As I was doing a grammar lesson a few days ago, I remembered a student telling me that he ‘already did his homework’. Then another student quickly jumped in and said it should be ‘has already done his homework’, acting like a grammar patrol. It reminds me of how confusing Past Simple and Present Perfect could be in the world of English learning.
In fact, the usage of Tenses varies in different English varieties. In British English, for example, people tend to use Present Perfect to talk about finished actions which are related to the present; in American English however, people tend to use Past Simple to talk about anything completed, no matter whether it’s related or not related to the present. In African American English, people tend to skip the auxiliary while using Present Perfect by saying ‘he done it already’. Many students could find it confusing to understand the meaning of Past Simple and Present Perfect. In this blogpost we are going to dive into the world of Tenses and talk about how to differentiate these 2 tenses.
What does ‘Past’ mean in English?
Past Tense is a system of distancing. We use Past Tense to talk about processes far away from the speakers’ time and space. We also use Past Tense to either talk about processes distant from the reality, or distance ourselves from an individual or a group of people. Past Tense is an interpersonal system of creating temporal, spatial, cognitive, and social distances.
When do we use Past Simple?
As mentioned above, Past Simple is used to create temporal, spatial, cognitive, and social distance. We use Past Simple to talk about processes which happened at a point in time, habitual actions in the past, or on-going states in the past. Look at the following examples:
- WWI occurred in 1914.
- They were my favourite toys.
- We went swimming every day when we were young.
All the processes are far away from the speakers’ now, thus using Past Simple to create temporal and spatial distance.
Additionally, we use Past Simple to create cognitive and social distances. Look at the following examples:
- If I were a millionaire, I would buy a bungalow there.
- I wondered whether you would like to come.
In the above examples, we either talk about processes distant from the reality and our cognition (example 1) or emphasise politeness by creating social distance (example 2).
What is the aspect of Perfect?
Perfect is an aspect of relating a completed process another subsequent process. It features the use of the verb ‘have’ plus the Past Participle. Look at the following examples:
1.I have finished the assignment (Present Perfect)
2.I had finished the project by 2pm yesterday. (Past Perfect)
3. I will have finished the project by 2pm tomorrow. (Future Perfect)
When do we use Present Perfect?
We use Present Perfect to talk about processes which are completed but related to anything subsequent at present. Look at the following example:
- Jess has lost her doll and so she is crying now.
- I have been to Thailand three times only.
In example 1, the process of ‘losing’ is completed. However, it is related to the present process of ‘crying’, thus using Present Perfect.
In example, 2, the process of ‘being’ to Thailand is completed. However, as we are talking about traveling experiences from the past till the present, we use Present Perfect.
Why do people confuse Past Simple with Present Perfect?
Many people regard the system of Tenses as a simple system of time. When they use Past Simple, they know the processes are usually completed in the past. However, as they come across Present Perfect, they get confused as it is another Tense talking about completed processes. Students need to bear in mind that Past Simple is a system distancing processes from the speakers’ now. In other words, the processes are not related to anything at present. However, when using Present Perfect, the completed processes are more or less related to present.
Are there any signal words when using Past Simple and Present Perfect?
For Past Simple, the signal words are usually adverbs or prepositional phrases indicating obvious distance from the speakers’ ‘now’. These include in the past, 10 years ago, yesterday. Pay attention to the use of ‘just now’, which means ‘a very short time ago’.
For Present Perfect, the signal words are usually adverbs or prepositional phrases which relate completed past processes to the subsequent present. These include, lately, recently, just, already, since 1993, for 10 years, etc.
Can we use Past Simple to talk about Present and Future?
We can use Past Simple to talk about the unreal situations in present or future time. We call it Type 2 Conditional in conventional grammar. To take an example, we say ‘If I were a millionaire, I would definitely quit my job.’ We use Past Simple to talk about unreal processes at present or in the future.
We don’t use Past Simple to talk about any future processes. However, we could start a conversation of invitation politely using Past Simple. For example, we could say ‘I wondered if you would come to the party tomorrow morning.’ Although we have got the future time in the sentence, we use Past Tense to invite the listener to the party indirectly and politely.
Conclusion
Not all the languages have the aspect of present perfect. In French, for example, such an aspect does not exist. In languages such as German, there is Present Perfect, but the structure is quite different from that in English (the ‘Participle’ is placed at the end of a sentence). In many Asian languages like Japanese and Chinese, the system of Tenses does not even exist, and people rely on adverbs to create temporal circumstances in a clause. Therefore, English learners should pay attention to the meaning and form of these two tenses so as not to cause misunderstanding.