Past and Present Perfect Tense In English: Challenges for Native Korean Learners

Past and Present Perfect Tense In English: Challenges for Native Korean Learners

Even at an advanced level of study, a great number of Korean English learners experience difficulty using and distinguishing between the English past tense and present perfect tense. Because of L1 influence, korean students tend to directly translate korean present perfect and past into English present perfect and past. Korean present perfect and English present perfect are not analogous. The differences between the Korean and English use of these tenses cause the korean English learner great difficulty. Korean past tense covers much of English present perfect usage. The perfect in English contains a wider range of usages than the Korean present perfect aspectual equivalent. This paper will examine these two tenses in English and then contrast them with their Korean. counterparts, showing in particular how the same functions can be expressed in Korean. The purpose of this paper is to provide the pedagogic explanations of what Korean learners should know to use the English past and present perfect tenses proficiently.