past tense and present perfect

[giovanni]

This is just a general question to your opinion.

On average how much time do you think should be spent on learning past tense or present perfect. I know each individual is different. Some schools it takes about 20 hours of teaching for each tense. Someone told me at some schools the past or present perfect could be taught in about 4 hours of classes. I don't think this is enough.

What is your opinion on this?

Thank you.

[Torsten]

Hi Giovanni,

Do you mean simple past when you say "past tense"? As for your question, there are probably students who grasp the concept of simple past vs. present perfect within a few minutes while others need much more time. For example, a German will learn relatively quickly since there is a similar tense in their native language. It will take a Chinese student much longer to learn both tenses since the concept of tenses does not exist in the Chinese language. Another important factor is how much time the student spends listening to English media, especially dialogues that contain a lot of simple past and present perfect constructions.

What is your own take on this question?

Thanks,
Torsten
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[giovanni]

Your right, it depends on what country the person comes from. What I meant is how long do you think it would it take a person to learn the simple past. That is, being able to use it correctly in conversation. The reason I am asking you is that someone I know who runs a private school thinks that the past tense could be taught within a few hours of instruction ( 2 or 3 hrs). I think, by the time a person learns the verbs, masters how to use the verbs in question and negative form it would talk much longer.

I would just like your opinion on this.

Thank you.

[Torsten]

Hi Giovanni,

I think your acquaintance is right -- it is possible to "teach" a person how to use the simple past within a few hours. After all, the pattern is very simple. It's a bit like explaining to a person how to drive a car. You can do that within a very short period of time and the person will able to follow your instructions. Of course it will take a bit longer until the person becomes a proficient and safe driver. It's the same with the simple past. A student will be able to add "ed" to a regular verb but it will take them some practice to reach a point where they do it automatically without thinking about the rules.
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