When Sara meets the Present Perfect (and survives)

Today’s adventure: simple past vs. present perfect.
Sara arrived on my screen with coffee. Frank arrived with confidence.
I arrived with patience.

We started simple.

Simple past
For things that are finished.
“I bought new shoes yesterday.”

Sara nodded.
“Yes. That one I like. It’s clear. It’s done. Finished. Like my last diet.”

Then we moved on.

Present perfect
For life experience or results that still matter now.
“I’ve bought too many shoes this year.”

Frank smiled.
“Oh yes. Very easy.”
Of course he did.

Sara looked at him as if he’d just claimed he invented the tense.

So we tried real-life examples.

“Sara, you learned English at school.”
Simple past. A finished event.

“But you’ve forgotten most of it.”
Present perfect. The result is still visible today. Very visible.

She rolled her eyes.
“Thanks, Christine.”

Then Frank stepped into it.

“I visited London last year.”
Correct.

“But I’ve never understood the Tube map.”
Also correct.
Finally, something he struggles with.

Sara lit up.
Her moment.

“I learned English years ago… but I’ve improved a lot these days.”
Boom.
Both tenses.
Perfectly used.

Frank blinked.
Sara grinned.
I celebrated quietly.

English tenses.
One small example can change everything.

Which one confuses you more? The simple past or the present perfect?