Present Perfect vs Past Simple

The Present Perfect and Past Simple are two of the most confused tenses in English, especially because they both talk about the past. But they are not the same, and the difference is actually simple.

Past Simple is used: (a) for finished actions in the past - we know when they happened, and (b) for completed actions with a specific time in the past.

Examples:

1. She lived in London in 2019.

2. ⁠I ate breakfast this morning.

3. ⁠They finished the project last night.

The time reference is always clear: yesterday, last week/month/year, in 2020, an hour ago, when I was a child, etc.

Present Perfect is used: (a) when an action happened at an unspecified time in the past, (b) when the result of an action is still connected to the present, or (c) for actions that started in the past and continue to now.

Examples:

1. She has visited London. (we don’t know or care exactly when)

2. ⁠I have eaten breakfast. (so I’m full now)

3. ⁠They have finished the project. (It’s done, and the result matters now)

4. ⁠She has lived in Lagos for 10 years. (She still lives there)

IMPORTANT TIP:

We cannot use the Present Perfect with specific finished times in the past (yesterday, last week, in 2022, etc.).

❌ I have visited Lagos in 2022.

✅ I visited Lagos in 2022. (Past Simple)

However, duration expressions like for and since are commonly used with the Present Perfect because they connect the past to the present.

✅ She has lived in Lagos for 10 years.

✅ They have been friends since 2015.

Okay. That was not difficult, was it?

Now complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use either Past Simple or Present Perfect.

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1. Katie (live) abroad for five years now and has no plans of coming back.

2. We (finish) the group assignment last night and submitted it before class.

3. She (not / visit) her grandmother since last Christmas.

4. My uncle (work) at that factory from 1995 to 2008, then he retired.

5. He (break) his arm when he fell off the bicycle last year.

6. They (know) each other for fifteen years, and they are still very close.

7. She (win) the spelling competition two years ago. Everyone cheered for her.

8. I (write) to her three times last year but she never replied.

9. We (not / see) each other since the graduation ceremony.

10. She (teach) biology at this school since 2018. The students love her.