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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > past simple or present perfect?
past simple or present perfect?
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banska bystrica
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past simple or present perfect?
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Hello dear colleagues,
I would like to ask you for your opinion. Which sentence is correct? I think that both are fine, but I am not absolutely sure, which means I might have difficulties while explaining to my students. Thank you for your replies in advance :)
"I have always wanted to work for XY. Now I have my plum job."
"I always wanted to work for XY. Now I have my plum job."
(I want to emphasise that now I work for XY:)
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21 Feb 2010
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mena22
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I would use the Present perfect - "I �ve always wanted to....." (all your life, since you remember). |
21 Feb 2010
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arkel
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I had always..... sounds good too as now the �wanting � has finished. |
21 Feb 2010
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GIOVANNI
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I also agree with Mena and Manon. Meaning all of your life, up until now. |
21 Feb 2010
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Olindalima ( F )
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Hi Banska
I would say that these two sentences have two different meanings.
The 1st one ( Present Perfect ) - it means that ever since you have dreamt with that job and now you got it. Because the Present Perfect refers to actions started in Past and that reach present or haven �t still finished - so you wanted that job, in the past, and you still wanted it when you managed to get it; the action of desiring started in the past and reached the moment " NOW ".
The second sentence may be understood in a different way, or may rise different understandings of what you really want to say. Like this.
In the past " I always wanted " that job, but I didn �t manage to get it and, fortunately, now I managed to get my plum job. I didn �t get something I much wanted, I was very sorry for that, but now, that things turned another way, I recognize that it was better for me that I didn �t get what I wanted, in the past, because, now, present, I have just got something which I prefer.
Very confusing, I bet! LOL for us, Portuguese teachers/students, present perfect is a very difficult tense, it makes us "think and see " actions in a different way from our own verb tenses.
Hope this has been helpful
linda
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21 Feb 2010
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banska bystrica
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Thank you very much for your helpful responses and explanations. Have a nice rest of Sunday!
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21 Feb 2010
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yanogator
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Olindalima has a good explanation. Using the simple past imlies that you are working for a different company.
"had always" is also gramatically correct, but makes it less clear where your plum job is.
Bruce |
21 Feb 2010
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