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Klavier Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Once you

0 Hello. 02br
00In this construction with 01b00once02b00, can I use present simple or present perfect? Is there any difference? 02br
02br
00Once you have bought the car, send me the invoice. 02br
00Once you buy the car, send me the invoice. 0-
  

Top answer

0 Once suggests completion, so you should probably use the tense that matches this best: present perfect. 02br 02br 00If you wanted to use present simple, you might think about using "when": 02br 02br 00"When you buy the car, send me the invoice" 02br 02br 00This does cause a difference in meaning: the second suggests immediacy, whereas the first emphasises that the act of buying the car should be totally completed before sending the invoice. 02br 02br 00As a better example: 02br 02br 00"When you arrive in town, give me a call" - Call me as soon as you arrive 02br 00"Once you've arrived in town, give me a call" - Call me after you arrive- need not be immediately.

— B_smith_79

  • 0 Once suggests completion, so you should probably use the tense that matches this best: present perfect.
  • 02br 02br 00If you wanted to use present simple, you might think about using "when": 02br 02br 00"When you buy the car, send me the invoice" 02br 02br 00This does cause a difference in meaning: the second suggests immediacy, whereas the first emphasises that the act of buying the car should be totally completed before sending the invoice.
  • 02br 02br 00As a better example: 02br 02br 00"When you arrive in town, give me a call" - Call me as soon as you arrive 02br 00"Once you've arrived in town, give me a call" - Call me after you arrive- need not be immediately.
  • 0-
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8 Answers
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0 Once suggests completion, so you should probably use the tense that matches this best: present perfect. 02br
02br
00If you wanted to use present simple, you might think about using "when": 02br
02br
00"When you buy the car, send me the invoice" 02br
02br
00This does cause a difference in meaning: the second suggests immediacy, wherea
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0 Hello Smith 02br
02br
00I am not kind of stupid to believe Google's majority goes with grammar, but are you sure we always have to use present perfect tense in a "once" clause? 02br
02br
00Google results 02br
00Once you arrive in town ...308 hits. 02br
00Once you've/you have arrived in town...18 hits. 02br
02br
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0 Well, people will understand what you are saying either way, so no, you don't *** to use present perfect, but I think it is a more accurate and natural usage. The prevalence of present simple for this construct in google probably has a lot to do with the dominance of American English on the web. American English tends to use the present perfect much less than Standard English, ie: "Did you fin
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0 If the serach is confined into AC.UK domain, 02br
00 Once you arrive in :143 pages 02br
00 Once you have arrived in :143 pages 02br
02br
00So you may be right that Americans prefer simple present tense. 02br
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00paco 0-
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0 I'm only one, but I prefer the simple present tense. The past perfect seems unnecessarily wordy. 02br
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00The only difference I detect between "when" and "once" and "as soon as" is the increasing order of immediacy or insistence. Otherwise, all three take present or present perfect with a main clause in the present point of view or past or past perfect with a main clau
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0 Hello all 02br
02br
001. Once you arrive in town... 02br
002. Once you've arrived in town... 02br
02br
00The present tense seems to lend itself to a sense that 'arriving' is near the beginning of a series of actions: 02br
02br
003. Once you arrive, go straight to the High St. I'll be waiting outside Boots. 02br
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0 Mr. Pendantic, 02br
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00Re: your imaginings 02br
02br
00I don't think it's imagination. 02br
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00With the present perfect, but not with the simple present, in the subordinate clause, you can easily use another present perfect in the main clause. 02br
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00Once you've seen one slum, you've seen them all. 0
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0 That makes sense to me! 02br
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00MrP 0-
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