Present Perfect vs. Past Simple Exercises

Present Perfect vs Past Simple

The Present Perfect and Past Simple tenses are both used to talk about past actions, but they are used in different situations. Understanding the difference is important for expressing time clearly in English.

Present Perfect

The Present Perfect connects the past to the present. It is used to talk about:

• Experiences (without saying exactly when they happened)
• Recent actions with present results
• Unfinished time periods (e.g., today, this week)

Form: have/has + past participle

Examples:

• She has visited Paris.
• I have just eaten lunch.
• We haven’t seen that movie yet.

Past Simple

The Past Simple is used to describe actions that:

• Happened at a specific time in the past
• Are completely finished
• Often include a time expression (yesterday, last year, in 2020, etc.)

Form: verb + -ed (regular verbs) or use second form for irregular verbs

Examples:

• She visited Paris in 2022.
• I ate lunch at 12 o’clock.
• We watched that movie last night.

Comparison: Past Simple vs Present Perfect

Quick Tips

• Use Present Perfect when the exact time is not important or not mentioned.
• Use Past Simple when the action happened at a clear point in the past.
• Signal words like “yesterday” or “last year” mean you should use the Past Simple.
• If you see words like “ever”, “already”, or “yet”, use the Present Perfect.