i did my homework in two hours yesterday

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Present Perfect

For recently finished actions.

Table of Contents

In this grammar section we will have a look at the tense Present Perfect to talk about recently finished/completed actions.

A: How long have you worked there? B: I have worked there for 3 years.

A: How long have you been friends? B: We haven’t been friends for long. We have been friends since 2022

The video gives an overview of to Present Perfect for something recently completed/finished actions.

It shows the meaning/usage: when and why to use the Present Perfect.

For the form and the pronunciation have a look a the different webpages:

• Present perfect form
• Present perfect pronunciation

Usage/ Meaning

How and when do we use the Present Perfect?

Present Perfect is also used to talk about something recently finished.

I have just done my homework: This means not so long ago you finished your homework . It is an unspecified time in the past . We don’t know when the person did it, but it wasn’t so long ago . It is usually used to stress that you finished the action and there it no need to do it anymore or no need to worry about it anymore .

I have already done my homework: This means you finished your homework somewhere before now . It is an unspecified time in the past . We don’t know when the person did it . It is usually used to stress that you finished the action and there it no need to do it anymore or no need to worry about it anymore .

Present Perfect is also used to talk about something that is not finished.

I haven’t done my homework yet : This means you did not finished your homework somewhere before now but that you will do it later . It is usually used to stress that you did not finished the action but you will do it somewhere soon in the future.

• Just: recently finished actions. positive and questions. Between have and the main verb : I have just finished . 
• Already: finished actions. positive and questions. Between have and the main verb : I have already finished .
• Yet: not finished, but will finish it later. Negative and questions. At the end of the sentence: I haven’t finished yet .

Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments below . Also give us some more details about when, where, why,….

• What have you already done today?
• What haven’t you done yet today, but must still do today?
• What have you just finished before answering these questions?
• Have you just had some food?
• Have you already finished your homework?
• Have you already studied today?
• Have you just had a phone call?
• Have you already had lunch today?
• Which movie have you already seen more than 2 times?
• Which goals in your life have you already achieved?

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The Present Perfect Tense

• Past perfect means before another action in the past.
• Present perfect means before now.
• Future perfect means before another action in the future.
• Past perfect: I had done my homework and so the test was easy.
• Present perfect: I have done my homework hard and so the test is easy.
• Future perfect: I will have done my homework hard and so the test will be easy.
• “I wasn’t hungry yesterday because I had eaten a large breakfast”
• “I am not hungry now because I have eaten a large breakfast”
• “I won’t be hungry tomorrow because I will have eaten a large breakfast”

Grammar Resources

@lsi.worldwide

How to use the 'Present Perfect'

'I have been to Boston.'

Have/has + past participle makes the present perfect .

She has lost her bag. They have taken a taxi I have been to Australia

The present perfect tense is used to describe something that happened in the past, but the exact time it happened is not important. It has a relationship with the present.

I have done my homework = I finished my homework in the past. It is not important at what exact time, only that it is now done. I have forgotten my bag. = Exactly when in the past that I forgot it is not important. The important thing is that I don't have it now .

As we do not use exact time expressions with the past perfect, we cannot say: I have done my homework yesterday

In this case we use the past simple tense: I did my homework yesterday.

Using already just and yet with the present perfect

Already , just and yet can are all used with the present perfect.

Already means 'something has happened sooner than we expected: 'The movie only came out yesterday, but I have already seen it.'

Just means 'a short time ago': 'I have just seen your brother going into the bank with a gun!'

Yet is only used in questions and negative sentences. It means 'something is expected to happen': 'Have you finished the report yet?' No, I haven't finished it yet.'

Now choose the best answer to make the present perfect:

• My parents ___. have retired has retired retired yet
• Your sister ___ my car. has borrowed has borrow have borrowed
• Have you ___ the movie yet? looked seen have seen
• Please wait. I haven't finished ___. just already yet
• Water __ found on Mars. have has been has be
• I have ___ all my money. has spend spent spend
• They ___ you a cake. have maded have make have made

• Lesson Index

English language Schools

Can We Use Yesterday With the Present Perfect Tense?

