In this episode, we talk about a very common question for Spanish learners: the difference between the present perfect (“I have done”) and the simple past (“I did”).
We use simple examples like “esta mañana he ido al mercado” and “esta mañana fui al mercado” to explain how these two forms are used in different ways depending on the variety of Spanish.
We compare Spanish in Spain, where both forms are used depending on the link to the present, with many Latin American varieties, where the simple past is used more often.
We also mention some special cases, like parts of the Andes, where the present perfect can have a different meaning.
This episode shows that there is no single correct way to use these tenses, but different regional rules that are all valid in Spanish.
