American usage of present perfect

Question

Hi everybody,I am an English learner.I realize that American prefer using simple past over present perfect in daily conversationsFor example, in this content:I just lost my key, so i don't have my key now, and I cannot get in my houseAn American will say:(1).  I lost my key. I cant not get in my house.           (2).  I have lost my key. I can not get in my houseIs that (1) and (2) used interchangeable in daily conversations in US with no difference in meaning in that case?If so, I would like to ask if it is correct to use simple past for a post on newspaper:The scientist created/ have created COVID-19 vaccine.For actions with its results are still true or important on the present.  I see that American use Simple past and Present perfect interchangeably.  This make me confused in choosing which tense to use in case like this.Many thanks in advance for your help.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

In the US you'd hear: "I lost (past) my key. I can't get in my house."

"I've lost (present perfect) my key. I can't get in my house." is correct and has the same meaning as the previous sentence, but this is considered more formal English and is not often heard in everyday conversation.

"This scientist created (past) the COVID-19 vaccine." is correct, and what you'd typically hear in the US.

"This scientist has created (pres. perf.) the COVID-19 vaccine." is correct and has the same meaning as the previous sentence, but this is more formal and is not usually heard in the US.

CalifJim · Answer

LE HANH 2383
Hi everybody,
I am an English learner.
I realize that American prefer using simple past over present perfect in daily conversations.
For example, in this context:
I just lost my key, so I don't have my key now, and I cannot get in my house.
An American will say:
(1). I lost my key. I ~~cant not~~ can't get in my house.
(2). I have lost my key. I cannot ['cannot' is one word.] get in my house.
~~Is that~~ Are (1) and (2) used interchangeably in daily conversations in US with no difference in meaning in that case? Yes. That sentence can be said either way.
If so, I would like to ask if it is correct to use simple past ~~for a post~~ for an article? on in a newspaper: [Yes, it's correct to use any tense that is appropriate in journalistic style in a newspaper.]
~~The~~ Scientists created / have created a COVID-19 vaccine.
[ For this particular sentence, "have created" is more usual in a newspaper. Journalists sometimes even seem to overuse the present perfect.]
For actions with its results are still true or important on in the present, I see that Americans use simple past and present perfect interchangeably. [No, no, no. Not always. See the notes below.] This makes me confused in choosing which tense to use in case like this. [If the two tenses are interchangeable, it means both are correct. You can choose either one in such cases, and you will be correct, so there is really no reason to be confused. Instead, maybe you should be relieved. Choose the one you like better.]

Many thanks in advance for your help.

I take it you are learning American English.

I assure you that we Americans understand you whether you use the simple past or the present perfect, so this is not something that should be high on your priority list of things to learn.

Besides, the greater difficulty comes if you are learning British English. Americans often accept both the simple past and the present perfect in cases where the simple past would sound strange to British ears. So I suppose you have less of a chance of saying something that sounds wrong if you are speaking to an American.

One of the main ideas that is usually promoted with regard to the present perfect is that of 'current relevance', a concept that is not easy to define. Here's what British linguist F. R. Palmer says about that (The English Verb):

British speakers seem to use the perfect whenever there seems to be any kind of relevance, but some Americans, at least, use it more sparingly.  For a British speaker it would not be normal to ask a child coming to the table:
Did you wash your hands?
But for many, if not most, Americans, this is quite acceptable.  There is no reason to suppose that the function of [the perfect aspect] is different in American speech, only that the interpretation of relevance is stricter.

I think you believe that the differences between British and American English with regard to this point are much more dramatic than they really are. In fact, the differences are so slight that most people don't even notice them when speaking to someone who speaks the "other" variety of English.

CJ

American usage of present perfect

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