what's the meaning HAVE in perfect tense?

Question

I cant understand meaning "HAVE" in perfect tense. What is the meaning "have"?

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

Context?

Cool Breeze · Answer

It has no "meaning" in that context. It's just the perfect auxiliary. If you have no perfect tense in your language, it is untranslatable.

CB

CalifJim · Answer

You can look at it two ways.

1. It has no meaning of its own. It's just part of the machinery of forming verb tenses. (I take, I will take, I have taken, I will have taken, I took, I had taken, ...)

2. It has a vague meaning, but still the (somewhat modified) meaning of have: ideas of possession, containment, and/or existence.
(I have written the letters. I have the letters; they are written.
I have seen the movie. I contain the movie -- in my memory -- it exists in my memory because I saw it.
I have always wanted to visit Japan. There exists inside me the ever continuing desire to visit Japan -- a desire which started long ago.)

It's debatable which of the two requires more mental gymnastics! It may be better to forget the question completely and just read a lot of examples and work out the use of havefrom the meaning of the examples.

CJ

what's the meaning HAVE in perfect tense?

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