Thread: Perfective and imperfective verbs

Что будем делать с правилом?

С каким правилом? Сформулируйте его чтобы можно было говорить более предметно. В общем случае можно об одном и том же событии говорить как в перфекте, так и в неперфекте, вы это прекрасно знаете. Для этого просто нужен подходящий контекст. Так, например, событие "to have a flat tire" в прошлом можно выразить как перфектом (I have had a flat tire), так и обычным Simple Past (I had a flat tire). Оба предложения грамматически корректны, но они в отрыве от контекста, как говорится, don't make much sense. Они нормально впишутся в следующие контексты:

- Daniel, my car doesn't steer properly, what could've happened?
- Check the tires, Monica, you might have gotten a flat tire.
*checking*
- Yes, you were right, the left front one is as flat as a pancake, what am I going to do now?
- Monica have you ever had a flat tire? You are going to replace the wheel yourself or call the roadside assistance.

On the next day:

- Hi Johanna, you wouldn't believe, yesterday on my way home I had a flat tire and called the roadside assistance. I waited for them for nearly three hours and when they finally arrived and fixed it I was totally frozen and I didn't feel like I wanted to go to the party. The battery in my cell died and I couldn't call you. So I'm terribly sorry for I couldn't make it there. Hope you guys had a lot of fun.

(Native speakers of English, please correct me if you see something unnatural in my text)

Так что сформулируйте правило, чтобы мы говорили более предметно.

Originally Posted by Eugene-p

В общем случае можно об одном и том же событии говорить как в перфекте, так и в неперфекте, вы это прекрасно знаете. Для этого просто нужен подходящий контекст. Так, например, событие "to have a flat tire" в прошлом можно выразить как перфектом (I have had a flat tire), так и обычным Simple Past (I had a flat tire). Оба предложения грамматически корректны, но они в отрыве от контекста, как говорится, don't make much sense. Они нормально впишутся в следующие контексты:

- Daniel, my car doesn't steer properly, what could've happened?
- Check the tires, Monica, you might have gotten a flat tire.
*checking*
- Yes, you were right, the left front one is as flat as a pancake, what am I going to do now?
- Monica have you ever had a flat tire? You are going to replace the wheel yourself or call the roadside assistance.

On the next day:

- Hi Johanna, you wouldn't believe, yesterday on my way home I had a flat tire and called the roadside assistance. I waited for them for nearly three hours and when they finally arrived and fixed it I was totally frozen and I didn't feel like I wanted to go to the party. The battery in my cell died and I couldn't call you. So I'm terribly sorry for I couldn't make it there. Hope you guys had a lot of fun.

Да, примеры замечательные. Но как тогда быть с тем моим примером?
Have you seen Mr. Whitford this morning? - He passed me. (It's from George Meredith, I haven't read personally, though).