By: Author Susan Parker

Posted on Published: November 17, 2021

English tenses can be very confusing, but they’re very important because getting them wrong can result in misunderstanding. Verb tenses tell you when something happens, which is simple when we’re just referring to past, present, and future. However, when we’re linking the past with the present by using present perfect, then we may wonder if we can use “yesterday.”

We cannot use “yesterday” on its own with the present perfect tense because adverbs that refer to a completed time in the past only work with past tenses. However, you can use “since yesterday” in the present perfect tense because that expresses a time period that started yesterday and is still continuing. 

This article will explore the present perfect tense and how we should use it. We’ll examine the difference between “yesterday” and “since yesterday” and why we treat them differently. We’ll also consider what tenses we can use with “yesterday” and why.

What Is the Present Perfect?

English has three basic tenses — past, present, and future — and then those three have the perfect, continuous, and perfect continuous forms. Let’s consider the verb “to eat” in each of these tenses to illustrate the point.

We use the perfect tenses to describe an action that has been absolutely completed or perfected. This is called the “perfect aspect” ( source ). To create the present perfect, we add “has” or “have” to the past participle of the verb.

English speakers use the present perfect tense often, and it has three main uses, as we’ve illustrated in the table below ( source ).

Actions that started in the past and are continuing:

• She has lived in Australia for 10 years.
• Jack has worked in advertising since 2004.

Actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past:

• They have visited the museum many times.
• Maggie has already finished that book.

Actions that happened in the past but have an effect on the present:

• How will we get there? Andrew has lost his car keys.
• Jane can’t walk. She has broken her ankle.

What About “Yesterday”? 

We can use “yesterday” as an adverb or a noun to describe the day before today, or, in some contexts, it can mean just a short time ago ( source ). Consider the sentences below that illustrate these definitions.

• I had a ballet exam yesterday. (adverb, day before today)
• I went to that restaurant yesterday. (adverb, day before today)
• I wasn’t born yesterday. (adverb, a short time ago)
• It feels like yesterday that you were at school. (adverb, a short time ago)
• Yesterday was Tuesday. (noun, day before today)
• I’m not interested in yesterday’s news. (noun, a short time ago)

You will notice that whether we are referring specifically to the day before today or, more generally, to a time period in the past, the concept of “yesterday” is a completed period that has already happened.

Which Tense Is Used With “Yesterday”?

Since “yesterday” refers to a time period that is past, it would be logical to assume that we must use it in the past tense. Using our original verb “to eat,” let’s consider which verbs we can use with “yesterday.” 

Is “Yesterday” Past Simple or Present Perfect?

As you will have noticed, we can use all four past tenses with “yesterday” but none of the present or future tenses. This is because “yesterday” is an expression of time that occurs entirely in the past and doesn’t include the present.

We can always use past simple — or any other past tense — with “yesterday” because it refers to the day before today, which is very clearly something that occurred in the past. Other expressions of time that only work in the past include:

• Last week 
• An hour ago
• A long time ago

All of these can function in the past tenses but cannot work in any other tenses. We sometimes see someone use them incorrectly in the present perfect tense, and we need to recognize the error. Consider the following sentences, which show the incorrect use of “yesterday” in the present perfect tense.

• I have done my homework yesterday.  
• Yesterday, Jane has invited me to the dance.
• They have finished the job yesterday.

None of these sentences make sense, and we need to rewrite them in the past simple:

• I did my homework yesterday.  
• Yesterday, Jane invited me to the dance.
• They finished the job yesterday.

With more context, we could also rewrite them in the other past tenses:

For more on this topic, read “ Can We Use “Yesterday” W ith Past Perfect? ”

More on Perfect Tenses

We use the various tenses to express when something happened, and we use aspect to determine whether we are simply expressing a fact or whether the action is completed or ongoing. 

The simple tenses are by definition simple — they just express a fact:

• Jack drinks a soda.
• Jack drank a soda.
• Jack will drink a soda.

However, we use the perfect tenses to illustrate various connections in time. As we’ve already mentioned, the present perfect and present perfect continuous connect the past with the present. 

Past perfect and past perfect continuous connect two different times in the past. Meanwhile, the future perfect and future perfect continuous connect an action with the future.

The perfect tenses focus on the completed action, while the perfect continuous tenses focus on that action continuing.

