what is the difference between simple past and present perfect?

Question

Sometimes I feel so confused ;that is no difference felt between the tenses

Answer 1

Some uses of the present perfect can indeed be confusing. The basic difference between these forms is this.

Simple past is used for actions that took place (began AND ended) at a SPECIFIC time in the past.

Present perfect is used for actions that began at some UNSPECIFIED (or inexact) time before the present -- in some cases the action may not yet be complete.

To illustrate the "specific" vs. "unspecified" note that you CAN say "Last Thursday I read a book." But it is incorrect to say "Last Thursday I HAVE read a book." (You might, however, say "SINCE last Thursday I have read three books.")


For examples of various situations in which each is used see:
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepast.html

Other links that may help:
http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blpresperfect.htm
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/upperf.htm
http://www.eclecticenglish.com/grammar/PresentPerfect1A.html


Just in case it helps you put it all together, you might look at the "PAST perfect" (used for actions that took place BEFORE some specified time in the past).
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfect.html

Answer 2

Yeah, it might be confusing for non-native English speakers. It took me several years of life in the US to feel comfortable with these two tenses. Just listen & speak English as much as you can, the understanding will sink in on its own.
If I tried to explain it, I'd say simple past describes actions that took place in the past and are over as of the moment. Present perfect describes something that has started in the past, but still goes on or can happen again.
For instance, you can say "I was in Paris yesterday" - here we use simple past, since "yesterday" is over, it is in the past. But if you are saying that you have visited Paris overall, you say "I've been to Paris", because your life still goes on and you can go there again someday.
Hard to explain... Just practice and you will grasp the feeling.

Answer 3

past simple is a tense used for the past when the actions just finish in the past and dont continue untill the present.
1for an action in the past in certain time(e.g. he painted my first picture in 1980)
2for an action that started and finished inthe past(e.g. he taught maths for thirty years)
3for an action which took place in the past and it cant do again(e.g.mike won more than twenty medals when he was an athlete-hes not an athlete any more)(e.g. i once spoke to frank sinatra- he is no more alive so i cant speak to him again)
4 for an action which took place in a period of time and finished now that we are talking(e.g. i wrote 3 letters in the morning-its finished cause now its afternoon)
PRESENT PERFECT:
1for an action in the past in an uncertain period of time(e.g.he has painted a lot of pictures)
2for an action started in past and continuing till present(e.g. she has taught french for twenty years)
3 for an action done in the past and can happen again in present(e.g. ben is an athlete.he has won more than ten medals)(e.g. ive spoken to celine dion-she's alive and i can talk again to her)
4 for an action that happened in a period of time which hasnt finished yet)


i hope ive helped you!!

Answer 4

Simple past ends in "ed" for most regular verbs: ex: I walked & she danced. The past form will change for irregular verbs. ex: I gave & she was.

Present perfect adds "has" or "have" to a past form of the verb: ex: I have walked, she has danced, I have given, she has been.

Answer 5

i also agree with CHRISTY

we can only understand through practice

i also had this problem many times

even now also some times i get confused