http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aPresent+simple+tag%3aSimple+pastSearch results for 'tag:Present simple tag:Simple past' matching tags 'Present simple' and 'Simple past'en-USCSMOD (Build: 3273.32735)http://www.englishforums.com/English/PurchasedPastPerfectTense/gxvhw/post.htm#571191Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:32:45 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:571191tanitHi quote user loveCZ Until the new software was purchased the staff had struggled to keep the accounts records up to date In the above example was purchased this possible past perfect tense is followed by had struggled this past perfect tense My teacher taught me that we use past perfect tense to state something which happened firstly and past tense to something that happened after So I thought the last example should have used is purchased this past tense instead of was purchased this past perfect am I right quote First thing first let s give the verb forms their correct names was purchased gt gt past simple passive had struggled gt gt past perfect is purchased gt gt present simple passiveThe time sequence in your example sentence is something like this 1 in the past the staff had struggled to keep the accounts record up to date2 so in a less remote past the firm or company or whatever purchased a new software3 as a result the staff does not struggle any more So the tenses are fine the struggling which is in past perfect had struggled happened before the purchasing which is in simple past was purchased of the software This agrees with your teacher s explanation right http://www.englishforums.com/English/SimplePastOrPastSimple/gnglj/post.htm#566925Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:32:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:566925anonymousGoogle 71 300 English pages for the present simple 42 700 English pages for the simple present http://www.englishforums.com/English/SimplePastOrPastSimple/gngww/post.htmTue, 16 Sep 2008 20:55:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:566873anonymousHi everybody Why do all the Grammar books use the expressions simple present and simple past although all the other tenses start with the tense marker and add the aspect marker then present progressive present perfect present perfect progressive past progressive past perfect past perfect progressive Couldn t it be more logical to then say present simple and past simple Yours D S Elfershttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SimplePastOrPastSimple/gngwd/post.htmTue, 16 Sep 2008 20:47:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:566868anonymousHi everybody I m a teacher of English at a German Grammar School and after 12 years of experience I m still wondering about the following puzzle Why do all the Grammar books stick to the confusing expressions simple past and simple present although it seems quite more logical to say past simple and present simple I really prefer these expressions in my classes because all the other tenses just start with the tense marker and go on with the aspect marker present progressive present perfect past progressive past perfect Can I go on using my preferable expressions Yours D S Elfershttp://www.englishforums.com/English/DifferenceFor/gmdlb/post.htm#561137Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:30:21 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:561137newguest quote user Cool Breeze quote user Newguest What is the difference in meaning when I say Do you learn any other languages except English AND Are you learning any other languages except English Also can I say except for English quote The continuous tense seems better to me Are you learning studying You could use the simple tense simple past this time in a sentence like Did you learn any other language in your childhood This would imply that you learned the language naturally like a child does in the environment you lived in It would be possible to express a lot more nuances if there were more inflections in English Except for is fine Did you study any other language except for besides but save than English CB quote Ok so I understand that the present simple doesn t sound good As for the for I assume that are you learning any other languages except for English would also be fine Thank youhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Difference/2/gmdgq/Post.htm#561067Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:27:38 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:561067anonymousHelloI am English teacher in Brazil the difference is in the grammar as follows Have got present perfect which is have past participle this relates something that started in the past with the presenthave present simple it indicated present meaning only and normally shows possesssiongot is the past of get so it is simple past if you need more information please contact me on lt email address removed by a mod Please register and add it to your profile gt Ala rebhi salim Brazilhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PresentPerfectSimplePast/glvjr/post.htmTue, 19 Aug 2008 09:39:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:556478yschneiderI d like to know if we can mix the present perfect and the simple past and if it s natural I noticed that the present simple it s often used for sentences with already I already finished it But not for it negative opposite I haven t finished it yet I think for questions both are common Did you finish it yet Or Have you finished it yet So when I answer to Did you finished it yet Can I say No I haven t finished it yet And the other way around can I answer I already finished to the question Have you finished it yet Did I tell you that I ll get promoted No you haven t told me yet Is this possible Did you eat yet No I haven t eaten yet possible by the way I m just talking about US usage http://www.englishforums.com/English/TheCorrectTense/zxmmz/post.htm#490064Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:09:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:490064newguest quote user Kooyeen Hi I think that without context there are a lot of verbs that could be possible I mean I think it depends whether you are giving an example discussing a real fact in the past a hypothetical situation etc quote Hi In my examples I m trying to say that even if some people paid the contributions for a shorter period of time in the past then today it will not result in decreased pension benefits so I think that the present simple in this case is OK even though the earlier verbs were in the simple past The same in the second sentence http://www.englishforums.com/English/ActivePassive/zlrkd/post.htmSat, 02 Feb 2008 12:57:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:471821newguestHi Active sentence Somebody stole my bicycle Passive sentence My bicycle has been stolen Is the passive sentence OK in your opinion I would write My bicycle was simple past stolen As far as I know if the active sentence is written in simple past than the passive one should also be written in simple past One more question I never know whether I should write it with the definite article or not present simple simple present present simple tense etc Should I put the the before each of them or always omit it thankshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Questions/zkpmp/post.htm#471289Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:34:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:471289goodman Newguest wrote Goodman wrote Newguest wrote Hi I have a few questions 1 We were having a chat while we were waiting IT IS BETTER TO WRITE We had a chat while we were waiting Are both sentences OK or not 2 Is it possible to say The instructions to this exercise are saying that you have to or The instructions to this exercise specifies that you have to I THINK THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS CORRECT 3 You better find out what do you have to do or You better find out what you have to do IN MY OPINION THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS CORRECT 4 What does this sentence mean They stack the odds til we take to the street make the odds to your favor take advantage of the situation Thank You Hi As for the first one why is it bad to say we were having a chat As for the second question I was just interested if it s better to use present continuous or present simple tense in such cases So according to you I shouldn t write The instructions say but rather specify I didn t say it s bad or wrong Many times we will encounter this type of questions In my opinion we were having a chat while waiting you were waiting for something and then you met someone while standing in line and you started a conversation with him her So the conversation is something that happened while you were standing in line Logically I prefer to use simple past to describe the chat and past progressive for waiting which was a longer event That s my take