The article represents the notion of perfect as a typological phenomenon and estimates its differentiating and prototypical character, namely the current relevance.

We have dealt with perfect on the morphological level and have represented its sources and three stages of development. We have covered four phases of the semantic development of perfect (resultative, current relevance perfect, experiential perfect and narrative / evidential).

Due to the theory presented here, the perfect is best represented in English. It is on the third stage of its development. German perfect has already passed third stage and is developing to narrative. In the standard Russian it is on the first stage and in the North Russian dialects on the second. Georgian perfect is developing to evidential.

Thus, we have a "real" perfect in English. The German and Georgian perfect is not perfect any more from the typological point of view and the Russian perfect has not achieved the stage of a "real" perfect.