{"id":41742,"date":"2021-02-05T01:23:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T01:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lingobest.com\/free-online-english-course\/?p=41742"},"modified":"2022-12-16T11:50:51","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T11:50:51","slug":"present-perfect-past-simple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lingobest.com\/free-online-english-course\/present-perfect-past-simple\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Present Perfect and Past Simple in English"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s incredibly important to be able to communicate about the past when you are learning English. It’s how we tell stories, explain problems and describe experiences. So, we’ve put together a guide to teach you about two of the most common tenses used to describe the past: the present perfect and the past simple. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide goes over the basics of the past in English, different verb forms, and some adverbs that can help you have more sophisticated explanations about the past. Let’s learn how to use the past simple and present perfect in English and understand the differences between them. There are also some grammar exercises<\/strong> for you at the end of this blog post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to speak about the past in English<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are three main tenses in English: the past, the present, and the future. We use the present to talk about events that are happening now, like I am writing this blog post now<\/em>, or to talk about routine things, such as I drink water every day<\/em>. The future is used to talk about events that will happen on a later date, like I will travel to Canada next week<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"yesterday,
There are three main tenses in English: the past, the present, and the future.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The past is used to talk about something that happened a minute ago, yesterday, last week, 3 weeks ago, or even 3 decades ago \u2014 we use it to talk about events that are finished, no matter how long ago.<\/strong> Let\u2019s review the verbs, the modifiers, and the sentence structure we use in order to make phrases in the past simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verb forms in English<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

English verbs can be categorized as regular<\/strong> or irregular. <\/strong>The good news about this is that regular verbs follow straight-forward rules for conjugation. The bad news is that irregular verbs don\u2019t follow any rules. They are the rebels without cause of the English language. And why should you care about these mavericks? Well, of the top 25 most common verbs used in English, 17 are irregular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verb forms in English have specific names. Here are the names you need to know and examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verb form<\/strong><\/td>Example of regular verb forms<\/strong><\/td>Example of irregular verb forms<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
infinitive<\/td>to want<\/td>to be<\/td><\/tr>
base verb<\/td>want<\/td>be<\/td><\/tr>
past simple<\/td>wanted<\/td>was<\/td><\/tr>
past participle<\/td>wanted<\/td>been<\/td><\/tr>
present participle<\/td>wanting<\/td>being<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to form the past simple or past participle from a base verb if it is a regular verb in English. Just add -ed<\/span> to the end of the base verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples: watched, played, cleaned<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • She played<\/strong> video games last night.<\/li>
  • I cleaned<\/strong> my room two weeks ago.<\/li>
  • The game was watched<\/strong> by 25 million people.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"they
    She played<\/strong> video games last night.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    There are three spelling rules to keep in mind. The first is that if the base form of the verb ends in -e<\/span>, such as like and arrive, just add -d<\/span> to the verb in order to make the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples: liked, arrived<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • Tom liked<\/strong> the book we gave him yesterday.<\/li>
    • My mom arrived <\/strong>late for the meeting.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
      \n
      \"reading
      Tom liked<\/strong> the book we gave him yesterday.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

      The second spelling rule is for verbs that end in -y<\/span>. For verbs which end in -y<\/span>, such as try and study, just drop the -y<\/span> and add -ied<\/span> to the base form of the verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Examples: studied, tried<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      • They studied<\/strong> a lot for the test.<\/li>
      • I tried<\/strong> calling you last night, but you didn\u2019t answer me.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Finally, if a verb has a CVC (consonant-verb-consonant)<\/em> spelling, first you double the final consonant and add -ed<\/span> to the base form of the verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Examples: stopped, robbed<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • I stopped<\/strong> the car after I saw you.<\/li>
        • They robbed<\/strong> the bank last week.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
          \n
          \"stopped
          I stopped<\/strong> the car after I saw you.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

