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The present perfect.

 

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  #1  
Old March 10, 2008, 09:26 PM
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The present perfect.

I´d like to know how to use the present perfect in spanish, more when its used with stative verb senses and adverbials of duration to refer to a state that began in the past, continues up to the present, and perhaps(though not necessarily) continue into the future,
e.g: I´ve always liked Sheila.
He´s owned the house since his parents died.
We´ve lived in Madrid for ten years.

Thanks.
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  #2  
Old March 10, 2008, 09:39 PM
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I'll let you know about the last sentence. To indicate the elapsed time of an event in the past, but still in progress, you use the formula: hace + time expression + que + present tense verb
Hace diez años que vivimos en Madrid.
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Old March 10, 2008, 11:15 PM
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Hi,

I´ve always liked Sheila.=Siempre me ha caído bien Sheila
He´s owned the house since his parents died.=Ha sido dueño de la casa desde que sus padres murieron

A ver qué dicen los nativos

I hope this helps
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Old March 11, 2008, 04:33 AM
Alfonso Alfonso is offline
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Hola, Jane:

Creo que en algunos de los ejemplos que pones el preterito perfecto en español estaría muy forzado. Yo diría:
  • Siempre me ha gustado Sheila / Siempre me ha caído bien Sheila.
  • Es propietario de la casa desde que sus padres murieron (en presente).
  • Hace diez años que vivimos en Madrid (en presente, como dice Rusty).
By the way, in your post you say how to use present perfect in Spanish. I suppose that what you mean is pretérito perfecto.

Do you use present perfect, in English, to mean a past tense?

Please feel free to correct my English.
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Last edited by Alfonso; March 11, 2008 at 08:06 AM. Reason: Information added.
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Old March 11, 2008, 08:48 AM
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present perfect

As far as I know, Jane is right about the present perfect tense.

The term pluperfect is interchangeable with past perfect, I believe.

Marsopa
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Old March 11, 2008, 09:31 AM
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Thanks every one.
Alfonso , the present perfect in English suggests a connection between something that happened in the past and a present time, often referring to an action in the past which has a result now.
I also thought it is the pertérito perfecto in spanish but i wasn´t sure, especially when it´s used with the adverbials of duration : for, since, always.
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Old March 11, 2008, 10:06 AM
Alfonso Alfonso is offline
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Thanks Marsopa and Jane.

So, what you call in English present perfect is what in Spanish is called pretérito perfecto. That's to say an auxiliary verb (to have / haber) + past participle.

In Spanish there is also a connection between past and present in the same way that Jane says for English. Even, some ancient grammarians called pretérito perfecto, copresente, which is to say that something happens in the past, but in the same period we are living now.

Actually, a minority of Spanish speakers use pretérito perfecto, as much as in America and in some areas in the north of Spain it is often substituted by pretérito indefinido.

Any correction will be welcomed
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