Simple explanation
The basic difference Both tenses can talk about the past, but they look at the past differently. The Past Simple usually presents an event as part of a finished past time. The Present Perfect connects a past event or experience to the present. A useful first question is: Am I focusing on when something happened in a finished past period, or am I interested in the experience or result up to now? Past Simple: a finished past event Use the Past Simple when an action happened and finished in the past, especially when the sentence says or makes clear when it happened. Common expressions include yesterday, last night, two days ago, last summer, and in 2025. For example, I visited London last year describes a visit during a finished period of time. Present Perfect: experience up to now The Present Perfect is formed with have or has plus the past participle. At A2 level, one of its most important uses is talking about experiences up to the present without saying exactly when they happened. For example, I have visited London twice tells us about the speaker's experience. The exact dates of the visits are not important. A past action with an important result now The Present Perfect can describe something that happened in the past when its result matters now. For example, I've lost my keys usually means that I do not have my keys now. Compare this with I lost my keys yesterday, where the speaker focuses on the past event and tells us when it happened. Compare the same situation Compare I have seen that film and I saw that film last Friday. The first sentence tells us that seeing the film is part of the speaker's experience up to now. The second sentence places the event at a specific finished time. This contrast is one of the most useful ways to understand the two tenses. Useful time expressions The Past Simple often appears with finished-time expressions such as yesterday, last week, three hours ago, and in 2024. The Present Perfect often appears with words such as ever, never, just, already, and yet in basic A2 uses. These words are useful clues, but meaning is more important than simply memorizing a list of signal words.
Grammar formula
Present Perfect positive
Subject + have/has + past participleShe has finished her homework.
Present Perfect negative
Subject + have/has not + past participleI haven't seen that film.
Present Perfect question
Have/Has + subject + past participle ...?Have you ever visited London?
Past Simple positive
Subject + past form of verbShe finished her homework yesterday.
Past Simple negative
Subject + did not + base verbI didn't see him yesterday.
Past Simple question
Did + subject + base verb ...?Did you visit London last year?
Core rules
- 1
Use the Past Simple with finished past time
Use the Past Simple when an event belongs to a specific or clearly finished time in the past. For example: We moved here in 2024.
- 2
Use the Present Perfect for experiences up to now
Use the Present Perfect when talking about whether something has happened at any time before now and the exact past time is not important. For example: Have you ever visited Scotland?
- 3
Use the Present Perfect for a result that matters now
A past action can be expressed with the Present Perfect when its present result is important. For example: She has broken her glasses. The important point is that the glasses are broken now.
- 4
Do not normally combine the Present Perfect with a finished past time
Finished past expressions such as yesterday, last Monday, and two years ago normally require the Past Simple. Say I saw him yesterday, not I have seen him yesterday.
- 5
Choose have or has correctly
Use have with I, you, we, and they. Use has with he, she, and it. For example: I have finished. She has finished.
- 6
Use the past participle after have or has
The Present Perfect needs the past participle. With regular verbs, this is usually the -ed form. Irregular verbs may have a different third form: go – went – gone, see – saw – seen, write – wrote – written.
- 7
Use the base verb after did and didn't
In Past Simple questions and negatives, did already carries the past meaning. The main verb therefore stays in its base form: Did you go? and I didn't go.
Useful examples
I have visited London twice.
I have been to London two times in my life up to now.
The experience is important; the exact times are not given.
I visited London last year.
I went to London during the previous year.
Last year is a finished past period, so the Past Simple is used.
Have you ever eaten sushi?
At any time in your life up to now, have you tried sushi?
Ever is commonly used to ask about experience up to the present.
Did you eat sushi at the restaurant last night?
Was sushi what you ate at the restaurant yesterday evening?
Last night is a specific finished past time.
Sara has just finished her homework.
Sara completed her homework very recently.
Just shows that the event happened a short time ago and is relevant now.
Sara finished her homework at nine o'clock.
Sara completed her homework at nine.
A specific past time is given, so the Past Simple is appropriate.
I've never driven a truck.
Driving a truck is an experience I have not had up to now.
