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The Present Perfect Tense and how it Compares to the Simple Past Tense
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よろしければ、枚分の添削欄で和訳を追加してください。
If you want to, please add a Japanese translation in the corrections field of each sentence.
この日記は http://lang-8.com/48539/journals/737185/Simple-Past%2C-Present-Perfect-and-Past-Perfect-Tenses の続きです。
This entry is the continuation of http://lang-8.com/48539/journals/737185/Simple-Past%2C-Present-Perfect-and-Past-Perfect-Tenses .
The present perfect tense consists of "have" or "has" followed by the past participle of the verb you are using. Use "have" if the subject of the verb would be described by one of the pronouns I, you, we or they. Use "has" if the subject would be described by one of the pronouns he, she or it.
go/goes: I/you/we/they have gone, he/she/it has gone
sing/sings: I/you/we/they have sung, he/she/it has sung
am/are/is: I/you/we/they have been, he/she/it has been
do/does: I/you/we/they have done, he/she/it has done
Here are some of the situations in which the present perfect tense is used:
(1) A single action or a state which started at a time in the past and continues up to the present moment (the moment when the sentence is said)
"I have enjoyed my vacation so far." (This means that the vacation is not over yet. "I enjoyed my vacation" means that the vacation is entirely in the past.)
(2) A single action which was completed a very short time ago (a very short time before the sentence is said)
"Johnny has finished eating dinner, so he can play with you until it gets dark." (He finished eating dinner just now, or at most a couple of minutes ago. Contrast this with: "Johnny finished eating dinner an hour ago; I don't know where he is now.")
(3) A repeated or habitual action in the past. Usually no specific time for the occurrences of the action is given, and the action is expected to occur again in the future, perhaps many times again.
"My cat has always disappeared when strangers enter the house." (This has happened repeatedly in the past, and I expect it to happen in the future.)
"Recently, she has often gotten back from the office as late as ten o'clock." [Note: in UK English, the past participle of "get" is usually "got"; "gotten" is more common in US English.]
When the verb describes a state, the present perfect tense almost always implies that the person or thing is still in that state at present:
"I have felt sick all morning." (This implies that I still feel sick, and that it is still morning, or just after noon, at the latest. "I felt sick all morning" would only be said after the morning is over, and suggests that I no longer feel sick.)
"He has been very irritable lately." (This implies that he is probably still irritable, so be careful about what you say to him! In contrast "He was irritable yesterday" does not say one way or the other what his mood is today. The speaker may not know. If the speaker does know, there is a slight suggestion that the person being spoken about is not irritable today.)
In general, the simple past tense reports an action or actions which were completed at a specific time or times in the past. It reports this as a fact, and usually says nothing about what is happening now, or what may happen in the future. The emphasis is on the completion of the action(s).
The present perfect reports an action which started in the past but is still in progress, or repeated actions at unspecified times in the past which can be expected to happen again. The emphasis is usually on the present situation, or future expectations based on these past occurrences.
"I have made a lot of mistakes." (The time period when the mistakes were made is not specified. This sentence suggests that I am aware that I may make more mistakes in the future.)
"I made a lot of mistakes." (This is more likely to be said about a specific period of time or a specific activity, such as a test the speaker took. It makes no prediction about making mistakes in the future.)
"He has made me angry." (He did things recently that angered me, and I am still angry.)
"He made me angry." (He did something on a specific occasion, or during a specific period of time, which has already been mentioned before the speaker says this.)
There are times when the present perfect tense and the simple past tense are more or less interchangeable; the contrast is not always as sharp as the examples above suggest.
He has failed the entrance exam three times.
He failed the entrance exam three times.
The difference between these sentences is very slight. The first one is a bit more likely to be said as an explanation of what he is doing now, or how he is feeling now, or his future plans. (Perhaps the translation would end in のです.) The second one is a simple factual statement; it also feels a bit more blunt than the first sentence.
Writing this has tired me out! (You should be able to draw a conclusion about my current state. ^^ )
If you want to, please add a Japanese translation in the corrections field of each sentence.
