PRESENT PERFECT (SIMPLE)

FORM:

Subject + have/has(n’t)+ Past Participle

I have lived in Ourense for years.I have never read a Harry Potter book.It hasn’t snowed for ages.They haven’t called since last summer.Have you ever met a celebrity?How long has he been here?

DIFFERENCES:

PRESENT PERFECT vs. SIMPLE PAST

Present Perfect Simple:

-There’s a connection with the present:Paul has broken his left arm (it is still broken)-Actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past:I have been abroad many times.

Simple Past:

- Actions finished in the past:Paul broke his arm when he was 12. (His arm is no longer broken)

-Actions that happened at a specific time in the past:Mary went abroad last Summer.

TIME EXPRESSIONS

PRESENT PERFECT:

How long?JustAlreadyYetSo farEverNeverRecentlyLatelyTodayThis week/ month/ …It is the 1st. time that….Who/ what’s the + superlative that…?For + periods of timeSince + the moment when something began

SIMPLE PAST:

When… AgoLast wek/ month/…In 1999/ 2012, …Yesterday

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