Never describes the absence of an experience before the present.
My brother drove a truck last summer.
My brother drove a truck during the previous summer.
Last summer is a finished past period.
We've lost our tickets.
Our tickets are missing now because we lost them.
The present result is important: we do not have the tickets now.
We lost our tickets on the train yesterday.
Yesterday, our tickets went missing while we were on the train.
Yesterday places the event in a finished past time.
She hasn't called me yet.
Up to now, she has not called me.
Yet is common in negative Present Perfect sentences for something expected before now.
She didn't call me yesterday.
There was no call from her yesterday.
The statement is about the finished period yesterday.
Have you seen my phone?
Do you know where my phone is because you have seen it recently?
The exact past time is not important; the speaker needs information now.
I saw your phone in the kitchen ten minutes ago.
Ten minutes ago, I noticed your phone in the kitchen.
Ten minutes ago gives a specific past time.
Tom has already eaten.
Tom finished eating before now.
Already shows that the action has happened by the present time.
Tom ate at a café after work.
Tom had his meal at a café when work was finished.
This describes a completed event in a past situation.
Common mistakes
- ❌ I have seen him yesterday. ✅ I saw him yesterday. Yesterday is a finished past time, so the Past Simple is required.
- ❌ She has went home. ✅ She has gone home. After has, use the past participle. The forms are go – went – gone.
- ❌ I didn't went to work yesterday. ✅ I didn't go to work yesterday. After didn't, use the base form of the verb because did already shows past time.
- ❌ He have finished his homework. ✅ He has finished his homework. Use has with he, she, and it.
- ❌ Have you saw this film? ✅ Have you seen this film? The Present Perfect requires the past participle. The forms are see – saw – seen.
- ❌ Did she called you last night? ✅ Did she call you last night? After did, the main verb must be in its base form.
- ❌ I have visited Paris last summer. ✅ I visited Paris last summer. Last summer is a finished past period, so use the Past Simple.
Learning tips
- Ask yourself whether the sentence refers to a finished past time. If it does, check whether the Past Simple is needed.
- For life-experience questions meaning 'at any time before now', Have you ever + past participle is a useful pattern.
- Always check the third form of irregular verbs after have or has: seen, gone, written, done.
- After did and didn't, return the main verb to its base form: Did you see? and I didn't see.
- Ever, never, just, already, and yet are useful clues for common A2 uses of the Present Perfect.
- Do not depend only on signal words. First decide whether the speaker is focusing on a finished past event or a connection to the present.
- Compare pairs of sentences to understand the perspective: I've lost my wallet focuses on the situation now; I lost my wallet yesterday focuses on when it happened.
Practise this topic
Interactive exercises for this topic are coming soon.
PlannedRelated grammar
Related dictionary words
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I say 'I have seen him yesterday'?
Yesterday identifies a finished time in the past. Use the Past Simple with this kind of time expression: I saw him yesterday.
Do I always use the Present Perfect with 'ever'?
Not in every possible context, but for a basic question about someone's experience up to now, the Present Perfect is normally used: Have you ever been to Italy?
What is the difference between 'I've lost my phone' and 'I lost my phone'?
I've lost my phone normally emphasizes the present result: the phone is missing now. I lost my phone presents the loss as a past event and can easily be followed by a finished time expression, such as yesterday.
Why do we say 'Have you seen?' and not 'Have you saw?'
The Present Perfect uses have or has plus the past participle. Seen is the past participle of see; saw is its Past Simple form.
Why does the verb return to its base form after 'did'?
Did already carries the past meaning, so the main verb stays in its base form. We say Did you go? and I didn't go, not Did you went? or I didn't went.
Does the Present Perfect always mean 'up to now'?
No. Thinking about a connection to now can help at A2 level, but the Present Perfect has several uses. At this level, focus first on experiences, recent events, and past actions with results that matter now.
How can I choose the correct tense when there is no signal word?
Think about the speaker's perspective. If the sentence presents an event as part of a finished past situation, the Past Simple is often appropriate. If an experience or present result matters and the exact past time is not important, the Present Perfect is often appropriate.