I did (Past Simple) & I have done (Present Perfect) | English Tenses #4 | B1-Intermediate 

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These are the best grammar videos, and grammar resources period, that I have seen. The teacher speaks at an easy to follow pace, and she has an engaging tone. THANK YOU!

'since 1995' means 'between 1995 and now', and doesn't give a specified time in the past. That is why we use the Present Perfect. If you say 'in 1995', then you can use the Past Simple: He built a house in 1995.

Your videos explaining the tenses are generally pretty good, but as someone whose first language is not English(I have been learning the language since I was 14, spent most of my life trying to master it and teaching it) and who has been teaching ESL for many years I have to add: this video is not making the difference between Pr. Perf. and Past Simple clear. It's good as a basic explanation or a starter approach, but as we know, a lot of times we don't mention the time of the action in a Past Simple sentence(Did you see him? vs Have you seen him?/ I didn't see him. vs I haven't seen him. Where did you go? vs. Where have you been? He's worked for Google. vs He worked for Google. etc.). So what's very important -in my experience- is to explain WHY we are using one or the other; the context, the intention, the indications. This is what makes a difference for the learner when it comes to fully understanding and internalizing how and why we use certain tenses in certain situations: English grammar tenses are situation-driven and just explaining the "rules" creates a lot of insecurity and misunderstanding.

Yes, as long as the exact time of the action is not implicitly or explicitly referred to, this is a perfect sentence.

+Chak Min Chung Yes, you can. That would mean that they are still going up. If you say 'They have gone up this month.', it means that they are not going up any more. I explain this difference in the previous lesson (Lesson 3).

Yes, these two sentences are correct. You will find the answer to your other question (below) in my video on 'Past Tenses - Lesson 8).

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The Past Participle of 'to come' is also 'come': COME - CAME - COME In British English, the correct Tense is: 'She has just come back.' In American English, 'She just came back.' is also possible.

Now, I understand the concept of present participle and simple past. Thanks!

The 'signal word' doesn't necessarily have to be in the sentence. The past time frame can be set in the previous sentence(s), or can even be implicit.

I think those are most confusing two tenses in the world. Two of them I mean they don't have any other rival when it comes get confusing. Most common mistakes are about two of them I guess. In general people don't pay attention enough which tense (simple past or present perfect) they should use especially informal speech. I don't, either. Thanks a lot for this useful lesson! :)

In British English, some of the most common words that combine with the Present Perfect are 'already', 'not yet', 'just', 'recently', 'so far', 'today', 'this week / month / year'.

Brilliant and so clear~! Those comparisons with explanations are superb. Thank you~!

It will become clearer for you if you also watch lessons 3 and 5, where I explain the difference between Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous, and the special case of State Verbs.

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Start by listening to English without trying to understand. This will open your ears to the sounds. Then, start learning the basic structures and vocabulary and make sure you work on your pronunciation as well.

Excellent pedagogical methods

Yes, all the grammar lessons including exercises and audio recordings are also available on our website anglo-link(dot)com.

Dear Anglo-link, Can we use past tense without using specific time? For instance, I did my home work, i finished my studies, i talked to him. Besides that, If i say, i have watched 2 movies this week. is it correct, or i need to say that i watched 2 movies this week. In these sentences, though specific time is mentioned, yet this week is still going on. therefore, the usage of present perfect tense seems much correct. need your opinion please :)

It's hard for me to see clear difference between specific time and non specific time in some cases. For example, when she was at college, it's not that specific after all, it was long period or maybe short. So is there any way to see clear difference between these two?

In any Prefect Tense (Present, Past, Future, Simple & Continuous), the auxiliary is the verb 'have'. If the main verb is also 'have', you will get structures such as: I have had ..., He had had .... We will have had ... She has been having ... . They could have had ... etc.

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The prices went up this month. This month means exact time. So why it's not past simple.

Great lesson, Minoo, I was also being confused by the past simple and past perfect in relation to “today; this morning...etc". Thanks to you, as soon as I watched your video tutorials about the "present perfect tense", I began to understand it ..... for example, you can say: "I was in London twice last month" - that is OK. But “I've been to London twice in the last month!”- It`s OK as well. Such a sophisticated difference!🤔

Yes, you are right. 'I'm afraid you didn't pass the exam.' implies that both speaker and listener know the date of the exam and the whole thing is clearly in the past. 'I'm afraid you haven't passed the exam.' can mean that the exam has taken place today, or recently. It can also imply that the speaker doesn't know when the exam was and just knows the result. Also, as you mention, there is a slight connotation with the Present Perfect that there may be another chance to take the exam.

I have answered you in the Anglo-Link website Forum. Here is part of the answer again: You should learn vocabulary in context, and ideally as part of a phrase or sentence. Avoid learning lists of words with their translations into your mother tongue. The best sources are RU-vid Clips on subjects that interest you and where you want to expand your vocabulary. Choose the simpler clips with easy accents, watch them several times, and write down and memorise the interesting phrases.

