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[NEW] Present Perfect vs. Past Simple: Learn the Key Differences and Never Confuse the Two Again | past simple vs present perfect – NATAVIGUIDES

past simple vs present perfect: คุณกำลังดูกระทู้

How can I use the present tense to talk about the past in English? It doesn’t make any sense!

You’re right—it doesn’t make sense… at first!

That’s why you’re here, reading this post.

As a language learner, you may be quite confused about the difference between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.

After all, they both refer to events that already happened and are now in the past.

Well, I’m here to tell you that when I first learned these English tenses, I had the same problem. I was very confused and it was only later that I learned the differences between the two.

So in this post, I’m going to explain the differences between the present perfect and the simple past in a very simple way. I hope by the time you finish reading it, the differences are clear in your head and you’ll never be confused about the two again.

The English Tenses: A Brief Introduction

Before I go into the details of the simple past and the present perfect, it’s important that you fully understand the concept of tenses in English.

Well, what are tenses?

Tenses, as some of you may already know, are a way of measuring time. Tenses tell us whether a particular action has already happened, is happening or will happen. Every sentence we speak or write in English is in one of these tenses.

So how do we determine the tense being used when looking at a sentence?

The answer is simple.

The verbs we use tell us which tense is being used. If the verb form changes, the tense changes (and vice versa).

In English, there are three main tenses: past, present and future.

Here’s a simple trick to remember which is which.

When we talk about any event or action (let’s say, eating a cookie), it can only happen in one of these three times:

It happened yesterday or even earlier (Past): I talked to Mary yesterday.

It happened today or right now (Present): I am talking to Mary on the phone.

It will happen tomorrow or even later (Future): I will talk tho Mary at work tomorrow.

I personally found the model of using yesterday, today and tomorrow to memorize the three tenses of past, present and future to be very useful. Plus, it’s a good way to start learning basic tenses if you’re a beginner. (Of course, even if something happened a few minutes or hours ago, it’s also in the past—but this is a good basic trick for remembering which tense is used for which “time”!).

Once you’re confident, we can look at them in greater detail and focus on the exceptions.

You might have noticed how the verb “to talk” changed depending on the tense of the sentence. Indeed, if you’re going to master tenses, you need to know:

  • How and when to change the verbs (such as ate, eat, eating and eaten)
  • Which helping verbs to use (such as have, will, is and so on) in certain cases

Now, each of these three tenses can be further divided into four “sub” tenses. These are simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous.

The best way to explain this is to rewrite the above example in each of the sub-tenses. For now, don’t worry about why we have to use so many tenses. Instead, just focus on how the verb (“to read”) is changing in each.

Or you could try writing them on your own and checking the answers below.

Past Tense:

Simple Past: I talked to Mary yesterday.

Past Continuous: I was talking to Mary when you came in.

Past Perfect: I had talked to Mary before eating dinner.

Past Perfect Continuous: I had been talking to Mary for two hours before we finally hung up.

Present Tense:

Simple Present: I talk to Mary at least once a day.

Present Continuous: I am talking to Mary right now.

Present Perfect: I have talked to Mary before.

Present Perfect Continuous: I have been talking to Mary for three hours now.

Future Tense:

Simple Future: I will talk to Mary tomorrow.

Future Continuous: I will be talking to Mary on the train ride tomorrow.

Future Perfect: I will have talked to Mary by next week.

Future Perfect Continuous: I will have been talking to Mary for two hours at 3:00.

Now that you’ve reviewed the basics of tenses, let’s move on to the difference between past simple and present perfect. If you still aren’t feeling confident, consider brushing up on your knowledge of how to use tenses before continuing.

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple: Learn the Key Differences and Never Confuse the Two Again

The Past Simple

What Is It and When Do We Use It?

The past simple (also called the simple past), as the name suggests, is the tense we use to talk about any action or event that has already happened.

Moreover, we use this tense when we know the exact or specific details of the time of the event (such as yesterday, the previous winter, last year, five hours ago and so on). In other words, the event is already over and finished.

