Present Perfect 1 – An experience in your life
The important thing to remember with the Present Perfect is that we use it when there is a connection between the past and the present.
So we must use the present perfect for an experience in your life because your life started in the past and is continuing:
So every experience in our life we talk about and don’t specify exactly when it happened, we have to use the present perfect:
I have been to Norway.
I have seen Bob Dylan in concert.
Note that if we say when it happens we have to use the past simple:
I went to Norway last year.
I saw Bob Dylan in concert in 1992.
Look at the construction of the present perfect:
| Subject | to have | past participle | |
| I | have | seen | “Dances with Wolves”. |
| She | has | been | to California. |
| They | haven’t | visited | Pisa. |
The verb to have is an auxiliary verb so we can use the contracted form, particularily in conversation:
I‘ve played ice hockey.
He‘s driven a Ferrari.
They‘ve been to Brazil.
To make a question we follow the same pattern as for every tense:
| Question word | Auxiliary | Subject | Verb |
| Have | you | (ever) been | |
| Have | you | (ever) played | |
| How many times | has | she | seen |
We use ever to underline the fact that we are talking about some point in your life. We could omit it but it is more common to use it, although only in the question.