We use the present perfect tenses most often. Usually, we use them to talk about something we have done in the past that is still relevant today. When you’re introducing yourself or telling someone about your past, you will use these tenses extensively.

We don’t use the past perfect tenses quite as often, but they are still very useful. You will use this tense when telling stories because it helps to differentiate between various times in the past. We can use it to connect two past actions or to connect a past action with a past time. This is why we use this tense with “yesterday.”

We use the future perfect tenses least often, but they’re still useful when talking about plans or goals. You may use this tense to talk about what will have to be completed before a specific future time.

Can We Use “Since Yesterday”?

Since yesterday is an acceptable phrase. If we add “since” to create the phrase “since yesterday,” we are dealing with a different time expression. “Since” means from a time in the past until now, so “since yesterday” means from the day before today until now ( source ).

In this case, “since yesterday” doesn’t only occur in the past. It links the present with the past, so we can use it in the present perfect tense. Consider the sentences below.

• I’ve been studying since yesterday.
• I haven’t seen her since yesterday afternoon.
• Mr. Smith has been painting his house non-stop since yesterday.

Exploring “Since”

We use “since” to express time, and it can work as an adverb, preposition, or conjunction, depending on how we position it in a sentence. 

As a preposition, we follow “since” with a noun:

• I haven’t been this fit since 2004.

As an adverb, we do not follow “since” with a noun:

• Jack left last October and hasn’t been home since.

As a conjunction, it connects two clauses:

• Jill has had many boyfriends since her relationship ended.

As an expression of time, “since” means either:

From a time in the past up until the present

From a time in the past until another time in the past.

In the first instance, when constructing a sentence using “since,” we will always use the present perfect tense in the main clause. However, after “since,” we can either use present perfect to describe the time from the past up until the present or simple past tense to describe the time from the past up until another point in the past.

Consider the examples below that illustrate these two possibilities.

Using present perfect after “since” to describe the time from the past up until the present:

• Jack has improved his times since he has started training daily. 
• I have been feeling better since I’ve been taking the correct medication.

Using simple past after “since” to describe the time from the past up until another point in the past:

• Jack has improved his times since he started training daily. 
• I have been feeling significantly better since I began taking the correct medication.

In the second instance, we most often use past perfect tense in the main clause and past simple after “since.” Consider the examples below:

Sally’s death was devastating. I had been friends with her since we started school in 1980.

I didn’t know you had been working on that since we opened the business last year.

Sometimes, we use past perfect tense in the main clause and again after “since,” as we’ve shown below.

• It had been more than a decade since I had asked anyone on a date.

It’s important to remember that “since” is an expression of time in the past. Therefore, we can never use it to describe present or future time.

What About “Ever Since”?

We use “ever since” in two ways, as we’ve illustrated below. This article was written for strategiesforparents.com.

To talk about something that happened regularly from a time in the past up until now:

• She saw her first ballet at six and has wanted to be a dancer ever since .
• Bob first went to London in 1982 and has been visiting annually ever since . 

To talk about something that happened continually from a specific time in the past:

• She has wanted to be a dancer ever since she was a young girl. 
• Bob has been visiting London annually ever since his first visit in 1982.

Final Thoughts

English tenses can trip you up, especially if you overthink them. When saying “yesterday,” it’s useful to remember that because it refers to the day before today, we can only use it to talk about an action that has occurred in the past.

Thus, you would always use one of the past tenses — past simple, past continuous, past perfect, or past perfect continuous — with “yesterday.” 

The present perfect tense has to have a link to the present and, therefore, cannot work together with “yesterday.” However, a word like “since” can work to create the link to the present, so we can use “since yesterday” with the present perfect tense.

Do – Does – Did – Done

DO – DOES – DID – DONE

The word  DO  appears a lot in English.

This is because it can be a verb, as in the verb  TO DO  which can be conjugated as Do and Does in the present tense, Did in the past tense and Done as a past participle.

DO can also be an  AUXILIARY  verb in the form of Do / Does to make questions in the present tense and Did to make questions in the past tense.

Let’s look at each one in more detail. We will start with the verb TO DO.

As we have seen, the verb  TO DO  has four forms: Do / Does / Did and Done Lets look at its form in the simple present tense.  

