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Old 22-Oct-2003, 09:42
shun shun is offline
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Cas explained:

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Well, not necessarily. Just because a given speaker, native or non-native, feels there is no difference between, say, "I ate" and "I have eaten" doesn't prove they are the same. That is, the similarity is apparent only. Both actions ended, finished, are over. They seem similar, don't they, but they aren't.
Do we eat dinner? Yes, we do, always do. But how come we sometimes say "I ate / have eaten dinner"? I don't eat dinner anymore? No, I will keep eating dinner every day. But why do we sometimes say "I ate / have eaten dinner"? I can't figure how to explain it. Would you help?
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