kadioguy
Key Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
From the comments section of a YouTube video:
11 years later, you respond to my comment.
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Me: Why is "respond" in the present tense rather than the past tense?
Friend: I think it's because from cssleprechaun's perspective it is indeed a present situation. He's not describing something that happened sometime in the past but rather something that just happened.
Me: When something just happened, can we use the present tense instead of the past tense?
Friend: Hmm, this topic confuses me a little bit. There are reasons for me to believe this YT reply is correct just as there are reasons to believe it's incorrect.
On one hand I've never actually read in any grammar book that you can use present simple to describe something that just happened. For that, more appropriate would be present perfect.
On the other hand it doesn't sound that wrong and I can imagine some other scenarios where that would be used, for example: You have betrayed me, yet you come here and ask me for money. <-- I believe it's a grammatically correct sentence.
In the sentence I gave, just like in the sentence from YT, the sender is not just talking about some situation, but he is describing it to add a little bit of drama and formality to it.
Generally, in some cases you can switch between present simple (to sound more distant and formal) or present continuous (to sound more emotional and empathetic). Anyway, that's what I think about it. Take it with a grain of salt, because I'm just a fellow English learner.
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I agree with the friend, but I'd also like to hear your opinion.
11 years later, you respond to my comment.
---
Me: Why is "respond" in the present tense rather than the past tense?
Friend: I think it's because from cssleprechaun's perspective it is indeed a present situation. He's not describing something that happened sometime in the past but rather something that just happened.
Me: When something just happened, can we use the present tense instead of the past tense?
Friend: Hmm, this topic confuses me a little bit. There are reasons for me to believe this YT reply is correct just as there are reasons to believe it's incorrect.
On one hand I've never actually read in any grammar book that you can use present simple to describe something that just happened. For that, more appropriate would be present perfect.
On the other hand it doesn't sound that wrong and I can imagine some other scenarios where that would be used, for example: You have betrayed me, yet you come here and ask me for money. <-- I believe it's a grammatically correct sentence.
In the sentence I gave, just like in the sentence from YT, the sender is not just talking about some situation, but he is describing it to add a little bit of drama and formality to it.
Generally, in some cases you can switch between present simple (to sound more distant and formal) or present continuous (to sound more emotional and empathetic). Anyway, that's what I think about it. Take it with a grain of salt, because I'm just a fellow English learner.
---
I agree with the friend, but I'd also like to hear your opinion.