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I cannot understand why tutorials, examples, etc. contain examples like this:

I have played

or

Have you been to Moscow?

Why Past Simple cannot be used in these sentences? Where is the "border" when I can use Past Simple?

Guy Fawkes
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    The phrase "I have played" is so short and devoid of context it's hard to say why the simple past could not have been used. – J.R. Nov 28 '17 at 22:18

1 Answers1

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We use the present perfect tense:

  • for something that started in the past and continues in the present: oh! I have lost my phone!
  • for something we have done several times in the past and continue to do when we are talking about our experience up to the present
  • for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of speaking
  • We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent past(just, only just, recently) or adverbials which include the present: ever (in questions), so far, until now,up to now, yet (in questions and negatives).
  • We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past time which is finished.

The past tense in English is used:

  • to talk about the past
  • to talk about hypotheses – things that are imagined rather than true.
  • for politeness.
Rim
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  • So, as I see, both events were in past: I played in something and I am not playing now. I was in Moscow, but now I'm in Berlin. Am I correct? – Guy Fawkes Nov 28 '17 at 22:04
  • If the action is in the past and stopped in the past, that's simple past: I played .. Have you been to Moscow? : I have been to Moskow: something happend in the past and continues in the present. – Rim Nov 29 '17 at 00:46