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What Is The Perfect Aspect?
The perfect aspect is one of the two main aspects of the English language. It tells us that an action or state has been completed. The perfect aspect is the opposite of the progressive aspect (which tells us something is ongoing or continuing). When we use the perfect aspect we show that the action has finished and is no longer continuing.
The perfect aspect is sometimes called the completed aspect. This can help you to remember that the perfect aspect is used when an action or state has been completed.
Perfect Aspect Verbs
Perfect verbs:
I had eaten
she has been
he ran
he has run
she sat
I stood
Verbs in the perfect aspect are past participles. They show that an action has already been completed.
Perfect Aspect Examples
Let's have a look at some examples of the perfect aspect.
We had eaten already.
This is an example of the perfect aspect being used in a sentence. Due to the use of the past participle 'eaten', we know that the subjects in the sentence, 'we', are no longer eating. The process of eating is therefore complete, which shows us that the sentence is written in the perfect aspect.
They had played together.
This is another example of the perfect aspect in a sentence. Because the verb 'played' is a past participle, we can see that the subjects of the sentence are no longer playing together and, therefore, that the action is complete.
Fig 1. We had eaten already
How Do You Write In The Perfect Aspect?
Most of us know how to form a sentence in the perfect aspect without even realizing it. When you need to form a sentence that uses the perfect aspect, we can follow the steps below:
Auxiliary verb + past participle
An auxiliary verb (sometimes called a 'helping verb') is used alongside another verb to help express aspect or tense.
In the perfect aspect:
The verb root 'to have' (including had, has, etc.) is often used as an auxiliary verb.
A past participle typically expresses a completed action. It is a verb used in the perfect aspect as it shows something is no longer continuing.
Importance of the Perfect Aspect
Now that we can define what the perfect aspect is, we need to think about how and why it is used in spoken and written English.
Why do we use the perfect aspect?
The perfect aspect is used to show that an action is completed. We have already explored how we form a sentence in the perfect aspect, but why do we do this?
If we consider real-world situations, it is often useful to show that an action or state is completed. We do this by using the perfect aspect alongside different tenses. Without the perfect aspect, we would not be able to know whether an action has finished occurring.
Let's consider how the perfect aspect works with tense.
The Perfect Aspect and Tense
The perfect aspect is combined with the past, present, and future tense to create verb tenses. There are twelve verb tenses in total that help us to describe specific actions and when / how they occurred. We have three tenses past, present, and future, that can be expressed as either perfect or progressive.
Past tense + perfect aspect = perfect past tense (one of the twelve verb tenses)
Below you can see a table showing how the perfect aspect is combined with tense to create verb tenses:
Perfect aspect | Perfect past tense | Perfect Present Tense | Perfect Future Tense |
Examples of Perfect Aspects In The Perfect Tense
We will now take a look at an example of each of these verb tenses being used in a sentence. Try and notice the difference between the perfect aspect being used in past, present, and future tense.
Past perfect tense
He had met her before the dinner.
This sentence is written in the perfect past tense. We can see the auxiliary verb paired with the past progressive to show us that the action (in this case, the action is the subject meeting 'her') has already happened.
By using the auxiliary verb 'had' we can also see that the sentence not only describes a completed action but that it is also in the past tense.
Present perfect tense
She has finished her homework.
This sentence is written in the perfect present tense. This time we can see that the auxiliary verb has changed to a different form and is now 'has' (this is the present form of the verb 'have' and makes the difference between the perfect present tense and the past tense). The auxiliary verb is still paired with a past participle (the -ed verb 'finished') and shows us that the sentence is written in the perfect aspect.
By using the auxiliary verb 'has' we can see that the sentence (although still completed and in the perfect aspect) is written in the present tense.
Future perfect tense
Anne will have arrived by then.
This time, the sentence is written in the perfect future tense. The auxiliary verb 'have' has been paired with the past participle 'arrived' to show us that the sentence is written in the perfect aspect. The verbs 'will have' show us that this sentence is written in the future tense but that the action is still completed.
Fig 2. Anne will have arrived - Pixabay
The Perfect And Imperfect (progressive) Aspect
There are two major aspects used in the English language that are used alongside the past, present, and future tenses to show whether the action is completed or ongoing:
The perfect aspect tells us when actions have been completed.
The imperfect (ongoing) aspect tells us when an action or state is continuous and ongoing. This doesn't necessarily mean that is happening currently, but that it will continue to happen.
When an action/state is continuous and ongoing it is known as the progressive aspect. This aspect is also sometimes referred to as the progressive aspect (as it is the opposite of the perfect aspect).
Perfect vs. imperfect examples
Let's now have a look at some examples of perfect and imperfect forms of the same verbs. In the table, the infinitive verb is listed first so was can see how the verb form changes to be conjugated into either the perfect form or the imperfect form.
Conjugation is the process carried out on verbs when you change them to a different form or tense so that it makes the most sense in the sentence. Before verbs are conjugated, they are in their infinitive form (for example, 'to eat' or 'to be' are infinitive forms of 'eat' and 'be').
Verb (infinitive form) | Perfect form | Imperfect form |
| to eat | she has eaten | she was eating |
| to run | she ran | she was running |
| to stand | she stood | she was standing |
| to speak | she spoke | she was speaking |
| to climb | she has climbed | she was climbing |
Perfect Aspect - Key Takeaways
The perfect aspect is one of the two aspects used in the English language, along with the progressive aspect.
It is used to show that an action or state has already been completed.
The perfect aspect is paired with a tense to create verb tenses. These verb tenses are perfect past tense, perfect present tense, and perfect future tense.
The second aspect is the progressive aspect which shows that the action is ongoing (the opposite of the perfect aspect).
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Frequently Asked Questions about Perfect Aspect
What is the perfect aspect?
The perfect aspect is one of the two main aspects of the English language. It tells us that an action or state has been completed.
What is an example of the perfect aspect?
'He had done the homework.'
This shows that the action of doing 'the homework' is completed.
What does perfective mean in grammar?
Perfective refers to an action that has been completed/finished.
What is the purpose of the perfect aspect?
The perfect aspect can be used to show that an action has been completed. it can also be used to show that an event/action from the past has a connection to the present.
What is an aspect in grammar?
Aspects are a grammatical category that expresses how an event/action extends over a period of time, i.e. is it ongoing or completed.
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