English Grammar: Present Perfect for a Period of Time ⌚

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In this video we are going to look at how the Present Perfect Tense can be used to talk about a period of time that continues until now.

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In my previous videos on the Present Perfect tense we have talked about how we use it to talk about an event from the past and how it affects the present moment. Our focus is always on the present and it doesn’t matter if the event was a long time ago or recently.
But we can also use it to talk about the frequency or how many times or how much something has happened during a period of time that continues up to now.
For example. ‘I have had five cups of coffee this morning’.
Remember that with the Present Perfect tense we are talking about now and how the past affects the present moment. So we are talking about the past too but our focus is on the present. In this example we are not so interested in the coffee but the effect that it is having on us now, also the morning is not over so by lunchtime I might have had more coffee.
If we said the same thing in Past Simple Tense, ‘I had five cups of coffee this morning’, the period must be finished. We can’t have more coffee because the morning is over.
So in this use of the Present Perfect tense, as well as focussing on the present moment we are also stressing that the period is still open and that things might change.
Lets look at some more examples.
I have been at work since 6am.
Have you been to the supermarket today?
I haven’t eaten since breakfast.
How many jobs have you had since 2006?
Have you been to the gym recently?

We don't necessarily need to state the period of time. If we don’t we would assume it is the whole of the subjects life until now or all of time until now.
Look at these examples.
I have ridden a horse lots of times.
She has never ridden a bike.
Have you tried Cider?
I have read Harry Potter 4 times.
Have you seen Star Wars?

So this is a very different use to the one we have seen in other videos. But do you see how the main concept of the Present Perfect still applies? We are not just talking about things from the past but our focus is the present moment and how those things affect or contribute to the present moment.
I have made a few videos on the Present Perfect tense because it is very difficult to understand. Check the description for link to these other videos.
Introduction to the main concept of the tense.
We use the present perfect to talk about experiences from the past.
And how we talk about information that is new for the listener, like news.
We often use the adverbs Just, Already and Yet with the present perfect as well as the adverbs ever and never.
As we saw in this video, Present perfect if often confused with the past simple so we will look at that in more detail and do a comparison.
We will also look at how the present perfect is used differently in British and American English.
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