1

Can I use present perfect tense and simple past tense in the same sentence ?

For example :

Even though I have just/recently cleaned up the house, I spotted some bugs around the kitchen (today/this evening).

Is this sentence grammatically correct and idiomatic as well?

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3

Yes, it is perfectly idiomatic since the perfect and the past tenses relate to different time conditions.

Although he has watched football all his life, he didn't go to today's match.

The first verb relates to something that has been going on throughout the subject's lifetime, the second to what he did today.

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-2

The 1st part of the sentence is correct but the 2nd part is erroneous because when we talk of today (which is not yet over) we are talking in the present contest, hence present perfect tense should be used. The correct sentence is "Although he has watched football all his life, he hasn't seen today's match."

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  • 1
    But if today's match is already over, it's not present context. It's past. If it's 3pm, you wouldn't say I haven't eaten breakfast today; you'd say I didn't eat breakfast today. – Peter Shor Feb 22 '17 at 12:24
  • This doesn't answer the question at the top of the page, it is a comment on WS2's answer. The observation is incorrect, because the speaker knows that the match ended in the past. The match is over, finished, completed, even if the day has not ended. For example, "I haven't done the ironing yet, but I did do the gardening today" is perfectly grammatical. – Mari-Lou A Feb 22 '17 at 15:38

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