Search results for 'tag:Present perfect tag:Malta' matching tags 'Present perfect' and 'Malta'

Re: Where have you been?

MrPedantic — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 17:10:09 GMT

Interesting. I don't find the present perfect/simple past alternation in the original dialogue strange. Does this also sound odd to anyone?

"MrQ! I haven't seen you for ages! Have you been away?"
"Yes, we went to Malta for a few days. We only got back last night."

MrP

Re: Where have you been?

paco2004 — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:31:06 GMT

Hello Mowgli

Mowgli wrote:
I would prefer past simple "Where were you?" because B isnÂ´t abroad or away any more, they couldnÂ´t have this conversation otherwise.

To me, "I went to Malta for a 3 week holiday" sounds natural as the answer. I interpret A might ask "Where have you been?" because A doesn't know when B came back exactly. The use of present perfect tense is convenient when one cannot be sure when the past event happened. But, as for B, of course B knows well the time when B self returned (it might be three days ago, for example), and the use of the simple past in the answer suggests B has already a feeling the visit to Malta was a mere past event.

Mowgli wrote:
Compare present perfect in these sentences: I have lost my key. (I still don't have it.) She has been in Malta for two years. She is still there. However: x She has been to Malta. (She isnÂ´t there anymore. ?)

You are right. "Have been a place" (without "for a period")) is saying simply "have a past experience of staying the place". On the other hand, "have been a place for a period" is saying "have a past experience of staying the place and the experience is still continuing"). As you said, "I have lost my key" implies "I don't have the key", and "I have been there" (without a for-phrase) implies "I am not there now". The difference in the implication between "have lost something" and "have been somewhere" comes from the difference in the aspect nature between the verb "lose" and "be"; "lose" is a dynamic verb and "be" is a stative verb.

When present perfect tense applies to dynamic verbs, the sentence connotes the result of the action still exists. But if there are any word like 'ever', 'never', 'once', 'often', 'before', etc, the sentence is just saying a past experience. The time adverbial plays an important role in the meaning of the present perfect sentence. "I have lost my wallet yesterday" implies "I haven't still found it and I am worrying about it". But "I have my wallet several times" means just "I had several experiences of losing my wallet in the past". The time adverbial is also important in the present perfect sentence using a stative verb. "I have stayed here for two days" implies the state is still continuing. But "I have stayed in the hotel twice in my life" means "I" have two past experiences of staying in the hotel. Messy? Yes, to us learners, the present perfect sentences are really messy and tough to take the exact meaning.

paco

Where have you been?

Mowgli — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:48:36 GMT

Hello,

I have these sentences in the textbook Enterprise 3, Workbook, p. 16.

A: I havenÂ´t seen you for ages.! Where have you been?

B: I went to Malta for a three week holiday.

This says the Answer key. However, I would prefer past simple in the sentence "Where have you been?", so I would prefer: "Where were you?" because B isnÂ´t abroad or away any more, they couldnÂ´t have this conversation otherwise.

Compare present perfect in these sentences: I have lost my key. (I still donÂ´t have it.) She has been in Malta for two years. She is still there. However:

x She has been to Malta. (She isnÂ´t there anymore. ?)

Any comments ? Thank you Mowgli

Re: Perfect tense (Guest:Manikandan)

Woodward — Thu, 31 Jul 2003 14:13:19 GMT

Hi Manikandan,

The Perfect Tense is a very large topic, though I'll try to explain some of the basic rules to you about the Present Perfect. (I did the Past Perfect in a recent post)

The Perfect tense consists of HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
and it is used in the following cases:

1. An action that happened at an unspecified time. (we don't say when the action happened)
- I HAVE BEEN to Italy.
(I don't say exactly when I went. Perhaps it was last month or 5 years ago.)
If we specify the time, we use the present tense
- I WENT to Italy LAST WEEK.

2. An action that has recently happened:
- The baby HAS just GONE to sleep.
(Note that we have JUST in there which means recently, a short time ago)

3. An action that started in the past and continues up to the present. It is often used with "for" or "since" in these cases.
- SHE HAS LIVED in Malta all her life.
- THEY HAVE KNOWN each other SINCE 2001.
- HE HAS BEEN the President FOR 2 years now.

4. An action that happened repeatedly before now:
- I have won many competitions.
- He HAS FAILED his exam three times (because he didn't study or know about this Forum)

This is only the Perfect Tense in affirmative sentences.....I haven't even started with questions and the other tenses....that is for another time.

I hope this helped a little.