この日記は http://lang-8.com/48539/journals/737185/Simple-Past%2C-Present-Perfect-and-Past-Perfect-Tenses の続きです。
This entry is the continuation of http://lang-8.com/48539/journals/737185/Simple-Past%2C-Present-Perfect-and-Past-Perfect-Tenses .
The present perfect tense consists of "have" or "has" followed by the past participle of the verb you are using. Use "have" if the subject of the verb would be described by one of the pronouns I, you, we or they. Use "has" if the subject would be described by one of the pronouns he, she or it.
go/goes: I/you/we/they have gone, he/she/it has gone
sing/sings: I/you/we/they have sung, he/she/it has sung
am/are/is: I/you/we/they have been, he/she/it has been
do/does: I/you/we/they have done, he/she/it has done
Here are some of the situations in which the present perfect tense is used:
(1) A single action or a state which started at a time in the past and continues up to the present moment (the moment when the sentence is said)
"I have enjoyed my vacation so far." (This means that the vacation is not over yet. "I enjoyed my vacation" means that the vacation is entirely in the past.)
(2) A single action which was completed a very short time ago (a very short time before the sentence is said)
"Johnny has finished eating dinner, so he can play with you until it gets dark." (He finished eating dinner just now, or at most a couple of minutes ago. Contrast this with: "Johnny finished eating dinner an hour ago; I don't know where he is now.")
(3) A repeated or habitual action in the past. Usually no specific time for the occurrences of the action is given, and the action is expected to occur again in the future, perhaps many times again.
"My cat has always disappeared when strangers enter the house." (This has happened repeatedly in the past, and I expect it to happen in the future.)
"Recently, she has often gotten back from the office as late as ten o'clock." [Note: in UK English, the past participle of "get" is usually "got"; "gotten" is more common in US English.]
When the verb describes a state, the present perfect tense almost always implies that the person or thing is still in that state at present:
"I have felt sick all morning." (This implies that I still feel sick, and that it is still morning, or just after noon, at the latest. "I felt sick all morning" would only be said after the morning is over, and suggests that I no longer feel sick.)
"He has been very irritable lately." (This implies that he is probably still irritable, so be careful about what you say to him! In contrast "He was irritable yesterday" does not say one way or the other what his mood is today. The speaker may not know. If the speaker does know, there is a slight suggestion that the person being spoken about is not irritable today.)
In general, the simple past tense reports an action or actions which were completed at a specific time or times in the past. It reports this as a fact, and usually says nothing about what is happening now, or what may happen in the future. The emphasis is on the completion of the action(s).
The present perfect reports an action which started in the past but is still in progress, or repeated actions at unspecified times in the past which can be expected to happen again. The emphasis is usually on the present situation, or future expectations based on these past occurrences.
"I have made a lot of mistakes." (The time period when the mistakes were made is not specified. This sentence suggests that I am aware that I may make more mistakes in the future.)
"I made a lot of mistakes." (This is more likely to be said about a specific period of time or a specific activity, such as a test the speaker took. It makes no prediction about making mistakes in the future.)
"He has made me angry." (He did things recently that angered me, and I am still angry.)
"He made me angry." (He did something on a specific occasion, or during a specific period of time, which has already been mentioned before the speaker says this.)
There are times when the present perfect tense and the simple past tense are more or less interchangeable; the contrast is not always as sharp as the examples above suggest.
He has failed the entrance exam three times.
He failed the entrance exam three times.
The difference between these sentences is very slight. The first one is a bit more likely to be said as an explanation of what he is doing now, or how he is feeling now, or his future plans. (Perhaps the translation would end in のです.) The second one is a simple factual statement; it also feels a bit more blunt than the first sentence.
