Present Perfect vs. Past Simple
Present Perfect
Verb To See
AFFIRMATIVEI have seenYou have seenHe/ she/ it has seenWe have seenYou have seen They have seen
I sawYou sawHe/ she/ it sawWe sawYou sawThey saw
Past Simple
subject Have/ has Past participle Subject Past Simple - list
Present Perfect
Verb To See
NEGATIVEI haven’t seenYou haven’t seenHe/ she/ it hasn’t seenWe haven’t seenYou haven’t seen They haven’t seen
I didn’t seeYou didn’t seeHe/ she/ it didn’t seeWe didn’t seeYou didn’t seeThey didn’t see
Past Simple
subject Have/ has +not Past participle Subject Didn’t Infinitive
Present Perfect
Verb To See
INTERROGATIVEhave I seenhave you seenhas He/ she/ it seenhave We seenhave you seen have they seen
Did I seeDid You seeDid He/ she/ it seeDid We seeDid You seeDid They see
Past Simple
Have/ has subject Past participle Did Subject Infinitive
Present perfect
Past simple
We don’t say exactly when
the action happened.
Present Perfect
We say exactly when the
action happened.
Past simple
PRESENT PERFECT• I have been to London
but I haven’t been to Oxford.
(past experience)• I’ve cut my finger.
(recent past action)• They have been married
for 20 years.
(unfinished states)
PAST SIMPLE• I was in London last
summer.
(on one specific ocasion)• I cut my finger last night.
(I say when)• He was married to Jane
3 years.
(he is not married now)
With the present perfect, we talk about the present results or the effects of the past actions.
Present Perfect Past simple
With the past simple, we talk about what happened in the past.
Present Perfect
EverNeverJustAlreadyYetSinceFor
When we ask or talk about past experiences. They go before the main verb.
Have you ever been to Italy?/I’ve never been to Italy.
Just and already go before the main verb in + sentences, yet goes at the ende of -sentences and ?
With a point of time: since 2004
With a period of time: for two weeks
Past simple
YesterdayLast week/month/year/lesson3 years ago1997
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