You are right. In modern English, the adjective comes before the noun. However, there are expressions from older and formal English with post-positive adjectives that are still used today, such as God Almighty, time immemorial. The Present Simple as an alternative to the Simple Present can be considered as one of these.

You are right: The Present Perfect Tense is formulated with have/has + Past Participle. However, if you add an adverb such as 'just', 'already', 'never' etc. the adverb comes before the Participle. For more information on this, you can watch my video on 'Word Order, Position of Adverbs'.

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I suggest you watch my video entitled 'All Tenses'. That will give you a review of Past and Future Perfect tenses as well. There are also separate videos on 'Past Tenses' and 'Future Tenses' that will give you more examples.

Yes, it is correct. The action of 'noticing' is completed until now, and the fact that you 'need' a job continues in the present.

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'completed' is the participial adjective from the verb 'to complete'. So if 'completion' is the result of an action, then it is better to use 'completed'. If something is 'intrinsically complete', then it is better to use the normal adjective 'complete'.

Thank you so much! So i know thst you've already known me for a long time. Bacause i always leave a comment every time i've watched your videos. Thank you for clear explanation. This helped me a lot so much! You don't know how happy i am! Because i thought BRITISH and AMERICAN language have the same tenses uses. That's why when i'm trying to make some sentence.... I became confused so thank you so much. By the way i am FILIPINA and im learning this for my incoming school. Thank you so much.... I wish i can see you... Thank you thank you so much... I know thank is not enough but i hope we can able to see each other thank you.

The Tense used is the Present Simple for tellinf stories and jokes. This makes the recounting of the events more dynamic and dramatic.

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It is just a question of how usage has evolved among native speakers in informal conversations. You are right: In American English, it is common to sometimes use the Past Simple instead of Present Perfect. However, it is not common, either in American or British English, to use the Present Perfect instead of the Past Simple.

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Once you have understood the concept of a Tense, you need to practise it by forming sentences with it, and also hearing it used correctly. There are exercises on our website to help you with this.

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I explain this in my video entitled 'State Verbs'. Briefly: 'to live' is treated both as a State and an Action Verb. Therefore, 'I have lived ... for ....' is an alternative to 'i have been living ... for ....'

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, the tense is correct. Word order can be improved, and also the Past Participle of 'show' is 'shown': The percentage of the different things have been shown in this bar chart.'

Yes, it is.

Yes, you can. 'before lunch' fixes the time and requires the Past Simple. The word 'already' is just for emphasis here.

Yes, that is correct, Alberto.

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'married' is a participial adjective from the verb 'to marry', and must come after the verb 'to be': to be married >> I have been married for 10 years. 'to marry' is the verb: A man marries a woman. A priest marries a couple. You can put it in the Present Perfect Continuous: This priest has been marrying couples for 10 years.

For all ESL learners. Here is my interpretation of those two. Correct me if I'm wrong, please. Maybe it is written in some book I don't really know but here are my thoughts after processing thousands of explanations: Once you understand that "I have" means "I have an attribute in present", the rest is relatively easy. "I have played tennis" means "I have an attribute in present which is a direct consequence of playing tennis process". The key word is present. Which is why you are forbidden to use any "ago" or "yesterday". Because you can't say "I have an attribute in present yesterday". "I played tennis" doesn't have that notation of present. It is implied there is a fixed time frame in a past when you played tennis from context. Some examples: - Where have you been? - Oh, I played tennis - When did you do that? How was it? Did you like it? - Where have you been? (Assume you haven't seen a friend for a day or two) - Oh, I played tennis yesterday (you want to give an information about 'yesterday' thus you are obliged to use past simple) - Where have you been? (Assume you haven't seen a friend for a day or two) - Oh, I played tennis and then I decided to go to a movie theatre (same as previous but it is a sequence of facts in a past) The first example and third I would call a simplified case. It is something that native speakers do because they are 'lazy'. There is no 'yesterday' or 'ago'. It is a border case and simply It is better be avoided while you are learning fundamentals. Second case is legit even though the question is written in PP and the answer is in PS. - Where have you been? (Assume you are a boss and you haven't seen a worker for a couple of hours) - Oh, I've played tennis (Means that I played tennis and the result of this process is an 2-hour absence. You and boss both know about this absence (=result). In other words "I have an attribute in present which is my 2-hour absence which is a direct consequence of playing tennis process")

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The Present Perfect also replaces the Present Perfect Continuous with State Verbs. For more information on this, I recommend you watch my video entitled 'State Verbs'.

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I finished this lesson 2 minutes ago(Past Simple) thank you so much I like this course (Present Simple)

Wow now I understand the concept of the present perfect and past simple

1. We have been .. 2. He has been living ... OR He has lived ... 3. ... had risen .... I recommend you watch my videos on 'ALL TENSES' and 'STATE VERBS' to have some clarification of the use of different Tenses.