Writing this has tired me out! (You should be able to draw a conclusion about my current state. ^^ )
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よろしければ、行ごとの添削欄で和訳を追加してください。
Good morning, Tony-san.＾＾
The present perfect tense consists of "have" or "has" followed by the past participle of the verb you are using.現在完了形は用いる動詞の過去分詞と"have","has"から成り立っています
Use "have" if the subject of the verb would be described by one of the pronouns I, you, we or they.Iやyou,we,theyなどの代名詞を用いて動詞が表現される場合、"have"を使ってください。
Use "has" if the subject would be described by one of the pronouns he, she or it.heやshe,itなどの代名詞の場合は"has"を使ってださい
Here are some of the situations in which the present perfect tense is used:ここに現在完了形が使われる条件のいくつかを紹介します
(1) A single action or a state which started at a time in the past and continues up to the present moment (the moment when the sentence is said)過去に始まり現在(その文が語られている時間)に継続する個々の動作または状態
(2) A single action which was completed a very short time ago (a very short time before the sentence is said)つい最近(その文が語られた直前)に完了した動作
(3) A repeated or habitual action in the past.過去の繰り返し、または習慣的な動作
Usually no specific time for the occurrences of the action is given, and the action is expected to occur again in the future, perhaps many times again.一般的に現在完了を用いた出来事に関して特定の時間は必要ありません。そしてその動作はこれから先も繰り返し起こります。おそらく何度も。
When the verb describes a state, the present perfect tense almost always implies that the person or thing is still in that state at present:現在完了形で状態を表現する場合、おおかたその人物や物が現在もその状態であることをほのめかしています。
In general, the simple past tense reports an action or actions which were completed at a specific time or times in the past.普通、単純な過去形は特定の時間に完了した出来事を伝えます
It reports this as a fact, and usually says nothing about what is happening now, or what may happen in the future.実際現在は起こっていない、もしくはこれからも起こらないことを伝えます。
The emphasis is on the completion of the action(s).重きは(強調は)動作の完了にあります
The present perfect reports an action which started in the past but is still in progress, or repeated actions at unspecified times in the past which can be expected to happen again.現在完了形は特定ではない過去に起こり、現在も続いている、または過去に繰り替えされ、これからも起こるであろう動作について伝えます
The emphasis is usually on the present situation, or future expectations based on these past occurrences.重きは一般的に過去の出来事に基づく現在の状態、または将来の予想なのです
がんばって訳しました!
Unfortunately, it's difficult for me, even in Japanese.
Maybe a lot of sentence examples would be more useful.
「今までのところ休暇は楽しかった。（または、『楽しい』）」 （これは、休暇がまだ続いていることを表す） (It's so hard to find an exact equivalent in Japanese--if we say「楽しかった」, it sounds as if the vacation is about to turn bad.)
「休暇は楽しかった。」 （これは、休暇が終わった事を表す）
「ジョニーは夕食を食べ終わったところなので、暗くなるまで君と一緒に遊ぶ事ができるよ。」 （たった今、あるいは少し前に食べ終わった）
これは、「ジョニーは一時間前に夕食を食べ終わったよ。今どこにいるか分からないなあ。」とは違います。
「うちの猫はいつも見知らぬ人が家に入って来るといなくなる癖があるんだよな。」 （過去に何回もそういう事があって、これから先もそうなるだろう。）
「最近、彼女は夜10時になってやっと会社から帰って来る事が多い。」 （注： イギリス英語では、get の過去分詞としては got が使われる事が多く、gotten はアメリカで使われる事が多い）
「今朝はずっと気持が悪い。」（これは今でも気持が悪く、まだ午前中か遅くても正午を少し過ぎたところだという事を表す）
「午前中ずっと気持が悪かった。」 （これはもう午前ではなく、また気分もよくなったことを表す）
「彼はここのところずっといらいらしている。」（今もおそらくいらいらしているから、声をかけるときは気をつけよう！）
これに対して、「きのう彼はいらいらしていた。」は、今の気分はどうなのかはっきり言っていない。
「私は多くの間違いを犯してきている。」（時期ははっきり示されていない。
この文には、話者がこれからも間違いを犯しかねないと意識しているというニュアンスがあ
「私は多くの間違いを犯した。」（これは例えばテストのように、特定の時期や行動について表している事が多い。
将来また間違いを起こすかどうかは触れていない。）
「あの人のおかげで私は頭に来ている。」（最近頭に来るようなことをされ、今でも怒っている。）
「あの人のおかげで私は頭に来ていた。」（特定の機会、または時期に頭に来るようなことをされたが、おそらくその時期は過ぎている。）
現在完了と単純過去がほぼ同じ意味で、違いが上記の例ほどにはっきりしない事もある。
彼はその試験に3回失敗している。
彼はその試験に3回失敗した。
この違いはわずかです。
最初の文のほうが、「彼」が今していることや今感じていること、または将来計画していることを説明するのに使われることがやや多い。
(Perhaps the translation would end in のです.) (I'm sorry that my translation doesn't end in のです) ２番目は単なる事実で、最初の文よりややぶっきらぼうな感じがする。
Did you think of all these sentences yourself? This is a much more detailed explanation than anything I've seen in grammar books.
