What tense should I use in these situations?

Question

Should I use the past simple or the past perfect?

They are both grammatical and make sense. The choice is yours. The context within which the sentence would be written or spoken might make it clearer which is more appropriate. For example, if one of the tenses was already used in a previous sentence, or will be used in a sentence that follow, it's often more natural to use that same tense. — Jason Bassford, Jul 08 '20 at 14:02
Does this answer your question? "My boss was furious with me and I have been fired" vs. "My boss was furious with me and I was fired" — ColleenV, Jul 09 '20 at 15:37

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 08 '20 at 12:09

It is not idiomatic to use the perfect with expressions of time, unless they denote a period which extends up to the present.

So

This year I was seen/have been seen near his house.

or

Since March of this year I was seen/have been seen near his house.

but only

In March of this year I was seen near his house.

1 Answers1