Questions tagged [present-perfect]
Questions related to the English Perfect Construction, which is sometimes called "the present perfect tense".
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which one is right : "has prepared"or "has been preparing" or "is preparing" [closed]
I find it hard to choose the most appropriate one among these three sentences:
she has been busy recently, she has prepared for an exam.
she has been busy recently, she has been preparing for an exam....
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"Have just got" and "Have just gotten" [duplicate]
Which is correct?
I have just got an appointment with a customer.
I have just gotten an appointment with a customer.
Please help me and explain why it is correct.
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Present perfect or past tense in the first part?
Are the following two sentences grammatically correct?
Mark has been injured while he was training.
While Mark was training, he has injured himself.
I am particularly interested in the correct tense ...
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2
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Present Perfect with 'for' + time period
#1
I have known this for 2 days.
The above sentence means
"I got to know this 2 days ago" and/or "2 days have passed since I got known this".
Right? That looks and sounds clear ...
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"How did you get in here? Security!" vs "How have you gotten in here? Security!" [closed]
I have been doing some exercises on Past Simple vs Present Perfect as that's the topic that gives me the most troubles... and I can't comprehend why this sentence is correct?
"How did you get in ...
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Simple past tense?
Which is grammatically correct?
You are the prettiest girl I ever saw.
or
You are the prettiest girl I have ever seen?
Apologies if this has been asked before. First time here.
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AmE_ The use of the simple past and the present perfect in the US for repeated actions until the present without specific time
There are situations about repeated actions until the present without specific time.
Here are some examples:
I visited/ have visited Paris two times. It is a beautiful city.
I think you should visit ...
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Usage of yet in present perfect sentence in a negative way [closed]
Which one is correct?
I haven't yet received the email.
I haven't received the email yet.
I am not sure which one is correct. I have seen type 2 being used but I want to clarify whether type 1 is ...
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1
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Simple Past vs. Present Perfect in a list
Consider these sentences:
(Simple Past)
I accepted the cars, hated the planes, ignored the boats, and romanticized the trains.
(Present Perfect)
I have accepted the cars, have hated the planes, ...
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Past and present perfect tense in scientific articles
There are various questions about this, but none that I found provided me with a satisfying answer. My problem lies mainly in the part of the paper were I introduce the necessary background, and in ...
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Past simple or present perfect simple? [closed]
Why did he change his name?
Why has he changed his name?
Why did he change the spelling of his name?
Why has he changed the spelling of his name?
I'm curious whether the present perfect versions are ...
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Verbs in Present Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect with no difference in meaning for unfinished actions
In one of my very reputable grammar sources (Concept Questions and Timelines by Graham Workman, a big name in EFL/ESL teaching circles), I came across a list of verbs that can be used with the present ...
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Can anyone help me correct this sentence? [closed]
Have you ever met any ghosts?
And I was suggested to correct it as follow:
Have you seen any ghosts?
So my questions are:
What is the difference between using the 'ever' in this sentence or not ...
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Why is it correct to say "might have seen + definite time in the past"? [closed]
I have seen multiple examples of people saying things like,
"You might have seen yesterday that..."
Whereas saying "I have seen yesterday..." because we cannot use a definite time ...
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Present perfect with past tense VS two present perfect
Which is the correct one?
"Ever since I met you, you have never asked me what I prefer"
Compare to
"Ever since I have met you, you have never asked me what I prefer"
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I've planned my visit for years vs I've been planning my visit for years
Look at these two sentences:
I've planned my visit to Japan for years.
I've been planning my visit to Japan for years.
To me, both are acceptable and interchangeable. Would I be incorrect? Both of ...
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It hasn't snowed vs it hasn't been snowing
Ok, to preface this question, I have read extensively on the subject of the present perfect and present perfect continuous. This question isn't about the present perfect for finished actions; rather, ...
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“He’s made new friends when he changed roles” [closed]
Present perfect and past simple in the same sentence?
He’s made new friends when he changed roles.
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
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1
answer
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Why 'begun' instead of 'began' in the following sentence?
I read the following passage from the instagram account of a trans celebrity describing their romantic life pre/post-transition, and was a bit irked by the use of 'begun' (which is funny, because it ...
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"I would have met you on Monday, but I will be out of the country"
I have an argument with a couple of friends about the following situation:
I want to meet someone on Monday, in the future, but I can't because I will be out of the country. So I told him:
I would ...
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'I would have liked to see' or 'I would like to have seen'? [duplicate]
When teaching my students the usage of the verbs 'like, love, hate, prefer' with the modal verb 'would', I stumbled upon the following:
"It's a shame we didn't see Anna. I would like to have seen ...
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1
answer
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simple past or present perfect issue
I would like to ask the reason of using present perfect tense instead of past tense in the italic words in the sentence below:
She has gotten older since we last met her. She also seems to have ...
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Can leveraging only tense convey that some action is no longer relevant?
There are two sentences I myself come up with:
I haven't checked my inbox for the last few days.
I didn't check my inbox for the last few days.
Is #2 grammatically correct and idiomatic? Does #2 ...
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Can we use present perfect tense with past time expressions?
Can we use the present perfect tense with past time expressions if we are not telling stories or talking about the past, but if it is important to let know that an action happened at the exact time in ...
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Can a while clause be followed by the present perfect?
