Past Simple vs Present Perfect
Past Simple is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You can use it with time expressions like "yesterday," "last week," "in 2010," or "two days ago."
Form: Regular verbs add -ed (e.g., "play" becomes "played"). Irregular verbs change forms (e.g., "go" becomes "went").
Examples:
- I visited my grandmother last weekend.
- She finished her homework yesterday.
Present Perfect is used for actions that happened at an unspecified time before now or for actions that started in the past and continue to the present. You can use it with time expressions like "ever," "never," "for," or "since."
Form: Use "have" or "has" + past participle (e.g., "have played").
Examples:
- I have visited Paris three times.
- She has lived in New York since 2015.
Differences:
- Past Simple: Specific time in the past.
- Present Perfect: Unspecified time or relevance to now.
- Use Past Simple when you tell a story or recount events and with specific past time markers (yesterday, last week, in 2010).
- Use Present Perfect when talking about life experiences (e.g., ever, never) or actions that started in the past and continue or have an effect on the present (e.g., for, since).
