What is the difference between the past and past present tense?

Answer 1

There is no such thing as 'past present' tense.

Past is all the events that have taken place before this very moment, it has already happened and past tense is applied to English when saying that something has happened before this time. for eg. he went to the shops where "went" is the past tense and if you had to say the same thing in present tense you would say that he is on his way to the shops where "he is on his way" is present tense.

Past and Past PerfectIn case the questioner is asking about the difference between past and past perfect, I'll add this note. (Also, see link below and to left)

Just the Facts: All these statements are true: John and his sister Mary went to the mall. John and Mary are 15 years old. John and Mary need permission from their parents to go to the mall. John and Mary got permission to go to the mall.

The Question: Did they go to the mall BEFOREgetting permission? Did they fear getting caught and try to COVER THEIR TRACKS? You see, they might have gone to the mall and then later asked for permission to go, to cover the need for permission if something came up later.

The Investigation: Mom says: "I know you two went [past tense] to the mall." John and Mary: "Yes, we went [past tense] to the mall. We got [past tense] permission to go."

Case Closed: "Aha!" Mom says. "But WHEN did you get permission?" "We had gotten [past perfect] permission beforewe went."

"...Oh...", Mom says. "That's great! It's time for dinner."

Analysis: "We got permission" is in the past tense, without any sense of when, or how long the permission is good for. "We had gotten permission" is past perfect, meaning that the action of getting permission was already past by the time the trip to the mall happened. If they had said "...we got permission an hour after we returned from the mall" Mom would have been justified in being really upset. This kind of distinction is not always made in casual language, but it is an example of how careful language can contain a lot of subtle or complex information for those who care to use language effectively.

Answer 2

Past tense is when you talk about something you have done.

Present tense is when you talk about something what you are doing now.

Future tense is when you speak of something you will do later.