TO DO – Present Tense

With the verb TO DO in the Present Tense… We say: I do / you do / we do / they do But we say: he does / she does / it does

Let’s look at some example sentences:

• I  do  my laundry on Saturdays.

(Do my laundry means I wash my clothes, well, I put in the washing machine)

• They  do  their chores when they arrive home.

(Chores is the housework you need to do like washing the dishes, doing the vacuuming, etc.)

• He  does  nothing all day. (That’s right… he is quite lazy, he does absolutely nothing.)
• She  does charity work when she has time. (People that do charity work are superheroes)

TO DO – Past Tense

The simple past tense of DO is  DID  for all subjects: I did / you did / we did / they did / he did / she did / it did Notice how there is only one form of the verb in the past tense…. DID .

• He  did  a magic trick. (Yes, and everyone was amazed… wooow!)
• The baby  did  a fart. (Yes, and the smell made everyone cry. How can such a cute thing produce something so rotten.)
• I  did  my homework in record time. (Yes, it only took me 5 hours instead of 10)
• She did ballet after school last year. (This year she is doing something different)

TO DO – Past Participle

The past participle of DO is  DONE . Remember that past participles are accompanied by a conjugation of the verb  TO HAVE  or  TO BE  (which means it is in the correct tense according to the subject)

In general Have + past participle is used with a perfect tense and BE + past participle is with the passive voice . Let’s look at some examples:

• I have  done  my homework.
• He has  done  a good job.

These two sentences are in the present perfect tense because they have have or has before the past participle done .

• The video will show you how it is  done .
• The report was  done  on time.

Here we used a conjugation of the verb To Be before the past participle done .

TO DO – To replace a verb

We sometimes use the verb  DO  to  replace a verb when the meaning is clear  or obvious. This replacement is more common in informal spoken English:

• Have you  done  the dishes yet?

(Here done means washed )

• I’ll  do  the kitchen if you  do  the lawns

(The first do means clean – The second do means mow )

Sometimes Do , Does , and Did are used as auxiliaries to make questions in English.

Let’s start with DO and DOES:

DO / DOES – For Questions

To make a question in the simple present tense in English we normally put the auxiliary Do or Does at the beginning of the question before the subject. After the subject is the verb in its base form which means the infinitive without TO at the beginning. Look at this affirmative sentence:

• You speak English.

How can we make this a question? We add DO at the beginning so it becomes:

• Do  you speak English?

You will see that we add  DO  at the beginning when the subject is  I ,  you ,  we  or  they .

But look at this affirmative sentence:

• He speaks Arabic.

To make this a question we say:

• Does  he speak Arabic?

You can see that we add  DOES  at the beginning when the subject is  he ,  she or  it .

Notice how the letter  S  at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. That is because the verb is in the base form of the infinitive.

NOTE: We  DON’T  use  Do  or  Does  in questions that have the verb  To Be  or  Modal Verbs  (can, must, might, should etc.)

DID – For Questions

Let’s look at the auxiliary DID.

To make a question in the Simple Past Tense in English we normally put the auxiliary DID at the beginning of the question before the subject. And just like in the present tense, After the subject is the verb in its base form which means the infinitive with TO at the beginning. Look at this affirmative sentence:

• You lived in Spain.

How can we make this a question? We add DID at the beginning so it becomes:

• Did  you live in Spain?

We use the verb form Live and NOT lived because the auxiliary DID show that the question is in the past tense.

Did is also used with He, She and It. So with this affirmative sentence:

• She lived in Japan.

To make it a question in the past tense we say:

• Did she live in Japan?

Again we use DID for questions in the past EXCEPT with To Be  and  Modal Verbs  such as  Can . Compare these questions:

• Do you speak English?
• Did you speak English?

The only difference between a question in the present tense and the past tense is the first part… DO or DID. And look at these two questions

• Does he speak Italian?
• Did he speak Italian?

The only difference between a question in the present tense and the past tense when it refers to third person (he, she, or it) is the first part… DOES or DID.

Auxiliary and Verb together

Look at this question:

• Do you do exercises every day?

Why are there two DOs in this question? The first DO is necessary because we are making a question in the simple present tense. The second DO is from the verb TO DO. You DO exercises.

