unit 4.4 past simple<>present perfect

the difference in use between the past simple and present continuous is sometimes tricky. in English, the rules for the use of this 2 times so much tougher and more difficult than in the Dutch. When do you use now the past simple and when the present perfect?.

past simple

• If you ask a question with "when"
• to indicate that something has happened in the past and now has ended. often there is a locating past tense in the phrase, for example: yesterday, last year, when i was younger, in 1876.
• If there is such a timing of past tense in the sentence is then you should always use a past simple.

examples.

when did you phone him?                                  wanneer heb je hem gebeld?/wanneer belde je hem?

i walked tho the footballfield yesterday               gisteren ben ik naar het voetbalveld gelopen/gisteren liep ik naar

                                                                            het voetbalveld.

she lived in Londen in 2011.                               in 2011 heeft ze in londen gewoond. / in 2011 woonde ze in

                                                                            Londen.

present perfect

• to indicate that something in the past began, but now is still working. in the Dutch do you use than a present tense. often there FOR or SINCE in the sense.
• to indicate that something has happened in the past, the result of which are still noticeable. the time when it happened, is not important.

examples

i HAVE KNOWN her since i was ten.                         ik KEN haar al sinds mijn 10e          

how long HAVE you WORKED here                          hoe lang WERK je hier al?

he has BROKEN HIS leg                                            hij heeft haar arm gebroken (hij is nog steeds gebroken)