If you still haven’t figured out the differences between Present Perfect and Past Simple, this is the place for you. Briefly about the difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect

How do you like this phrase: “No one is perfect, that’s why pencils have erasers.” - “No one is perfect, that’s why there are erasers on pencils”? However, “Perfect” still exists, and it is “Present”. What is “Present Perfect”?

To begin with, it is worth noting that there is simply no equivalent to this tense or the Present Complete in the Russian language - this is where the whole difficulty of understanding lies. But hold on! We're here to sort it all out. Let's go!

Rules for the formation of the Present Perfect

Let's look at an example:

I have seen this film before.

We have first place subject(subjects or subject), then auxiliary verb(auxiliary) - have or has + Past Participle = seen.

Using the Present Perfect

• When we talk about experience and achievements ( experience & achievements):

I have jumped with a parachute!- I jumped with a parachute!
I’ve just graduated from University and got a diploma!- I just graduated from university and received a diploma!
She has started to walk!- She started walking!

• To show some changes:

You've lost weight!- You've lost weight!

• When an action happened in the past, but we do not know when exactly, or time does not matter. The main thing is not when the action occurred, but its result in the present:

Have you read this book?- Did you read this book? (Ever?)
Nick has traveled a lot. - Nick traveled a lot.

• In sentences with Stative/State verbs when an action began in the past, continues in the present and may continue in the future. Words that can be used in these sentences are: since(since) and for(during):

I’ve known him for ten years.- I have known him for 10 years (I knew him in the past, I know him now, and maybe I will know him in the future).
I haven’t felt well since Monday.- I haven't been feeling well since Monday.

• When the time of action is determined by words just(just now), already(already), yet(more). Accurate connection with the present:

I’ve just seen an interesting movie.- I just watched an interesting film.
She has already left.- She's already gone.
The show has not begun yet.- The show hasn't started yet.

• When an action took place during a period that has not yet ended. These periods include: today(Today), this morning(this morning), this week(this week), this month(this month), this year(this year), etc.:

She has called her best friend this morning.- She called her best friend in the morning (the morning was not over yet).
I have never been to China.— I have never been to China. (I have never been to China in my entire life.)

• Description of events of the recent past. Usually in such cases the words are used recently(recently), lately(lately, recently):

We have come back recently.- We just returned.
You've worked hard lately.- You've been working a lot lately.

• When the action occurs for the first (second, third, etc.) time:

It's the first time I have done it.- I did this for the first time.
It’s the second time I have driven a car.- I drove the car for the second time.
It’s the third time she has called him this morning.“She called him this morning for the third time.”

Peculiarities of using been and gone in the Present Perfect: examples

« Been" And " gone» are past participles (the third form of the verb), gone is the past participle form of the verb go, and been is the past participle form of the verb be. Everything seems clear, but when translating into or from Russian, students have many problems. Let's look at examples:

Is Ann in the office? No, she has just been to Great Britain. And she is at home today relaxing. She'll be here tomorrow.

Is Ann in the office? No, she has just gone to China. She is spending there one month supervising the work of our subsidiary and is coming back on the 25th.

As you can see from the context in the first case, Anna was in the UK, but has already returned. Her journey has just ended.

In the second case, on the contrary, her journey has just begun, she has left and will stay in China for another month.

It follows that the Present Perfect with " been" means back and forth action, and Present Perfect with " gone" means action only there.

Conclusion

After all of the above, the question arises: “Why then? Past Simple, if there is a Present Perfect?”

There is a huge difference between Past Simple and Present Perfect. Past simple happened in the past . We know when, and the time is over. This means that the present is not included in it. Yesterday, last year, two minutes ago. All this already finished time.

And if unfinished time? Today, this week, over these ten years (all these periods of time include the moment “now”), then we use Present Perfect. Let's compare:

I've fed a tiger today. I fed ten tigers yesterday.
She went to Europe last summer. I’ve never been to Europe in my life.
We've had many customers this week. We didn't have so many customers last week.

I lived here for ten years. I’ve lived here for ten years.

In what case am I still here? I live? Of course, I’ve lived here for ten years because it means that the action started in the past and is still ongoing. I lived here for ten years means I lived a long time ago, but have already moved. So you walk past the house in which you once lived a long time ago, and say: I lived here for ten years a long time ago.

We hope that now you have no doubts! Have a great English and evolve!

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

There is never too much time! Especially when it comes to the tense system in English. Today the focus is on the fundamental difference between Present Simle and Past Simple.

