Do you know the difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect? Watch this video and get more clarity on this topic. The video is a sample from one of the Live-English Club sessions.
Difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect
English tenses are complicated because they do not correspond to the tenses you have in other languages. Present perfect in particular is very unique. We’ll learn in this article how to use it properly and how different it is from Past Simple.
THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Let’s learn English tenses and look first at the Past Simple structure. The Past Simple is formed by using the Past Simple form of a verb. This can be either:
1. A regular verb (+ED) WORK —-> WORKED
2. An irregular verb EAT —-> ATE
For negative sentences and questions, we need to use the auxiliary verb DID + the base form of the verb.
I DIDN’T / DID NOT see anybody.
Where DID you GO on holiday last year?
1. This is an English tense we learn very early on and it’s quite a simple tense. It’s all about the Past. It’s talking about something that happened, started and finished. It is completely over in the past. When we talk with the Past Simple, we tend to be describing a specific event or certain time.
Example:
I did it last year / last month / two years ago / yesterday morning / in 1994 / when I was a child
2. So we are clearly putting our story or what we are saying at a specific point in the past. We are emphasizing the actions. We are talking about activities, about what we did.
Example:
Last year, I went to Spain for my summer holiday.
3. In summary, we use the Past Simple with finished actions, states, or habits in the past when we have a finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 8 o’clock, in 2019), or we know from general knowledge that the time period has finished.
Example:
I smoked a lot when I was young.
The Vikings invaded Britain.
He rand the bell twice.
THE PRESET PERFECT
*Let’s look at the Present Perfect structure:
I have said…
*For negative sentences and questions:
Have you said…?
I have not said…
The Present Perfect is formed by using the auxiliary verb have + Past participle:
1. A regular verb (+ED on the Past participle) WORK —-> HAVE WORKED
2. An irregular verb EAT —-> HAVE EATEN
The Present Perfect is more complicated because there are many different uses for it.
1. One of the most common uses for Present Perfect is when we talk about something that started in the past and we continue to do now.
Example:
I’ve lived here all my life.
We have had this car since October.
2. We often use the Present Perfect to talk about experiences that we’ve had in our life. In this situation, it can often be confused with Past Simple because you could say I swam with dolphins or I have swum with dolphins. both are happening in the past. Why do we use the Present Perfect? Because sometimes we just want to talk about something that has and hasn’t happened.
Example:
Oh! I’ve lost my wallet!
I’ve brought the book.
A: America is a beautiful country.
B: I know. I’ve been there.
A: Really? When did you last visit States?
B: Well, it was – let me see … two years ago.
Save this carousel about the difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple in English for later!
Exercises about Past Simple and Present Perfect
Exercise 1: The Present Perfect Tense
Exercise 2: The Simple Past Tense
Exercise 3: Past Simple vs Past Continuous
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