has or had

[Tdol]

You've got it! I'll post some links later- I'm on a short break at work at the moment.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jack

Have you repaired the car? <--correct?
Have you repair the car? <--incorrect?

Has she left for school? <--correct?
Has she leave for school? <--incorrect?

Have you studied? <---correct?
Have you study ? <--incorrect?

Have you seen Tigers before? <---Correct?
Have you see Tigers before? <--wrong?
Have you saw Tigers before? <--wrong?

Have you eaten the soup? <--correct? what other words are like this?? like i need to add "en" at the end of the word.
Have you ate the soup? <--incorrect?

Do you have any links where i can get some more help on this?

Excellent! You are becoming an expert on the present perfect in question form.

It is always [have/has] + [past participle of a verb].

It is always:

Have I
Have you
Has he/she/it
Have we
Have they

[jack]

Lorned Packer has written for the school paper
Lorned Packer had written for the school paper

I have only completed my M.A.
I had only completed my M.A.

He had led.
He has led.

He has not been a mere nobody either.
He had not been a mere nobody either.

He hopes that he has a car.
He hoped that he had a car.
He hopes that he had a car.

He hoped that he had bought a car.
He hopes that he had bought a car.
He hopes that he have bought a car.

You can learn a lot more if you get to know me.
You can learn a lot more if you got to know me.

He did not think he had done wrong.
He did not think he have done wrong.

She has left for school. <--same idea as, "He have been to school." ?
She had left for school. <---same idea as, "He had been to school, yesterday." ?

What is the difference between these sentences? Are these present perfect sentences? if

[jack]

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

You have to look at the rest of the paragraph. It sounds as if the entire story is set in the past. Once one is in the past, then things that occurred before the time of the story, would be in the past perfect. If the story were in the present, we would say, "Walter has been taking Spanish lessons since he was in high school, so he should be pretty good."

Now, imagine that someone is talking about their friend Walter in the past tense.

Walter I went to Mexico ten years ago. We were walking down the street looking for a place to eat. Walter walked up to a guy on the street and spoke Spanish to the man. The man became very angry and Walter was shocked. After all, Walter had been taking Spanish lessons since he was in high school and he should have been pretty good. As it turned out, instead of asking about a restaurant, Walter had mistakenly propositioned the man.

The entire story is set a time ten years ago. Everything was ten years ago, except Walter's Spanish lessons, which began a time prior to ten years ago. So the "has been taking" became "had been taking" and the "should be pretty good" became "should have been pretty good".

Again, the story is set in the past, and the man began waiting before the time reference of the story.

Walter I went to Mexico ten years ago. We were walking down the street looking for a place to eat. Walter walked up to a guy on the street and spoke Spanish to the man. The man became very angry and Walter was shocked. After all, Walter have been taking Spanish lessons since he was in high school and he should have been pretty good. As it turned out, instead of asking about a restaurant, Walter had mistakenly propositioned the man.

If i use "have been" when I am telling a story in the past, is it wrong?
Lets say Walter still takes Spanish lessons, so would i use "have been" in stead of "had been"? b/c "had been" means that he doesn't not spanish lessons anymore?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jack

Walter I went to Mexico ten years ago. We were walking down the street looking for a place to eat. Walter walked up to a guy on the street and spoke Spanish to the man. The man became very angry and Walter was shocked. After all, Walter have been taking Spanish lessons since he was in high school and he should have been pretty good. As it turned out, instead of asking about a restaurant, Walter had mistakenly propositioned the man.

If i use "have been" when I am telling a story in the past, is it wrong?
Lets say Walter still takes Spanish lessons, so would i use "have been" in stead of "had been"? b/c "had been" means that he doesn't not spanish lessons anymore?

Yes, it would be wrong. If the story is in the past tense, it doesn't really matter that Walter is taking lessons today. What matters is that he was taking lessons prior to that incident.

If you are talking about Walter today, in the present tense, then the present perfect would be correct. :wink:

[jack]

Lets say i asked him:

A: Do you still take Spanish lessons?
B: Yes, I still do. I have been taking Spanish lessons since i was in high school. <--means that he toke it in the past and he sitll takes it?


is this right too?
A: Do you still take Spanish lessons?
B: No i don't but I had been taking Spanish lessons since i was in high school. <---is this correct? or should i use have? i am still confused about have and had. can you explain what does it means?



http://www.geocities.com/gwyni_99/prfgreen.html
He had been to Cairo several times before he was appointed Public Affairs Officer at the Cairo USIA post. <--what does this mean?

He have been to Cairo several times before he was appointed Public Affairs Officer at the Cairo USIA post. <--is this incorrect? <--what does this mean?



Can you give me some key points of when to use "have" and "had"?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jack

Lets say i asked him:

A: Do you still take Spanish lessons?
B: Yes, I still do. I have been taking Spanish lessons since i was in high school. <--means that he toke it in the past and he sitll takes it?

Yes.

is this right too?
A: Do you still take Spanish lessons?
B: No i don't but I had been taking Spanish lessons since i was in high school. <---is this correct? or should i use have? i am still confused about have and had. can you explain what does it means?

No, it's not correct.

No, I don't. But I had been taking Spanish lessons before that trip to Mexico.

http://www.geocities.com/gwyni_99/prfgreen.html
He had been to Cairo several times before he was appointed Public Affairs Officer at the Cairo USIA post. <--what does this mean?

He have been to Cairo several times before he was appointed Public Affairs Officer at the Cairo USIA post. <--is this incorrect? <--what does this mean?

The first means: He went to Cairo several times. After those trips he was apponted to his post.

The second is not correct. First, you are using "he have" when it should be "he has". Second, the present perfect "he has been" is not used for events that were completed prior to another action.

Can you give me some key points of when to use "have" and "had"?

I have done so and I am doing so. :wink:

[jack]

A: Do you still take Spanish lessons?
B: No I don't, but I have been taking Spanish lessons when i was in high school. <--is this correct? why and why not?

or

B: No I don't, but I had been taking Spanish lessons when i was in high school. <--is this correct? why and why not?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jack

A: Do you still take Spanish lessons?
B: No I don't, but I have been taking Spanish lessons when i was in high school. <--is this correct? why and why not?

or

B: No I don't, but I had been taking Spanish lessons when i was in high school. <--is this correct? why and why not?

A: No, that's not correct. In this case, the Spanish lessons ended in the past and we don't use present perfect for that.

B: That's not correct either. You would use the past perfect to talk about things that ended before another time in the past. There is no other time here.

So what is the solution? The simple past.

No, I don't, but I took Spanish lessons when I was in high school.

[RonBee]

For have been, try:

• I have been taking Spanish lessons since I was in high school.

The speaker (or writer) started taking Spanish lessons in high school, and he is still taking them.

:)