VOA · Everyday Grammar
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Everyday Grammar digs into one grammar topic per episode — verb tenses, prepositions, sentence patterns — with plenty of spoken examples. Because you are listening to language about language, it doubles as grammar review while you train your ears.
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01In this week's episode of Everyday Grammar, we're going to help you understand the difference between the simple past and the present perfect.
02English learners often confuse these two verb tenses.
03Let's start with an example.
04Can you tell the difference between these two sentences?
05Sentence 1.
06I saw the movie.
07Sentence 2.
08I have seen the movie.
09Sentence 1 uses the simple past tense.
10Sentence 2 uses the present perfect tense.
11I saw the movie and I have seen the movie both refer to an action that was finished in the past.
12But there is one important difference.
13I saw the movie suggests that you saw the movie at a specific time in the past.
14I have seen the movie suggests that you saw the movie at an unknown time in the past.
15Use the simple past to talk about a finished action that happened at a specific time.
16For example, I went out with my friends last night.
17The adverb last night is not required, but it does help clarify that the event happened at a specific time.
18That's the easy part.
19Now, let's talk about the present perfect.
20You form the present perfect by using have or has, followed by the past participle form of the verb.
21For example, The present perfect confuses English learners because it refers to a past action.
22It is also called present perfect because speakers use it to stress the importance of a past event in the present.
23The sentence, The sentence, I have graduated from college, emphasizes the present effect of a past event.
24Graduation.
25The exact time of the graduation is not important.
26There are four more common situations that require the present perfect.
27First, it can express a repeated action.
28When an action happened more than one time in the past, use the present perfect.
29For example, I have seen the movie three times.
30Second, it is common to use the present perfect with the words for and since.
31For and since are adverbs that tell about the duration of an activity.
32They answer the question, How long?
33For example, I have studied English for a long time.
34Third, the negative adverb never requires the present perfect.
35You can say, I have never been to France.
36You would not say, I did never go to France.
37Finally, when asking a question in the present perfect, use ever, as in, Have you ever won the lottery?
38Here's a tip.
39Pay close attention to adverbs.
40Adverbs give hints or clues about which verb tense you should use.
41A good way to practice the present perfect is to ask an English-speaking friend if he or she has ever done something.
42Have you ever flown in an airplane?
43Or, have you ever seen the Grand Canyon?
44I'm Ashley Thompson.
45And I'm Jonathan Evans.
46I'm Jonathan Evans.
47I'm Jonathan Evans.
48I'm Jonathan Evans.
49I'm Jonathan Evans.
50I'm Jonathan Evans.
// transcribed with Whisper AI — reading it is easy; catching it by ear is the skill
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