Hello!  And welcome to Chat ENG – a podcast where people chat about how they learn and use English.  My name is Sam, I’m a CELTA teacher and a performer, and I have a particular interest in pronunciation and expression. In each episode, non-native and native speakers will chat about their experiences with English, share their advice and, at the end, I’ll give some pronunciation tips for you to take away and practice. So,ready?  Let’s get Chat ENG!  CHAT 

So – this episode’s grammar tip is about a tense difference that all learners fear and avoid, the difference between the past simple and the present perfect simple!   “Did you do it?” or “Have you done it?”.  Every learner finds this difference difficult because the perfect tenses are special to English and it’s not always clear when you translate them into your mother tongue.  I’m here to assure you that it’s not that tricky and, with a little practice, you will feel more confident!  First. Let’s talk structure: We make the present perfect simple with the present simple form of Have (I have, you have, he/she/it has, we have , they have) plus a past participle.  Example = They have visited London. Next. How do we know when to use “They visited” or “They have visited”? A simple thing to consider is time.  We use the past simple to talk about actions in the past in a time that is finished, so the information is specific.  So – tip 1, try to use a time reference in a past simple sentence, like yesterday, last week, 3 years ago, then we understand that the time is finished. With the sentence “They visited London”, it becomes more specific with a time reference like “They visited London last month.” Now, to compare with “They have visited”, the present perfect simple is for more general statements. Here, we understand that in the past they visited London, we don’t when, but that’s not important. We also understand that as time continues, it is possible for them to visit London again in the future. So, tip 2, if you want to keep it general and open, then use “They have visited London”. Finally. Let’s look at another example: We often ask friends about films (or movies) at the cinema.  Films at the cinema are usually for a limited time, let’s say 10 weeks.  You know there is a new film, you know it is available for 10 weeks, you want to ask your friend “Did you see the film at the cinema?” or “Have you seen the film at the cinema?” Which is the right question?! Again, it’s a question of time = when are you asking the question? If you are asking the question when the 10 weeks are finished, then ask “Did you see the film at the cinema?” because the 10 weeks are finished and it is not possible to see the film at the cinema anymore. If you are asking the question during the 10 weeks, maybe in week 4 or week 7, then ask “Have you seen the film at the cinema?”. The film started at the cinema in the past, it is at the cinema now, as you ask, and it continues for some weeks into the future, so it’s possible to see it at the cinema. So, tip 3, think about if we can continue the action in the future… if the time is finished and it is not possible to continue the action, then use the past simple.  If the time is not finished and it is possible to continue the action, then use the present perfect simple. This episode’s grammar tip is one of the many, many nuanced ways in which we make the difference between ‘Did + do something’ (past simple) and ‘Have + done something’ (present perfect simple) but I hope this gives you a strong start! Be brave! Over to you to explore! 
So, there we are! The transcript of this episode is available to read on the podcast’s webpage, so take a look. Join me next time for more pronunciation and grammar tips, more advice and, most importantly, more chatting! Thanks again for listening and, for her music, a special thanks to the wonderful Mara Carlyle. Bye for now!