Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mr. Buckingham and I'm so glad you've joined me today for our lesson on the perfect tense.

Now, this tense is going to be so useful for us when we want to write about things which started in the past and are still going on today.

Now there's lots of tricky learning in today's lesson, but I'm going to be here to help you the whole way through.

Let's get to work.

Today's lesson is called sentences in the perfect present, past, and future tense, from our unit tense forms, simple, progressive, and perfect consolidation.

By the end of today's lesson, we're going to be able to identify the perfect tense and write a range of sentence types in the perfect present tense.

Here are today's keywords.

My turn, your turn.

Verb, perfect tense, and auxiliary verb.

Now, we already know that a verb is a being, a doing or a having word.

A perfect tense is made using an auxiliary verb based on to have and a past tense form of the main verb.

Now that sounds very tricky but we're gonna tackle that this lesson, and we've learned before that an auxiliary verb is the helping verb that's always paired with the main verb in a sentence.

Here's today's lesson outline.

We're going to start by looking at all three perfect tenses to see if we can identify the perfect tense in a sentence.

We're then going to move on to writing sentences, focusing on the perfect present tense.

Let's get started by learning about the perfect tenses.

So far we've learned two types of tense.

We learned the simple tenses.

She sat by the sea is the past tense.

She sits by the sea is the simple present tense, and she will sit by the sea is the simple future tense.

We then learned the progressive tenses.

She was sitting by the sea.

She is sitting by the sea.

She will be sitting by the sea.

We've seen that some of those tenses need an auxiliary verb to help the main verb in the sentence.

In the simple tenses, only the simple future needs one.

We use will as the auxiliary verb there.

In the progressive tenses, all of them need an auxiliary verb based on to be.

Was, is, and will be are the auxiliary verbs there.

In the progressive tenses, we saw that the main verb always keeps that suffix -ing.

It stays in the -ing form no matter which progressive tenses we're using.

So in the progressive present, we would see while the bread is rising, the oven is heating up.

In the progressive past we'd see while the bread was rising, the oven was heating up.

And in the progressive future we'd see the oven will be heating up.

Those verbs are kept in their -ing form.

They've kept the suffix -ing.

It's the auxiliary verb that's changed to show when the action was happening.

In the progressive present, it says is.

In the progressive past, it was was.

And in the progressive future, we've got will be.

The auxiliary verb has changed.

The main verb has not changed.

It's the auxiliary verb that shows us which progressive tense we've used.

So in each of these progressive tense sentences, can you work out if it's in the progressive past, progressive present or progressive future by zoning in on those auxiliary verbs? Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, let's take a look.

While we were watching TV, Andeep was drawing.

Those must be progressive past.

We will be making pottery vases is progressive future.

And is looking, is focusing must be progressive present.

Those auxiliary verbs is show us it's happening now.

Now, another type of tense other than the simple tenses and the progressive tenses is a perfect tense.

And the perfect tenses use forms of the verb to have as their auxiliary verbs.

Here are some forms of the verb to have.

I have.

She has.

We had.

They will have.

You haven't.

He hasn't.

Those are all forms of the verb to have.

They're having words.

Here's an example of a perfect tense sentence.

I have played tennis for six years.

We had seen the signs.

You will have learned this before.

It had been a hot summer.

Here we can see we've got the auxiliary verb have, the auxiliary verb had, will have, and had.

Each time, we've used an auxiliary verb based on to have.

And in the perfect tenses, the auxiliary verb is helping a past tense form of that main verb.

So the auxiliary verb based on to have is helping a past tense form of the main verb.

That's confusing so let me show you what I mean.

In I have played tennis for six years, we've got that auxiliary verb have based on to have.

Then we've got played, a past tense form of the main verb to play.

In this sentence, had is the auxiliary verb based on to have, and been is a past tense form of the main verb to be.

So in the perfect tenses, we always have the auxiliary verb based on to have helping out a past tense form of our main verb.

Can you find the auxiliary verb based on to have in each of these perfect tense sentences? We have known the truth for years.

You will have seen the problem by now.

Jun's mum had brought his puppy to the playground.

Pause the video and find those auxiliary verbs based on to have.

You're looking for having words.

Have a go.

Okay, let's share.

In the first one, it's have.

In b, it's will have.

And in c, it's had.

