CLASS 7 · LEARNING KNOWLEDGE

Distinguish ‹Present perfect› and ‹simple past›

How it works

In English, ‹present perfect› is used to describe actions that began in the past and have a connection to the present, e.g. ‹I have finished my homework›. ‹simple past› describes completed actions in the past without a connection to the present, e.g. ‹I finished my homework yesterday›. Signal words such as ‹since›, ‹for›, ‹ever›, ‹never›, ‹already›, ‹yet› often indicate ‹present perfect›, while time expressions such as ‹yesterday›, ‹last week›, ‹in 2010› are typical of ‹simple past›. The correct tense depends on the context and the signal words.

Note
‹present perfect› is formed with ‹have/has› + 3. Verb form (past participle) and shows a connection to the present. ‹simple past› uses the 2. Verb form (past simple) and describes completed events in the past. Signal words help to distinguish them.

An example

Choose the correct tense: ‹I ___ (to see) this film three times.›

‹have seen› is correct because the action has happened several times up to now and has no completed point in time.

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Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: English. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.