Tense & Aspekt Perfect

• past tense

• perfect aspect

• beforeness/Anteriority

• past-time-related-to-present-tense

1. State up to the present (used with state verbs)

   1. “I’ve known her for years.”

   2. includs possible continuation bexond present

2. Indefiniite past (used with event verbs)

   1. “Something awful has happened.”

   2. may be more than one event at an unspecified time in the past

3. habit up to the present (used with event verbs)

   1. “i’ve alsways walked to work.”

   2. includes possible continuation beyond present

4. Resultative past (used with event verbs)

   1. “You’ve ruined my dress.”

   2. The result persists until the present time (i.e. dress is still ruined)

• Usually and adverb/adverbial of duration

• sometimes also an adverb/adverbial of frequency

Examples:

This machine has been serviced every year since we bought it.

We’ve walked to school every day since dad’s car broke down.

1. implies that he is still at the stadium

2. implies that he has returned or left the stadium

• both are -ed participled of the word go

  • gone- resultative meaning (he is not here)

  • been- indefinite meaning (open how many times and how long he was there for)

1. continuation up to the present

2. present result

3. indefinite time/duration

• less frequent in AmE

• AmE uses simple past instead

• Example:

  • Have you sold your house yet? (BrE)

  • Did you sell you house yes? (AmE)

• refer to a specific point in time:

  • ago

  • earlier

  • last

  • The other day

  • yesterday

    
    

• refer to a time period stretching up to now

  • up to now

  • until now

  • since we met

• today, this week

• this morning

• recently, just, always, never

• now, once, still, yet, before, already

  
  

• time further in the past, as seen from the viewpoint of a definite point of time already in the past

Example:

I had just about given up hope that she would come, but then she appeared in the doorway.

• temporary situation leading up to the present momenr

• temporary situation leading up to a specific moment in the past

Because the Perfect Progressive is almost never used in the passive voice in English.

• past state —> I used to live in Trier.

• past habit —> I used to walk to work.

• state up to present (1)

• habit up to the present (2)

• indefinite past (3)

all show continuation up to the present

1. I have lived here for years.

2. I have been saving up for every month since I first started working.

3. I have spilt my coffee.

Definite past time either has an explicit past time reference like yesterday, last week, four years ago, 1991 or an implied past time reference like when I was a kid. If an event has definite past time reference, use the past tense to show that. 

The present perfect is use to show habitual action that started in the past and continues habitually until the present (it may also continue into the future). Example:

1. I have always spent my holiday in the mountains. 

2. We have been in the alpinist club for as long as I can remember. 

The indefinite past occurs with event verbs. If either the frequency of the event or the exact time of the event is unknown, this triggers the use of the present perfect. Examples: 

1. I have been to Spain.  (times and frequency unknown) 

2. I have been to Spain twice. (frequency unknown) 

Indefinite use of the present perfect often co-occurs with adverbials of time like since, for, just, ever, never and before. (Don't be tricked though! These can also co-occur with past tense verb phrases.)

There are two ways to show that something was a past habit:

1. I was a nail biter. (Semantic implication: I'm not anymore.)

2. I used to bite my nails. (Semantic implication: I no longer do this.)

The past perfect has the meaning of the past-in-the-past. This means that the past perfect always happens before another definite past time reference.  The past perfect is used when the order of events is important or significant.  Example: I had eaten too much cake before I vomited on the bus.  The more recent action is the past simple action vomited. The eating of the cake happened before that.  Semantically the implication here is that too much cake led to the vomiting episode. 

The past perfect progressive can do the following things: Describe a temporary situation leading up to a definite time past moment

• He had been living in Marburg until he graduated. 

A state-up-to-the past:

• He had been reading his book before the lights went out.

Resultative past:

• Her tear-streaked faced was evidence that she had been crying again.  

Indefinite meaning:

• He had been walking the dog when he found the treasure. 

To show that a state existed in the past but doesn't any more, use the past simple. 

Example:As a child, I believed in Santa Claus. 

The semantic implication of this is that I no-longer believe in Santa Clause

past tense indicates that an action/event or state is complete and has no bearing on the present

The perfect aspect represents "beforeness". The technical term for this is anteriority.

The present perfect is the "past with present relevance" or "past-time-with-present-relevance".The formula for the present perfect is: has/have + past participle 

Example: have been OR has had

The resultative past is the use of the present perfect to indicate that the result of the event is still operative in the present. Example: 

1. I have ruined my shirt.  (Explicit meaning: you can see that something has happened to ruin it)

2. I have washed my hands. (Implicit meaning: They are clean now. )

The present perfect can be used to show that a state exists up to the present moment. The main verb in the verb phrase must be a state verb. 

For example: I have known you since the beginning of your studies. This state is something which began to exist when I first met you and continues to exist now. 

Definite past time references like:

• yesterday

• last week

• 1999

• etc.

Time adverbials that are often associated with the present perfect are:

• since

• so far

• up to now

• hitherto

• lately

• etc.