The Present Perfect often hides behind specific words. Master these keywords to know exactly when to use this tense.
Just / Already / Yet
Use for actions completed a very short time ago.
"I have just eaten."
(= I am full right now)
"Look! He has just arrived."
"We have just finished the test."
Something happened sooner than expected.
"Don't worry, I have already paid the bill."
"The train has already left!"
"I've already seen this movie."
Use in Negatives and Questions. Usually at the end.
"Have you finished your homework yet?"
"I haven't told him yet."
"Has the bus arrived yet?"
Ever / Never / Before
Means "at any time in your life".
Means "not at any time".
Warning: Do not use "not" with Never!
So far / Recently / For / Since
Used to describe things that happened not long ago.
"I haven't slept well lately."
"Have you seen any good movies recently?"
"She has recently changed jobs."
"We have been very busy lately."
Means "from the beginning until this moment". Often used with numbers.
"I have written 5 pages so far."
"Everything has been great so far."
"We haven't had any problems up to now."
"How many students have arrived so far?"