Learn to tell apart two tenses learners often confuse, with simple examples.
Both tenses talk about the past, but they focus on different things. The key to the difference is the question "when?"
Past Simple: a finished, known time
Use the Past Simple when we know when something happened, or when we talk about a finished period of time.
- I visited London in 2023.
- She called me yesterday.
- We saw a great film last night.
Present Perfect: from the past to now
Use the Present Perfect when the time isn't stated, when the action affects the present, or when the period is still continuing.
- I have visited London twice.
- She has lost her keys. (She still can't find them.)
- I have lived here since 2015.
A practical tip
If a sentence contains a specific past time expression such as yesterday, last week, in 2020 or ago, it almost always takes the Past Simple. Words like ever, never, already, yet, since and for usually go with the Present Perfect.
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