The Circuit of Tenses 3

The Past Tense & Present Perfect in Contrast

Past Tense: Die einfache Vergangenheitsform drückt u.a.

abgeschlossene Begebenheiten / Tätigkeiten
aus. Dabei lässt sich in der Regel ein Zeitpunkt
We moved to Pforzheim in 1987.
in der Vergangenheit nennen (oder denken).
We often went to the theatre when we lived in
Folgende Signalwörter machen das Simple Past
Berlin.
u.a. deutlich:
yesterday, last January, on 8 May 1945, three
weeks ago, in 1848

Present Perfect: Die Perfektform wird für Begebenheiten /

Tätigkeiten / Zustände verwendet, die in der
Vergangenheit begonnen haben, aber jetzt
We have lived In Pforzheim since 1987.
noch andauern oder deren Ergeb-nisse / Folgen
jetzt sichtbar sind.
Have you seen the latest film by Woody Allen
yet?
Typische Signalwörter für diese Zeitaspekte
- No, I haven’t seen it yet. I haven’t been to the
sind z.B.:
cinema for months.
(not) yet, already, since (=seit einem bestimmten
Zeitpunkt), for (seit einer bestimmten
There have been a lot of accidents in our street
Zeitspanne), so far, recently, ever, never
recently.

Present Perfect Progressive:

Wie bei den anderen Zeitformen gibt es
Is Barbara’s number still engaged? I’ve been natürlich auch beim Present Perfect die
trying to ring Barbara seven or eight times. Progressive- / Continuous-Form, nämlich um
She has been talking for more than an hour. die Zeitdauer oder Häufigkeit eines
bestimmten Vorgangs besonders hervor-
zuheben.

For your test exercises, please turn over >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Circuit of Tenses © G. Junge-Lampart, E.M. Beck 1

First practise the use of Past Tense & Present Perfect Tense (in some cases you may
find it fitting to use the Progressive forms):

1. We (live) .......................................................... here for three years, but we only

(meet) ..................................................... our neighbours five weeks ago.

2. I (never - be) ........................................................ to Paris before. But I’m looking forward to

spending a weekend there next month.

3. Thousands of trees (be killed) ....................................................... by acid rain in the last ten years.

4. When we (start) ................................................. work in the morning, the sun

(shine) ........................................................... We (not - notice) ................................................ the
dark clouds on the horizon, though.

5. Now, when we look through the window we can see that a terrible storm
(uproot) ................................................... the huge chestnut tree in our front garden and that the
rain (flood) .................................................. the street. I (not - see) ..........................................
anything like it yet.

6. Since I (start) ............................................ my job with EMI records in 1992, we

(sell) ................................................... 5 million Sinead O’Connor CDs.

And now, please translate into GERMAN or ENGLISH respectively:

7. Wie lange bist du schon auf dieser Schule?

8. I’ve attended this college for two years now.

9. Seit 1969 sind im Nordirland-Konflikt 3.200 Menschen getötet worden.

10. The Troubles in Northern Ireland went on for 25 years until 1994. The ceasefire (Waffenstillstand)
of the paramilitary groups has since brought hope of real peace.

The Circuit of Tenses © G. Junge-Lampart, E.M. Beck 2