Martin n'est pas arrivé depuis longtemps

r. p.B2Kwiziq 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
Asked 8 years ago
LauraNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer
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.
Robert B.C1Kwiziq 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"

r. p. asked:View original

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

Sign in to submit your answer

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
Getting that for you now...