Present Perfect vs.

Past Simple

Past simple Shakespeare wrote Hamlet sometime between 1599 and 1601.

• The action is over, it is situated in the past, it has no relation with the moment of speaking.

• ____________________x______________________x____________________

past moment now = moment of speaking  

• Many years ago I went to school on foot.

• When I was a child

• Yesterday

• Last week/month/year

• In 1999

Present perfectKhaled Hosseini has written novels about Afghanistan.

• - it isn’t over yet AND/OR

• - there is a relation between a moment in the past and the moment of speaking

 

• ____________________x---------------------------------x_____________________

• past moment now = moment of speaking

FORMATION : have + past participle

  REGULAR VERBS IRREGULAR VERBS

+ ? -

I / we/ you / they have workedhe / she / it has workedHave I / we / you / they worked ?Has he / she / it worked ?I / we / you / they haven’t workedHe / she / it hasn’t worked

I have seen … Have I seen ? I haven’t seen …

  have / has + Past Participle(regular PPs end in –ed)

have / has + Past Participle(you have to study irregular PPs one by one see list)

Short answers :

Have you been to Egypt ?Has she ever written poetry ?

Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t.

USE :

I have lived here for twenty years. (for with a period of time)

since 2004. (since with a point in time)

all my life.

an action that started in the past and is still going on

(“for” and “since” are common with this use)

This weekSusan has redecorated the house.

This month

This year

the period is NOT finished at the time of speaking

Have you ever been to China? (at any time in your life up to now)I have never been to Japan. (in my life)I have been there once/twice/many times. (in my life)Peter has always loved me. (all his life)

an experience that happened at some time in one’s lifeyour life = a period of time that continues until now(the adverbs “ever”, “never”, and “before” are common with this use)

The train hasn’t arrived yet. (result : I’m still waiting)

The train has just arrived.(result : there it is)

Father has already washed the car. (result : it’s clean now)

What have you done to your lip ? (result : it’s bleeding)

a past action with results in the present, often a recent past action

(the adverbs “yet”, “already”, and “just” are common with this use)

Observe the difference between :

- He has lived in London for 3 years. => he still lives there- He lived in Paris for 2 years. => he doesn’t live there anymore

- I haven’t done any work this afternoon. => said in the afternoon- I didn’t do any work this afternoon. => said in the evening

- I’ve painted the door yellow. => you stress the result- Yesterday I painted the door. => you stress the action

The time complement indicates which tense should be used :

examples:

- ago, in 1998, yesterday, last year… : past simple

- ever, never, this month, since, just, already… : present perfect