And we can see when the auxiliary verb changes, it's changing slightly the tense that we've used.

So just like there were three simple tenses and three progressive tenses, there are also three perfect tenses: the perfect past, perfect present, and perfect future.

Let's have a look at some examples.

I had won the game.

I have won the game.

I will have won the game.

Each of these has an auxiliary verb based on to have, had, have and will have.

And it has a past tense form of the main verb.

In each case, that stays the same, it stays as won.

So let's check which type of perfect tense we've used each time I had won has the auxiliary verb had.

That's in the past tense.

So this is the perfect past tense.

I have won has have in the present tense.

So this is the perfect present tense.

And I will have won, I bet you've guessed, is in the perfect future tense because will have is in the future.

But notice how all three of our perfect tenses use the same past tense form of that main verb won.

Now, let's check your understanding.

Which of these sentences is written in the perfect present tense? Remember, it will have to contain an auxiliary verb based on have and a past tense form of your main verb.

So look for those two things and decide which of these sentences are written in the perfect present tense.

Pause the video and have a try.

Fantastic effort.

Let's take a look.

a has has listened.

That's a auxiliary verb plus a past tense form of the verb.

That is in the perfect present.

b does not have an auxiliary verb based on to have, so it's not in the perfect present.

c has have waited, an auxiliary verb based on have and the past tense form of the verb.

So that is in the perfect present.

d, again, has no auxiliary verb based on to have so it is not in the perfect present tense.

Amazing work if you've already understood that.

Let's try a true or false.

We have time is a sentence in the perfect present tense.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

That is false.

I wonder why.

I wonder if you can pause the video and decide which of these explanations explains best why it's false to say that we have time is in the perfect present tense.

Have a go.

Well done.

The answer is b.

Have, in this sentence, is the main verb.

It's not acting as an auxiliary verb.

It's not helping another main verb.

So there isn't an auxiliary verb in this sentence.

It just has a main verb.

So it cannot be a perfect tense, and it is not the perfect present tense.

If you've got that, you've really understood this knowledge.

Now, we can check for mistakes in perfect present tense sentences by thinking about what sounds right.

We're also gonna think have we used the right form of to have as an auxiliary verb, and have we used the right past tense form of our main verb? Let me show you what I mean.

Here's a sentence.

He has came to our school since he was four.

That doesn't sound right.

We know that he has sounds correct, but came is the wrong past tense form of this verb.

It should be he has come to our school since he was four.

We has been here for hours doesn't sound right either.

We've got the right past tense form here, been, but we've got the wrong form of to have as our auxiliary verb.

It should be we have been here for hours.

Now your turn.

I wonder if you can spot the mistakes in these perfect present tense sentences.

Sam has forgot to do his homework.

Jun and Alex has broken the bike.

Pause the video and decide how you would correct those mistakes.

Okay, let's have a look.

Sam has forgot.

Hmm, has is correct, but it should be forgotten to do his homework.

Jun and Alex, hmm, they're two people.

So instead of has, we would say have broken the bike.

Can you see how we have to check both the auxiliary verb and the past tense form of the main verb to see if they sound right? Well done if you spotted those mistakes and corrected them.

Now, we sometimes use the present perfect tense to show something that has started in the past and hasn't yet ended.

Let me show you what I mean.

In the simple past tense, we would say, I played rugby for three years.

Jun watched TV after school.

Sofia went to our church.

All of those suggest that those things have ended.

I don't play rugby anymore.

Sofia hasn't been to our church recently.

She went once.

Maybe she hasn't been back.

In the present perfect tense, we would say it differently.

We would say, I have played rugby for three years and I'm still doing it.

Jun has watched TV after school every day this week, and he hasn't yet stopped doing that.

Maybe there's Thursday and Friday to come where he still might watch TV after school.

And Sofia has been to our church several times.

She's come recently.

Maybe she's going to come back.

These have not yet ended.

So the perfect present tense can sometimes suggest something which started in the past and is still going.

It hasn't finished once and for all.

And sometimes we can tell a sentence needs to be written in the present perfect tense because it shows action that started in the past and is still ongoing.

It's still happening.

This doesn't sound right.

Since March, I took French lessons.

That's not yet finished.

We're still taking those lessons.

So we would use the present perfect tense.

We would say, since March I have taken French lessons.

