Kolridg
Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2016
- Member Type
- Native Language
- Russian
- Home Country
- Russian Federation
- Current Location
- Russian Federation
In my understanding it is reasonable that 5jj uses the simple past tense in his sentence quoted below (because he doesn't learn Latin now, he describes what he did at some period in the past). And I can't understand why Tarheel puts his sentence using the present perfect. If he says "but I haven't studied much" and the other part of his sentence is not in progressive form, which means that he doesn't learn it now, then why all his sentence hasn't been put in the simple past? I first thought that this might be a matter of style, but I checked and Tarheel turned out to be an American native speaker as said in his profile, and they prefer simple past more often than British speakers, so I am even double surprised to see that he uses the present perfect in his sentence.
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...t-perfect-and-progressive.287090/post-1692622
5jj's example:
I studied Latin for ten years, but never learnt much.
Tarheel's example:
I have learned a little Spanish, but I haven't studied it.
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...t-perfect-and-progressive.287090/post-1692622
5jj's example:
I studied Latin for ten years, but never learnt much.
Tarheel's example:
I have learned a little Spanish, but I haven't studied it.