# Present perfect tense



## Change1031

When *may* is used before a verb, it is the similar to present perfect? 

If I want to say, "I have studied Tagalog before." It is *May nag-aral na Tagalog ako bago*?


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## tigfa

No, may is used really just used for existence. 


"May nag-aral na Tagalog ako bago" literally means "There is someone learning that is tagalog I new"

"nag-aral ako ng tagalog" would do


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## Change1031

Thank you.


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## DotterKat

Recall that the English tenses (past, present, future) are not exactly parallel to Tagalog aspects (perfective, imperfective and contemplated).
The English present perfect tense describes an event that occurred during an unspecified time before the present. Since that span of time is not specific, you cannot use specific expressions such as _last year_, _yesterday_ or _last night_. The same is true for the present perfect tense equivalent in Tagalog. In addition, the Tagalog present perfect tense uses the enclitic particle _*na*_.

Nag-aral ako ng Tagalog. _I studied Tagalog_. This is the perfective aspect, the equivalent of the simple past in English.
Nag-aral na ako ng Tagalog. _I have studied Tagalog_. This is still the perfective aspect, but with the addition of the enclitic particle na, is the equivalent of the present perfect tense in English.

As with the English present perfect tense, you can add non-specific modifiers such as before (_noon_).

Nag-aral na ako ng Tagalog noon. _I have studied Tagalog before_.

You may have been confused by the two different translations for *before*. Before as the conjunction is _bago_ (e.g. _bago ka dumating, bago mag-alas dose, bago tumilaok ang manok_, etc. --- specific time periods, not to be used with the present perfect tense) and before as the adverb is _noon --- _non-specific adverb, can be used in the present perfect tense).


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