It's still ongoing, so that's now correct.

This sounds wrong, too.

So far this term I worked hard on my handwriting.

Well, it's not yet finished.

I'm still working hard on my handwriting.

So we should use the perfect present tense.

We should say, so far this term I have worked hard on my handwriting, and it's still going.

It's still an ongoing action, so I should use the perfect present tense.

I wonder if you can change these sentences to the perfect present tense to show the action still ongoing.

I spoke French since I was a baby.

So far this week, I practised every day.

I think we're going to need those auxiliary verbs using to have.

Pause the video and change these to the perfect present tense.

Okay, let's take a look.

I should have written, I have spoken French since I was a baby.

There I've used the auxiliary verb have and I've used a past tense form of that verb spoke.

So far this week I practised every day should be so far this week I have practised every day.

Again, I've got my auxiliary verb and my past tense form of practised.

Well done if you spotted those.

Okay, for our first task this lesson, I would like you to rewrite these sentences in the perfect present tense, and I'd like you to highlight the verbs that show we have used the perfect present.

Jun's mum took her to the movies since we were in Year 2.

Since he was little, Sam loved going to the park.

So far this year, I saved 30 pounds for a new game.

For the last three years, Jacob learned French.

Andeep and Alex wanted this game for many years.

And so far today, I learned about fractions and poetry.

Now I bet you spotted they didn't sound right when I read them.

That's because they need to be changed to the perfect present tense to show the action is still ongoing.

So pause the video, rewrite them in the perfect present and highlight the verb that show you've used the perfect present tense.

Have a go.

Okay, let's take a look at how these sentences should have been written in the perfect present tense.

We should have written, Jun's mum has taken us to the movies since we were in Year 2.

Since he was little, Sam has loved going to the park.

So far this year, I have saved 30 pounds for a new game.

For the last three years, Jacob has learned French.

Andeep and Alex have wanted this game for many years.

And so far today, I have learned about fractions and poetry.

And can you see, I've highlighted in purple those verbs I've used to show this is the perfect present tense, and each time I've got my auxiliary verb based on to have, and I've got my past tense form of the main verb.

Brilliant work if you managed to change those sentences to the perfect present tense.

Okay, so we've learned how to identify the perfect tenses and had our first go at writing them.

We're now gonna really zone in on how to write sentences in the perfect present tense and try and be a little bit more independent as we do it.

So let's get to work.

Now, if we're trying to change a sentence from the simple past tense to the present perfect tense often all we need to do is add in a have or a has as an auxiliary verb.

For instance, we have a simple past tense sentence here.

Jun talked to his sister about the party.

We can just say, Jun has talked to his sister about the party to make the present perfect tense.

We've just added has.

Here we've got Sam and Sofia said the school prayer.

We could just say, Sam and Sofa have said the school prayer.

Here we've got the children made a book of their own poetry.

We could just say the children have made a book of their own poetry.

In all these three examples, all we've done is add have or has as an auxiliary verb, and we've created the present perfect tense.

So, you try.

Should have or has be used as the auxiliary verb in each of these sentences? Pause the video and have a go.

Good effort.

Let's take a look.

Sofia and Andeep have worked together on this project.

Sam's dad has spent a lot on his party, and you have arranged the tables perfectly.

All we've done is added in our auxiliary verb there.

Hmm, now sometimes the spelling can be tricky when we use these past tense forms of the verb.

I wonder if you can spot the correct spelling of each of these past tense verb forms in the sentences.

Pause the video and decide on the correct spelling.

Now I'm sure you remember that often in English, the past tense form of our verbs will end in -ed.

So we've got watched with an -ed, finished with an -ed, and visited with an -ed.

Even though some of those words sound like they end with ts sound or an id sound, they're spelt -ed at the end.

So we've seen that often when we change from the simple past to the perfect present tense, all we have to do is add the have or the has.

But sometimes the main verb changes too when we use the perfect present tense, and we just have to learn when this is the case.

Here's some examples.

In the simple past tense, I could say, Alex ran in the three-legged race every year.

In the perfect present, we would say Alex has run, not Alex has ran.

So that main verb has changed from ran to run.

Jack and Andeep sang a solo is the simple past.

In the present perfect, we would say Jack and Andeep have sung a solo, not have sang a solo.

