To decide between when to use the pretérito perfecto and the pretérito, we need to keep in mind the unit of time in which an action took place and the unit of time in which the speaker is referring to it. From these two tenses, the pretérito perfecto is the closest to the present time. We use the pretérito perfecto with time expressions such as hoy, esta mañana, este mes, etc., to emphasize that an action is still inside the unit of time of the present. On the other hand, the pretérito refers to actions outside the unit of time, and therefore, this tense uses time expressions such as ayer, la semana pasada, el mes pasado, el año pasado, hace cinco años, etc., which make clear that an action finished completely and has no longer any relevance in the present time.
--It’s 9 pm and the day hasn’t finished yet. The speaker is talking inside the unit of time of “today.”
Hoy he tenido una entrevista de trabajo.
Today I’ve had a job interview.
Pretérito perfecto:
1) The unit of time to which the speaker is referring to hasn’t finished yet.--It’s 9 pm and the day hasn’t finished yet. The speaker is talking inside the unit of time of “today.”
Hoy he tenido una entrevista de trabajo.
Today I’ve had a job interview.