Teaching the present perfect simple

[adidasagam]

Hello!
I am an English teacher in Israel and I teach English as a second/foreign language.

I sometimes find that the present perfect simple tense a difficult tense for students to grasp and fully comprehend. The reason for this is that Semitic languages such as Arabic and Hebrew have nothing similar to this tense.

If you have a solution to my problem I would really appreciate it.

Thank you

[Bennevis]

English, in general, is a tough language to teach. When it comes to teaching this particular tense, you just have to tell your students how it is formed (have + past participle) and then give them those three or four major situations in which it is normally used. And then load them with exercises. Sooner or later they'll get the hang of it.

[Bennevis]

Of course, words like "just", "already", "ever", "never", "for", "since" and a few others should be given special attention.

[5jj]

I found Michel Lewis's idea of this form as a retrospective form useful. " It is a present form. It is always essentially grounded at the point Now, the moment of speaking".

'The English Verb' by Michael Lewis

[adidasagam]

Thank you for your swift reply.