Can we use "yet" with simple past tense?

Question

Examples :He didn't complete his work yet.He didn't finish his studies yet.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Yes.

Ozzourti · Answer

I wonder if those two sentences sound good to speakers of BrE.

CalifJim · Answer

ozzourtiI wonder if those two sentences sound good to speakers of BrE.

I've read somewhere that it's an Americanism. I don't know. It doesn't seem quite right to me, and it doesn't seem quite wrong either, and I'm American.

CJ

RandomGuy · Answer

They sound wrong to this AmE speaker.

KJinCali79 · Answer

They sound wrong to this AmE speaker as well.

I would use "hasn't completed" and "hasn't finished."

KJinCali79 · Answer

I borrowed the concept in this response from another forum and I am changing it fit your sentences.

"He didn't complete his work yet" is the negative form of the simple past, "He completed his work." In the positive form it indicates that the activity happened in the past, and is over and done with now. In the negative form it implies that "he" was supposed to have completed his work at some time. With that in mind, "He didn't complete his work yet" sounds odd since "He didn't complete his work" is a complete idea on its own, and "yet" tries to extend that idea in time in a way that the simple past does not allow for.
If you are wanting to show the impact of a past action on the present, you use the past perfect tense, "He hasn't completed his work." This already implies that this is the present state of a past expectation, and "yet" nicely affirms this expectation, "He hasn't completed his work yet."

Canadian45 · Answer

KJinCali79"He didn't complete his work yet" is the negative form of the simple past, "He completed his work." In the positive form it indicates that the activity happened in the past, and is over and done with now. In the negative form it implies that "he" was supposed to have completed his work at some time. With that in mind, "He didn't complete his work yet" sounds odd since "He didn't complete his work" is a complete idea on its own, and "yet" tries to extend that idea in time in a way that the simple past does not allow for. Really? Who decided that?

If you are wanting to show the impact of a past action on the present, you use the past perfect tense, Really? Who decided that? "He hasn't completed his work." This already implies that this is the present state of a past expectation, and "yet" nicely affirms this expectation, "He hasn't completed his work yet."

People who think that only perfect tense can show relevance to the present of course use it in such situations. But that's just an arbitrary decision they (make)(accept), and it's not surprising that the simple past then seems wrong to them.

KJinCali79 · Answer

canadian45People who think that only perfect tense can show relevance to the present of course use it in such situations. But that's just an arbitrary decision they (make)(accept), and it's not surprising that the simple past then seems wrong to them.

Let me ask you then how you would describe the differences between simple past, past perfect, simple present and present perfect tenses and their respective uses to an English learner? I'd like to know your opinion on the use of these verb tenses with words such as yet, just, already, since, so far, up till now, ever, and until.

CalifJim · Answer

It seems to me that the definition of "yet" that is most relevant to this discussion is "up to now".

He didn't complete his work up to now.

Put that way, it does seem wrong.

CJ

KJinCali79 · Answer

CalifJimIt seems to me that the definition of "yet" that is most relevant to this discussion is "up to now".He didn't complete his work up to now.Put that way, it does seem wrong.CJ

Exactly! The simple past doesn't work for indicating the present state, and yet is an indicator of the current situation.

He didn't complete his work (when expected), and it is still not complete. >>> He hasn't completed his work yet.
He didn't complete his work (before), but it is now complete. >>> He hadn't completed his work until just a moment ago.

Can we use "yet" with simple past tense?

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