Present perfect or past simple?

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2Reading: Lucía's letterReading comprehension
3. 3What does it mean?Grammar exercise
4. 4Find the present perfectGrammar exercise
5. 5Present perfect or past simple?Grammar rule
6. 6Which tense?Grammar exercise
7. 7A finished time or not?Grammar exercise
8. 8New gadgetsGrammar exercise
9. 9Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
10. 10Say it naturallySpeaking practice
11. 11The job interviewSpeaking practice
12. 12About youGrammar exercise
13. 13Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: Grandpa's new phoneGrammar exercise
2. 2Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
3. 3Homework: a cover letterDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

1. What was your first job? If you haven't had one yet, what job would you like?
2. What is the newest gadget in your home?
3. Do you like getting new gadgets, or do you prefer old things?

Grammar rule

Present perfect or past simple?

	Use it for	Time words	Example
past simple	a finished time; a story, one thing after another; a question with when	yesterday, last week, in 2021, two years ago, when I was 19	In 2021, I moved to Miami. When did you start?
present perfect	experiences in your life, with no time; news; until now	ever, never, just, already, yet, so far	I've worked in two countries. I've just started a French class.

We often start with the present perfect and then give the details in the past simple: I've been to Mexico. I went there in 2022, and I loved it.

Never use a finished time with the present perfect: not I have moved to Miami in 2021.

American English often uses the past simple for experiences and news, too: I already saw it. Did you ever try it? These are correct. But with a finished time, only the past simple is right.