It is really interesting to learn from your lessons.The examples given are pretty simple to understandwhich makes the learning journey more comfortable.Thank you very much.

The sentence is: She MET him (not has met) when she WAS at college. (Past Simple for both verbs). We cannot use the Present Perfect, because 'when she was at college' is a time frame in the past.

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You can also say 'he hasn't'. The meaning is different though: 'he doesn't' indicates that 'not travelling' is a fact related to his promotion (Present Simple). 'he hasn't' indicates that he hasn't traveled until now, but he may in the future. (Present Perfect)

Thank you very much. Very good explanation. You have answered a question that I asked when I saw your video on present perfect. Thank you again.

With 'this morning', it depends on when you are speaking: It is 11:00 a.m. >>> I have met him this morning. It is 2:00 p.m. >>> I met him this morning. With the other one, you need to have already mentioned a day in the Past: I went to London last Tuesday to meet him. I met him in the morning.

Yes, both are correct, but convey different situations: First example: The invitation was first, the decision not to come happened later. Second example: The invitation and the decision happened on the same occasion.

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I) Past Simple: The action of getting married took place in the Past. II) Present Perfect: The state of being married continues. The verbs 'to have' and 'to be' are special. I suggest you also watch my video 'State Verbs' for more clarification.

I do really like your explaination,that is so easy to understand. Thank you so much.

Thank you madame for the clarification, it was little bit confusing for me before, but now I feel more confident when using both tenses when speaking.

You have understood correctly. There is no specific reason for this; it is just how the English language has developed. In American English, it is sometimes acceptable to use the Past Simple instead of the Present Perfect. They say things like: 'Did you do it yet?' However, if you are preparing for a test, or are in an environment where accuracy is important, differentiate between the two tenses.

If someone's language has been influenced by American English, they will use the Past Simple more often. You might hear: 'I just did it. I already did it. I didn't do it yet.' If you know that the appointment was on Sunday, in other words, the time reference is clear to both of you, it is better to say: Did you meet her? If it is still Sunday, then say: 'Have you met her?' I know the Present Perfect is complicated. Maybe it is a good thing that American English is gradually phasing it out.

When DID you complete (something)? is the correct question form.

I read 1 book last night. We played tennis after dinner. I bought a TV yesterday. I met my friend when I went to school.

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Yes, that's right.

Thank you so much for clarifying on these common mistakes!

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That's right. There should be no reference to an exact 'when' in the conversation.

Yes, we use the Past Simple with the 'What did you say?' 'You just said ...' With another verb, you will find that in British English, it is more common to use the Present Perfect: 'I have just called him.', and in American English, the Past Simple: 'I just called him'.

Could you give me the exact sentence? I am not sure what you are referring to.

In most languages, the 'singular you' and the 'plural you' are different words. In English, they are the same. I repeat it, so the students know this fact. Otherwise, they will be wondering how to say 'YOU + YOU'.

I doubt you would get the question ' Have you been working before?'' from a native speaker, as the tense contradicts the word 'before'. The questions can be: 'Where have you worked before?' This refers to the jobs you have had before and have left, and without referring to any specific time in the past. 'Where did you work before you joined your last company? This refers to a past job at a specified time. 'Where have you been working?' This refers to a job you are still engaged in.

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'Price' is 'it' (singular), but 'Prices' is a plural word and the pronoun that replaces it is 'they'.

Some verbs in English are 'irregular', and you just have to memorize their Past Simple and Past Participle forms. You can easily find the list of irregular verbs on the Internet.

There are some minor differences in usage, particularly in spoken langauge, but not in the basic grammatical rules.

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In British English: She has just COME back. In American English, they sometimes use the Past Simple as an alternative. Therefore, an American might say: She just came back.

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I hope to have answered this question in this lesson. May I ask you to watch it again and make some notes, and see if the difference becomes clearer to you.

There isn't a real mistake, if you consider your current job to be more permanent than your previous job in London. However, if you want to keep things very grammatical: Either: Here, I work more than I used to in London. (facts) Or: Here, I am working more than I was working in London. (Temporary situations)

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Because you use the word 'yet', which means that you want to know if they have finished it until now. If you want to know if they finished it last week, you should not use 'yet'.

VERY GOOD AND CLEAR EXPLANATION WITH ACCURATE EXAMPLES

Dear Dr , Your ten year old video is still our source of information we need, I thank you very much for that. In our activity book for 6th preparatory classes, there are some sentences need to be correct (past simple or present perfect) .for example: I've woken up really late this morning and I was l late for school.. The corrections of the authors is : I woke up really late this morning and I was late for school. According to you explanation, I don't agree with them because we have unfinished time reference " this morning " , so the correct answer should be : I have woken up really late this morning and I have been late for school. Could you please give us your opinion and state which answer is correct ?

HI, my astonished and great teacher... first of all thank ineeeeeed.... actually I have finished lesson 4 until now. which mean i finished lesson 3 in the morning.