Martin n'est pas arrivé depuis longtemps
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
Kwiziq community member
Martin n'est pas arrivé depuis longtemps
A negative completed in the past, would that not be (in English)
"had" instead of "have"?? Because "has not" sounds uncompleted
This question relates to:French lesson "Using the compound past (Le Passé Composé) vs the present (Le Présent) in negative sentences with "depuis" (since/for) in French "
Asked 9 years ago
Bonjour Robert,
The passé composé can indicate that something happened in the past (Il est arrivé à 8 heures) or that it happened in the past but still has an effect on the present, as in your example. By saying "he hasn't been here," it's clear that he is still here. If you say "hadn't" that would mean that he's no longer here.
The passé composé can indicate that something happened in the past (Il est arrivé à 8 heures) or that it happened in the past but still has an effect on the present, as in your example. By saying "he hasn't been here," it's clear that he is still here. If you say "hadn't" that would mean that he's no longer here.
Robert B.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I have the same problem, It is difficult to distinguish with these simple sentences whether the English tense is "Present Perfect" or "Past Perfect"
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Ask a question
Find your French level for FREE
Test your French to the CEFR standard
Find your French level