Here are some examples:

I wrote a few lines of the story in my notebook last week.

He went on an exchange program two years ago. 

She ate the entire pie yesterday.

I talked to Maria on the phone five minutes ago.

In each example, the action was finished within a certain time frame. In short, the simple past is used when talk about events that already finished.

We may also use this tense when we want to focus on telling people about the action.

Here are two examples:

We danced a lot at the party.

I walked home from school.

In both cases, the focus is on telling of the action (“dancing a lot,” “walking home”) that took place in the past and not on the results or consequences of the action. We’re just talking about an event in the past and aren’t discussing the possible effects of it.

If you’re still confused, no worries. This point will become clearer once we get to present perfect.

To sum up, we use the simple past to refer to an event or an action that took place in “finished time” or to simply focus on talking about the action itself.

Verb Forms to Use with the Past Simple

To write a sentence in the simple past, we have to convert the verb to its simple past form.

But verb conjugation can be tricky to get a hang of.

For regular verbs, there are a few rules regarding how to convert them. But for irregular verbs, you need to memorize the verb forms.

Let’s take a regular verb like to walk and an irregular verb like to eat, for example.

She walked home from the party. (We added an “-ed” to “walk”)

He ate a pizza for dinner. (“Eat” changes to “ate”)

If you’re feeling intimidated or confused about verb conjugations, don’t worry! All it takes is a bit of practice and soon it’ll become second nature.

The Present Perfect

What Is It and When Do We Use It?

Here’s the tricky part.

Yes, the present perfect is one of the forms of the present tense. But we normally use it to talk about events that have already happened.

These events may be ongoing or completed but usually, the events took place recently and the time is unspecified.

In other words, present perfect is listed under the present tense because the event usually took place just now or recently. Therefore, it’s still “connected” to the present.

Does that make sense?

Of course, if we’re talking about a historical event or something that happened many years ago, we use the past tense.

Take a look at these two examples:

I have written a few lines already. (It took place recently.)

My husband and I have known each other for five years now. (Even though the time is mentioned here, the action is still ongoing or continuing into the present—we still know each other.)

But in most cases of the present perfect, the time of the action is “unfinished” or unspecified, like in this example:

He has been on an exchange program to Sweden. (The time isn’t specified)

We also use this tense when the focus is more on the “result” of the action instead of the “telling” of the action. For example:

She has eaten the pie all by herself. (The focus is on the result of the action—the pie is now finished by her!)

“Have you done your homework?” (A yes/no answer is wanted.)

Verb Forms to Use with the Present Perfect

Another way to differentiate between the two tenses is to simply look at the verbs used.

In the simple past, we use just one verb and it’s used in the “past” form.

In the present perfect, we use the helping verbs has or have along with the “participle” form of the main verb (which is the verb that indicates the action).

In other words, to convert a verb to the present perfect, we can use this simple formula:

has/have + participle form of the verb

So if the verb is to fly, then the present perfect form would be: has/have + flown, as in the following examples:

The birds have flown away.

My pet parrot has flown away.

For regular verbs, the participle and simple past forms are the same. For irregular verbs, the participle forms must be memorized.

Present Perfect vs Past Simple: The Key Differences

By now, you understand the key differences between the past simple and the present perfect. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve learned so far:

  • The past simple and the present perfect refer to two different tenses. As their names suggest, one refers to the past and the other to the present.
  • We use the simple past to refer to an event/action that has already finished or happened, and the time is usually certain and specified. It always refers to finished time.
  • We also use the simple past when we’re more interested in the “telling” of an action and not on the results of the action.
  • The present perfect is used when the event/action took place very recently or the time isn’t specified.
  • The present perfect is also used when we’re more interested in the results or consequences of the action/event, as the result is usually linked to the present.
  • The simple past uses a single verb (the simple past form of the verb) while the present perfect uses two verbs (has/have + participle form of the verb).
  • The easiest way to remember is that the action/event in past simple refers to “finished” time while in present perfect, it suggests there’s still a connection to the present.

