How do you teach the difference between present perfect and past simple?
If a time expression is used then it’s Past Simple. – The Present Perfect started in the past, but IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY or MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN. It connects the past and the present, and we use since, so far, just, already, yet etc. If you are speaking about a specific time you cannot use this tense.
Can we use present perfect with past simple?
Originally Answered: Can we use past simple and present perfect in a sentence? Yes, we can, providing we can create two distinct time frames, one in the past and the other starting in the past and continuing up to the present. For example: I had breakfast at six o’clock and I haven’t had anything to eat since then.
What is the difference between past tense and present perfect?
Ask The Editor | Learner’s Dictionary. The present perfect tense says that an action was completed at a time before the present, and the results or consequences of the action are relevant now. The past perfect tense says that an action was completed at a time before another action happened in the past.
What is present past simple?
The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous.
How do you explain present perfect simple?
The present perfect is used to describe
- An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present.
- An action performed during a period that has not yet finished.
- A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now.
How do you explain present perfect to students?
Start by Speaking about Your Experiences Introduce the present perfect by providing three short situations One about life experiences, one speaking about some things that started in the past and continue into the present. Finally, also illustrate the present perfect for events that influence the present moment in time.
How do you use past simple and past perfect?
The past perfect simple is used to sequence events in the past to show which event happened first. The music started when the curtains opened. Past simple + past simple: the music started at the same time as the curtains opened. The music had (already) started when the curtains opened.
What is the focus of simple past and past perfect in a sentence?
If two actions happen at the same time, use the past simple if the verb is a state verb (see lesson on state verbs/non-progressive verbs here). If one action happens before an action, use the past perfect for the earliest action.
Where do we use past perfect and present perfect?
In short, we use the present perfect to talk about recent or past events that happened at an indefinite time, and we use the past perfect to refer to something that occurred before something else. If you’re still confused, don’t worry.
What do you mean by past perfect?
The past perfect, also called the pluperfect, is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past. The past perfect tense is for talking about something that happened before something else.
What is the past perfect simple in English?
The past perfect simple is: had + past participle: ‘By the time Sue went shopping, the shops had closed. ‘ ‘Bill Gates had made millions of dollars before he was 30.
How do you introduce present perfect in ESL?
When should we use the present perfect simple?
We use the present simple when something is generally or always true. People need food. Similarly, we need to use this tense for a situation that we think is more or less permanent. (See the present continuous for temporary situations.) Where do you live? The next use is for habits or things that we do regularly.
When should I use the past perfect simple?
The past perfect tense is used to show that one past event/action happened before another past event/action. When she arrived,he had left.
What is an example of present perfect?
The verb phrase have met is an example of the present perfect: have + the past participle. Languages. In English grammar, the present perfect is an aspect of the verb expressing an action that began in the past and that has recently been completed or continues into the present. Also known as the present perfective.
What is present perfect tense of begin?
The present perfect tense refers to an action or state that either occurred at an indefinite time in the past (e.g., we have talked before) or began in the past and continued to the present time (e.g., he has grown impatient over the last hour). This tense is formed by have/has + the past participle.