How can the past and present perfect tense be explained to a non-native speaker? English Grammar Parts of Speech Verbs 1 Answer MeneerNask Oct 5, 2016 Past means it's over now, present perfect means it started in the past, but is still going on. Explanation: "I lived in London for eight years" means you now live somewhere else. "I have lived in London for eight years" means you're still living there. Answer link Related questions What are linking verbs, helping verbs, and action verbs? How are they different? What's the difference between a verb and an action verb? What is a passive verb? What are some examples? What is a linking verb? Is "is" a verb? What is a verb tense shift? What is a compound verb and some examples? What is the definition of an action verb? What's the difference between a verb, adverb, and adjective? What is a verb phrase? See all questions in Verbs Impact of this question 1443 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License