one more ? regarding IF-clause

Question

" If we haven't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call."

Is this wrong? I think it should be " If we don't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call." However, there is " by this Friday", so I'm confused again.

thanks,
Sarah

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

sarah88Is this wrong?

No.

sarah88I think it should be " If we don't received the document by this Friday

What!!?? This is not correct.
You need either
haven't received
or
don't receive
CJ

Thomas Tompion · Answer

sarah88" If we haven't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call."

Is this wrong? I think it should be " If we don't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call."

." However, there is " by this Friday", so I'm confused again.

thanks,
Sarah

Hi Sarah,

I gave you very simple rules:

If he goes, I will see him Present -> Future

If he went, I would see him Past -> Conditional

Now you can also say

If he hasn't gone, I will see him Present Perfect -> Future
If he hadn't gone, I would have seen him Past Perfect -> Past Conditional

Your first sentence - "If we haven't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call." uses the Present Perfect -> Future form and is correct

Your second sentence - " If we don't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call." - uses the Present -> Future form and would be correct had you formed the verb receive correctly. It should be " If we don't receive the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call."

The difference in meaning between the two sentences is slight. I didn't understand what you said about 'by this Friday'.

Sarah88 · Answer

My understanding is that if we use " by this Friday", we MUST use present perfect instead of simple present, because it's about a period of time, not a specific time. Am I right about this concept? Can we also use simple present?

To be honest with you, I don't know when I can simply use simple past / simple present instead of past perfect / present perfect? So far, if it was about a period of time, I would always use the perfect tenses, and if it was about a specific time / day, i would always use the simple tenses. Could you help me to clarify this? Let me know under what kinds of situations I can just use the simple tenses instead of the perfect tenses, pls explain each situation with some examples.

Many thanks,

Lisa

CalifJim · Answer

sarah88My understanding is that if we use " by this Friday", we MUST use present perfect instead of simple present, because it's about a period of time, not a specific time. Am I right about this concept? Can we also use simple present?

No. There is no requirement to use present perfect instead of simple present. In fact, the two are both used quite often in an if-clause, and sometimes with little difference in meaning.

If I don't return by Monday, call the police! / If I haven't returned by Monday, call the police!
I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't finish the task by Wednesday. / I'll be very disappointed if he hasn't finished the task by Wednesday.
If Jack doesn't find those tickets by 6 o'clock, we'll have to cancel our evening at the theatre. / If Jack hasn't found those tickets by 6 o'clock, we'll have to cancel our evening at the theatre.
CJ

Thomas Tompion · Answer

sarah88My understanding is that if we use " by this Friday", we MUST use present perfect instead of simple present, because it's about a period of time, not a specific time. Am I right about this concept? Can we also use simple present?

To be honest with you, I don't know when I can simply use simple past / simple present instead of past perfect / present perfect? So far, if it was about a period of time, I would always use the perfect tenses, and if it was about a specific time / day, i would always use the simple tenses. Could you help me to clarify this? Let me know under what kinds of situations I can just use the simple tenses instead of the perfect tenses, pls explain each situation with some examples.

Many thanks,

Lisa

That's rather a fundamental question, Lisa.

I'll try to say just a few things in the hope that they will help you understand your grammar books.

Dealing with a period of time in the past you need to distinguish between

1. a block of time: I worked for three years in Wales - you spent three years working in Wales

2a. a period of time leading up to the present: I have been working in Wales for three years - I started working in Wales three years ago and am still working there.

2b. a period of time leading up to a moment in the past: I had been working in Wales for three years when the disaster happened - I started working in Wales three years before the disaster and was still working there when the disaster happened.

This distinction between a block of time, and a period of time leading up to a particular moment, is vital. In the case of time leading up to a particular moment, the choice of tense indicates whether the particular moment is now (present perfect), or was some moment in the past (past perfect).

There is, of course, much more to know about such things (the use since and ago, for instance), but mastering the use of tenses with for is an important beginning, and should help you with a large part of your question.

Sarah88 · Answer

Thanks, TT.

You mean we can also use simple past with for and since, right?

Could you also let me know whether there is a difference b/w the followings?

A. I worked for three years in Wales.

B. I have worked for three years in Wales.

My understandings are:

A means that you spend three years working in Wales, but you are not working there anymore.

B means that you spend three years working in Wales, and you may still be working there.

thanks,

Sarah

Sarah88 · Answer

Thanks, CJ.

Would you mind to let me know the little difference in meaning for the above? This will definitely help me to understand the difference b/w the simple present tense and the present perfect tense?

Thanks a lot,

Sarah

Thomas Tompion · Answer

sarah88Thanks, TT.

You mean we can also use simple past with for and since, right? I've given you examples of how it's used with for; your books will tell you that usage with since is different.

Could you also let me know whether there is a difference b/w the followings? Certainly there is a difference and your explanation of it is excellent.

A. I worked for three years in Wales.

B. I have worked for three years in Wales.

My understandings are:

A means that you spend three years working in Wales, but you are not working there anymore.

B means that you spend three years working in Wales, and you may still be working there.

thanks,

Sarah

Clive · Answer

Hi,
" If we haven't received the document by this Friday, we will give your manager a call."

Without any further context, I assume you realize that this sounds like a threat.

Best wishes, Clive

one more ? regarding IF-clause

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions