still don't understand "present perfect

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by matilda

present perfect is s.th that is done in the past and it is finished now. it means that there is nothing left for you to do but the effect is still visible.

Sorry Matilda but "I have lived in Barcelona for three years". I am still living here so it is not finished - and I hope to love here for many years.

[matilda]

but i think you should say: i'm living in Barcelona and i have lived... while you are still there is incorrect.

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by matilda

but i think you should say: i'm living in Barcelona and i have lived... while you are still there is incorrect.

That is perfectly good grammar also, but using "I have lived....." and "I have been living....." are 100% correct for the situation we you are still living in a place as in my previous examples.


If anyone would like to message me directly on the perfect tenses I will be very happy to answer, and to give grammar references for you to study this (sometimes very difficult) subject more. It is a big area for a thread where there are inevitably many different issues.

The use of the perfect can be very different in different languages. For example, my Spanish students use "vivo" - the simple present tense of "vivir - "to live" when they are saying where they live now and how long they have lived there. "vivo en Barcelona desde hace 6 anos" - literally translates as "I live in Barcelona since 6 years ago". So we are all different

[rewboss]

Originally Posted by DavyBCN

Sorry Matilda but "I have lived in Barcelona for three years". I am still living here so it is not finished - and I hope to love here for many years.

The present perfect links the past with the present and describes a current state of affairs. That can sometimes be an action that begins in the past and is still current now, but this is relatively rare.

In fact, for something like this, you would normally use the present perfect progressive -- "I have been living in Barcelona for three years". "Live" is one of those verbs where there is not much difference.

"Live" in this sentence is actually describing more of a state rather than an action, which is why you can do that in this case.

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by rewboss

The present perfect links the past with the present and describes a current state of affairs. That can sometimes be an action that begins in the past and is still current now, but this is relatively rare.
In fact, for something like this, you would normally use the present perfect progressive -- "I have been living in Barcelona for three years". "Live" is one of those verbs where there is not much difference.
"Live" in this sentence is actually describing more of a state rather than an action, which is why you can do that in this case.

Think it is about time I stopped making my point that both present perfect and present perfect continuous are perfectly good and usual in the examples I have given. I have already posted that in other situations they are not.

During my quite long life using the present perfect as in "I have lived" to link the past with the present - something still current - has not been rare at all. It can also be used for actions, such as with the verbs smoke and teach. An interesting thought in my mind is why, with non-continuous verbs such as know, probably everyone would accept my use of the present perfect:-

I have known him for three years ( and still know him) - correct
I have been knowing him for three years - incorrect.

Have we taken this point far enough, friends? I can quote a lot of references by private message if anyone really, really wants them.