Present perfect tense confusion

Question

So I'm reading up on tenses and I'm confused about the Present Perfect tense. It seems to sound like past tense. I'm going to paste a definition that I found online, with an example (and the source, of course!)

Present perfect tense: "indicates either that an action was completed (finished or "perfected&quot at some point in the past or that the action extends to the present." Before I go any further, I understand the part where the action is leading up to the present ("I have run two miles so far.&quot

Here's where I'm confused Example from site: "I have run the Boston Marathon (but that was some time ago)."

How is that present tense? By saying that you have run the marathon some time ago sounds VERY past tense. Why is it considered present?

Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/tenses/present_perfect.htm

Answer 1

Time to end the confusion!

The reason this tense is called "the present perfect" is because it uses the present tense of the verb "to have" ("haber") in Spanish, and the past participle. The "perfect" part of the name means that the action is completed.

Yo he trabajado (I have worked) tú has trabajado. (you have worked) and all the way through the verb haber.

Yo he

tú has

él/ella/usted ha. To any of these forms you simply add the past participle

nosotros hemos. and you have the present perfect tense

vosotros habéis.

llos/ellas' ustedes han.

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To get the "past perfect", just put "haber" into the imperfect tehse, thus:

Yo había trabajado; tú habías trabajado, etc. (I had worked, you had worked, etc.)

Here are some examples. Remember the only reason it's called the present perfect is that the auxiliary verb "have" (haber) is used in the present tense.