Present Perfect 2 (I have done)

Life Experiences (past until now)

When you talk about a period of time that stretches from the past up to now, use the present perfect. Your whole life up to this moment is one of those periods.

• Have you ever been to the Singapore office?
• I‘ve visited three of our branches so far.
• She’s read the compliance manual twice.
• It’s the most useful training I‘ve ever attended.

been (to) works like “visited”:

• I‘ve never been to the Seoul headquarters. Have you been there?

Recently, So far, Since…

The same rule applies when the time period is still running: recently, in the last few days, so far, since a point in the past.

• Have you heard anything from the client recently?
• I‘ve met a lot of new hires in the last few days.
• There haven’t been any complaints so far.
• Sales have dropped every month since I arrived. (= from when I arrived until now)
• We haven’t seen each other for a long time.

The same goes for today, this morning, this year, etc. — as long as that period is not finished yet:

• I‘ve had four meetings today.
• Have you taken any days off this year?
• I haven’t spoken to the manager this morning. Have you?

It’s the first / second / third time…

After It’s the (first) time…, use the present perfect — not the present simple.

You can flip the sentence around:

• She has never led a meeting before.
• She hasn’t led a meeting before.

Quick Self-Check