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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Use of when in a question with present perfect?
A student asked me if the following question is correct:
"When have you been to India?"
The question doesn't sound quite right to me, and I'm trying to understand why.
I think the questioning would go like this:
A: Have you been to India?
B: Yes.
A: When? or When were you there? or When did you go?
I don't think we'd ask "When have you been to India?" But perhaps I'm wrong?
My guess is that it has something to do with this use of the present perfect is for unspecified times in the past and the use of "when" implies a specific time? Any help on this one is greatly appreciated!
"When have you been to India?"
The question doesn't sound quite right to me, and I'm trying to understand why.
I think the questioning would go like this:
A: Have you been to India?
B: Yes.
A: When? or When were you there? or When did you go?
I don't think we'd ask "When have you been to India?" But perhaps I'm wrong?
My guess is that it has something to do with this use of the present perfect is for unspecified times in the past and the use of "when" implies a specific time? Any help on this one is greatly appreciated!
Top answer
Anonymous My guess is that it has something to do with this use of the present perfect is for unspecified times in the past and the use of "when" implies a specific time? Right you are. Besides, obviously the asker is no longer in India at the moment of asking.
- Anonymous My guess is that it has something to do with this use of the present perfect is for unspecified times in the past and the use of "when" implies a specific time?
- Right you are.
- Besides, obviously the asker is no longer in India at the moment of asking.
- CB
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1 Answers
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AnonymousMy guess is that it has something to do with this use of the present perfect is for unspecified times in the past and the use of "when" implies a specific time?Right you are. Besides, obviously the asker is no longer in India at the moment of asking.
CB
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