          Irregular verbs in English<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          For the irregular verbs, you need to memorize the past forms of the verb \u2014 I know it sounds complicated, they are so common that eventually you will know them by heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Here are the most common irregular verbs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Base (V1)<\/strong><\/td>Past (V2)<\/strong><\/td>Past participle (V3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
          be<\/td>was\/were<\/td>been<\/td><\/tr>
          become<\/td>became<\/td>become<\/td><\/tr>
          begin<\/td>began<\/td>begun<\/td><\/tr>
          break<\/td>broke<\/td>broken<\/td><\/tr>
          bring<\/td>brought<\/td>brought<\/td><\/tr>
          buy<\/td>bought<\/td>bought<\/td><\/tr>
          choose<\/td>chose<\/td>chosen<\/td><\/tr>
          come<\/td>came<\/td>come<\/td><\/tr>
          do<\/td>did<\/td>done<\/td><\/tr>
          drink<\/td>drank<\/td>drunk<\/td><\/tr>
          drive<\/td>drove<\/td>driven<\/td><\/tr>
          eat<\/td>ate<\/td>eaten<\/td><\/tr>
          feel<\/td>felt<\/td>felt<\/td><\/tr>
          forget<\/td>forgot<\/td>forgotten<\/td><\/tr>
          get<\/td>got<\/td>got, gotten<\/td><\/tr>
          give<\/td>gave<\/td>given<\/td><\/tr>
          go<\/td>went<\/td>gone<\/td><\/tr>
          have<\/td>had<\/td>had<\/td><\/tr>
          know<\/td>knew<\/td>known<\/td><\/tr>
          leave<\/td>left<\/td>left<\/td><\/tr>
          make<\/td>made<\/td>made<\/td><\/tr>
          meet<\/td>met<\/td>met<\/td><\/tr>
          pay<\/td>paid<\/td>paid<\/td><\/tr>
          read<\/td>read<\/td>read<\/td><\/tr>
          run<\/td>ran<\/td>run<\/td><\/tr>
          see<\/td>saw<\/td>seen<\/td><\/tr>
          send<\/td>sent<\/td>sent<\/td><\/tr>
          sing<\/td>sang<\/td>sung<\/td><\/tr>
          sleep<\/td>slept<\/td>slept<\/td><\/tr>
          speak<\/td>spoke<\/td>spoken<\/td><\/tr>
          spend<\/td>spent<\/td>spent<\/td><\/tr>
          take<\/td>took<\/td>taken<\/td><\/tr>
          tell<\/td>told<\/td>told<\/td><\/tr>
          think<\/td>thought<\/td>thought<\/td><\/tr>
          understand<\/td>understood<\/td>understood<\/td><\/tr>
          wake<\/td>woke<\/td>woken<\/td><\/tr>
          win<\/td>won<\/td>won<\/td><\/tr>
          write<\/td>wrote<\/td>written<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Adverbs of time for the past simple tense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          You may have noticed that we often use adverbs of time to specify when an action happened. When making the past simple, you will often use the following adverbs of time: yesterday, (time) ago, last (time)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          yesterday<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
          • She bought a new shirt yesterday<\/strong>.<\/li>
          • Yesterday<\/strong>, she bought a new shirt.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            (time) ago<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
            • Tom and Clara met two years ago<\/strong>.<\/li>
            • Three days ago<\/strong>, I saw Susan at the supermarket with her husband.<\/li>
            • I arrived home one hour ago<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              last (time)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
              • Last<\/strong> night we ordered pizza.<\/li>
              • I went to New York City last<\/strong> year.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Because we use the past simple to talk about events that are completed, it is also common to use other expressions to indicate when those events happened. Take a look at some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                • Kelly went to Japan in 1975<\/strong>.<\/li>
                • I saw Tim this morning<\/strong>.<\/li>
                • I talked to her this afternoon<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
                  \n
                  \"mountain
                  Kelly went to Japan in 1975<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

                  How to use the present perfect in English<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  The present perfect verb tense also describes the past, but it has specific purposes in English. The difference between the past simple and the present perfect is that when we use present perfect we do not focus on when something happened. Instead, we focus on the action itself. The present perfect helps to describe life experiences, lack of life experience, and past actions that are relevant in the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Present perfect structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                  The sentence structure for the present perfect is the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Subject + has\/have (not) + past participle + complement (optional)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Remember, if the subject is he, she <\/strong>or it<\/strong>, you must use has<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  • He has<\/strong> seen the movie.<\/li>
                  • The class has<\/strong> started.<\/li>
                  • She has <\/strong>not finished her homework.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Life experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                    Let\u2019s say you traveled to Paris in 2014. You could use the past simple<\/strong> and say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    • I traveled<\/strong> to Paris in 2014.<\/li>
                    • I went<\/strong> to Paris in 2014.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
                      \n
                      \"traveled\"
                      She traveled<\/strong> to Paris in 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

                      But if you traveled to Paris multiple times or the date is not important, you can just say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      • I have traveled<\/strong> to Paris.<\/li>
                      • I have been<\/strong> to Paris.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        Using the present perfect structure indicates that you have had the experience of traveling to Paris, but the listener doesn’t know exactly when you went. Maybe that information is not what matters in the context of the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        Some other examples of using present perfect to talk about your life experiences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        • I have driven<\/strong> a truck.<\/li>
                        • She has been<\/strong> to Thailand.<\/li>
                        • He has had<\/strong> two open-heart surgeries.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
                          \n
                          \"drive
                          He has driven a truck.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

