English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [past-vs-present-perfect]

For questions about contrasting uses of the simple past and the present perfect.

106 questions
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"Have forgotten" or "forgot"?

I'm walking out of a bar and I'm putting my hand in my pocket, and I can't find my wallet. So it's better to say "I have forgotten my wallet" or "I forgot my wallet" ?
Abc
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6
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Haven't found or didn't find?

I was searching for something and I didn't find it. So I would say to my friend: I searched for it but I didn't find it. or I've searched but haven't found it. What is the difference between them?
Abc
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Why was the simple past used instead of the present perfect in "Over the past decade, India witnessed widespread economic growth"?

In the following paragraph, simple past has been used, rather than present perfect. I fail to understand why present perfect was not used. When we say 'over the past decade', it means the time extends upto present, but still present perfect was not…
shikha ji
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4
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4 answers

Reporting loss of a bag at a police station - which is more appropriate, "I lost my bag" or "I have lost my bag"?

I learned that we should use present perfect while talking about things which happened in the past, but which still hold. However, it sounds weird when I think about using "I have lost my bag" when I tell a police officer about the missing bag. I…
Vini
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1 answer

I've recently read / I recently read

I've recently read that oxygen might be poisonous I recently read that oxygen might be poisonous It's a sentence I'd like to use in common conversation with a friend. Which one is correct grammatically and how to recognize that? I think the…
JustAnotherPerson
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1 answer

Last night I ____ (lost) my keys - can you help me look for them?

A) Last night I ____ (lost) my keys - I had to look for them. B) I ____ (lost) my keys - can you help me look for them? C) Last night I ____ (lost) my keys - can you help me look for them? I know that for question A we use Past Simple because…
Chstavridis
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2 answers

Why different tenses here?

Stumbled upon this phrase in a high profile game dialogue, which means it is supposed to be written professionally and not just a blunder: If this murder was intended to hurt me, it has succeeded. If it was meant to send a message, it failed. Why…
sigil
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3
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Who (broke / has broken) the glass?

Suppose in a house there are two children. One day one of them broke a glass. Then their mother arrived in the house. If the mother wants to know who broke the glass, which question should she ask her children: Who broke the glass? or Who has…
user250189
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2 answers

"Where were you yesterday?" vs. "Where have you been yesterday?"

Can anyone explain to me the difference between Where were you yesterday? and Where have you been yesterday? It seems to me that second question focuses more on the result of the previous day and the first on the sole fact that the previous day…
some1 here
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difference between "Have been" and "was"

can anyone please tell me the between "have been" and "was"? Suppose my friends calls me and I reply the following. Are they interchangeable in the following context? Hey, Paul I was/have been busy working all day. I am very tired now. I will go…
user250189
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2 answers

"Have been waiting" vs "was waiting"

suppose my friend promises me that he will meet me at 1 p.m but he comes to me a few hours later. Can I say to him "Hey John, where were you? I was/have been ​waiting here for a long time?" "Was" or "have been": which one should I use?
user254288
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Recent past " something just happened "

talking about recent past " some thing happened few seconds ago " is one of the uses of present perfect ? For example : I'm walking with my friend " Ooh, I have dropped my pen, can you help me to find it ? " ... is that right ? If it's right so,…
Abc
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Is it possible to say 'You tore my world apart'?

Is it possible to say 'You tore my world apart' in poem? Or I should say 'You've tear my world apart'?
Tatiana
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never saw/have seen

I have recently read: I never saw this movie (instead of "I have never seen this movie") I believe that the Present Perfect is usually used with the adverb "never" because the event can still happen in the present. Example: I have never talked to…
Alan Evangelista
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Different meanings in the use of "Past simple" and "Present perfect"

1) Show me the dress that you have made 2) It is very late, and trams have stopped running: we must find a taxi to get home. Can I use the past simple instead of present perfect and what the difference would be then?
MorVor
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