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Antt Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

present perfect vs past tense

hi, i came across this sentence, i stayed in a guesthouse.it's fantastic. why couldn't it be i have stayed in a guest house. it's fantastic. how do we know when to use past tense instead of present perfect and vice-versa

thanks
  

Top answer

I stayed - the simple past is used to describe a specific event. I have stayed - the present perfect is used to talk about something that happened in the past, but not in relation to a specific time. When you went to the wedding, did you stay in a guest house?

— BarbaraPA

  • I stayed - the simple past is used to describe a specific event.
  • I have stayed - the present perfect is used to talk about something that happened in the past, but not in relation to a specific time.
  • When you went to the wedding, did you stay in a guest house?
  • The response requires simple past.
  • Have you ever stayed in a guest house (at any point in the past)?
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3 Answers
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I stayed - the simple past is used to describe a specific event.

I have stayed - the present perfect is used to talk about something that happened in the past, but not in relation to a specific time.

When you went to the wedding, did you stay in a guest house? The response requires simple past.
Have you ever stayed in a guest house (at any point in the past)? The response can
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hi grammar geek how about this he had been a weakling since he was young. "he suffered from asthma and preffered to stay indoors " why at the part of the sentence is not he had suffered from asthma and prefered to stay indoors"

thanks
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anyone could explain it ?
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