Practice What You’ve Learned

Now that you know the differences, it’s time to put your knowledge to test.

Quizzes and Exercises

Here are a few simple and short quizzes and exercises that test your understanding of these two tenses.

  • English-hilfen.de: This is a simple fill-in-the-blanks quiz where you have to choose the right word or phrase from a drop-down list. It’s a pretty good way to know if you’ve grasped the basics or not.
  • English Page: Another simple one, in this quiz you have to fill-in-the-blanks for a paragraph by using the right form of the verb. To make it easier, they also offer hints.
  • English Grammar Online: This site also summarizes the differences between the two tenses, followed by several in-depth exercises and three practice tests. Try these out once you’re confident enough.
  • AgendaWeb: Finally, if you’re feeling brave enough, you can try the exercises listed here. There are plenty of them so you can try solving them from time to time as revision or for extra practice.

Authentic Videos with FluentU

Perhaps the textbook approach doesn’t work for you and you want to memorize what you’ve learned in a more fun way. In that case, FluentU is the perfect educational app to brush up your knowledge of the tenses and take your English skills to the next level.

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

Each video comes with interactive captions and subtitles so you understand every word while also learning about English culture. There’s also a “quiz mode” after every video where you can put to practice what you’ve learned.

You can improve your English right now by signing up for a free trial.

 

I hope this post has cleared the confusion between the present perfect and the past simple tenses. Now you know how you can still use present tense to talk about a past event.

Yes, the English language is curious like that. The good news is, the more you practice the better you’ll be. So be consistent and motivated about learning and you’ll be fluent in English before you know it!

Archita Mittra is a freelance writer, journalist, editor and educator. Feel free to check out her blog or contact her for freelancing/educational inquiries.

If you liked this post, something tells me that you’ll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.

Experience English immersion online!

[NEW] Present Perfect vs. Past Simple: Learn the Key Differences and Never Confuse the Two Again | past simple vs present perfect – NATAVIGUIDES

How can I use the present tense to talk about the past in English? It doesn’t make any sense!

You’re right—it doesn’t make sense… at first!

That’s why you’re here, reading this post.

As a language learner, you may be quite confused about the difference between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.

After all, they both refer to events that already happened and are now in the past.

Well, I’m here to tell you that when I first learned these English tenses, I had the same problem. I was very confused and it was only later that I learned the differences between the two.

So in this post, I’m going to explain the differences between the present perfect and the simple past in a very simple way. I hope by the time you finish reading it, the differences are clear in your head and you’ll never be confused about the two again.

The English Tenses: A Brief Introduction

Before I go into the details of the simple past and the present perfect, it’s important that you fully understand the concept of tenses in English.

Well, what are tenses?

Tenses, as some of you may already know, are a way of measuring time. Tenses tell us whether a particular action has already happened, is happening or will happen. Every sentence we speak or write in English is in one of these tenses.

So how do we determine the tense being used when looking at a sentence?

The answer is simple.

The verbs we use tell us which tense is being used. If the verb form changes, the tense changes (and vice versa).

In English, there are three main tenses: past, present and future.

Here’s a simple trick to remember which is which.

When we talk about any event or action (let’s say, eating a cookie), it can only happen in one of these three times:

It happened yesterday or even earlier (Past): I talked to Mary yesterday.

It happened today or right now (Present): I am talking to Mary on the phone.

It will happen tomorrow or even later (Future): I will talk tho Mary at work tomorrow.

I personally found the model of using yesterday, today and tomorrow to memorize the three tenses of past, present and future to be very useful. Plus, it’s a good way to start learning basic tenses if you’re a beginner. (Of course, even if something happened a few minutes or hours ago, it’s also in the past—but this is a good basic trick for remembering which tense is used for which “time”!).

Once you’re confident, we can look at them in greater detail and focus on the exceptions.

