GRAMMAR

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SNAPSHOT
Present Perfect
Simple v. Simple Past
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

Use
We use the present perfect simple to talk about events and experiences in the
past without mentioning a specific time of when they occurred.

Affirmative statements
We have seen so many beautiful works of art in Florida.
We have learned a lot about Art Deco.
I have taken pictures of some of the buildings here in Miami.
The Art Basel Exhibition in Miami Beach has really changed the way I
look at art.

Negative statements
I have never seen so many beautiful hotels and museums.
I have not visited the Performing Arts Center in Miami yet.

Questions
What is your favorite place you have seen this week, Allison?
What have you learned about Art Deco?

We also use the present perfect simple to talk about situations that start in the
past and continue to the present. Sometimes these sentences mention a specific
amount of time the situations have continued and sometimes they do not.

PAST SIMPLE

Use
When using the simple past, there is a specific time that is either mentioned or
understood.

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 Affirmative statements
Yesterday, we visited the Miami Art Museum and Miami Beach.
This morning, we went to the Art Basel exhibition.
My favorite place was the Art Basel Exhibition in Miami Beach.
The building was an old storage facility, built in 1926, but Michael Wolfson
bought the building and opened the museum in 1995.

Negative statements
I did not see every exhibition at the museum yesterday.
We did not eat breakfast this morning before the tour.

Questions
What did you see at the museum yesterday, Allison?
Did you enjoy exploring Miami on your own after the museum visit?

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE WITH ‘SINCE’ OR

‘FOR’

Use
‘Since’ and ‘for’ are used in present perfect simple sentences to note when some-
thing began in the past and for how long the situation has continued.

Affirmative statements
The Wolfsonian Museum has been open to the public for about 22 years.
Allison has been in Miami for a week.
The Wolfsonian Museum has collected and displayed more than 180,000
works of art since it opened.
We have taken hundreds of pictures since we arrived.

‘For’ is followed by an amount of time. ‘Since’ is followed by a specific point in

time in the past, like a date or year. Remember that even though the present per-
fect simple with ‘since’ references a specific time in the past, the situation contin-
ues to the present time. This makes it very different from the simple past, which
references actions finished in the past. See the examples of time expressions be-
low with ‘since’ and ‘for.’

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PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE WITHOUT ‘SINCE’
OR ‘FOR’

Use
Situation occurs over an unspecified amount of time from past to present.

The city has done a great job using art to improve the quality of life
for its people.
The art has really made the city a better place to live.

Use ‘how long’ in questions with the present perfect simple when you want to
know the length of time a situation has continued.

Questions
How long has the Wolfsonian Museum been open?
How long has Allison been in Miami?

Since + (a specific point of time in the past) For + (amount of time)

The museum has been opened since 1995. The museum has been opened for 22 years.

Examples of points of time in the past: Examples of amounts of time:

1995 22 years
May 5 one month
yesterday a day
last year a year
10:00 AM 3 hours
5 minutes ago 5 minutes

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