PRESENT PERFECT

VS
PAST SIMPLE
Teacher Daniela
 What is the difference between the present
perfect and the simple past?

• Use the simple past when the action started in the past,

finished in the past, and is not continuing now.
• Use the present perfect when the action started in the
past and is continuing now.
• The simple past tells us that an action happened at a certain
time in the past, and is not continuing anymore.
• It doesn't tell us anything about when an action happened, so
more information needs to be given with this verb form, such as
when the action took place.
• The present perfect tells us that an action started in the past
and it is still happening now, or it is something that happens
regularly. We may need more information to tell us how long it
has been going on.
• It may also tell us that the time period it started in is still going
on.
 Look at this:

The sun rose at 6:00 am.

(Simple Past: We know that
the sun came up at a time in
the past and it is not rising
now. The sun may or may
not be in the sky when this
statement is made. The time
is important to add.)
The sun has risen.
(Present perfect: We
know that the sun
already rose, and it is
still in the sky now.)

Jackson ate lunch early.
(Simple Past: Eating lunch has
started and ended in the past.
Someone might say this when
the time for eating lunch has
also ended. Lunch happened
early, and it is over now.)
Jackson has eaten lunch.
(Present Perfect: Jackson
started and finished eating
lunch in the past, but lunch
time is still going on. Someone
might say this when others are
preparing to eat lunch, and they
want to know whether Jackson
will join them.)
She lived in Paris for a year.
(Simple Past: This action
started and finished in the
past. She no longer lives in
Paris. It is important to know
the action lasted for a year.)
She has lived in Paris for a year.
(Present perfect: This action started in
the past and is still going on now; it has
not finished. She lives in Paris now, and
additional information tells us how long
she has lived there.)
Meg ran two marathons last year.
(Simple Past: We know Meg ran
two marathons in the past, and the
time period the action started in and
finished in—last year—has ended.)

Meg has run two marathons this

year. (Present perfect: We know
Meg started running marathons this
year. However, this year has not
ended and she may run more
marathons before the end of the
year.)