Differences Between Past Simple and Present Perfect Tenses

1. When to Use Them

• Past Simple is for actions that happened at a specific time in the past.
  • For example: "She visited Paris last summer."
• Present Perfect is for actions that happened at some point in the past but the exact time is not important. These actions may still matter now.
  • For example: "She has visited Paris."

2. How to Change Verbs

• Past Simple: For regular verbs, you usually add -ed.
  • For example: "play" changes to "played."
• Present Perfect: You use “has” or “have” plus the past form of the verb.
  • For example: "play" changes to "has played."

3. Words That Show Time

• Past Simple: You use specific words to show the time, like yesterday or last week.

• Present Perfect: You use general words that don’t point to a specific time, such as ever, never, or recently.

4. Matching Subjects and Verbs

• Make sure the subject (who or what the sentence is about) matches the right verb form:
  • Past Simple: "He played."
  • Present Perfect: "They have played."

5. Comparing Examples

• Past Simple: "I cooked dinner."
• Present Perfect: "I have cooked dinner."

Understanding these differences can help you know when to use each tense when you talk or write.