What happens if instead of YOU we are asking about another person?

• Does she do exercises every day?

We use DOES because it is necessary for simple present tense questions for third person, in this case for SHE. Does she….? Again DO appears because you DO exercises. It appears as DO and not DOES because the verb needs to be in the base form of the infinitive.

Of course in the past tense you would say:

• Did you do exercises yesterday?

Did is an auxiliary which is needed to make a question. Do is from the verb To Do.

DO and DOES – For Emphasis

Sometimes  Do / Does / Did  are used in  positive sentences  to give special  emphasis that what you say is true, despite what the other person thinks. Note that when speaking, the word ( do/does/did ) is stressed.

• I  do  want to go. (We put stress on the word  DO  to emphasize that we really want to go, even if you think it is not true.)
• I  did  study for the test. (Contrary to what you may believe… yes, I studied)

Notice that  Did  is used for positive sentences in the past tense and that the main verb is in its base form.

• Yes, he  does  like broccoli. (You may be surprised but yes, he likes broccoli)
• You  do  need tickets for the event. (I am emphasizing that fact that tickets ARE needed despite what you think.)

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Perfect tense.

• Present Perfect Tense in English
• When to use the Present Perfect Tense
• Adverbs with the Present Perfect Tense
• Still - Yet - Already
• Been To vs. Gone To
• Do - Does - Did - Done
• 101 Irregular Past Participles in English

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Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

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Yes I have done it before today [closed]

Question : have you done the Homework? Answer : Yes I have done it before today..

Is it Correct if I did my homework yesterday itself and I use present perfect answer the question? Since I can't say yesterday in present perfect, can I say before today?

• present-perfect

• Correct in what way? –  Lawrence Commented May 9, 2018 at 14:08
• Can I use present perfect to answer the question since I cant use yesterday in present perfect . can I say before today instead of yesterday? @Lawrence –  TheMdsami33 Commented May 9, 2018 at 14:52
• It sounds a bit odd. Perhaps it's because that uses have as a straight verb (I have [ done whatever ]), as opposed to an auxiliary verb ( have done ). It seems to answer a question like "Have you ever done done this?" rather than the one your question poses. However, I'm not a linguist, so I'll leave it to the more technically-minded among us to present a proper answer. There may also be material already in the database. Click the present-perfect tag to get a list of those questions to look at. –  Lawrence Commented May 9, 2018 at 15:25
• What does "before today" mean? Is it yesterday? Is it last night? Is it two days ago? Maybe you meant to say " earlier today"? –  Mari-Lou A Commented May 9, 2018 at 17:33
• Probably technically "correct" from a grammar standpoint, but quite ambiguous. Should only be used if the intent is to create confusion. –  Hot Licks Commented May 9, 2018 at 17:50

It seems that the main issue is that you don't know how to combine an explicit mention of yesterday with the present perfect. The standard way of doing it is by making yesterday a supplement , something not integrated into the syntactic structure of the sentence. Like this:

Q: Have you done your homework? A: Yes I have, yesterday .

It is true that

Time adjuncts like last week, two minutes ago , etc., which refer to times wholly before now, are incompatible with the present perfect.

( CGEL , p. 143). The reson is that

The present perfect involves reference to both past and present time: it is concerned with a time-span beginning in the past and extending up to now. It is not used in contexts where the 'now' component of this is explicitly or implicitly excluded.

Nevertheless, note that such adjuncts are allowed if they appear as supplements (something that is not integrated into the syntactical structure of the sentence). Thus, we are allowed to say

A: Yes I have, yesterday.

Here are some examples of similar usage from published literature (the supplemental time adjunct is in boldface):

"Have you been there?" "Yes I have, last time he was in London ." (source) 'Yes, we have, yesterday .' (source) "Yes, they have, on that fateful day ." (source) "Yes Ivana she has, some five years ago. " (source) "Yes, she has. Last night ." ( source. Here the temporal adjunct appears on its own as a verbless and subjectless sentence, which could equally well appear as a supplement.)

