Learn English – Using “might have been” in the present perfect

grammarpassive-voiceperfect-aspectpresent-perfect

How do we use "might have been" in the present perfect? For example, "The door might have been closed". How can we say this in the present perfect? Or is it already in the present perfect?

Best Answer

In the sentence "The door might have been closed", the main verb is already in the perfect form (the equivalent non-perfect sentence would be "The door might be closed"). However, it is not the present perfect, but the perfect infinitive, since after "might" we use an infinitive form of the verb. There is no need and no way of shifting the sentence to the present perfect, since the overall verb phrase here already includes a perfect construction.

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