In the simple past, we could say we took part in a trip to the synagogue In the perfect present, that would be have taken part in a trip to the synagogue.

So can you see how those main verbs have changed when we've moved to the perfect present tense? And we just have to remember those verbs when that's the case.

Here's some more examples of verbs that change when we use the perfect present tense.

Here are the simple past tense verbs, he saw, they chose, you did, we drew, she went, and I knew.

And here's what they'd look like in the perfect present.

I would say he has seen, they have chosen, you have done, we have drawn, she has gone.

A huge change there.

And I have known.

So notice how we've added that auxiliary verb based on to have.

But the past tense form of the verb has also changed.

And we have to think what sounds right in order to make the perfect present tense.

Now, I wonder if you can put this into practise.

I'd like you to take each simple past tense verb and change it into a perfect present tense verb.

So I took would become I have blank.

Pause the video and see if you can change each of those simple past tense verbs into a perfect present tense verb.

Have a go.

Great effort.

This is tricky.

I took would become I have taken.

She flew would be she has flown.

We were would be we have been.

And they swam would be they have swum.

So some pretty big changes there, which, unfortunately, we just need to learn in order to form the perfect present tense.

Let's have another try.

I'd like to change each simple past tense sentence into the perfect present tense, using have or has as the auxiliary verb.

So instead of, I saw the new film, how would that sound in the perfect present tense using your auxiliary verb? Pause the video and have a go at these four.

Okay, let's take a look.

I saw the new film would be, I have seen the new film.

Sam went to the bathroom would be, Sam has gone to the bathroom.

We explained it to him.

We have explained it to him.

And they gave me some food.

They have given me some food.

So we can see we've added that auxiliary verb, but sometimes we've had to change that main verb as well.

Gave becomes given.

Went becomes gone.

Saw becomes seen.

Again, we just need to learn those.

Great effort with those sentences.

Now, if we're given the to form of our main verb, we can use that to write sentences in the perfect present tense.

Let me show you what I mean.

Jacob to sing the solo at the carol concert many times.

Hmm.

I want to change that verb form to sing into the perfect present tense.

So I would say Jacob has sung the solo at the carol concert many times.

I've got my auxiliary verb and my past tense form of that verb to sing.

In this one, Alex to swim in the sea, but he prefers the pool.

Hmm.

I would say Alex has swum in the sea, but he prefers the pool.

Let's see if you can have a go.

You're gonna use that main verb and the auxiliary verb, have or has, to make a sentence in the perfect present.

Here's yours.

Since she joined the school, Aisha to make many great friends.

Pause the video and see if you can make that change to the perfect present tense.

Well done.

Let's take a look.

Let's change that verb to make to has made.

We've got our auxiliary verb has and our past tense verb made to make the perfect present tense.

Great job if you managed to do that.

Okay, for our final task this lesson, we're going to try and use the correct form of the verb in brackets to write each sentence in the perfect present tense.

For instance, Andeep to give me all his pocket money.

We're going to need an auxiliary verb and the right past tense form of that verb to give to make this the perfect present.

Here are our other sentences.

I'd like you to see if you can pause the video and rewrite each sentence using the perfect present tense.

Have a go.

Okay, let's take a look at how these should look.

Andeep has given me all his pocket money.

You have done your best on this task.

We have drawn some brilliant pictures today.

They have chosen not to follow the instructions.

Sofia has shown that she is a skillful player.

Aisha and Jacob have known him for years.

Jun has seen some scary movies with his older brother.

Great job if you managed to change those to the perfect present tense using your auxiliary verb based on to have and your past tense form of the verb you were given.

Let's review our learning today.

It's been a really tricky lesson and I'm really pleased that you've managed to stick with it all the way through.

We've learned that the perfect tenses are formed by using an auxiliary verb based on the verb to have, which is helping a past tense form of our main verb.

We've learned that the perfect tenses can show past, present, or future action, and we've learned that the perfect present tense is sometimes used to show an action that started in the past but is still ongoing.

And for some verbs, the past tense form of that main verb changes when we use the perfect present tense.

And we said that we just have to learn when that's the case and listen to see if it sounds right.

Great job, this lesson.

You've done a fantastic effort to stick with this learning.

It's been tricky.

I can't wait to see you in the next lesson.

Well done.