The reason why this works is that supplements are only required to be semantically compatible with the rest of the sentence, whereas integrated parts of the sentence must be syntactically compatible as well. CGEL explains it like this (pp. 1351-1352):

[Integrated constructions require] that the complement be syntactically licensed, whereas in supplementation it is, as we said above, a matter of semantic compatibility. Compare: [7]  i  a.   The stipulation that Harry could not touch the money until he was eighteen                annoyed him enormously.           b.  * The codicil that Harry could not touch the money until he was eighteen                annoyed him enormously.       ii  a.   This stipulation—that Harry could not touch the money until he was                eighteen—annoyed him enormously.           b.   The codicil in the will—that Harry could not touch the money until he was                eighteen—annoyed him enormously.

A codicil is 'an addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one' (see e.g. here ). CGEL continues:

The examples in [i] belong to the integrated head + complement construction. Stipulation licenses a declarative complement, but codicil does not: hence the ungrammaticality of [ib]. In [ii] the content clause is a supplement, interpreted as specifying the content of its anchor NP [noun phrase; an anchor is what the supplement is related to semantically, but not syntactically]. And this time the codicil example is acceptable: the NP it heads denotes an addition to a will and hence has propositional content which can be specified by a declarative content clause.

Why the sentence you tried doesn't work

Now let's discuss why

[1] I have done it before today.

doesn't work in your case.

It is an acceptable sentence of English, but it is probably not how that conversation would actually go. In your context, it sounds awkward. To explain why, let's consider the following sentence:

[2] I have borrowed this car three times before today. (source)

This implies that the speaker borrowed the car a total of four times: three times before today, and then also today.

So [1] would make sense in the following situation: Kim and Alex have just completed some activity that lots of people find frightening although it is actually perfectly safe. It is Alex's first time doing that, and he got really scared. Kim, however, was calm, and Alex is wondering how Kim managed to stay so calm. Kim says, 'Oh, I've done it before today.'

What a native speaker would actually say

While Yes I have, yesterday is prefectly fine, other responses to Have you done your homework? are perheps even more likely:

Yes, I have. Yes, I did it yesterday.

Note that especially in American English, the question itself could be in the preterite:

Did you do your homework?

Is this is case of ellipsis?

It has been suggested that what we have here is a case of ellipsis, i.e. that [3] i is an ellipted version of [3] ii, where the boldfaced words in ii are the ones that were ellipted, while '___'s mark the positions in i where the ellipsis occured:

[3]   i   Yes I have ___, ___ yesterday.        ii   Yes I have done it , I did it yesterday.

An important thing to realize about ellipsis is that it should be invoked only when other kinds of analyses fail—the burden on proof is on those who claim something is an ellipsis, not those who claim it is not. This follows from principle that the elliptical construction must be grammatically 'defective': therefore, if it can be shown that a construction is not 'defective', then it is not an instance of ellipsis. There are other principles as well. ComGEL gives five such principles (pp. 884-887):

(a) The ellipted words are precisely recoverable; (b) The elliptical construction is grammatically 'defective'; (c) The insertion of the missing words results in a grammatical        sentence with the same meaning as the original sentence; (d) The missing word(s) are textually recoverable, and; (e) are present in the text in exactly the same form.

In light of these, let's compare [3] with a pradigmatic case of ellipsis:

[4]  i  A:   You had better stay at home.     B:   Yes, I'd better.       ii                                                                  B:   Yes, I'd better stay at home .

(a) In [4], stay at home is the only realistic option for the ellipted part. Not so in [3]. Any of the following would also work:

done my homework, I did/finished it done it, I did/finished my homework done my homework, I did/finished my homework done my homework, I did/finished my homework

done it, I was done with it

and many others.

(b) In [4], i is indeed grammatically defective: had better requires a complement. [3] i, however, is not defective, because yesterday is a supplement (this is what I explained in the main part of my answer).

(c) This one is OK in [4]. It may be OK in [3]. The problem is that [3] ii consists of two independent clauses connected by just a comma. Normally this is not OK: independent clauses should either be explicitly coordinated by a connection (e.g. since ) or else joined by a semi-colon. As it is, it looks like a comma splice. However, maybe we can say that [3] ii is an instance of asyndetic coordination.

(d) and (e) Definitiely satisfied in [4]. Maybe it is also OK in [3]. Ellipsis normally allows trivial changes to accomodate agreement for number, person, and tense. For example, consider

She hasn't written it yet, but I'm sure she soon will ___ ,

where the position of the ellipted part is indicated by '___'. What is ellipted (i.e. what should appear in place of '___') is write it , even though what we have in the first part is written it .

