PAST SIMPLE vs. PRESENT PERFECT
- Have you ever been to Tokyo? – Yes, I have.
- When did you go? – I went there 2 years ago.
We use the present perfect (I have been) when we talk about a life experience and we don’t specify when it happened. On the other hand, we use the past simple (I went) when we talk about that specific past experience (and we often give a time reference, for example: yesterday, two weeks ago, last year…).
When I was in Tokyo, I lost my wallet. I was in a shop and I wanted to pay, but I couldn’t find it and I panicked. I said: “I’ve lost my wallet! What should I do now?”
We use the present perfect when something that happened in the past is important now.
Imagine the situation: “I’ve lost my wallet!” – I can’t pay, so the present perfect tells us about the situation NOW. In fact, it is called PRESENT perfect because it’s a present tense.
Long story short, in the end I found my wallet. I had left it in my hotel room!
But now let’s forget about my Japanese misadventure and let’s go on with our grammar topic.
- What did you do yesterday? – I went to the cinema. I’ve been to the cinema very often this month.
The past simple is used to talk about a finished time in the past (DON’T SAY: *I’ve been to the cinema yesterday. Yesterday is finished, so you have to use the past simple. It is not important if it happened yesterday or 20 years ago, it is finished anyway). The present perfect is used for a period of time that continues until now (this month: the month is not finished).
- I lived in Spain for two years, but now I live in Italy.
- I’ve lived in Verona for ten years/since 2010 – I’m still living in Verona.
Here again, we use the past simple to talk about a finished action (I lived in Spain, but then I moved to Italy) and we use the present perfect for unfinished actions or states that started in the past and continue to the present (CAREFUL! When I say “I’ve lived in Verona for ten years/since 2010” it means that I still live in Verona).
Here’s a summary:
EXERCISES:
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_present_perfect.htm
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