What is present perfect in tense?

Okay, so, present perfect tense, right? It’s kinda like a bridge between what happened then and what’s going on now. You know? It’s not just past tense, it’s like…the past still matters in this moment. I think it’s easier to get with examples. Like, I’ve lived in this apartment for five years. Boom. Past action, still happening. Still true. Or, like, I’ve finally finished that giant jigsaw puzzle I started, like, a month ago! The relief I feel now is directly connected to that past struggle. See what I mean?

It’s sometimes called present perfect progressive too, which, honestly, just adds another layer of confusion, doesn’t it? Why so many names for one thing? Anyway, don’t let that trip you up. They’re basically the same thing, as far as I understand it. It’s all about how something that happened before is still relevant. Like, say you’ve been learning to play the guitar. You didn’t just learn it and it’s over. You’re still in the process, the journey, so you’d use the present perfect to talk about it. I think I read somewhere that something like 70% of conversations use present perfect or something. Don’t quote me on that, but you get the idea— it’s pretty common! It’s everywhere!