tense

[Hanka]

Hello,

could you please tell me which tense should be used in the following sentence:

The parties declare that they had and still have the possibility to familiarize themselves with the Rules and that they have/had done so thoroughly before signing this contract.

Thank you very much.

Hanka

[boothling]

Try it like this:

"The parties declare that they had and still have the possibility to familiarize themselves with the Rules and that they have/had done so thoroughly before signing this contract."

Take out the bit in red, and replace "done so" with "familiarized themselves with the rules" (which is what the "done so" means).

"The parties declare that they have/had familiarized themselves with the rules thoroughly before signing this contract."

Does that make it easier to choose the tense?

[Hanka]

I´d say "had familiarized", but is the "past perfect" necessary here?

Hanka

[boothling]

You need to use the present perfect: "They have familiarized..."

Why?

I think it's because "the Parties declare" means right now, in the present.

[BobK]

I'd use either:

present perfect

before signing, applicants must declare that they have read ...

past perfect

applicants must now declare that before they did sign, they had read...

Given that, in the nature of such contracts, everything has to be agreed before you sign (so that signing is the last thing done), I think the first meaning is more likely; but I also think either's possible.

b

[Zahoor Ahmad]

had