Lesson Four:
The Present Perfect Tense — Negative
S + have or has + not + past participle
Singular | Plural |
I have not worked | We have not worked |
You have not worked | You have not worked |
He has not worked | |
She has not worked | They have not worked |
It has not worked |
Notice the use of “has” for a man, a woman, or a thing.
Also, it’s important to know the irregular past participles.
Most Americans use the contracted form:
have + not = haven’t / has + not = hasn’t
Singular | Plural |
I haven’t worked | We haven’t worked |
You haven’t worked | You haven’t worked |
He hasn’t worked | |
She hasn’t worked | They haven’t worked |
It hasn’t worked |
Here’s a video:
More Examples of the Present Perfect – Negative
I have not been to China. (contraction: I haven’t been to China.) main verb: be | |
You have not been to China, either. (contraction: haven’t been) main verb: be | |
He has not played this game before. This is the first time. (contraction: hasn’t played) main verb: play | ![]() |
She has not cleaned the bathroom in a week. Now she’s cleaning it. (contraction: hasn’t cleaned) main verb: clean | ![]() |
The banana has not turned brown yet. It’s still yellow. (contraction: hasn’t turned) main verb: turn | ![]() |
We have not visited China. Never in our lives have we been there. (contraction: haven’t visited) main verb: visit and been. Notice that you can also make the present perfect negative by using “never.” | I + you = we |
You have not finished your lunch yet. (contraction: haven’t finished) main verb: finish | ![]() |
They have not marched in the Minnesota State Fair Parade before. This is their first time. (contraction: haven’t marched) main verb: march |