I finished my aircraft walk-around an hour ago. Have you finished yours yet?
Finished Actions: Past or Present?
As discussed in Grammar 7-1, the Present Perfect always connects the past with the present. There is always information about the present in a Present Perfect sentence:
- We can't depart. The runway hasn't opened yet.
- Present = The runway is closed.
- I've worked in this centre for many years.
- Present = I work in this centre now.
- The radar been down since the afternoon.
- Present = The radar is still down.
- He can't go skydiving with us. He's broken his leg.
- Present = He is unfit to go skydiving with us.
We use the Present Perfect if the time of the finished action is not important or unknown. If we want to describe the specific time when the action happened, use the Past Simple tense:
| Present Perfect | Past Simple |
|---|---|
| I've taken a break. | I took a break an hour ago. |
| I've been to Air Traffic Control Centre twice. | I went to Air Traffic Control Centre last year and in 2006. |
| The sun has set. | The sun set five minutes ago. |
| He's already gone to the Control Tower. | He went to the Control Tower at 2200. |
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