Present Perfect vs Past Simple

1. What is the Present Perfect?

The Present Perfect tense connects the past with the present. It is used to describe actions or events that happened at an unspecified time in the past or actions that have an effect on the present.

Form:
have/has + past participle

Examples:

• I have visited London several times.
• She has just finished her homework.
• We have lived in this city for ten years.

Key points about Present Perfect:

1. The exact time of the action is not mentioned.
2. Often used with words like already, yet, just, ever, never, recently, since, for.
3. Expresses experiences, changes, and results that are relevant now.

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2. What is the Past Simple?

The Past Simple tense is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past and are now finished.

Form:
regular verbs: verb + -ed, irregular verbs: past form

Examples:

• I visited London last year.
• She finished her homework two hours ago.
• We lived in Berlin from 2015 to 2018.

Key points about Past Simple:

1. The action is completed and has no direct connection to the present.
2. Often used with time expressions like yesterday, last week, in 2010, two days ago, when I was a child.
3. Common for storytelling or describing sequences of events.

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3. Differences Between Present Perfect and Past Simple

Feature	Present Perfect	Past Simple
Time reference	Unspecified / affects present	Specific / completed in the past
Examples	I have seen that movie.	I saw that movie last weekend.
Keywords	already, yet, just, ever, never, for, since	yesterday, last week, in 2000, two days ago
Usage	Experiences, changes, unfinished time, recent events	Completed actions, stories, finished time

Tip: If you mention when something happened, use Past Simple. If the exact time is not important, use Present Perfect.

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4. Common Mistakes Learners Make

1. Using Present Perfect with specific past time expressions
   ❌ I have visited London last year.
   ✅ I visited London last year.
2. Using Past Simple for experience without time reference
   ❌ I saw Paris.
   ✅ I have seen Paris.
3. Confusing “since” and “for”
   • I have lived here for five years. (duration)
   • I have lived here since 2018. (starting point)