Present perfect or past simple?
"I have seen him yesterday" — why it sounds wrong, and how to fix it.
10 minutes · A free lesson from Grammar for speaking
- Past simple for a finished time: I saw him yesterday. We met in 2020.
- Present perfect for experience or up to now, with no finished time: I've been* to Dubai twice. I**'ve lived** here since 2019.*
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: Which is correct?
- I saw him yesterday.
- I have seen him yesterday.
- I have saw him yesterday.
Show the answer
A: I saw him yesterday. — yesterday is a finished time, so the past simple.
Quick check: Which is correct?
- I am living here since 2019.
- I live here since 2019.
- I have lived here since 2019.
Show the answer
C: I have lived here since 2019. — Something that started in the past and goes on now takes the present perfect.
Quick check: Which is correct?
- I went to Dubai twice since.
- I've been to Dubai twice.
- I am going to Dubai twice already.
Show the answer
B: I've been to Dubai twice. — Experience with no finished time takes the present perfect.