Simple Past versus Present Perfect

Question

I don't fully understand whether to use present perfect tense or imperfect (simple past tense).

What's the difference between:

An error has occured. (present perfect)

and

An error occured. (imperfect)

I cannot tell any difference in meaning. Why choose one tense over the other, please?

It's not my preferred dictionary, but Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary defines imperfect as "of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense used to designate a continuing state or an incomplete action especially in the past".

The same source defines present perfect as: "of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense that...expresses action or state completed at the time of speaking".

I'm a bit unsettled with the latter definition.

Thank you

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi Tuatara,

What's the difference between:

An error has occured. (present perfect)

and

An error occured. (imperfect)

You'll find a huge number of useful explanations on this forum, if you search for 'Present perfect simple past'. It's a very common question. Have a look, and then ask again about any doubts you still have.

Here'a couple of very brief comments to think about.

An error has occurred. I have the result/consequence of this error now, in the present. eg My software suddenly stops working, and a few seconds later a screen message says 'An error has occurred'.

An error occurred. This is simply telling me about the past, with no impact on the present.

eg Last month a software error occured. I quickly fixed it. My software is fine now.

Best wishes, Clive

Simple Past versus Present Perfect

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