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Most Americans do not view eating or seeing a movie as an action that began in the past with results that continue into the present.
Lotus
I'd say most Americans don't sit around and think about whether or not using the present perfect is appropriate. Most people just speak. We are quite used to using the simple past with sentences that have "already" and "yet" in them. Things that will set Metal's teeth gnashing, like "I already ate." or "Did you eat yet?" There are other places where only the present perfect is appropriate, such as "I've been waiting for you for a long time." or "I've been here since 1995." I believe we *do* use present perfect in a lot of sentences. In particular, during a discussion of Paris, for example, I would be more apt to say, "Oh Paris--I've been there." than "Oh Paris--I went there." because of the immediacy of the discussion. I bet you can get 20 answers from 20 different speakers.metal56 wrote:Is this a true statement?
Most Americans do not view eating or seeing a movie as an action that began in the past with results that continue into the present.
Lotus
So in the end, there's nothing systematic in the way American English speakers use the present perfect and past simple, right? Nothing teachable is available on that score.
I'd say most Americans don't sit around and think about whether or not using the present perfect is appropriate. Most people just speak. We are quite used to using the simple past with sentences that have "already" and "yet" in them. Things that will set Metal's teeth gnashing, like "I already ate." or "Did you eat yet?" There are other places where only the present perfect is appropriate, such as "I've been waiting for you for a long time." or "I've been here since 1995." I believe we *do* use present perfect in a lot of sentences. In particular, during a discussion of Paris, for example, I would be more apt to say, "Oh Paris--I've been there." than "Oh Paris--I went there." because of the immediacy of the discussion. I bet you can get 20 answers from 20 different speakers.
You Tarzan?fluffyhamster wrote:Wow, that's a first, metal asking about (Objection! Just mentioning. Sustained? LOL) what's 'teachable' (oh, the irony! In several senses).
That's true. Mind, most of our contemporary eating habits come from the USA.It appears as though the Brits eat bad food and watch bad movies that haunt them and hence the present perfect, results continuing in the present etc.
Give me the former over the latter, anyday.Try tasty Indian food and interesting Bollywood movies.
We have! Curry is rapidly replacing fish and chips as the national dish, mainly IMO because very few chip shops south of about York bother to make the latter properlyTry tasty Indian food
Nonsense! Lancashire chip shops are the best in Britain.lolwhites wrote:We have! Curry is rapidly replacing fish and chips as the national dish, mainly IMO because very few chip shops south of about York bother to make the latter properlyTry tasty Indian food
What are their curry houses like though?Nonsense! Lancashire chip shops are the best in Britain.
NW curry houses? Try The Curry Mile, Manchester.lolwhites wrote:What are their curry houses like though?Nonsense! Lancashire chip shops are the best in Britain.
Best I ever had was a small chippy in Dentdale.Well, there's nowt so good as thi own. Try the chippy in Diggle, Saddleworth. Mind, Compos in Yorkshire is also good. Let's just say that northern chippys put the south and midlands chippys to shame.lolwhites wrote:I still say you can get a better fish and chips the other side of the Penines, Metal