Hello friends! Welcome back. In this video lesson,
we're focusing on 5 uses of the Present Perfect Simple.
Focusing on when you should be
using the Present Perfect Simple instead of
the Past Simple, so that you can master,
learn, and use the Present Perfect Simple
when you're speaking in English.
Many languages have a past tense to refer to
an action in the past,
and a present tense, to refer to an action in the present.
English has these tenses,
but it also has
the Present Perfect Simple. Now, we use
the Present Perfect Simple to relate past actions
to the present.
Now, if you're struggling to understand the Present Perfect Simple,
stress less, you're not alone,
as many English learners really struggle using
and understanding this tense, as maybe you don't have
this tense in your native language.
So that you can better understand the application and use
of this tense, we'll go through 5 examples
with the Present Perfect Simple tense being used.
And I'll show you exactly why we're using the Present Perfect Simple tense,
and not the
Past Simple in each sentence.
Friends, if you are struggling to follow this lesson, make sure
to turn on subtitles, you'll find that button,
just below this video, it says CC.
You can also be a good mate and help other English learners
like yourself by translating those subtitles
to your native language.
Okay, let's begin by looking at the first sentence.
So the sentence is: Today I'm going for coffee
with Julie.
I've known her for ten years already.
Here we can see that the Present Perfect Simple is being used
because we have "I have known"
and we're using the Present Perfect Simple tense here because
it's and unfinished action.
So, me knowing Julie, this began in the past.
And I still know Julie today.
So, it's an uncompleted past action.
It's still hapenning now, so the past is
connected to the present.
So, me meeting Julie,
10 years ago, I knew her 10 years ago, I knew her
5 years ago, I knew her 2 years ago,
one day ago, and today, I still know Julie,
so, it's connected to the time hapenning now.
And for this reason we use the Present Perfect Simple tense.
Also, in that sentence, we can see the word "already".
Already is a signal word for the Present Perfect
Simple tense. So, in this sentence, we wouldn't
use the Past Simple tense, because it not a completed action.
I still know Julie. If I didn't know Julie anymore,
for some reason we lost contact, or
I just forgot about her, then we could use the Past Simple tense.
Then I would express myself in a sentence saying:
I knew Julie for 10 years.
See the difference between these two sentences
here. In the first sentence I said:
I have known Julie for 10 years already, so
here, I still know her. But in the second sentence,
where the Past Simple is being used,
I knew Julie for 10 years, means that
I knew her, it's a completed action in the past.
Let's look at the second use.
Second sentence is: I've lost my keys
and now I can't get into my apartment. Here we can see
"I have lost" uses the Present Perfect Simple tense,
because the action of me losing my keys
in the past affects me now.
it affects the present.
So, we use the Present Perfect tense with a finished action
in the past, with a result in the present.
So here, I lost my keys,
and the result is, the consequence
of this is that I can't get into my apartment.
Here, if we use the Past Simple, the action
would be completely in the past, and it would
have no consequence on the present. For example,
Yesterday I lost my keys and a friend came
and picked me up. So friends, remember,
if you are talking about actions in the past that
affect you in the present at that current time,
then you should be using the Present Perfect Simple,
and not the Past Simple.
The third sentence is: I have never been to Moscow.
This one is really tricky. Here we can see
the Present Perfect Simple being used: "I've never been"
because again, it signals
an unfinished action.
Here, the action is connected to the present. So, the person, me,
I have never been to Moscow.
I didn't go to Moscow ten years ago,
I didn't go 5 years ago, I didn't go 2
years ago. And because I've never been to Moscow,
it is still true in the present.
So, it has a consequence on the present time
now. Now, because of the connection with
the present, we cannot use the Past Simple.
Because the Past Simple only refers to the past.
Think of it as that experience in the past
having made you be a richer, or a more fulfilled person.
So, if someone asks you: "Have you ever been to Australia?"
"Have you ever been to China?" It's an experience
which somehow changes you. Because of this, it is connected to the now, and this will help you
better use this tense instead of
the Past Simple when you're speaking in English.
The fourth sentence is: They have eaten Thai food.
Now, in this sentence, the action
refers to an undefined amount of time.
It's undefined, it's undetermined, it's not specific
to the amount of time. So, some time,
in their life, they have tried Thai food.
It's not important when they've tried it, when they ate Thai food,
they've tried Thai food.
If we were to use Past Simple in this situation,
we would need to give a specific point in the past.
For example: Yesterday they ate Thai food.
Think of this sentence or this situation
that you have somehow benefited from this
experience. So, somehow, it has affected
you at the present. This will help you
to use the Present Perfect Simple, instead of
the Past Simple tense.
And the final sentence is: I have just phoned Julie.
Friends, remember the first sentence, when we had
the word already. In this sentence, we're using the word
just.
The words already and just are signal words
for the Present Perfect Simple tense.
So, if you just did something,
this affects the present, and you'll be using the Present Perfect Simple
and not the Past Simple tense.
Friends, I do understand that the Present Perfect Simple tense
can be challenging, tricky
for many English learners,
as maybe you don't have this tense in your native language.
It is important to be immersed in the English language,
using your English, so that
you can see, identify, and
better use this tense in your
everyday spoken English. If you go to my website,
You can find the link just about here,
there's a lot more practice regarding the structure,
use and form of the Present Perfect Simple tense.
Click that link there, learn more about this tense,
and start using it when you're speaking in English.
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feel free to share this video with a friend learning English,
and thank you for watching. Bye for now.