Report

“The perfect tenses” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Astana 2010

How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?

The structure of the present perfect tense is:

Here are some examples of the present perfect tense:

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. 

Here are some examples:

• I've finished my work.
• John's seen ET.
• They've gone home.
• How do we make the Past Perfect Tense?
• The structure of the past perfect tense is:

• For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past perfect tense:

• When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The future perfect tense talks about the past in the future.

How do we make the Future Perfect Tense?

The structure of the future perfect tense is:

Look at these example sentences in the future perfect tense:

In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes, we contract the subject, will and have all together:

 

  

We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Perfect Tense?

The future perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the future. This is the past in the future. For example:

• The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at 9.15am. When you arrive, the train will have left.

Look at some more examples:

• You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
• They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
• "Mary won't be at home when you arrive." 
  "Really? Where will she have gone?"

You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of your viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future: