TALKING ABOUT THE PAST WITH:

PAST SIMPLE/ PRESENT PERFECT/ PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1 Talking about past events and situations:

We use the past simple:

 when we are talking about an event that happened at a particular time in the
past

We arrived home before dark

The film started at seven thirty.

 when we are talking about something that continued for some time in the
past

Everybody worked hard through the winter.

We stayed with our friends in London.

When we are talking about something that happened several times in the
past we use

 the past simple:

Most evenings we stayed at home and watched DVDs.

Sometimes they went out for a meal.

 … or used to

Most evenings we used to stay at home and watch DVDs.

We used to go for a swim every morning.

2 The past and the present:

We use the present perfect:

When we are talking about the effects in the present of something

that happened in the past:

I can’t open the door. I’ve left my keys in the car.

Jenny has found a new job. She works in a supermarket now.

 When we are talking about something that started in the past and still goes on:

We have lived here since 2007. (and we still live here)

The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb have and the past
participle of a verb:
The present perfect continuous is formed with have/has been and the -ing form of
the verb:
Use
We use the present perfect tense:
 for something that started in the past and continues in the present:
They’ve been married for nearly fifty years.
She has lived in Liverpool all her life.
Note: We normally use the present perfect continuous for this:
She has been living in Liverpool all her life.
It’s been raining for hours.
 for something we have done several times in the past and continue to do:
I’ve played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.
He has written three books and he is working on another one.
I’ve been watching that programme every week.
We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:
They’ve been staying with us since last week.
I have worked here since I left school.
I’ve been watching that programme every week since it started.
 when we are talking about our experience up to the present:

Note: We often use the adverb ever to talk about experience up to the present:
My last birthday was the worst day I have ever had.
Note: and we use never for the negative form:
Have you ever met George?
Yes, but I’ve never met his wife.
 for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of speaking:
I can’t get in the house. I’ve lost my keys.
Teresa isn’t at home. I think she has gone shopping.
I’m tired out. I’ve been working all day.

We use the present perfect of be when someone has gone to a place and returned:
A: Where have you been?
B: I’ve just been out to the supermarket.
A: Have you ever been to San Francisco?
B: No, but I’ve been to Los Angeles.
But when someone has not returned we use have/has gone:
A: Where is Maria? I haven’t seen her for weeks.
B: She's gone to Paris for a week. She’ll be back tomorrow.
We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent past:
just; only just; recently;
Scientists have recently discovered a new breed of monkey.
We have just got back from our holidays.
or adverbials which include the present:
ever (in questions); so far; until now; up to now; yet (in questions and negatives)
Have you ever seen a ghost?
Where have you been up to now?
Have you finished your homework yet?
No, so far I’ve only done my history.
WARNING:
We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past time which
is finished:
I have seen that film yesterday.
We have just bought a new car last week.
When we were children we have been to California.
But we can use it to refer to a time which is not yet finished:
Have you seen Helen today?
We have bought a new car this week.
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*We’re going to help you understand the difference between the simple
past and the present perfect. English learners often confuse these two verb
tenses.
Let’s start with an example. Can you tell the difference between these two
sentences?
Sentence one: I saw the movie.
Sentence two: I have seen the movie.
Sentence one uses the simple past tense. Sentence two uses the present
perfect tense.
“I saw the movie” and “I have seen the movie” both refer to an action that was
finished in the past. But there is one important difference: “I saw the movie”
suggests that you saw the movie at a specific time in the past. “I have seen the
movie” suggests that you saw the movie at an unknown time in the past.
Use the simple past to talk about a finished action that happened at a specific
time. For example, “I went out with my friends last night.” The adverb “last night”
is not required, but it does help clarify that the event happened at a specific
time.
That’s the easy part. Now let’s talk about the present perfect. You form the
present perfect by using “have” or “has” followed by the past participle form of
the verb. For example, “I have graduated from college.” The present perfect
confuses English learners because it refers to a past action. It is also called
“present perfect” because speakers use it to stress the importance of a past
event in the present. The sentence “I have graduated from college,”
emphasizes the present effect of a past event -- graduation. The exact time of
the graduation is not important.
There are four more common situations that require the present perfect.
First, it can express a repeated action. When an action happened more than
one time in the past, use the present perfect. For example, “I have seen the
movie three times”.
Second, it is common to use the present perfect with the words “for” and
“since.” “For” and “since” are adverbs that tell about the duration of an activity.
They answer the question “how long?” For example, “I have studied English for
a long time”.
Third, the negative adverb “never” requires the present perfect. You can say, “I
have never been to France.” You would not say, “I did never go to France.”
Finally, when asking a question in the present perfect, use “ever,” as in, “Have
you ever won the lottery?” Listen for the present perfect question in this song by
the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival.
I wanna know have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know have you ever seen the rain
Coming down on a sunny day?
In an informal situation, you can take out the word “have” in a present perfect
question. Listen to actor Jack Nicholson playing the Joker in the 1989
movie Batman. Before the Joker takes his victims, he asks them an unusual
question.
Tell me something, my friend. You ever danced with the devil in
the pale moonlight?
Here’s a tip: pay close attention to adverbs. Adverbs give hints, or clues, about
which verb tense you should use. Take a look at the reference list below.
A good way to practice the present perfect is to ask an English-speaking friend
if he or she has ever done something. “Have you ever flown in an airplane?” or
“Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon?” You could even ask something
more profound like, “Have you ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny
day?”
I wanna know have you ever seen the rain
Coming down on a sunny day?
I’m Ashley Thompson.
And I’m Jonathan Evans.
Adam Brock wrote and produced this story for VOA Learning English. Jill
Robbins was the editor.
______________________________________________________________
Reference
Forming the present perfect
Have/has + past participle verb
Ex. I have proven her theory.
Ex. She has gotten promoted.
Common adverbs in the simple past: last night, last year, yesterday, today,
ago, first, then, later, when
Ex. Yesterday morning, I went to the store.
Ex. When I lived in Boston, I worked at a deli.
Common adverbs in the present perfect: before, after, already, yet, for,
since, recently, still, time
Ex. I have already eaten.
Ex. I have already visited Angola three times.
Tip 1: Be careful of irregular verbs in the present perfect. With irregular verbs,
the simple past and the past participle form are usually different.
INCORRECT: I have already did it.
CORRECT: I have already done it.
Tip 2: Make sure to use “has” for the third person in the present perfect.
INCORRECT: She have not read the book yet.
CORRECT: She has not read the book yet.
Click here for a list of common irregular verbs.

