Simple Past/Past Perfect

[luna1978]

Hi Everyone!Is there an easy way to know (and remember!) when it's better using one or the other? I'm always hesitant on this subject! Thanks!

[bluepearl64]

Hi ! Yes, there are rules that establish this. So, you use past simple tense when the event or action you're talking about is already finished. Usually, with past simple you use 'yesterday", 'last month', 'last summer', 'a year ago', and so on. And you use past perfect tense when the action (the verb used in past perfect) happened (and was finished) before a past action. For example,
PAST SIMPLE I read this book yesterday
PAST PERFECT I had read the book before I saw the film
'Hope you've understood

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by luna1978

Hi Everyone!Is there an easy way to know (and remember!) when it's better using one or the other? I'm always hesitant on this subject! Thanks!

Luna, if you really mean the difference between simple past and past perfect, it is very similar to the difference in Italian between the imperfect (or simple past) and the trapassato prossimo.
Già erano partiti quando sono arrivato.
They had already left when I arrived.
That is, past perfect (and trapassato prossimo) are used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the simple past.

Most learners have more problems with the present perfect and the simple past. Is that perhaps what you meant?

[luna1978]

I would like to thank you both very much for your kind help!It is all clearer now!I realized i have trouble with present perfect and past perfect!