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Nkspb Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Itteration with Present Perfect/Past Simple
Hi 
Could you help me, please?
Here is a sentence:
"When I have been in London, I have had a crummy hotel."
As I know, Present Perfect after while implies here that I was in London several times.
My questions are:
1) Can it be said if I was there once?
2) Can we say this way and what's the difference?
"When I have been in London, I had a crummy hotel."
3) Does the Past Simple strictly imply that I was there once?
"When I was in London, I had a crummy hotel."
Thanks!
Could you help me, please?Here is a sentence:
"When I have been in London, I have had a crummy hotel."
As I know, Present Perfect after while implies here that I was in London several times.
My questions are:
1) Can it be said if I was there once?
2) Can we say this way and what's the difference?
"When I have been in London, I had a crummy hotel."
3) Does the Past Simple strictly imply that I was there once?
"When I was in London, I had a crummy hotel."
Thanks!
Top answer
1) No. 2) No. 3) This sentence is talking about one specific occasion, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you have visited London only once.
- 1) No.
- 2) No.
- 3) This sentence is talking about one specific occasion, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you have visited London only once.
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6 Answers
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1) No.
2) No.
3) This sentence is talking about one specific occasion, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you have visited London only once.
2) No.
3) This sentence is talking about one specific occasion, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you have visited London only once.
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This is also possible:
Whenever I have been in London, I have had a crummy hotel.
Whenever I have been in London, I have had a crummy hotel.
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Thanks! I still wonder why using "was" cannot mean that I talk about any time I was there. We can say "When I am in London..." meaning whenever I am there, why doesn't it work with the Past Simple?
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nkspbnever I am there, why doesn't it work with the Past Simple?Because past simple, without any modifying adverb of time, is used for a single completed action in the past.
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nkspbThanks! I still wonder why using "was" cannot mean that I talk about any time I was there. We can say "When I am in London..." meaning whenever I am there, why doesn't it work with the Past Simple?English is strange in that the simple past is not an exact analog of the simple present. The aspect can change.
Habits (always does/did this):
p
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