The document provides information about the proper uses of the present perfect and past simple tenses in English. The present perfect tense is used for unfinished time periods or actions, when the time is unspecified, and to talk about recent or ongoing experiences. The past simple tense is used for finished time periods or actions, when the specific time is mentioned, and to talk about completed past actions. Examples are given to illustrate when to use each tense properly based on whether the time period or action has finished or is still ongoing.

1. Present perfect & Past simple Have you ever been to Rome? + Yes, I have. No I haven’t. HAVE / HAS+Past participle I have You have S/he/it has + lived there I have not (haven’t) She has not (hasn’t) + lived there Have you … Has he + lived there ? © Dulce Rosales

2. Have you ever eaten snails? I have never eaten snails (in my life ) I have eaten snails once ( in my life- we do not say when) But > I ate snails yesterday/ last Saturday ( we specify the time when we did the action)

3. The present perfect is used when the time period has NOT finished:>>>>> I have seen three films this week . (This week has not finished yet.) The past simple is used when the time period HAS finished:>>>>> I saw three films last week . (Last week has finished.)

4. The present perfect is often used when giving recent news: Mark has crashed his car again . ( This is new information, past and present are connected .) The past simple is used when giving older information: Mark crashed his car last year . (This is ‘old’ information.)

5. I saw that film on Thursday . (We know exactly when.) The past simple is used when the time is clear: >>>> I have seen that film already. (We don't know when .) The present perfect is used when the time is not specific: >>>>

6. PRESENT PERFECT + FOR /SINCE How long have you lived in this town? I’ve lived here SINCE 1992 . I’ve lived here FOR 11 years. * Use SINCE with a point in time ( last week, last year, my birthday, I was born, etc.) * Use FOR + a period of time ( three days, many years, a long time, two weeks , etc.)

7. Expressions with FOR and SINCE FOR… … two years … a long time … ages … a couple of hours … a few days … more than three months, etc SINCE… … 1988 … she was a child … we were at school … her last birthday … the lates 90s … I was born … last weekend

8. I lived in Michigan for five years. (I don't live in Michigan now.) The past simple is used with for and since , when the actions have already finished : >>>> I have lived in Michigan for five years. (I still live in Michigan.) The present perfect is used with for and since , when the actions have not finished yet : >>>>

9. Just, already, yet I have already finished. I have just finished Have you finished yet ? No, not yet . I haven’t finished yet.

10. Remember Use the past simple: for finished actions, when the time is clear . I saw a film last night. Use the present perfect to talk about experiences and when there is a connection between the past and the present. I have been to Madrid many times. © Dulce Rosales