Present perfect or past: advanced points

Causes and origins: Who gave you that?

We normally use the present perfect when we are thinking about past events together with their present results (see here).

• I can’t come to your party because I’ve broken my leg.

However, we usually prefer a past tense when we identify the person, thing or circumstances responsible for a present situation (because we are thinking about the past cause, not the present result). Compare:

• Look what Jack’s given me! (thinking about the gift)
  Who gave you that? (thinking about the past action of giving)
• Somebody has spilt coffee on the carpet.
  Who spilt all that coffee on the carpet?

Other examples:

• ‘Why are you crying?’ ‘Granny hit me.’ (not … Granny has hit me.)
• I’m glad you were born.
• How did you get that bruise?
• That’s a nice picture. Did you paint it yourself?
• Some people think that ‘Pericles’ was not written by Shakespeare.
• The Chinese invented paper. (not The Chinese have invented paper.)

Expectation and reality: You’re older than I thought.

We use a past tense to refer to a belief that has just been shown to be true or false.

• It’s not as big as I expected. (not … as I have expected.)
• You’re older than I thought. (not … than I have thought.)
• But you promised … ! (not But you have promised …)
• I knew you would help me! (not I have known …)

today, this week, etc

With definite expressions of ‘time up to now’ (e.g. today, this week), perfect and past tenses are often both possible. We prefer the present perfect if we are thinking of the whole period up to now. We prefer the simple past if we are thinking of a finished part of that period. Compare:

• I haven’t seen Jack this week. (the whole week up to now – present perfect more natural)
  I saw Jack this week, and he said … (earlier in the week – simple past more natural)
• Has Anna phoned today? (meaning ‘any time up to now’)
  Did Anna phone today? (meaning ‘earlier, when the call was expected’)

always, ever and never

In an informal style, a simple past tense is sometimes possible with always, ever and never when they refer to ‘time up to now’.

• I always knew I could trust you. (or I’ve always known …)
• Did you ever see anything like that before? (or Have you ever seen …?)

Present perfect with past time expressions

Grammars usually say that the present perfect cannot be used together with expressions of finished time – we can say I have seen him or I saw him yesterday, but not I have seen him yesterday. In fact, such structures are unusual but not impossible (though learners should avoid them). They often occur in brief news items, where space is limited and there is pressure to announce the news and give the details in the same clause.

Here are some real examples taken from news broadcasts, newspaper articles, advertisements, letters and conversations.

• Police have arrested more than 900 suspected drugs traffickers in raids throughout the country on Friday and Saturday.
• A 24-year-old soldier has been killed in a road accident last night.
• The horse’s trainer has had a winner here yesterday.
• … indicating that the geological activity has taken place a very long time ago.
• Perhaps what has helped us to win eight major awards last year alone …
• I have stocked the infirmary cupboard only yesterday.
• I am pleased to confirm that Lloyds Bank … has opened a Home Loan account for you on 19th May.

Simple past for news

Recently, some British newspapers and online news channels have started regularly using the simple past for smaller news announcements – probably to save space. Some authentic examples:

• An unnamed businessman was shot dead by terrorists …
• A woman was jailed for six months after taking a baby boy from his mother.
• Driving wind and rain forced 600 out of 2,500 teenagers to abandon the annual ‘Ten Tor’ trek across Dartmoor.

American English

In American English the simple past is often used to give news.

• Did you hear? Switzerland declared / has declared war on Mongolia! (BrE Have you heard? Switzerland has declared war …)
• Uh, honey, I lost / I’ve lost the keys (BrE … I’ve lost the keys.)
• Lucy just called / has just called. (BrE Lucy has just called.)

In American English, it is also possible to use the simple past with indefinite past-time adverbs like already, yet, ever and before.

• Did you eat already? or Have you eaten …? (BrE Have you eaten already?)
• I didn’t call Bobby yet or I haven’t called … (BrE I haven’t called …)

British English is changing under American influence, so some of these uses are becoming common in Britain as well.

note

For more about tenses with just, (see here).

For more about British-American differences, (see here).

Bad rules (1): ‘definite time’

Grammars sometimes say that the simple past, not the present perfect, is used with expressions referring to ‘definite time’. This is confusing – the present perfect is not often used with finished time expressions, but it actually is very common with definite time expressions. Compare:

• I’ve lived here for exactly three years, seven months and two days. (present perfect with very definite time-reference)
• Once upon a time a little girl lived with her mother in a lonely house in a dark forest. (simple past with very indefinite time-reference)

Bad rules (2): ‘finished actions’

Note also that the choice between simple present perfect and simple past does not depend on whether we are talking about finished actions, as learners’ grammars sometimes suggest (though it can depend on whether we are talking about finished time periods). Compare:

• That cat has eaten your supper. (finished action – present perfect)
• I ate the last of the eggs this morning. (finished action – simple past)

Bad rules (3): ‘recent actions’

The choice also does not depend directly on whether actions and events are recent. Recent events are more likely to be ‘news’, and we are more likely to be concerned about their present results, so many present perfect sentences are in fact about recent events. But it is possible to use the present perfect to talk about things that happened a long time ago. Compare:

• The French revolution has influenced every popular radical movement in Europe since 1800. (200-year-old event – present perfect)
• Anna phoned five minutes ago. (very recent event – simple past)

Both possible

The difference between the present perfect and the simple past is not always very clear-cut. It often depends on our ‘focus’: are we thinking mostly about the present relevance of a past event, or about the past details? In some cases both present perfect and past are possible with little difference of meaning.

• We (have) heard that you have rooms to let.
• Has Mark phoned? or Did Mark phone?
• I’ve given / I gave your old radio to Philip.