Cases of use

There are 12 tense forms in English. The Russian language is not characterized by such diversity. Therefore, it is not surprising that young “Anglomaniacs” find it difficult to understand the English category of time. But there is always a way out: comparison. But you can only compare objects that are being compared - those that have some common features and differences. The pair Present Simle and Past Simple is one of these. What unites them is the aspect - Simple or Indefinite (Simple or Indefinite), indicating that we are dealing with an ordinary, everyday, repetitive action. But there is a whole abyss that lies between the past (Past) and the present (Present).

The following table shows all the uses of the two tenses with examples:

When a sentence talks about repeated actions in the past, they can use such adverbs of time as often (often), always (always), sometimes (sometimes) and others. They are characteristic not only of Present Simle (Simple Present), but also of Past Simple (Simple Past), as they emphasize a certain regularity, repetition of actions, which is characteristic of the Simple aspect.

Education

The main difference between Present Simle and Past Simple is when, in what period of time the event occurred - in the present or past. It also affects the form of the verb. The following table tells how the form of the verb in Present Simle (Simple Present) differs from Past Simple (Simple Past) and how they are formed:

Another difference is the translation of these temporary forms into Russian. Present Simle is translated by a present tense verb, and Past Simple is translated by a past tense verb.

What have we learned?

Today we talked about how to distinguish Present Simle from Past Simple. They are united by the Simle aspect, indicating the repetition of the action. They have many differences: the tense of action - present and past, the way of forming verb forms, translation into Russian.

Test on the topic

Article rating

Average rating: 4.1. Total ratings received: 198.

There is nothing better when all the explanations about the difference between the Past Simple and Present Perfect tenses are given in a very accessible form by native English speakers themselves. Look at the material that I have outlined very briefly. You will no longer have any questions about how these two tenses differ and when to use them.

What is PAST SIMPLE?

Past simple is a type of past tense that is used when we need to talk about the past that happened at a specific time. Specific words are highlighted in color.

1. I went to the movies yesterday.
I went to the cinema yesterday.

4. When I went to France, I saw the Eiffel Tower.
When I was in France I saw the Eiffel Tower.

5. I have breakfast at 8:00am.
I had breakfast at 8:00 am.

9. Peter made his first video in 2010.
Petya made his first video in 2010.

10. The store opened at 9:00am.
The store opened at 9 am.

What is PRESENT PERFECT?

1. Repeated actions in the past.
2. Never done/seen/heard/been, etc.
3. Actions took place over a certain period of time.

1. I have been to Russia five times.
I've been to Russia 5 times.

You have eaten steak many times.
You've eaten steak many times.

He has run the marathon twice.
He has run the marathon twice.

2. I have never been to Tanzania.
I've never been to Tanzania.

She has never bought an Mac computer.
He never bought a Mac.

They have never eaten duck.
They never ate duck.

When to use PAST SIMPLE and PRESENT PERFECT?

1. In general, both of these tenses are very similar and are used to indicate a past action. If you are a complete beginner, you can only use the Past Simple - the simple past. A native speaker will understand you.

2. At a more advanced level, this tablet will be useful to you; see how the meaning of the same sentence said in past simple and present perfect changes.

You can find this material on the channel of Justin, an American teacher.

Take a short test to reinforce the material.

Exercises

Exercise 1
Determine what time it is:

1. Last week Jack and Sarah ate pie.
2. When my mother was 25, she started working as an engineer.
3. Yesterday you ate mashed potatoes for dinner.
4. This morning we walked along the river.
5. An hour ago we were swimming in the pool.

Clue
1. Jack and Sarah ate a pie last week.
2. My mom started working as an engineer when she was 25 years old.
3. You ate mashed potatoes at dinner last night.
4. We walked next to the river this morning.
5. We swam in the pool one hour ago.

Exercise 2
Determine what time it is.

1. I haven't talked to Jack yet.
2. Susan hasn't been to France yet.
3. We have been playing football for two years now.
4. They ate five pieces of chicken.
5. I didn’t go to school today.

Clue
1. I haven’t talked to Jack yet.
2. Susan hasn’t been to France yet vs Susan didn’t go to France last year.
3. We have played soccer for two years.
4. They have eaten five pieces of chicken.
5. I haven’t gone to school today.

Exercise #3
Paste regular verbs in the gaps.

1. At Christmas, I ____________ (ate/have eaten) too much food.
2. He ___________ (went/has been) to the party last night.
3. You ___________ (didn’t go/have never been) to Canada.
4. I ___________ (did/have done) yoga many times.
5. We _________ (talked/have talked) on the phone yesterday.

How to finally “sort out” tenses in English? The task is not easy, but there is a solution: to draw a parallel between “similar” times. A comparison of Present Simple (Simple Present) and Present Perfect (Present Perfect) will clearly show the difference between two tenses that belong to the same group - present (Present).

