Why present perfect?

[Gregory_E_V]

I wonder why the present perfect tense is used in this sentence:

We've always wanted a house in the country, but we disagree on where it should be.

[Casiopea]

The present perfect connects the past with the present time. It brings the past and the present into a continuum of time: one long event. They want to build or buy a house in the country, and that's something they have wished or wanted to do for a very long time, but it hasn't been realized yet. They haven't yet build or bought their house in the country.

[Gregory_E_V]

The present perfect connects the past with the present time. It brings the past and the present into a continuum of time: one long event. They want to build or buy a house in the country, and that's something they have wished or wanted to do for a very long time, but it hasn't been realized yet. They haven't yet build or bought their house in the country.

Thanks a lot, Casiopea

[Supergirl]

Present perfect is often used when there is not an exact time. It started sometime in the past and continues into the future until they eventually get the house. You can't pinpoint when it happened or when it will happen. If you were to say, "we always wanted"... it implies that you have the house now. If you were to say, "we will always want"... it implies you will never get the house.

[Gregory_E_V]

Thank you, Supergirl!
Thank you for participating in this super interesting forum and giving wonderful explanations. I have learnt here much more than from grammar books

[Casiopea]

Welcome.