[Grammar] "whenever" with present perfect tense?

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forinfo

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Hello,

I appreciate the answers I've received from many teachers to my questions I've posted.

They are really helpful.

The other day, I was writing in English and I was stuck in this sentence.

ex. Since 2008 whenever I have visited America, I have played the piano with her.

I wasn't sure if it was fine to use "have visited" or I should use a past tense here--whenever I visited America.
 

MikeNewYork

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Hello,

I appreciate the answers I've received from many teachers to my questions I've posted.

They are really helpful.

The other day, I was writing in English and I was stuck in this sentence.

ex. Since 2008 whenever I have visited America, I have played the piano with her.

I wasn't sure if it was fine to use "have visited" or I should use a past tense here--whenever I visited America.

I would use the simple past in both clauses. "Since 2008, whenever I visited America, I played the piano with her."
 

5jj

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With the 'since 2008' I would use the present perfect. The time period extends up to the present.

If the time period did not extend uo to the present, I would use the past simple with 'From/after 2008'.
 

MikeNewYork

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With the 'since 2008' I would use the present perfect. The time period extends up to the present.

If the time period did not extend up to the present, I would use the past simple with 'From/after 2008'.

As I read it, he first played the piano with her in America in 2008. He then played piano with her in America since then, probably several times. But the last time may have been in 2009, 2010, 2011, or 2012.
 

5jj

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As I read it, he first played the piano with her in America in 2008. He then played piano with her in America since then, probably several times. But the last time may have been in 2009, 2010, 2011, or 2012.
This may be an AmE/BrE difference. I would not use 'since 2008' if the last time was in 2009 and/or I knew that there was not going to be another time.
 

MikeNewYork

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This may be an AmE/BrE difference. I would not use 'since 2008' if the last time was in 2009 and/or I knew that there was not going to be another time.

It may be. I probably wouldn't use "since 2008" if the last time was 2009, but I probably would if it were 2011 or 2012.
 

forinfo

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Thank you for your replies. Because I played with her last year too, and it's likely that I'm going to
play with her again sometime in the future, then I guess I should write

"since 2008 whenever I have visited the US, I have played the piano with her."
 
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