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The present perfect
Message de mounjia posté le 11-06-2009 à 16:45:36 (S | E | F)
hello
i waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years
i was waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years but now i'm a babysitter.
is it true?
when the action happened and lasted some years for ewxample but it finished one day we use the present not the present perfect?
please help me
the teacher said that but she wasn't sure
Message de mounjia posté le 11-06-2009 à 16:45:36 (S | E | F)
hello
i waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years
i was waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years but now i'm a babysitter.
is it true?
when the action happened and lasted some years for ewxample but it finished one day we use the present not the present perfect?
please help me
the teacher said that but she wasn't sure
Réponse: The present perfect de mounjia, postée le 11-06-2009 à 16:47:04 (S | E)
there was a fault in the first sentence
i was a waitress not i witress
excuse me!
and thanks for your answers
Réponse: The present perfect de jean31, postée le 11-06-2009 à 17:43:03 (S | E)
Hello,
"[Hello,
I was a waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years.
I was a waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years but now I'm a baby-sitter.
Is it true?
When the action happened and lasted some years for example but it finished one day do we use the present, not the present perfect?
Please help me
The teacher said that but she wasn't sure.]"
I get the feeling you are right although your explanation isn't very clear.
Let me try to answer unambiguously:
- The first sentence in the preterit "I was a waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years" implies you no longer do that job today.
- The second part of the second sentence just adds the precision about the job you're currently doing today and normally uses the present tense.
- You would use the present perfect if you added an adverbial phrase of time, eg "...but now I've been a baby-sitter since last January/for 6 months".
Hope this helps.
Réponse: The present perfect de dolfin56, postée le 11-06-2009 à 17:44:03 (S | E)
Bonjour,
quand l'action s'est passée à une période datée et terminée, on emploie de prétérite:
I was a teacher in Paris in 1962.
quand l'action a commencé dans le passé, mais se poursuit, on emploie le présent perfect.:
I have been living in Paris for ten years.
I was a waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years but now i'm a babysitter ==> o.k
I have been a waitress in the Touby's restaurant for 3 years. (and I'm always working there).
Réponse: The present perfect de ariette, postée le 11-06-2009 à 17:49:08 (S | E)
If I understand properly, you have been working as a waitress for 3 years but now you are working as a baby sitter
So since it has come to an end, you have to use the preterit and not the present perfect
Is my answer of any help?
Réponse: The present perfect de hugnamene, postée le 12-06-2009 à 17:38:44 (S | E)
I think that the present perfect it's used to mention something whitch is appenned during a certain time