                          On the other hand, maybe you lack a particular experience. Imagine a friend asks you, Do you like Thai food?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          If you don\u2019t have the experience of eating Thai food, you can say I have not eaten Thai food before.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Past actions that are relevant in the present moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                          Another great reason to use the present perfect tense is to describe a past action that is relevant in the present. Imagine you get a phone call, asking if you are home to receive a delivery, but you are not home. You left your house 15 minutes ago. You can say this sentence in the present perfect, \u201cI cannot receive the delivery because I have just left the house.\u201d <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          How to modify the present perfect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                          There are seven common words that you can use to modify the present perfect verb tense in English. These words <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          Just<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                          We use just<\/strong> when something happened a short time ago. We don\u2019t specify exactly when it happened, but we know it happened recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          • I\u2019m not hungry. I have just<\/strong> eaten dinner.<\/li>
                          • Where are you? I\u2019m waiting for you at the gate.
                            I\u2019ve just<\/strong> landed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            Already<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                            We use t<\/strong>his word when something has happened before expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            • Do you want to order pizza tonight?
                              No, I\u2019ve already<\/strong> eaten.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
                              \n
                              \"eating
                              They have already eaten.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

                              Yet<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                              We use yet<\/strong> to say \u2018until now\u2019. It is used in a negative construction with the word not<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              • Is my sister at the restaurant?
                                I haven\u2019t seen her yet<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                For<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                                For<\/strong> is used when we are talking about duration or period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                • I have lived in Germany for<\/strong> 25 years before moving to Spain.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                  Since<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                                  Since<\/strong> is used to refer to a specific point in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  • She has worked there since<\/strong> 2005.<\/li>
                                  • My dad has been divorced since<\/strong> I was a child.<\/li>
                                  • I haven\u2019t eaten red meat since<\/strong> August.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                    Ever<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                                    It is common to use ever<\/strong> when asking somebody a question about their life experiences. Ever<\/strong> goes between the subject and the past participle in the present perfect tense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    • Have you ever<\/strong> bought a smartwatch?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n
                                      \n
                                      \"smartwatch\"
                                      Have you ever bought a smartwatch?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

                                      Never<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                                      We use never<\/strong> to describe a lack of life experience. You can use never <\/em>instead of not <\/em>in a negative construction. Do not use two negative not<\/strong> and never<\/strong>. I’ve never not worked.<\/s><\/em> Never<\/em> goes between have\/has<\/em> and the past participle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      • I\u2019ve never<\/strong> been to Russia.<\/li>
                                      • He has never<\/strong> worked in an office.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                        Differences between the present perfect and the past simple in English<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                        With all that in mind, let\u2019s focus on the differences between these two tenses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                         <\/td>Past simple (PS)<\/strong><\/td>Present perfect (PP)<\/strong><\/td>Examples<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
                                        Verbs<\/td>We use the past form of the verb.<\/td>We use the participle form of the verb.<\/td>Verb = to go I went to the mall yesterday. (PS) I have gone to the mall. (PP)<\/td><\/tr>
                                        Structure<\/td>(+) Subject + past verb (-) Subject + did not + base verb<\/td>(+)Subject + has\/have + past participle (-) Subject + hasn\u2019t \/ haven\u2019t + past participle  <\/td>Verb = to clean I cleaned the house an hour ago. (PS) She has cleaned the house. (PP)<\/td><\/tr>
                                        Modifiers<\/td>Last (time), yesterday, (time) ago, in the (time), on (time), at (time)<\/td>yet, already, ever, for, since, just, never<\/td>Verb = to travel I traveled to Canada last August. (PS) She has already traveled to Canada. (PP)<\/td><\/tr>
                                        Purpose<\/td>We use it to talk about completed actions in the past.<\/td>We use it to talk about life experiences or unfinished events, without focusing on when<\/em> it happened. We focus on the action itself.<\/td>Verb = to be I was in London last week. I have been to London.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                                        An example of a dialogue using both tenses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                                        Take a look at the dialogue below. You will notice that the present perfect is used to talk about life experiences or unfinished actions. The past simple is used when talking about a finished action that took place in a specific time in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        Caroline: Have<\/strong> you ever seen<\/strong> snow?<\/p>

                                        James: Yes, I\u2019ve seen<\/strong> it many times.<\/p>

                                        Caroline: Oh, when did you see<\/strong> snow for the first time?<\/p>

                                        James: I saw<\/strong> it for the first time in 2014<\/strong>.<\/p>

                                        Caroline: Where did you see<\/strong> it?<\/p>

                                        James: In Colorado. Have you ever been<\/strong> there?<\/p>

                                        Caroline: No, I haven\u2019t. I would love to go there someday.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

                                        <\/p>\n\n\n

                                        \n
                                        \"snow\"
                                        Have you ever seen snow?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

                                        Practice using the present perfect exercises in English<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                        Feeling confident about the present perfect verb tense? Do these English grammar exercises to check your knowledge! The first exercise is a game to review irregular past participles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n