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Anonymous Posted 8 years ago
Grammar

Present Perfect

Hello,

It is ok to say: "The meeting has started" (i.e. it started half an hour ago and it hasn't finished yet). Now, if we want to say when it started, we should only use the past simple, right? Then, we'd say: "The meeting started half an hour ago". But why can't we say: " The meeting has started half an hour ago"? It has a connection to this moment because it still goes on and it started at some point in the past. Would it be completely wrong?

Thanks for your help!

  

Top answer

The present perfect is used to indicate that an action has started sometime in the past -- "sometime in the past" is sort of key here. In other words, by using the present perfect, you're implying that you're not sure exactly when that thing started/happened OR that it's just not important when that thing started or happened. ) So to provide an exact time like "30 minutes ago" would be contrary to what's being implied in the present perfect.

— Mr D

  • The present perfect is used to indicate that an action has started sometime in the past -- "sometime in the past" is sort of key here.
  • In other words, by using the present perfect, you're implying that you're not sure exactly when that thing started/happened OR that it's just not important when that thing started or happened.
  • ) So to provide an exact time like "30 minutes ago" would be contrary to what's being implied in the present perfect.
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2 Answers
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The present perfect is used to indicate that an action has started sometime in the past -- "sometime in the past" is sort of key here. In other words, by using the present perfect, you're implying that you're not sure exactly when that thing started/happened OR that it's just not important when that thing started or happened.

"I have seen that movie before." (I don't know when exactly I

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anonymousWould it be completely wrong?

Yes, because, as already mentioned, it's contradictory. You can't imply you don't know when an event occurred by using the present perfect, and then say when it occurred in the same sentence.

I don't know when the meeting started half an hour ago.

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