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Mwalimu Tina
Community Tutor😅 Ever Struggled with Present Perfect vs. Simple Past? Same Here!
I remember when I first started teaching English—I kept noticing how tricky it is to choose between "I have done" and "I did." Even advanced learners sometimes ask: What’s the actual difference?
It usually comes down to whether the action is connected to now (present perfect) or clearly in the past and finished (simple past).
Example 1: I’ve just eaten lunch. (Still relevant—I’m full now!)
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Example 2: I ate lunch at noon. (That moment is finished and not related to now.)
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I’m curious—
👉 Do you find this difference easy or confusing?
👉 In your native language, is there a similar difference?
Let’s share thoughts and help each other out. Maybe we can collect some helpful examples together!
Jun 3, 2025 5:35 PM
Comments · 3
In Italian, it is not at all the same. It is normal in Italian to say the equivalent of "Yesterday, I have eaten a pizza", but not in English. My way of looking at it is that in English, the meaning of "have" never ever changes, whereas in other languages it sometimes becomes something special, a "helping verb". In English, "have" always indicates possession. When you say "I have eaten a pizza" you really are saying that you now possess something, and the something that you now possess is the experience of eating a pizza.
Jun 4, 2025 12:20 AM
Mwalimu Tina
Language Skills
English, French, Luganda, Spanish, Swahili
Learning Language
French, Luganda, Spanish
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