Past Simple or Present Perfect?

[Jesse20]

If I said :
I have seen them since yesterday
Is that sentence correct ?

Actually, using since ie I havent smoked since three days.
and using for ie I have stayed in Australia for a week
make Present Perfect so easy and clear to me:shock:

 

[Tdol]

I have see them since yesterday- dodgy
I haven't seen them since yesterday :tick:

 

[ssssinan]

;-)

 

[riverkid]

I could say 'I haven't had lunch today', unfished time and I expect to have luch. If I have left my office and am on the bus home I could say 'I did a lot of work today'. Here, the day has not ended, but the working part has and I don't expect to do any more work.;-)

But you could also say,

"I've done a lot of work today."

 

[riverkid]

1. I have seen them since yesterday- dodgy
2. I haven't seen them since yesterday :tick:

It's only dodgy because of the meaning, not because of the grammar. The verb 'see' does not carry a durative meaning very well. Change it to 'watch' and it's fine, or 'been with them' or any other verb with a durative sense.

 

[OhAh]

I think that there may be the situation when it is possible to say "have seen".
-I want to see a president/favourite actor/sportsman ect...
-I have seen him yesterday!

It's still very important.

 

[riverkid]

I think that there may be the situation when it is possible to say "have seen".
-I want to see a president/favourite actor/sportsman ect...
-I have seen him yesterday!
It's still very important.

I agree, it definitely happens, OhAh, but for ENLs, there is a strong tendency to separate the present perfect used like this, for adding importance, from any past time adjuncts [additions].

In speech you'd most likely hear something like this;

I have seen him ... yesterday!

 

[Teia]

Hi

The correct answer is past simple because the adverb "yesterday" states a finished action at a past time.

Regards,

 

[riverkid]

In this situation, Teia, the past simple would definitely be, BY far, the most common usage. But this is not always the case. As noted in the CGEL;

+++++++++++++++++++

Past time adjuncts in experential perfects

This use of the present perfect allows for the inclusion, under restrictive [semantic] conditions, of a past time adjunct.

Chapter 3 The Verb - page 144

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Has anyone a copy of Michael Swan, Practical English Usage? There is a portion in the section on Present Perfect that discusses this very issue.

I've found OR I found that I've given/ I gave mine away.



**************

A CAVEAT: ESLs, please note that this is an extremely uncommon usage and as the CGEL stated, it occurs in extremely limited situations under extremely limited conditions.

 

[1364]

well, present perfect and past tense are some how similar to each other but there are some differences between this tow :

1. simple past: action happen in the past and finished.

2.a) present perfect start in the past but there is no definite time (unknown time :yesterday ,last month,...)! so we can use : so far , just , recently,...

2.b)the only tense that acts as a bridge between past and present.

All the best,

 

[king of darkness]

the word saw is the suitable word it should be using here, cause the word yesterday had clarified the time which is past simple, cause if we choose have seen that means we will not need to the word yesterday which located in the end of the sentence as the rule says.

but with yesterday we use the simple past tense.

for example we can say I saw King of Darkness yesterday.
or
I have seen King of Drakness.

 

[teacherjuli]

What is the difference between these two sentences?





a)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]I have read this novel.
b)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]I read it about 8 years ago.



Why is the same tense used for this in other languages?

 

[Teia]

What is the difference between these two sentences?


Hi

a]I have read this novel.-present perfect tense simple : recently completed action or past action completed in an unspecified time :
I have (already)read this novel.
I have (just) read this novel.

b]I read it about 8 years ago.-past tense simple :finished action



Why is the same tense used for this in other languages?

.

In some other languages, speakers use only time expressions to state the time when the action is completed.

Regards

 

[mumrozie]

The Past Simple Tense is used
a) To show something that happened in the past
b) To express an action wholly completed in the past:


The Past Perfect Tense states that an action was completed at a certain point of time in the past
This tense refers to two periods of time, one action being completed before the other takes place

Regards

 

[Epica]

The word yesterday makes all the difference here. It provides a time frame, and that makes all the difference. You can say I have seen him today, but you can't say I have seen him yesterday. I suppose the reason for that is that while saw refers to the past, have seen is about both the past and the present.

How's that?

:wink:

yes i agree with you but you can say i saw him yesterday .....

and

dont try to say i have seen him yesterday cause if you want to say i have

seen him ........ you can use that for along distance not yesterday ...

that right dear todal

 

[Anita1]

Re: Past Simple or past Perfect?

I had my hair cut. help with grammar please:-(

 

[Teia]

Re: Past Simple or past Perfect?

I had my hair cut. help with grammar please:-(

Hi

have - causative verb [ in your example]

I had my hair cut- somebody else cut my hair[ I gave the responsibility to somebody else to cut my hair] .
I had my car fixed [ I gave the responsibility to my/the mechanic to fix my car ]

I cut my hair - I myself cut my hair.

 

[Anita1]

Hi there, can anyone help me? i have two sentences:
1) i had my hair cut.
2) i wouldn't if i were you.
I'd like to know the tenses used in them and how can i explain them to someone in an easiest way.
Thanks

 

[nguyenhung75]

Hi there, can anyone help me? i have two sentences:
1) i had my hair cut.
2) i wouldn't if i were you.
I'd like to know the tenses used in them and how can i explain them to someone in an easiest way.
Thanks

Hi, I'm new and my English is not good enough :-D but I'll try my best to explain.
The first sentence: It's a kind of passive voice in the simple past tense. The general form of this sentence is "to have smth done". I think you've known the meaning already.
The second sentence: It's an unreal conditional sentence in the present tense. The general form is "If + S + V.ed , S + would do".

Hope it can help a little.

 

[Dally]

present perfect tense always cause a big or actually a huge problem for me
I don't know how to use it and when I should use it

It is very difficult for me

please can you help to understand it very well:roll:

I would be thankful and grateful if you explain it for me:shock: