Present or past?

Question

Hi,A: 'He has just drunk two liters of water.'B: 'He must be thirsty/must have been thirsty.' 'Must have been thirsty' is correct, but is it possible to use 'must be thirsty', considering the present perfect with 'just'?Thanks a lot.

Philip · Accepted Answer

I don't think it makes sense to use the simple present there.

CalifJim · Answer

nsfs2is it possible to use 'must be thirsty', considering the present perfect with 'just'?

No. Even though he has just drunk the water, his water-drinking activity is in the past.

Contrast this with:

He has just poured himself two liters of water which he intends to drink.
He must be thirsty.

This has the same grammatical structure, present perfect with "just", but the water-drinking activity is in the future.
_______

It's the temporal logic of the situation that governs the choice of "must" vs "must have", not the grammar of the sentences that is used to describe the situation.

CJ

Fivejedjon · Answer

In the right context, 'He must be thirsty' is possible. If, for example, it is clear to the speaker that the drinker is about to start on a third litre, then it works.

Nsfs2 · Answer

Thanks a lot CJ and everybody.

Present or past?

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