tense

[MIA6]

1. Present perfect tense represents: Use 1. Actions which started in the past and are still continuing. I think “Continuing” here means the action is still going on “now”. But does “now” refer to the action is still going on at the moment of speaking? Or in general, like an action happens recently. E.g. She says:"I have looked for you for a long time. / I have been looking for you for a long time.” It means She looked for someone before, and she is still looking for someone at the moment of speaking OR maybe she is not looking for someone when she is speaking, but she looks for him recently, from Monday to today, at least she doesn’t stop to find someone. It still happens.
2. If a person says:" I haven't eaten lunch." What does it mean? It means he didn't eat lunch, and he still doesn't have lunch to eat? Or He is now eating the lunch, so he says:I haven't eaten lunch. It means he didn't eat lunch before.( So now he is eating it?)

THanks for replies...

[Tdol]

It can mean that the action is still going on now, though in the 'looking for you' example, it isn't. In this case, we use the progressive form to emphasise the length of the search.

[cash]

Hi,

RAJ here,

I am from India and looking someone for my life guide.

MIA Last Year one girl come in india she was from Sweden if u r same
I wish welcome come back in my life, about me i am ATM and KIOSK Service and Maintenance engineer. I am looking a girl who create my world.

now i am very glade to know about above site, Where I Will communicate With wolrd level good personalties.

Thanks

[MIA6]

Hi, Cash. I wasn't from Sweden, and I didn't know you..

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by Tdol

It can mean that the action is still going on now, though in the 'looking for you' example, it isn't. In this case, we use the progressive form to emphasise the length of the search.

Let me run this by you, Tdol to see what you think. Any others, weigh in too if you'd like.

If this 'you' means "the person of my dreams", then if the person [the looker] is looking at a/that potential special someone, the looking may not yet be over.

Even if the looker starts to date/commingle/live with the lookee, the present perfect of important past action/current relevance could still continue to be used, but the greater tendency would be to use the present perfect simple rather than the PP continuous.