Huevos  +  553373 Sun, 10 Aug 08 10:56 PM Yankee “"The president has been shot!"” Yankee, that's passive. The difference between the simple past and the present perfect is just a slight "Sss" sound. "somebody shot the president" versus "somebody's shot the president". Huevos Joined on Tue, Mar 25 2008 Regular Member 626 British Native Difference Between, Simple Past, Present Perfect

	YSchneider  +  553375 Sun, 10 Aug 08 10:59 PM So you're saying that usally to give some news you(an american) wouldn't use the present perfect, right? YSchneider Joined on Thu, Aug 7 2008 New Member 21 Present Perfect

	Yankee  +  553402 Mon, 11 Aug 08 12:55 AM Hi Yves You'll find both tenses in written news. I suppose in my example about the president, the person's mindset might be that 1) the shooting is obviously finished, and 2) there is an expectation that the details about when, where, how, etc will be gone into, so the importance of 'when' is already there. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,506 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain Tenses

	Yankee  +  553405 Mon, 11 Aug 08 01:20 AM Huevos “The difference between the simple past and the present perfect is just a slight "Sss" sound. "somebody shot the president" versus "somebody's shot the president".” Hi Huevos If you are a native speaker, then I'm sure you also realize that a native speaker will understand whether that 'sss' sound is there or not. In other words, a native speaker knows whether someone is saying somebody's or somebody. What I'm saying is that in the scenario I gave, I think it is far more likely that an American will use the simple past tense.  There won't even be a slight hint of a 'sss' sound connected to the end of the word 'somebody' -- because it just won't be there. As regards "I ate already", Americans commonly use the words already, yet, and just (for example) with the simple past tense -- especially in spoken English: - Did you see that movie yet? - I just saw that movie. - I already saw that movie./I saw that movie already. Naturally, we use already, yet, and just with the present perfect as well. Yankee Regards, Difference Between, Tenses, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Tenses

	YSchneider  +  553451 Mon, 11 Aug 08 06:13 AM Hi Yankee or any other Americans! I just wonder if it's in the end not a difference between written and spoken enlish. Because if been told that if you call your mom after an exam it's far more likely to tell her: I passed the exam then I've passed the exam(at least in the States) So is the usage of the present perfect as mentioned at the beginning just a way to start a letter or an e-mail? YSchneider Difference Between, Present Perfect, Start a Letter

	Huevos  +  553459 Mon, 11 Aug 08 06:57 AM Yankee “In other words, a native speaker knows whether someone is saying somebody's or somebody. What I'm saying is that in the scenario I gave, I think it is far more likely that an American will use the simple past tense.  There won't even be a slight hint of a 'sss' sound connected to the end of the word 'somebody'” I think non-natives make too much of a big deal of this. If I were to say to you "Somebody's shot the president"or you were to say to me "Somebody shot the president" it is very unlikely either of us would conciously register it or find it unnatural, and certainly neither would look upon it as an error.What do you think? Huevos Tenses, Simple Past, Past Tenses

	YSchneider  +  553461 Mon, 11 Aug 08 07:10 AM Certainly you're right that it might doesn't matter that much in the end, but still there seem to be some clear preferences! I'd just like to know what's common in the US! Can some other American native tell me his opinion on the mentioned examples? YSchneider

	Yankee  +  553608 Mon, 11 Aug 08 06:07 PM Huevos “ If I were to say to you "Somebody's shot the president"or you were to say to me "Somebody shot the president" it is very unlikely either of us would conciously register it or find it unnatural” That's just it, Huevos -- I think "Somebody's shot the president" would register immediately as different or atypical or possibly even "wrong".  That is precisely the reason I gave that example.   I would be willing to bet that there would be more than just a few (non-English-teacher) Americans who, if asked directly, would actually go so far as to claim that "Somebody's shot the president!" is wrong.  Yes, there are by far many more similarities than differences between BE and AmE.  Nevertheless, the differences are there. Yankee

	CalifJim  +  553675 Mon, 11 Aug 08 08:59 PM Huevos “I think non-natives make too much of a big deal of this.” I have to agree.  And I don't think the differences have anything whatsoever to do with "written vs. spoken".  Zero, zero, zero. It would take a very astute American listener indeed to notice anything 'amiss' in a British speaker's use of the present perfect in any given situation.  I'd bet that no American listener would ever say to himself, "How interesting.  I would have used the simple past there."  The other way around is a different question.  The British, I'm told, find that combinations like "already did" create at least a minor disturbance in their brain waves!   CJ  CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,465 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Simple Past, Present Perfect