Simple past may refer to :

 One event comleted in the past

- I saw him last night
- They left one minutes ago
 Repeated events completed in the past and no longer happening
- When I was young,i went to school on foot every day
 Duration of an event completed in the past
- In Colombus’day, people believed that the earth was flat.

Present perfect tense may refer to :

 Events in certain adverbial or adjective clauses

- I will not come to the party until I have finished my homework.
 Events that started and finished in the past but bring meaning to the present
- I have read the novel (you can borrow it)

Characteristic of simple past tense :

o The regular ending for the past simple,for all persons,is-ed.

o Only the verb to be has two separate forms for the past : was for the singular,were for
the plural
o There are many verbs ending in-t,such as learnt,burnt,spelt,spilt,dwelt,etc.
o The word ago requires the use of past tense,even if the time indicated comes almost up
to the present. (They left one minute ago)