You might have noticed how the verb “to talk” changed depending on the tense of the sentence. Indeed, if you’re going to master tenses, you need to know:

  • How and when to change the verbs (such as ate, eat, eating and eaten)
  • Which helping verbs to use (such as have, will, is and so on) in certain cases

Now, each of these three tenses can be further divided into four “sub” tenses. These are simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous.

The best way to explain this is to rewrite the above example in each of the sub-tenses. For now, don’t worry about why we have to use so many tenses. Instead, just focus on how the verb (“to read”) is changing in each.

Or you could try writing them on your own and checking the answers below.

Past Tense:

Simple Past: I talked to Mary yesterday.

Past Continuous: I was talking to Mary when you came in.

Past Perfect: I had talked to Mary before eating dinner.

Past Perfect Continuous: I had been talking to Mary for two hours before we finally hung up.

Present Tense:

Simple Present: I talk to Mary at least once a day.

Present Continuous: I am talking to Mary right now.

Present Perfect: I have talked to Mary before.

Present Perfect Continuous: I have been talking to Mary for three hours now.

Future Tense:

Simple Future: I will talk to Mary tomorrow.

Future Continuous: I will be talking to Mary on the train ride tomorrow.

Future Perfect: I will have talked to Mary by next week.

Future Perfect Continuous: I will have been talking to Mary for two hours at 3:00.

Now that you’ve reviewed the basics of tenses, let’s move on to the difference between past simple and present perfect. If you still aren’t feeling confident, consider brushing up on your knowledge of how to use tenses before continuing.

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple: Learn the Key Differences and Never Confuse the Two Again

The Past Simple

What Is It and When Do We Use It?

The past simple (also called the simple past), as the name suggests, is the tense we use to talk about any action or event that has already happened.

Moreover, we use this tense when we know the exact or specific details of the time of the event (such as yesterday, the previous winter, last year, five hours ago and so on). In other words, the event is already over and finished.

Here are some examples:

I wrote a few lines of the story in my notebook last week.

He went on an exchange program two years ago. 

She ate the entire pie yesterday.

I talked to Maria on the phone five minutes ago.

In each example, the action was finished within a certain time frame. In short, the simple past is used when talk about events that already finished.

We may also use this tense when we want to focus on telling people about the action.

Here are two examples:

We danced a lot at the party.

I walked home from school.

In both cases, the focus is on telling of the action (“dancing a lot,” “walking home”) that took place in the past and not on the results or consequences of the action. We’re just talking about an event in the past and aren’t discussing the possible effects of it.

If you’re still confused, no worries. This point will become clearer once we get to present perfect.

To sum up, we use the simple past to refer to an event or an action that took place in “finished time” or to simply focus on talking about the action itself.

Verb Forms to Use with the Past Simple

To write a sentence in the simple past, we have to convert the verb to its simple past form.

But verb conjugation can be tricky to get a hang of.

For regular verbs, there are a few rules regarding how to convert them. But for irregular verbs, you need to memorize the verb forms.

Let’s take a regular verb like to walk and an irregular verb like to eat, for example.

She walked home from the party. (We added an “-ed” to “walk”)

He ate a pizza for dinner. (“Eat” changes to “ate”)

If you’re feeling intimidated or confused about verb conjugations, don’t worry! All it takes is a bit of practice and soon it’ll become second nature.

The Present Perfect

What Is It and When Do We Use It?

Here’s the tricky part.

Yes, the present perfect is one of the forms of the present tense. But we normally use it to talk about events that have already happened.

These events may be ongoing or completed but usually, the events took place recently and the time is unspecified.

In other words, present perfect is listed under the present tense because the event usually took place just now or recently. Therefore, it’s still “connected” to the present.

Does that make sense?

Of course, if we’re talking about a historical event or something that happened many years ago, we use the past tense.

Take a look at these two examples:

I have written a few lines already. (It took place recently.)

My husband and I have known each other for five years now. (Even though the time is mentioned here, the action is still ongoing or continuing into the present—we still know each other.)

