Do you know how to use them correctly?
There are a lot of challenging things about learning English, but the multitude of tenses are high on most learners’ list of confusing topics. For most German native speakers, deciding when to use the present perfect and when the past simple can be especially tricky. This is because in German the einfach Vergangenheit (Präteritum) and the Perfekt have nearly the same meaning. Here are a few rules to help you keep them straight. At the end of the post you will find a link to a quiz to test your knowledge!
Present Perfect vs Past Simple Usages
1a.) General experiences without a specific time = Present Perfect
Example:
I have eaten sushi before.
- You know that the speaker has had the experience of eating sushi in the past but you don't know exactly when.
I have been to Paris three times in the last year.
The speaker has had the experience of visiting Paris three times in the last year. We have narrowed the time frame, but we still have not said exactly when. You can also say how many times you have done something as long as you don't try to say exactly when. This “in the” last year is key! To say simply “I have been to Paris last year.” is wrong, this sentence is grammatically incorrect.
1b.) Past event with a specific time = past simple
Example:
I ate sushi last night.
The speaker tells you exactly when they ate sushi.
I went to Paris last year.
The speaker is telling you the specific time that they were in Paris, last year (for example, 2019).
I went to Paris on Dec. 24, 2019.
The same as above, even more specific but same principal.
Summary: Whenever you are going to give a specific time that something occurred in the past, use past simple! If you are leaving out exactly when, or exactly when isn't important, or are giving a time frame, use present perfect. In these cases, when you use present perfect you are stressing the importance of the action, not when the action happened. It is ok to give a time frame and the number of times something has happened in present perfect. Past simple puts more of an emphasis on when. Remember that when we say a specific time that it is a bit relative. Last year, yesterday, April 20th, 1992 are all, grammatically speaking, specific times.
2a.) An action that started in the past and is still going on = present perfect
Example:
I have lived in Hamburg for nine years.
The speaker started living in Hamburg nine years ago and is still living in Hamburg today.
Use for to express duration, use since when you want to give a specific point in time, I have lived in Hamburg since 2011.
2b.) Something that occurred in the past and is no longer true = past simple
I lived in Hamburg for nine years.
The speaker spent nine years of her life living in Hamburg. We do not know where the speaker lives now, only that she does not live in Hamburg anymore.
3a.) Something that has just happened, and which the effects of the action are still going on = present perfect or present simple
Example:
I have just lost my keys.
or
I just lost my keys.
The action of losing the keys is over, but one could still argue that the effect of losing the keys is still being felt, for example, if you follow up with have you seen them? or I can't get in my car.
Which form a native speaker would choose often has to do with where they were born or with whom they speak regularly. Some say Americans are more likely to use the past simple, while Brits are more likely to use the present perfect. Either way, it's ok.
Form:
Present perfect:
Subject + have + past participle (3rd form)
She has been to Paris.
Negative:
Subject + have not + past participle (3rd form)
She has not (hasn't) been to Paris.
Question:
Have + subject + past participle (3rd form)
Has she been to Paris?
Past simple:
Subject + verb in simple past
She lived in Paris last year.
Negative:
Subject + did not + infinitive
She did not (didn't) live in Paris last year.
Question:
Did + Subject + infinitive
Did she live in Paris last year.
Past simple with Be:
Subject + be in simple past
She was in Paris last year.
Negative with Be:
Subject + be not + infinitive
She was not (wasn't) in Paris last year.
Question with Be:
Be + Subject
Was she in Paris last year?