"Have had" and "had"

[mariusstano]

Hello to all

I'm very glad I found this forum and, yes.. I'm already asking

I'd like to know what are the differences between have had and had and their use. I know about the tenses, but I think there is another case when these words are used.

For example:

I'm sorry you have had pain over girls

Why it's not "I'm sorry you had pain over girls", as the action has been finished already. The speaker knows that too.

Could someone explain this?

Many thanks
Marius

[MikeNewYork]

Hello to all

I'm very glad I found this forum and, yes.. I'm already asking

I'd like to know what are the differences between have had and had and their use. I know about the tenses, but I think there is another case when these words are used.

For example:

I'm sorry you have had pain over girls

Why it's not "I'm sorry you had pain over girls", as the action has been finished already. The speaker knows that too.

Could someone explain this?

Many thanks
Marius

"Had" is the past tense of "have"; "have had" is the present perfect.

Check out the present perfect and the simple past here:

ENGLISH PAGE - Present Perfect

[boothling]

This is a difficult one to explain, but try this:

1) George had many wives.

2) George has had many wives.

Sentence 1 implies that George is dead - or that his situation has changed (George had many wives before he became a monk). It's saying that he had wives in the past, but will never have a wife again. Completed. Finished.

Sentence 2 is saying "George has had many wives in his life, before now."

He may be married right now. Or he may not. But we get a sense that George's story is not completely finished.

Your examples are similar. "I'm sorry you had pain over girls" implies that there is no possibility that the person will ever have girl-related pain again.

"I'm sorry that you have had pain over girls" accepts the possibility that it might happen again, or that the past pain is affecting the person now, in the present.

[mariusstano]

Thanks a LOT, boothling. I understand it know

Regards,
Marius