But in most cases of the present perfect, the time of the action is “unfinished” or unspecified, like in this example:

He has been on an exchange program to Sweden. (The time isn’t specified)

We also use this tense when the focus is more on the “result” of the action instead of the “telling” of the action. For example:

She has eaten the pie all by herself. (The focus is on the result of the action—the pie is now finished by her!)

“Have you done your homework?” (A yes/no answer is wanted.)

Verb Forms to Use with the Present Perfect

Another way to differentiate between the two tenses is to simply look at the verbs used.

In the simple past, we use just one verb and it’s used in the “past” form.

In the present perfect, we use the helping verbs has or have along with the “participle” form of the main verb (which is the verb that indicates the action).

In other words, to convert a verb to the present perfect, we can use this simple formula:

has/have + participle form of the verb

So if the verb is to fly, then the present perfect form would be: has/have + flown, as in the following examples:

The birds have flown away.

My pet parrot has flown away.

For regular verbs, the participle and simple past forms are the same. For irregular verbs, the participle forms must be memorized.

Present Perfect vs Past Simple: The Key Differences

By now, you understand the key differences between the past simple and the present perfect. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve learned so far:

  • The past simple and the present perfect refer to two different tenses. As their names suggest, one refers to the past and the other to the present.
  • We use the simple past to refer to an event/action that has already finished or happened, and the time is usually certain and specified. It always refers to finished time.
  • We also use the simple past when we’re more interested in the “telling” of an action and not on the results of the action.
  • The present perfect is used when the event/action took place very recently or the time isn’t specified.
  • The present perfect is also used when we’re more interested in the results or consequences of the action/event, as the result is usually linked to the present.
  • The simple past uses a single verb (the simple past form of the verb) while the present perfect uses two verbs (has/have + participle form of the verb).
  • The easiest way to remember is that the action/event in past simple refers to “finished” time while in present perfect, it suggests there’s still a connection to the present.

Practice What You’ve Learned

Now that you know the differences, it’s time to put your knowledge to test.

Quizzes and Exercises

Here are a few simple and short quizzes and exercises that test your understanding of these two tenses.

  • English-hilfen.de: This is a simple fill-in-the-blanks quiz where you have to choose the right word or phrase from a drop-down list. It’s a pretty good way to know if you’ve grasped the basics or not.
  • English Page: Another simple one, in this quiz you have to fill-in-the-blanks for a paragraph by using the right form of the verb. To make it easier, they also offer hints.
  • English Grammar Online: This site also summarizes the differences between the two tenses, followed by several in-depth exercises and three practice tests. Try these out once you’re confident enough.
  • AgendaWeb: Finally, if you’re feeling brave enough, you can try the exercises listed here. There are plenty of them so you can try solving them from time to time as revision or for extra practice.

Authentic Videos with FluentU

Perhaps the textbook approach doesn’t work for you and you want to memorize what you’ve learned in a more fun way. In that case, FluentU is the perfect educational app to brush up your knowledge of the tenses and take your English skills to the next level.

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

Each video comes with interactive captions and subtitles so you understand every word while also learning about English culture. There’s also a “quiz mode” after every video where you can put to practice what you’ve learned.

You can improve your English right now by signing up for a free trial.

 

I hope this post has cleared the confusion between the present perfect and the past simple tenses. Now you know how you can still use present tense to talk about a past event.

Yes, the English language is curious like that. The good news is, the more you practice the better you’ll be. So be consistent and motivated about learning and you’ll be fluent in English before you know it!

Archita Mittra is a freelance writer, journalist, editor and educator. Feel free to check out her blog or contact her for freelancing/educational inquiries.

If you liked this post, something tells me that you’ll love FluentU, the best way to learn English with real-world videos.

Experience English immersion online!