The present perfect is very difficult for Japanese speakers to understand. I often tell my daughters that 「～しちゃった」 is somewhat like the present perfect in Japanese. (As in 「ケーキを食べちゃった。」: I've eaten the cake. The cake is no longer there.) But it hardly describes the entire picture.
I am still learning the uses of 「～てしまう」, so I can't really say how close a fit it is. I see some similarity between present perfect and 「～てしまった」, but in the examples I know where 「～てしまう」 is used, the speaker usually has more of an emotional investment in what is being said than I think is conveyed by the present perfect. I suspect that no grammatical construct in either language will consistently provide a good translation of sentences in the other language using one of these constructs.
"I missed my bus in the morning twice last week."
「私は先週の午前中に２度もバスを逃してしまいました。」
I'm pretty sure he is correct that ～てしまいました is the right translation here, since it expresses the disappointment or irritation at having missed the bus. It is not possible to change "I missed" to "I have missed" in this sentence, however, because "last week" is already completely in the past.
I think this example shows clearly that ～てしまいました and the present perfect express different ideas.
しちまった：Rude; Very strong or exploding but momentary expression of disappointment or irritation.
してしまった：Formal or serious; Among these three expression forms, I feel this form is the hardest one; Strong regret, miserable attachment, or longest delay to forget.
これ書いていたら、もう疲れちゃった（今はもう、これ以上書く元気が残ってないよ）。The form ～ちゃった、is being tried here as Eriyuki has suggested.
お疲れ様でした！Nodded and added a suggestion.
I appreciate you posting this entry.
I prefer to study English grammar in English, so your explanation is simple and clear for me. Some English teacher says that present perfect tense is like someone still have(has) something(an action, a feeling, an experience, etc.) But I didn't know it implies someone also expects something in the future.
To tell you the truth, English grammar often confuses me and I have made a lot of grammatical mistakes.:) But once I understand it very well, it will become interesting and fun to learn it.
現在完了形は、have (has) と 動詞の過去分詞 の組み合わせで作ることができます。【意訳です】
（その動詞を受ける）主語が I, you, we, they の場合には have を使い、主語が he, she, it の場合には has を使ってください。
（過去形は）「その行為がもう完了している」ことを強調しています。
この現在完了形で強調されるのは、「現在の状況、または過去の出来事に基づいて推測される将来の予想」です。
This helps me out, thanks a lot for the useful entry!!
When I sometimes wrote sentences like this in my entries to say about an action which was completed a very short time ago, they were often corrected to past tense by my friends. What were wrong? (Unfortunately, I couldn't show you any good examples here.)
What difference is it, if I say "My cat always disappear when ..."?
I finally understood this entry, thanks to other people's translations!
"My cat always disappears when strangers enter the house." [Note the verb form "disappears."] This is very close in meaning to the sentence with "has always disappeared." In fact, the only time I can think of when one when one is more likely to use the present perfect is the following: "My cat has always disappeared when strangers enter the house, but she made friends with you/Sylvia right away." I guess this was not the best possible example. すみませんでした。
I may ask you again, if I find an example.
My cat HAS always DISAPPEARED when strangers enter the house.
私の猫は知らない人が家に来るといつも隠れてしまう。
(いつも姿が見えなくなるという状態が私の猫の属性として存在する。)
(The property "always disappeared" is with my cat.)
My cat DOES always DISAPPEAR when strangers enter the house.
私の猫は知らない人が家に来るといつも姿を隠す。
(いつも姿を隠すという行動を私の猫が実行する。)
(My cat always takes the action disappearing.)