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