Introduction

Relevance of the Topic

Verbs: Simple Past and Present Perfect are fundamental structures in the English language.
These verb tenses are used to express events that occurred in the past, being essential tools for effective communication.

Situated within the vast territory of English grammar, Verbs: Simple Past and Present Perfect appear after the study of verbs in the simple present.
Understanding these verb tenses not only consolidates previous knowledge but also allows for the development of more sophisticated and fluent communication.

Simple Past: This is a verb tense that shows actions already completed in the past, with no connection to the present. In English, the formation of this verb tense for most verbs is done by adding -ed to the verb's infinitive, but there are irregular verbs that require different forms.
Present Perfect: This is used in situations that connect the past to the present or mention an indefinite moment of time before now. The structure is formed by the auxiliary verb 'to have' in the simple present and the past participle of the main verb.

Infinitive: The original form of the verb, before any conjugation.
Auxiliary Verb: A verb that accompanies another to form tenses, moods, aspects, voices, and verbal phrases.
Past Participle: A specific form of a verb used to form the perfect, compound, and progressive tenses, as well as to express the past, conditional, and subjunctive.

Simple Past: For the verb 'to play', the formation of the simple past would be 'played'. For the irregular verb 'to go', the formation would be 'went'.
Present Perfect: In the case of the verb 'to eat', the formation of the present perfect would be 'has eaten'. For the irregular verb 'to see', the formation would be 'has seen'.

Understanding Verb Tenses: Verb tenses are key to placing actions within different time frames. Verbs in the simple past and present perfect are used to refer to past actions, with subtle differences in meaning.
- Simple Past is used to refer to actions completely finished in the past, with no connection to the present. The formation is by adding -ed to most verbs, but irregular verbs have specific conjugations.
- Present Perfect, on the other hand, is used to connect the past to the present or to mention a nonspecific moment of time before the present. Its structure includes the auxiliary verb 'to have' in the simple present and the past participle of the main verb.
Regular and Irregular Conjugation: In addition to understanding the basic formation of the simple past and present perfect, it is essential to recognize that the English language has irregular verbs, which follow different conjugation rules, requiring individual learning.

Proficiency in Communication: The ability to understand and correctly use verbs in the simple past and present perfect is an important milestone in the journey to fluency in the English language.
Linguistic Variety: Understanding irregular verbs allows for the expression of more precise ideas and the incorporation of a variety of vocabulary into communication.

Verb Identification: Given a text, ask students to identify which verbs are in the simple past and which are in the present perfect. Have them create sentences with each of these verbs.
Practical Conversation: Conduct a question and answer game where students must respond using verbs in the simple past and present perfect.
Tense Transformation: Provide a list of verbs in the infinitive and instruct students to conjugate them in the simple past and present perfect. Check their answers at the end.