General information

The common belief that the English language has many tenses, but Russian has only three is wrong. Both in one and in the other there are only three tenses: present (Present), past (Past) and future (Future). The difference lies in the number of temporary forms. The language of Foggy Albion draws attention not only to when the action occurred, but also to its “quality” at the moment of its occurrence - regularity, duration and completeness. From here four aspects “follow” for each of the times: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.

The tenses Present Simple (Simple Present) and Present Perfect (Present Perfect) belong to the group of present tenses. In other words, the action they describe is connected to the present, it unites them. What separates them is something else—the “nature” of the action.

State verbs in English cannot be used in the Continuous aspect. In the Present Continuous, the Present Simple tense comes to their aid.

Comparative analysis

A comparison table will help describe the “character” of actions in the two tenses and understand what the difference is between Present Perfect and Present Simple:

Average rating: 4.8. Total ratings received: 129.

For native speakers of the Russian language, three tenses are enough for communication, oral and written expression of their thoughts - present, past and future. The English, on the other hand, need more variety, which is why the English language has not 10 or 11, but as many as 12 tense forms. It is no coincidence that when studying tenses, confusion often arises between similar forms. In this article we will look at the use of Present Perfect and Past Perfect and find out what their differences and similarities are.

What are the similarities between the times of the Perfect group?

The tense forms Present Perfect/Past Perfect have some similarities in formation: The Present Perfect tense is formed using the auxiliary verb have/has (for the 3rd person singular) in the present tense and the main verb in the third form (3rd column in the table of irregular verbs ) or a verb ending in -ed (for regular verbs).

• I have done this work in two hours - I did this work in two hours.
• I have waited for you for an hour - I waited for you for an hour.

The formation of the Past Perfect tense also involves the auxiliary verb have, BUT in the past tense - had - and the main verb is in the third form (3rd column in the table of irregular verbs) or a verb ending in -ed (for regular verbs).

• When I woke up this morning, my son had already eaten all breakfast - When I woke up in the morning, my son had already eaten all breakfast.

The similarity between perfect tenses or tenses of the Perfect group also lies in the fact that they write:

• actions that have already been completed by a certain period of time;
• actions expressed in perfect tenses lead to certain results that persist at the time of speech.

Perfect tenses have common “time markers” indicating the completion of an action: never, ever, already, just, since, yet, by ( to a certain period of time), for (during) and some others.

And yet there is a difference...

To understand the difference between Present Perfect and Past Perfect, let's look at a few examples.

The library has just opened. — The library has just opened

(action completed by now or during the present time).

We came to the post-office, but the postman had already gone away - We came to the post office, and the postman had already left

(an action occurred before another action or a specific moment in the past).

He has written this article for nine days. — He writes an article for nine days (He started writing nine days ago and is now continuing to work on it)

(action started in the past, but continues in the present, still relevant in the present)

Her article was exciting. She had written it since Monday. — Her article was fascinating. She has been writing it since Monday.

(the action began in the past and continued until a certain point in the past).

Jim knows her name. They have already met. — Jim knows her name. They've already met.

(the action happened in the past, it is unknown and unimportant when exactly, but its result is visible in the present).

Comparing these examples reveals that the differences are mainly in temporal meaning and usage.

So what did we find out? The tense forms discussed above are quite similar, since they denote an action completed by certain moment time. The main difference between Present Perfect and Past Perfect is the time of action.

Now consolidate the material and test your knowledge in practice using grammar exercises presented below.

Strengthening exercises

Task No. 1. Put the verb in the correct form (Present Perfect/Past Perfect).

1. a) Look at this concert hall! They…it recently.
2. b) They ... most of the cathedrals before others came to their land.

1. a) By the time their first baby was born, my friends … for 5 years already.
2. b) I ... never ... .

1. a) Last week I was introduced to George. I...him before.
2. b) Michael is a cool guy. I...him for ages.

1. a) When my father was promoted to a senior position, he ... at the factory for 20 years.
2. b) I ... with her since my first day in this company.

1. a) Mary ... just ... the office.
2. b) By the time the bell rang, everyone … already … .

Task No. 2. Open the brackets and put the verb in the correct tense (Present Perfect or Past Perfect).

1. Ann and Sam are such a lovely couple. I...always...them. (like)
2. My granny is in poor health. She...in hospital since Tuesday. (be)
3. Parents … to their children before the party, so they behaved quite well. (talk)
4. I didn’t introduce Marry and Kim to each other, they … already … before. (meet)
5. I am going to the library to return this book. I...it already. (read)

Task No. 3. Translate into English language using Present Perfect or Past Perfect tenses.

1. Her face was very familiar. I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before.
2. They haven't seen Joe since their last conversation.
3. We have already been on vacation this year.
4. Yesterday, when I called him, he had already booked the tickets.
5. She had never been to this restaurant before. Let's invite her to this place!