Is it correct to say the following?
While working on my project I have found an interesting research paper.
I mean whether while and the use of present perfect in the same sentence is correct.
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1
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Why is James Bond saying "We didn't get yet"?
I've recently seen the trailer for the new James Bond movie and he is saying: "We all have our secrets. We just didn't get to yours yet".
Shouldn't have he said "we just haven't got to ...
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Use of past tense or present tense with "to (not) understand"
I'm struggling to see which of the following sentences are grammatically correct ?
She just understood what you haven't understood yet.
She has just understood what you did not understand yet.
She ...
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1
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Present perfect vs simple past in main and relative clause [duplicate]
I would like to ask if the following sentences have different meanings. lately I've been overthinking about tenses which I've been using fluently my whole life. Specifically present perfect
Context: ...
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Is the passive constructed correctly: "The city will have been being locked down for 15 days from tomorrow"? [duplicate]
That is what I learned from grammar books.
"I go to the cinema tomorrow" means I am scheduled to go there at that fixed time
“I am going to the movies tomorrow” means I bought the ticket (...
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Have been thinking vs had been thinking [duplicate]
It's a bit confusing due to the nature of thinking.
If I was thinking something and it turned out to be false:
I have been thinking that I'm getting sufficient sleep, but it turns out I wasn't.
Or ...
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Present Perfect in main clause
I cannot determine whether both of these instances are appropriate uses of present perfect.
Scenario: We just pull up to a restaurant and notice we are the first/last ones there, and someone utters:
&...
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Negative Present Perfect
I have a question regarding negative present perfect for past events with effects extending into the present.
Scenario: Just leaving coffee shop with friend #2. “That was fantastic; I haven’t seen ...
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Why is present simple used here?
We had a sentence in an exam, and we were asked to choose the right tense of the verb, the sentence goes as follows
They are having dinner; they (haven't had, don't have) any problems at all.
Now ...
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WHEN + PAST PARTICIPLE
I am struggling a little with a question I received from one of my Russian students today.
She doesn't understand the sense of :
You can go to the country break when you have passed your last ...
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Are These Sentences Equivalent or is One More Appropriate than the Others? (Present Progressive Tense)
These all seem equally "valid" to me:
"I have recently been reading some research papers about..."
"I recently have been reading some research papers about..."
"I ...
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What is a complex/difficult example of English tenses? [closed]
I'm a native English speaker, and while learning other languages, I've learned that English has more complex tenses than other languages. I don't know what all of the English tenses are, but the most ...
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"Is / was / has been / had been used" in a statement
I'm confused whether I should use are or were or have been or had been in the following statement when describing the use of language in a passage
In paragraph 6, detailed adjectives ____ used to ...
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1
answer
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On official forms, does the present perfect imply that the situation is ongoing or has not yet concluded?
I have a question specifically about present perfect usage in legal and “bureaucratic” writing. On official forms (for example, application forms from US government agencies or IRS forms), I sometimes ...
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Use of Present Perfect in this case [duplicate]
Why does Ross use Present Perfect here if he's speaking about the past?!
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being removed vs gets removed?
Question I: Which one is grammatically correct?
1. Does order A remain effective after object B gets removed?
or
2. Does order A remain effective after object B is being removed?
Question II: What ...
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Present continuous vs present perfect followed by temporal 'for' / 'since'
In a newspaper I read the following sentence:
We are waiting for the past few days with a hope.
Is the grammar correct ...
can we use the present continuous with temporal for and since?
English ...
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I've known you "since after" I met you. This looks so absurd!
I've encountered these structures today.
I've known you since after I met you in Paris.
or
I've worked here since right/just after I graduated.
What is it?
Having researched I just can say that some ...
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"is head of xyz since" vs "has been [...] since" ? Is "is" ever acceptable?
Isn't it wrong to write "Mrs X is head of $department at $company since 2015" ?
Shouldn't it be "has been head of xyz since 2015"?
I have seen quite a few examples of "is [...]...
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A rare structure need to be explained in terms of grammar: Have+ noun+ been [closed]
Dear Enlish Language & Usage Exchange members:
I was reading a text and came across a remarkable structure for me. Here is the text:
It would, I suppose, be universally agreed that seldom, if ...
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I've studied vs I've been studying
What's the difference from these two phrases? How would I know if keep studying or if I did it in the past?
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What does simple really mean in grammar?
Problems with explaining English grammar often reside in the terminology.
There is often a big assumption that we understand what the terms mean.
Simple is, in my opinion, one of the most important ...
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Use of present perfect tense in news articles
When to use present perfect tense has always been confusing for me.
I know that it carries a sense of continuity from the past, but many times in news articles, I come across sentences with present ...
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"I'm working on a project" - present continuous or present perfect continuous? [closed]
I want to say that I'm working on a project lately, maybe this month or this week, but I don't specify the time in the sentence. I'm still working on a project and I will be working for some time. It ...
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tense for past job experience?
When talking about a past job experience, can we use present perfect tense?
For example; "after I started working for x co., i have had experiences on ... (I want to emphasize that i stil have ...
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present perfect, past simple, present perfect continues
I cannot understand these.
1st
We didn't win our first four games, but now we are second in the league. (o)
We haven't win our first four games, but now we are second in the league. (x)
2nd
For ...