
IFy = 102y = 20

or like this:

resultIFcondition
2y = 20IFy = 10

 

 

First Conditional: real possibility

We are talking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition or situation in the future, and the result of this condition. There is a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, it is morning. You are at home. You plan to play tennis this afternoon. But there are some clouds in the sky. Imagine that it rains. What will you do?

IFconditionresult
 present simpleWILL + base verb
Ifit rainsI will stay at home.

Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. It is not raining yet. But the sky is cloudy and you think that it could rain. We use the present simple tense to talk about the possible future condition. We use WILL + base verb to talk about the possible future result. The important thing about the first conditional is that there is a real possibility that the condition will happen. Here are some more examples (do you remember the two basic structures: [IF condition result] and [result IF condition]?):

IFconditionresult
 present simpleWILL + base verb
IfI see MaryI will tell her.
IfTara is free tomorrowhe will invite her.
Ifthey do not pass their examtheir teacher will be sad.
Ifit rains tomorrowwill you stay at home?
Ifit rains tomorrowwhat will you do?

 

resultIFcondition
WILL + base verb present simple
I will tell MaryifI see her.
He will invite Taraifshe is free tomorrow.
Their teacher will be sadifthey do not pass their exam.
Will you stay at homeifit rains tomorrow?
What will you doifit rains tomorrow?

 

Sometimes, we use shall, can, or may instead of will, for example: If you are good today, you can watch TV tonight.
 

 

Second Conditional: unreal possibility or dream

The second conditional is like the first conditional. We are still thinking about the future. We are thinking about a particular condition in the future, and the result of this condition. But there is not a real possibility that this condition will happen. For example, you do not have a lottery ticket. Is it possible to win? No! No lottery ticket, no win! But maybe you will buy a lottery ticket in the future. So you can think about winning in the future, like a dream. It’s not very real, but it’s still possible.

IFconditionresult
 past simpleWOULD + base verb
IfI won the lotteryI would buy a car.

Notice that we are thinking about a future condition. We use the past simple tense to talk about the future condition. We use WOULD + base verb to talk about the future result. The important thing about the second conditional is that there is an unreal possibility that the condition will happen.

Here are some more examples:

IFconditionresult
 past simpleWOULD + base verb
IfI married MaryI would be happy.
IfRam became richshe would marry him.
Ifit snowed next Julywould you be surprised?
Ifit snowed next Julywhat would you do?
 
resultIFcondition
WOULD + base verb past simple
I would be happyifI married Mary.
She would marry Ramifhe became rich.
Would you be surprisedifit snowed next July?
What would you doifit snowed next July?
 
Sometimes, we use should, could or might instead of would, for example: If I won a million dollars, I could stop working.
 

 

Third Conditional: no possibility

The first conditional and second conditionals talk about the future. With the third conditional we talk about the past. We talk about a condition in the past that did not happen. That is why there is no possibility for this condition. The third conditional is also like a dream, but with no possibility of the dream coming true.

Last week you bought a lottery ticket. But you did not win. :-(

 conditionresult
 Past PerfectWOULD HAVE + Past Participle
IfI had won the lotteryI would have bought a car.

Notice that we are thinking about an impossible past condition. You did not win the lottery. So the condition was not true, and that particular condition can never be true because it is finished. We use the past perfect tense to talk about the impossible past condition. We use WOULD HAVE + past participle to talk about the impossible past result. The important thing about the third conditional is that both the condition and result are impossible now.

Sometimes, we use should have, could have, might have instead of would have, for example: If you had bought a lottery ticket, you might have won.

Look at some more examples in the tables below:

IFconditionresult
 past perfectWOULD HAVE + past participle
IfI had seen MaryI would have told her.
IfTara had been free yesterdayI would have invited her.
Ifthey had not passed their examtheir teacher would have been sad.
Ifit had rained yesterdaywould you have stayed at home?
Ifit had rained yesterdaywhat would you have done?
 
resultIFcondition
WOULD HAVE + past participle past perfect
I would have told MaryifI had seen her.
I would have invited Taraifshe had been free yesterday.
Their teacher would have been sadifthey had not passed their exam.
Would you have stayed at homeifit had rained yesterday?
What would you have doneifit had rained yesterday?

 

Zero Conditional: certainty

We use the so-called zero conditional when the result of the condition is always true, like a scientific fact.

Take some ice. Put it in a saucepan. Heat the saucepan. What happens? The ice melts (it becomes water). You would be surprised if it did not.

IFconditionresult
 present simplepresent simple
Ifyou heat iceit melts.

