Present Perfect or Past Simple

The simple past and the present perfect both refer to past actions, but are not interchangeable in English grammar.

The simple past is used with a specific time marker for actions that started and finished in the past.

The present perfect is used without a time marker for actions that began in the past, but still have a connection to the present.

When comparing the simple past and the present perfect, there are two key differences:

Key difference 1:

the simple past refers to a specific action and often tells us when it happened

the present perfect does not tell us when an action happened, only that it did

Examples:

I went to Norway in 2014. (simple past)

I’ve visited Norway several times. (present perfect)

Key difference 2:

present perfect actions happened in the past, but are connected to the present

simple past actions started and finished in the past

Examples:

Chris can’t come on the trip, he has broken his leg. (present perfect)

I broke my leg when I was fifteen. (simple past)