Introduce the Present Perfect Continuous

Ask students if they play any musical instruments and when they
started playing them. Use the information supplied by them
to introduce the present perfect continuous:
T: Juan has been playing the guitar for 5 years. Mario has been
playing the piano for a few months.

Make sure students see the emphasis on the continuity of the action.
Juan and Mario are still actively playing these instruments. Show
students how the present perfect continuous is formed: Have/has +
been + present participle

Practice the Present Perfect Continuous

Ask students to give more examples through substitution.
T: Carlos Tevez started playing football when he was a child.
Prompt students to say:
S: He has been playing football since he was a child.
T: Oscar started listening to opera when he was in Italy.
S: He has been listening to opera since he was in Italy.
Continue with more substitutions. For extended practice try this fun
worksheet where students have to guess what a classmate has been
doing. More advanced learners or adults may be given this Present
Perfect Continuous Game to play, where they have to tell classmates
what they have been doing based on a specific job card.
Introduce the Present Perfect Continuous – Interrogative forms
Ask students which sports they currently play.
S: I play tennis.
Model questions with how long, where, etc...
T: How long have you been playing tennis?
S: I’ve been playing for about a year.
Use affirmative statements as prompts for student questions:
T: I swim twice a week.
S: How long have you been swimming twice a week?
S2: Where have you been swimming?
 Students make affirmative statements of things they are currently doing
as prompts for their classmates’ questions.

Introduce the Present Perfect Continuous – Negative forms

Make an affirmative statement followed by a negative one: I have been
swimming twice a week. I haven’t been dancing twice a week. Use
the information supplied by students to make incorrect statements,
which they have to correct:
T: Juan has been playing tennis for several years.
S: I haven't been playing tennis for several years. I've been playing for
almost a year.
Introduce the Present Perfect Continuous – Short answers
Ask yes or no questions and teach students to give short answers:
T: Have you been studying for next week’s test?
S: Yes, I have./No, I haven’t.

Students ask classmates yes or no questions, and classmates reply

with short answers. Make sure they place emphasis on actions that are
continuing.

Expand on all of the situations in which you’d use this tense

Above all, make sure students are clear on which types of contexts or
situations require the use of the present perfect continuous tense;
provide examples:

o To describe activities, routines, or habits which were recently begun: I

have been taking French classes this semester.
o To describe recent events or temporary situations: I haven't been
sleeping well.
o To talk about the temporary result of a recently finished activity: I’ve been
cleaning the house for the party, that’s why I’m so tired.
 o To talk about an action that started in the past but actively continues: I’ve
been studying English for years.

Give your students this worksheet called What have you been up to? to
illustrate some of these situations