I did or I have done?
Which is the correct sentence in each pair?
a) We have played football yesterday.
b) We played football yesterday.
a) I have finished my homework, so I can write to you now.
b) I finished my homework, so I can write to you now.
We use the past simple (did) when we say when something happened:
- I watched TV until six o’clock and then I did my homework.
- I bought this camera two years ago. It didn’t cost very much.
- We visited a lot of museums when we were in New York.
We use the present perfect (have done) when we don’t say when something happened:
- I’ve done my homework; I can watch TV now.
- I’ve bought a new camera. Here it is!
- Julia isn’t here. She’s gone out.
We use the present perfect to talk about our experiences:
- We’ve been to New York three times, but we’ve never been to Washington.
- I haven’t seen the film, but I’ve read the book.
We make the present perfect with have/has + past participle (done). Note that a lot of past participles are irregular Note also that go has two past participles. We use gone when someone hasn’t come back; we use been when the person has come back.