Past perfect or simple past ?

Question

Hi everyone !I have a grammar question that ever my teachers or canadian friends can't figure out : when are we supposed to use the past perfect or the simple past ? ("have been" or "was" ?)Thanks in advance !Have a wonderful day

Prajwalkr · Accepted Answer

Hi.

I think I must give a long answer.

Simple Past:

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Eg:

I saw a movie yesterday.
I didnot see a play yesterday.
Last year, I travelled to Japan.
Last year, I didnot travel to Korea.
Did you have dinner last night?
She washed her car.
He didnot wash his car.

We also use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

The Simple Past can also be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years.
Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

I studied French when I was a child.
He played the violin.

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."

Examples:

She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
He didnot like tomatoes before.

Past perfect:

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.
I think I have met him once before.

You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.

Examples:

I have been to France.
This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you have been there once, or several times.

Change Over Time:

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.

Examples:

You have grown since the last time I saw you.

The government has become more interested in arts education.

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time.

Examples:

Man has walked on the Moon.

Our son has learned how to read.

An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.

Examples:

James has not finished his homework yet.

Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible.

Examples:

The army has attacked that city five times.

Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.

Examples:

Have you been to Mexico in the last year?

I have seen that movie six times in the last month

We also use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect.

Examples:

I have had a cold for two weeks.

She has been in England for six months.

Hope you have got all your doubts cleared.

Regards

Prajwal

Dimsumexpress · Answer

prajwalkr,

<<<I think I must give a long answer.

Simple Past:

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.>>>>

This is a good enough explanation. I think your examples made something rather simple to understand confusingly complicated for the learners.

You may use either "did not" or "didn't". "Didnot" is not a word.

<<<He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.>>>

Question: Did you mean "arrived the airport" , or "arrive the hotel? " "Arrived from..." is an unusual nuance.

<<<<<Past perfect:

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.>>>

This exis correct.

But the explanation above is contradicting with what you said below. Mind you, the question was about Past Perfet, not present perfect.

<<<Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.>>>

I don't know how this concept came about, but not so. In fact, by conventional grammar rules, this use is incorrect.

Examples:

Have you been to Mexico in the last year?
I have seen that movie six times in the last month

Nat_22 · Answer

Hi Prajwal!

I think that you've done mistake in your answer. Alice had asked about Past Perfect, but you answered the Present Perfect. Of course undelined name of the time is ok but you are writing all the time about Present Perfect, not Past Perfect.

The construction of sentence in Past Perfect is fallowing:

[had + past participle (VIII)] for example:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.

The First part of this sentense is being writen in the Past Perfect and the second one is being writen in the Simple past.

Past Perfect - first action

Simple Past - second action

But both of them are in the past.

or i'm wrong?

Regards

Asline · Answer

Oh I'm sorry, I did a mistake : it is the Present Perfect and not the "past perfect"... sorry !

Thanks a lot for your explanation Prajwal ! I'll print and study it

But that's seems so complicated

CalifJim · Answer

Aslinewhen are we supposed to use the ~~past~~ present perfect or the simple past ? ("have been" or "was" ?)

Consider these.

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepast.html

CJ

Past perfect or simple past ?

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