1. We use the past simple when we talk about facts and habits in the past.
- My mother gave my brother a hug yesterday (feit) --> past simple
2. We use the present perfect when the sentence says something about the past and is still going on or has influence now.
- We have lived in Amsterdam since 2002 (nu nog bezig) --> present perfect
3. We use the past perfectly when discussing multiple moments in the past. The past perfect shows the earlier action and the past simple shows the later action.
- Before they went to the city, they had finished the game --> past perfect