PAST SIMPLE or PRESENT PERFECT? (The Easy Way To Know!)
Learn the 25 words and expressions that tell you whether you need to use the PAST SIMPLE or PRESENT PERFECT tense in English... without mistakes! 👓 Watch with subtitles 👓
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⭐️ [VIDEOS TO WATCH NEXT...]
🔥 EXPLAINED! Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous Tenses
🔥 EXPLAINED! Why we use the PAST to talk about the FUTURE in English
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► CHAPTERS:
00:00 When to use the past simple or present perfect tense in English
00:36 What is a simple tense and perfect tense?
00:53 How to pronounce CAN in English
1:43 When to use the past simple
2:20 When to use the present perfect
4:37 Expressions that use the Present Perfect tense
11:25 Expressions that use the Past Simple tense
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► TRANSCRIPTION
A lot of students ask me the difference between the past simple like I was and the present perfect like I have been. In fact, I’ve already done a video on this topic, but today I have something a little bit extra special for you. You see, sometimes in the sentence there are little clues, little words and expressions that we use that tell us whether we have to use the past simple or present perfect. Let’s go.
Now, I hate jargon and all these complex grammar terms for things. So let me just make this simple before we start. When I talk about a simple tense, I’m talking about things like I went, that’s the past simple. I go, present simple. I will go, that’s the future simple.
When I’m talking about a perfect tense, I’m talking about things like I had gone, that’s the past perfect. I have gone, that’s the present perfect. I will have gone, that’s the future perfect. So many tenses. But let’s just focus today on when to use the past simple and the present perfect. So before I give you these special tricks and expressions that we use to help you know when to use each tense, let’s just have a very quick reminder of the rule of when we use the present perfect and when we use the past simple.
So we use the past simple to talk about things that happened in a time period that has finished. So things like last week, that’s finished, we can’t change that. It’s in the past. Last week. The same as yesterday, we can’t change yesterday. Yesterday is in the past, it’s finished. Talking about actions, about things that happened in those time periods, we used the past simple. I went, I had, I took.
Now, when we’re talking about things that happened in a time period that started in the past and is still true now, we use the present perfect. I have eaten, I have taken. So I’m talking about things like today. Today started in the past, but it’s still true now. This week, it started already. It started in the past, and it’s still true now. In my life. My life started in the past, and it’s still true now. So we use the present perfect. I have gone, I have taken, I have chosen.
Now, we don’t always mention a time period when we’re talking. If we don’t, and if the action that we’re talking about has a real clear effect on the present, we use the present perfect. Very common example of this is I’ve lost my keys. Okay? The action of losing my keys happened in the past, but the effect is very real and clear now because I don’t have my keys, so I can’t enter my house. I’ve lost my keys.
Now, the first two rules there, I think, are very clear and very simple. But the third rule, I think that can be quite complicated to think of when you speak in English and that’s why the tricks that I’m going to teach you today are really going to help you choose the right tense to use.
So first we’re going to have a look at a few words and expressions that we use in sentences that let us know that we have to use the present perfect tense. Now, there are a lot of words and a lot of examples that I’m going to teach you in this lesson. So I recommend you get the worksheet for this lesson. There’s a link in the description, and that comes with a summary of the lesson, all the examples, and a test to check your understanding. Right, let’s go.
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Your British English Teacher,
~ Greg 😀
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