Regarding the perfect aspect and what it expresses

[JensenChrista]

Hi all!

I have a hard time understanding the difference between these two types of actions.

1. Activity, state, event or habit begun in the past and continued to the present.
2. Activity, state, event or habit in the pas with a present result.

Often I do not see that difference between what continues to the present and what "just" has a present result.

can anybody help me?

 

[Raymott]

1. I've lived in Paris for 2 years. - Begun in past and continues to present.
2. I've put the sugar in the metal container. - Happened in past, but someone wants to know where the sugar is now. It has a present result, so I say this to them.
The living continues, but the putting doesn't continue. The putting has a present result though.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I put the sugar in the metal container works as well. (past completed action)

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

"I've put the sugar in the metal container" implies that it is still there whereas, "I put the sugar in the metal container" doesn't.

 

[SoothingDave]

I am not a teacher.

"I've put the sugar in the metal container" implies that it is still there whereas, "I put the sugar in the metal container" doesn't.

I don't agree. If someone put it there, absent some other context, I assume that it is still there.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

And I disagree with you.

You can say that, "I put the sugar in the metal container" might mean that it is still there, but it doesn't imply that at all. At least not in BrE.

 

[Barb_D]

I would also say that if I still live in Paris, I'd probably say "I've been living in Paris for two years" myself, but I would certainly not say the original way was wrong.

 

[Raymott]

All of these opinions have some degree of truth in them. Yes, you can use 'put' instead of 'have put'. Yes, you can use 'have been living' instead of 'have lived', etc. But I think they're all tangential to the question the OP wants answered - which is about the two uses of the present perfect tense (regardless of whether other tenses could be used in that context).