General English B1 · Lesson 5A

Grammar Bank

The rules behind this lesson — form, use, model sentences and the mistakes to avoid.

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Grammar focus of this lesson

Present perfect vs past simple

1 structure

Present perfect vs past simple
Perfect connects to now; past simple closes the door on the time.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›Finished time stated (yesterday, in 2020, last week) → past simple.
- ›No time stated, or time still open (this week, today, ever) → present perfect.
- ›News first in the perfect, details in the past: I've lost my badge. I left it at home.
- ›In American English the past simple often replaces the perfect with just/already.
Examples
- “I've been to Japan twice. I went there in 2018 and 2022.”
- “Have you finished the report? — Yes, I finished it this morning.”
- “We haven't decided yet.”
Watch out · I have seen him yesterday ✗ → I saw him yesterday ✓.
Your own example