So perhaps it is not that big a deal that we have two ellipses, both of the verb *do , which is the present perfect in the first ellipsis, but in the preterite in the second. Note that in the second ellipsis, we have also ellipted the subject, I .

In the end, I would say that on ballance, the ellipsis analysis in [3] does not look more persuasive than my original suggestion that yesterday is a supplement. Properties (a) and (b) are the most important characteristics of ellipses, and they do not seem to hold for [3].

• 1 If someone had asked me "Have you done your homework?", I would probably have answered, "Yes, I did it yesterday." Or I might have said, "Yes, I have." In the second case, "...done my homework" is "understood". –  tautophile Commented May 9, 2018 at 16:44
• @tautophile Agreed; what you say is what a native speaker is most likely to say in this situation. I interpreted the OP's question as mostly about how to combine yesterday with the present perfect. I think that's an interesting question, given that time adjunct like yesterday are not licensed by the present perfect. And yet we do often combine the two, and I thought it would be interesting to explain how we do that. But I have included your comments in the answer (the new last section, 'What a native speaker would actually say'). Thanks! –  linguisticturn Commented May 9, 2018 at 17:43
• @linguisticturn Thank you so much .. first time i got my answer here.. I fully understood your explanation.. I doubt is cleared now. –  TheMdsami33 Commented May 10, 2018 at 6:03
• @TheMdsami33 You're welcome! (BTW, it should be My doubt is cleared now. :) ) –  linguisticturn Commented May 10, 2018 at 13:03
• @linguisticturn by mistake I typed that.. last question , A witness claimed he saw a thief or A witness claimed he had seen a thief... newspaper it was written : A witness claimed he saw a theif. I think this is Reported Speech , and A witness claimed he had seen a thief , is correct? –  TheMdsami33 Commented May 10, 2018 at 14:16

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged present-perfect or ask your own question .

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Simple Past or Present Perfect Simple

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple).

• A: (you / play / already) the new computer game?
• B: No, not yet. I only (buy) it yesterday and I (have / not) the time yet.
• A: (you / go) to the cinema last night?
• B: Yes. I (be) there with Sue and Louis. (you / be) to the cinema recently?
• A: I last (go) to the cinema two weeks ago.
• B: So you (see / not) the new action film yet.
• A: No, unfortunately not. (you / enjoy) it?
• B: Oh, I really (love) it. But Sue (like / not) it - too much action!
• A: But why (you / take) her with you? She (tell) me last week that she (hate) action films.
• B: I think she has an eye on Louis. She (try) to flirt with him all the time. So he (can / concentrate / not) on the film.

Past Simple in English

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The past simple is a crucial part of the English language and is one of the toughest tenses to learn for beginners. In this reference, we’ll explain what the past simple is and how you can easily master it and improve your skills!

What is the Past Simple Tense?

The past simple, also known as the simple past tense, helps us talk about actions that happened in the past. It’s often used with adverbs and adverbial phrases (yesterday, last week, three years ago, etc.). The past simple helps you talk about completed actions that took place at a specific time in the past.

The past simple is formed by using the base form of the verb and adding -ed to the end (for regular verbs ). Irregular verbs, however, need to be memorized. Let’s take a look at how the past simple is formed and how to use it.

Past Simple Formula:

Subject + verb (base form) + -ed (for regular verbs) / did / have / was.

  How to Form the Past Simple

The past simple is formed by using the base form of the verb and adding -ed to the end (for regular verbs). For example, the verb “walk” becomes “walked” in the past simple tense.

It’s also used with the auxiliary verbs “did” and “have.” For example, “I did my homework” and “I have done my homework” are both in the past simple tense.

The past simple can also be used with the verb “be.” For example, “I was at the park yesterday” is in the past simple tense.

Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Simple

There are different irregular verbs in the past simple tense. The most common ones are go/went, do/did, have/had, and be/was. These verbs need to be memorized, as they do not follow the regular pattern of adding -ed to the end of the verb.