Notice that we are thinking about a result that is always true for this condition. The result of the condition is an absolute certainty. We are not thinking about the future or the past, or even the present. We are thinking about a simple fact. We use the present simple tense to talk about the condition. We also use the present simple tense to talk about the result. The important thing about the zero conditional is that the condition always has the same result.

We can also use when instead of if, for example: When I get up late I miss my bus.

Look at some more examples in the tables below:

IFconditionresult
 present simplepresent simple
IfI miss the 8 o’clock busI am late for work.
IfI am late for workmy boss gets angry.
Ifpeople don’t eatthey get hungry.
Ifyou heat icedoes it melt?

 

resultIFcondition
present simple present simple
I am late for workifI miss the 8 o’clock bus.
My boss gets angryifI am late for work.
People get hungryifthey don’t eat.
Does ice meltifyou heat it?

 

 

 

 

 

Conditionals: Summary

Here is a chart to help you to visualize the basic English conditionals. Do not take the 50% and 10% figures too literally. They are just to help you.

probabilityconditionalexampletime
100%
 
zero conditionalIf you heat ice, it melts.any time
50%
 
first conditionalIf it rains, I will stay at home.future
10%
 
second conditionalIf I won the lottery, I would buy a car.future
0% third conditionalIf I had won the lottery, I would have bought a car.past

 

 

EXAMPLES

 

* How many albums have you recorded in your live?

= I have recorded five albums

* How long have you lived in the united states?

= I have lived in the united sattes since 1998

*Have you ever been sick?

=Yes, I have been sick. when I was a child

*Have you had good luck with your music?

=Yes, I have had the best good luck

*What do you wait about your future?

= every day be a best person with my family and with my sons

*How many children have you had?

=I had 3 sons homed moon, dove and donte

*When did you begin your artistic career?

=Fifteen years ago in medellin arty

*Have you been involved with politics?

=Yes, I’ve participaded in the European Parliamenth and I was the first singer present as a symbol of support for the cause mine

*How many awards have you won?

=Appromimately ten grammy awards

*Which has been the most successfol album in your life?

=My most successfull album has been "A moment"

 

 

 

 

 

THE PASSIVE: to be + past participle

 

 

Form:

* We form the passive with the verb to be and the past participle of the main verb

 

    

 

                                       ACTIVE                                              PASIVE

present simple:        He feeds the dogs twice a day     The dog  is fed twice a day

past simple:              He fed the dog yesterday            The dog was fed yesterday

pesent perfect simple:  He has feed the dog              The dog has been fed

future simple:          He will feed the dog                     The dog will be fed

modal:                      He  should feed the dog               The dog should be fed

  

 

 

* We form questions by putting the verb to be before the subject, is this car made in japan ?

 

*We form negations with the word Not. His bicycle was not/ wasn’t  stolen last night.

 

 

Turning from Active into passive

  To turn a sentence from the active into the passive

a) the oblect of the active sentence becomes

    the subject in the passive sentence

b) the active verb changes into a passive form.

c) the subject of the active sentence becomes the agent.

  

 

                 subject             verb            object                 

ACTIVE           susan              made        a cake

 

 

                subject              verb              agent

PASIVE         A cake           was made      by susan

 

 

  •  Only the verbs that take an obejct can be turned into the passive

Tom watered the plants - The plants were watered by tom.  But  it is raining today (this sentence cannot be turned into the passive because the verb does not take an object)

  • When the subject of the actives sentence is one os the followin words: people, one, someone/somebody, they, he,  etc., the agentis often,omittes in the passive sentence.

       someone willfeed the dog .-. The dog will be fed.

  • Object pronouns (me, you, him, etc..) become subject pronouns (i, you, he, etc..) in the passive. she gave me some monery.-  I  was given some money
  • When the verb of the active sentence is followed by a preposition, the preposition is kept in the passive sentence as well. someone broken into our house last night.- Our house was broken into last night

 

 

 USE

We use the passive when we want to show that the action of the verb is more important than the agent. (i , e.  the person or thing doing or causing the action). the agent is introduced with the preposition  by and is mentioned only when it is important or nedds to be stated. Oliver Twist was written  by charles dickens.

  • The agent is not mentioned when.    a)it is unknown. His car was stolen last nigth (we don’t know who stole his car).            b) it is unimportant. breakfast will be sevrd at 7.30 (the agent is unimportant)           c) it is obvious from the context. He has been arrest.( it is obvious who arrested him the police).

 

Example:

 

1. Someone will meet you at the airpot.

......you will be met at the airport...

2. He has mended the puncture.

....The puncture has been mended by him...

3. Sam willa fix the roof.

.....The roof will be fixed by sam

4. The clown will entertain the children

.....The children will be entertain by the clown....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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