Present Perfect vs Past Simple : English Language


Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Past Simple
Simple Past
Present Perfect

นอกจากการดูบทความนี้แล้ว คุณยังสามารถดูข้อมูลที่เป็นประโยชน์อื่นๆ อีกมากมายที่เราให้ไว้ที่นี่: ดูเพิ่มเติม

Present Perfect vs Past Simple : English Language

Present Perfect or Past Perfect?


http://www.engvid.com \”I have eaten.\” \”I had eaten.\” What’s the difference, and when do use each form? In this important grammar lesson, learn how to distinguish between past perfect and present perfect. You’ll learn the correct form of each tense, and when each should be used. Then take the quiz at http://www.engvid.com/presentperfectorpastperfect/ .

Present Perfect or Past Perfect?

Present Perfect and the Past Simple | English Conversation about Experiences


Learn past simple irregular and regular verbs and present perfect in a natural English conversation about travel and life experiences. Get the listening transcripts and ESL lesson activities here: https://bit.ly/3ooKSeI
Get the lesson transcripts and lesson plan here: https://bit.ly/3ooKSeI
Learn grammar Present Perfect: https://youtu.be/fXN8hY0WwGg
Learn grammar Past Simple Irregular: https://youtu.be/NYDkHBomOU8
Learn grammar Past Simple Regular: https://youtu.be/O2nqdDSy9nk
Practice more past simple:
Talking about the Past | Telling a Story: https://youtu.be/WjK_VkUt9SY
Talking about Travel: https://youtu.be/QPmbkFY_mE
Talking about a Past Trip: https://youtu.be/mngiqrT44Pk
How to describe a Car Accident: https://youtu.be/A0aOFQBLPuU
Recalling Past Events: https://youtu.be/Ku8DQioEId0
A fun and effective resource to learn English in context. A great way to learn vocabulary and expressions to talk about food likes and dislikes. Full transcripts, vocabulary flashcards, quizzes, and lots more when you sign up at: www.pocketpassport.com
For more information email us at: [email protected]

Present Perfect and the Past Simple | English Conversation about Experiences

Present Perfect and Past Simple: The Grammar Gameshow Episode 29


Welcome to the Grammar Gameshow! Test your knowledge in this crazy quiz! The presenter is a bit strange, the points don’t make sense and the prizes could use some improvement, but at least the grammar is correct!
It’s that time again! Another episode of your favourite grammarbased quiz show! Who will our two new contestants be? Whoever they are, they’ll have to face that trickiest of all grammar differences: The present perfect and past simple tenses! When do you use which and why are they so confusing? Who are these two ladies dressed in white? Why do they make the hair on Leslie’s neck stand up? Why does Will feel so uncomfortable? Is it the grammar? Find out all in this episode of the Grammar Gameshow!
For more information, a quiz and other episodes, visit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/tgg/unit1/session30
Do you want to learn how to speak English? Then join us here on YouTube for great grammar, drama, news, study, pronunciation, vocabulary, music, interviews and celebrity videos. Every day we have a new video to help you with English. We also produce regular ‘extra’ videos across the week so come back every day to see what’s new.
MONDAY: The English We Speak
TUESDAY: News Review
TUESDAY: English At Work
WEDNESDAY: LingoHack
THURSDAY: 6 Minute English
FRIDAY: The Experiment (watch this space for new and exciting content that we are trying out!)
We like receiving and reading your comments please use English when you comment.
For more videos and content that will help you learn English, visit our website: http://www.bbclearningenglish.com

Present Perfect and Past Simple: The Grammar Gameshow Episode 29

Test Your English! – Past Simple vs Present Perfect


Test Your English! 16 mixed fill in the blanks / gap fill English grammar quiz (past vs present perfect), elementary to intermediate level (with answers).
For a free printable version of this quiz, please visit my site / blog at: https://www.allthingsgrammar.com/tensesreview.html
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Test Your English! - Past Simple vs Present Perfect

นอกจากการดูบทความนี้แล้ว คุณยังสามารถดูข้อมูลที่เป็นประโยชน์อื่นๆ อีกมากมายที่เราให้ไว้ที่นี่: ดูบทความเพิ่มเติมในหมวดหมู่MAKE MONEY ONLINE

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