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Thread: meaning of the present tense

  1. #1
    guzhao67 is offline Junior Member
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    Smile meaning of the present tense

    dear teacher: could you explain the meaning of the present tense in the following two pairs of sentence, please?

    1. Now he finds the treasure/Now he wins the race.
    2. Now he has found it/at this moment he has won the race.

    my question is: is there any difference between these two pairs of sentense with respect to the indication of time of action?
    thank you very much

  2. #2
    bhaisahab's Avatar
    bhaisahab is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: meaning of the present tense

    Quote Originally Posted by guzhao67 View Post
    dear teacher: could you explain the meaning of the present tense in the following two pairs of sentence, please?

    1. Now he finds the treasure/Now he wins the race.
    2. Now he has found it/at this moment he has won the race.

    my question is: is there any difference between these two pairs of sentense with respect to the indication of time of action?
    thank you very much
    The sentences at #1 are very unlikely, unless you are a commentator reporting what you see.
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  3. #3
    simon b is offline Newbie
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    Red face Re: meaning of the present tense

    (I am not a teacher. English is my main language.)

    There is no difference in the indication of time between your sentences.
    The second pair of sentences is more likely to be used.

    The present tense refers to actions that are habits or things you do everyday. In this reguard your sentences are not in the present tense.

    An example: 'I go to school everyday.'

    You are more likely to use the 'present progressive' tense in these situations. The 'present progressive' tense is more commonly used than the present tense. It indicates that something is happening at the same time that it is being said. The ending added in the present progressive tense is typically -ing.

    That would change your sentence to:
    He is winning the race.

    The other sentence would sound best in the present perfect tense. Which means the action was finished in the past but it still has connections to the present. It is written with 'has/had + a past form of the verb'
    Making your sentence:
    He has found the treasure.
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    billmcd is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: meaning of the present tense

    Ditto bhaisahab. You would not use/hear any of these examples in everyday conversation unless someone was relating a story.
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  5. #5
    Y.2010 is offline Newbie
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    Default Re: meaning of the present tense

    Thanks

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