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Brunces Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Past Simple or Present Perfect?
Friends,
I'm Brazilian. What I know about Present Perfect is:
1) Actions that started at a time in the past and still happen today:
Ex.: I have lived in NYC since 2005.
Obs.: In these cases, it is better to use Present Perfect Continuous, right?
2) Actions that happened at a time in the past, but we don't mention "when":
Ex.: I have studied Japanese once.
Obs.: If we mention "when", we use Past Simple:
Ex.: I studied Japanese last year.
3) Actions that have just happened:
Ex.: I have just arrived.
4) Actions that happened at a time in the past and bring consequences to the present:
Ex.: I am late because I have missed the train.
Is that correct? Well, I guess so because I've seen this in a grammar book.
Well, what I want to know is... Sometimes, watching movies, I notice that they don't use Present Perfect in some situations they should. I mean, of course they use it, but it's very common to hear Past Simple instead of Present Perfect in some situations in which the last one should be used. Is it that common with native speakers? I mean, just like double negatives or questions without auxiliary verbs? Is it part of native speakers' quick spoken language, although it is incorrect?
Thanks for your time.
brunces
I'm Brazilian. What I know about Present Perfect is:
1) Actions that started at a time in the past and still happen today:
Ex.: I have lived in NYC since 2005.
Obs.: In these cases, it is better to use Present Perfect Continuous, right?
2) Actions that happened at a time in the past, but we don't mention "when":
Ex.: I have studied Japanese once.
Obs.: If we mention "when", we use Past Simple:
Ex.: I studied Japanese last year.
3) Actions that have just happened:
Ex.: I have just arrived.
4) Actions that happened at a time in the past and bring consequences to the present:
Ex.: I am late because I have missed the train.
Is that correct? Well, I guess so because I've seen this in a grammar book.
Well, what I want to know is... Sometimes, watching movies, I notice that they don't use Present Perfect in some situations they should. I mean, of course they use it, but it's very common to hear Past Simple instead of Present Perfect in some situations in which the last one should be used. Is it that common with native speakers? I mean, just like double negatives or questions without auxiliary verbs? Is it part of native speakers' quick spoken language, although it is incorrect?
Thanks for your time.
brunces
Top answer
Many native speakers, such as myself, don't always use correct grammar. This is because we understand what the person means. That's why you will often find grammatical errors in an English-speaking country.
- Many native speakers, such as myself, don't always use correct grammar.
- This is because we understand what the person means.
- That's why you will often find grammatical errors in an English-speaking country.
- Just think about it: it means your English is better than the natives'!
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4 Answers
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Many native speakers, such as myself, don't always use correct grammar. This is because we understand what the person means. That's why you will often find grammatical errors in an English-speaking country. Just think about it: it means your English is better than the natives'!
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Brunces1) Actions that started at a time in the past and still happen today:Not necessarily. The Non-Continuous is often just as good.
Ex.: I have lived in NYC since 2005.
Obs.: In these cases, it is better to use Present Perfect Continuous, right?
And note that some verbs do not allow the continuous form.
I have known him since 200
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Bruncesit's very common to hear Past Simple instead of Present Perfect in some situations in which the last one should be used.There may be specific reasons for using the Past Simple other than sloppiness. I would have to see the specific example before I decided.
CJ
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Sometimes, watching movies, I notice that they don't use Present Perfect in some situations they should. I mean, of course they use it, but it's very common to hear Past Simple instead of Present Perfect in some situations in which the last one should be used. Is it that common with native speakers? I mean, just like double negatives or questions without auxiliary verbs? Is
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