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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Tenses examples - Meaning?
Hello,
I'am trying to understand the english tenses and have a few question towards this topic:
If you want to ask someone about their current relationsship duration, what tense will you use or what are the following examples expressing?
"How long have you been together with Jenny?"
= past perfect = you are looking on this fact from the present with connection to the past. So they are still in a relationship and you think they proably will be in the future too.
"How long have you been being together with Jenny"?
= past perfect progressive: I read you can use this tense, when T.U.D. aspects applie to the action. T = temporary, U = Unfinished action, D = Duration. If you use this tense I will tell the listner I consider this relationship to end somewhere in the (near) future - that it is a continuos action, which is in progress at the current moment and has been in the past?
And a few more examples for a "bus question".
asking a man at the station:
"Did I miss the bus?"
=The bus is gone. No connection to the present.
"Have I missed the bus?"
=Connection to the present. I am worried because I might come late.
"Was the bus being here already?"
= past progressive = T.U.D (see above) you see the arriving bus as an temporary process completed in the past.
"Has the bus been being here?"
= present perfect progressive = the same as above^^
Which tenses would you use for each case?
Thank you! I really find this tenses to be tricky stuff
I'am trying to understand the english tenses and have a few question towards this topic:
If you want to ask someone about their current relationsship duration, what tense will you use or what are the following examples expressing?
"How long have you been together with Jenny?"
= past perfect = you are looking on this fact from the present with connection to the past. So they are still in a relationship and you think they proably will be in the future too.
"How long have you been being together with Jenny"?
= past perfect progressive: I read you can use this tense, when T.U.D. aspects applie to the action. T = temporary, U = Unfinished action, D = Duration. If you use this tense I will tell the listner I consider this relationship to end somewhere in the (near) future - that it is a continuos action, which is in progress at the current moment and has been in the past?
And a few more examples for a "bus question".
asking a man at the station:
"Did I miss the bus?"
=The bus is gone. No connection to the present.
"Have I missed the bus?"
=Connection to the present. I am worried because I might come late.
"Was the bus being here already?"
= past progressive = T.U.D (see above) you see the arriving bus as an temporary process completed in the past.
"Has the bus been being here?"
= present perfect progressive = the same as above^^
Which tenses would you use for each case?
Thank you! I really find this tenses to be tricky stuff
Top answer
"= past perfect present perfect A presently continuing state which began in the past. "=The bus is gone. "=Connection to the present.
- "= past perfect present perfect A presently continuing state which began in the past.
- "=The bus is gone.
- "=Connection to the present.
- I am worried because I might come late.
- Correct.
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1 Answers
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Anonymous"How long have you been together with Jenny?"=A presently continuing state which began in the past.past perfectpresent perfect
Anonymous"Did I miss the bus?"=The bus is gone. No connection to the present."Have I missed the bus?"=Connection to the present. I am worried because I
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