How many times has your English teacher told you to make sure you use correct tenses of the verbs when you are writing or speaking? Almost every sentence we speak or write has a verb in it somewhere, so understanding the correct use of tenses is very important if we are to avoid silly mistakes.
The tense of a verb tells us when the action happens. There are three main areas of time: the present, the future and the past. Within these times, there are different ways of describing an action.
We use the present perfect tense to talk about something that started in the past and is still going on in the present.
Example: I have lived in Sheung Wan for five years.
We often use 'since' and 'for' with the present perfect to say how long the action has been going on. We also use the present perfect tense to talk about an action in the past that is finished.
Example: I have arrived in Japan.
You have done it, the action is complete so it's the present perfect. To make the present perfect tense, we put the past participle after 'have/has'.