Eslam Elbyaly
Junior Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2016
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- Arabic
- Home Country
- Egypt
- Current Location
- Egypt
Hi,
I've been trying to figure out when American native speakers use simple past over present perfect tense and vice versa. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure that out. And I ended to that there is no rule at all. They just tend to use the simple past tense the majority of time and sometimes use the present perfect instead.
- The following are examples of what I heard In an american TV series,
1- I lost my job.
2- A recorded message of the answer machine of the phone says "Hi, you have reached the Hefernan family, please, leave a message".
3- Have you got a job? -- I know that got here should've been "gotten" but the American replace it with "got". So, it's present perfect.
Edited:
He was talking about an event in the past not present. It could be " did you have a job, yetand?".
And many more examples.
Am I right about my guessing? no rule? But in the majority of situations they tend to use the simple past?
I've been trying to figure out when American native speakers use simple past over present perfect tense and vice versa. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure that out. And I ended to that there is no rule at all. They just tend to use the simple past tense the majority of time and sometimes use the present perfect instead.
- The following are examples of what I heard In an american TV series,
1- I lost my job.
2- A recorded message of the answer machine of the phone says "Hi, you have reached the Hefernan family, please, leave a message".
3- Have you got a job? -- I know that got here should've been "gotten" but the American replace it with "got". So, it's present perfect.
Edited:
He was talking about an event in the past not present. It could be " did you have a job, yetand?".
And many more examples.
Am I right about my guessing? no rule? But in the majority of situations they tend to use the simple past?
Last edited: