Past Simple vs. Past Perfect

Past Tenses

Past Simple

verb + ed in regular verbs

• Completed actions and events in the past

• Repeated actions and events in the past

• permanent or long term situations in the past

Present Perfec Tense

Have/ has + past participle

• To express a period of time which is still in progress, sometimes we use since or for.

• For unfinished action and events, sometimes we use still or yet.

• For events that happened in the recent past, sometimes we use it with just.

• To talk about how many times something has happened, sometimes we use it with already.

Present Perfect Continuous

Have + been + verb___ing

• When we want to emphasise the activity rather than the result.

• 
  

• 
  

• 
  

Past Continuous

was / were + verb___ing

• To talk about a particular moment in the past.

• For an activity beginning before a past action (usually in the past simple) and continuing until or after it.

• For two things happening at the same time.

Past Perfect Simple

Had + past participle

• To refer to an earlier time when we are already talking about the past, often with time expressions like when, after, by the time, as soon as.

• With adverbs of time like just, already, before,ever, never.

• 
  

Used to and would

• to talk about past habits when we are emphasising they are no longer true

• Used to can describe actions and states.

• Would can only describe actions