Present perfect: past or present?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Would you, personally, classify the present perfect as a past tense or would you label it as a present tense?

2

I myself always associate the present perfect with the present.
I have gained a lot of experience
I have found the key
In all of them I’m describing something I have right now, at the moment of speaking!

3

Have you been to Riga?

4

Hi, Ralf
If you’re asking me, then no, I’ve never visited that town.

5

Thanks, Alex. I’m going tomorrow. Just curious :slight_smile:

6

Would you, personally, classify the present perfect as a past tense or would you label it as a present tense?

7

In all of them I’m describing something I have right now, at the moment of speaking!

So do you see the “have” as possessive in some way?

8

The present perfect describes an apect of time that has a very strong relation/connection to the moment you use it; the present tense. Even if you refer to something in the past as in “I’ve just seen him there, but know he seems to be gone”, the present perfect bases its claim on the speaker’s impression he still feels at the moment of the actual speech act.

Another example for this aspect would be “I’ve just eaten, but now I’m stuffed”

9

What function does “know” have there?

10

The typo function, Molly.

11

I see. And what would be the difference, in the mind, the feeling, of the speaker, if he chose this way of expressing things?

“I just saw him there, but now he seems to be gone”.

12

He’d be American, so I don’t think his feelings would differ.

Feel free not to use the present perfect, I understand!

13

I don’t think "“I just saw him there, but now he seems to be gone” is particulary American, Brits also use it.