It’s important to note that some verbs can be both regular and irregular depending on the context. For example, the verb “read” can be regular or irregular depending on the sentence. “I read a book” is regular, but “I read the book” is irregular.

Past Simple vs. Past Participle

The past simple is often confused with the past participle. The past participle also helps us talk about completed actions in the past, but it is not used with adverbs or adverbial phrases . For example, “I have finished my homework” is in the past participle, but “I finished my homework yesterday” is in the past simple.

Examples of Past Simple Sentences

Here are some examples of sentences in the past simple:

• I went to the store yesterday.
• She did her homework last night.
• We had dinner at a restaurant last week.
• He was at the park yesterday.
• They read a book last month.

Uses of the Past Simple

The past simple helps us talk about completed actions that took place at a specific time in the past. It is also used to talk about habitual actions in the past, such as “I used to go to the park every weekend.” The past simple is also used to talk about past facts and past states. For example, “I knew her since we were kids” and “I lived in Hong Kong for 5 years”.

Past Simple in Complex Sentences

The past simple can also be used in complex sentences. For example, “She said she had done her homework, but I didn’t believe her.” This sentence has two clauses, both of which are in the past simple tense.

Here are 5 more complex sentences for you to learn from:

• He told me he was at the park yesterday.
• I asked if she had done her homework.
• We wondered if they had read the book.
• She asked if he had gone to the store.
• They asked if we had had dinner at a restaurant.

Past simple can be hard to start, but once you understand the formula, it all falls into place. Remember that it's just your subject + verb + -ed (for regular verbs) / did / have / was.

So, there you have it! Now you know all about the past simple in English. With enough practice, you’ll be able to master the past simple and use it like a native speaker. Good luck!

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• Bài viết Cuộc thi Tin tức

OLM cung cấp gói bải giảng điện tử PPT cho giáo viên đầu năm học

Đề khảo sát chất lượng đầu năm học cho lớp 2 đến 9, xem ngay!

Hãy nhập câu hỏi của bạn vào đây, nếu là tài khoản VIP, bạn sẽ được ưu tiên trả lời.

• Câu hỏi hay
• Chưa trả lời
• Câu hỏi vip

Viết lại câu sau nghĩa ko đổi: a) I did my homework in two hours yesterday

                                      =) It took .........

                     b) Minh did not go to school last Sunday

                      =) Minh was ..........

1) it took me two hours to do my homework yesterday

2)  minh wasn't at school yesterday

a)me 2 hours to do my homework

nhớ li ke mk nha

Viết lại những câu saou sao cho nghĩa của nó không đổi

1.why is not this tv working now?

what is........................................?

2.trung did not go to school last Sunday?

Trung was................................................

3.christian Cronaldo is very scccer player 

Christian Cronaldo plays.........................

4.My brother runs faster than me 

i.......................................................

1. Why is not this tv working now?

=> What is wrong with this TV ?

2. Trung did not go to school last Sunday?

=> Trung was absent from school last Sunday.

3. Christian Ronaldo is a very good soccer player.

=> Christian Ronaldo plays  soccer very well .

4. My brother runs faster than me.

=> I  runs more slowly than my brother .

Viết lại câu

1, do you have a better refrigerato than this?

- is this....

2,i get to work in half an hour

- it takes....

3,it is not improtant for you to finish the work day

- you do not ...

4, there are two hundred stamps in tim's collection

- tim's collection....

5,you should not eat too much meat?

6,lan did not go to school yesterday because of her sickness

- because lan....

7, what is her weight?

8, there is less noise in the country than there is in the city

- there isn't...

9,you should not go there alone

- you ought....

10, when my mother was ill.i looked after her.

- i took....

11, my mother usually spends two hours a day doing the homework

- it usually...

Lm giúp mềnh vứi nạ!!!

Aj nhah mềnh tk cho

• is this the best refrigerato you have
• it takes me half an hour to get to wprk
• you do not have to finish the work today
• tim's collection has 200 stamps
• you'd better eat less meat
• because lan was sick, she didn't go to shool yesterday
• how heavy is she
• there isn't as much noise in the city as in the country
• you ought not to go there alone
• i look after my mother when she was ill
• it usually takes my mother a day to do the homework  

THANK YOU NHIỀU CHÉP THÔI!!!

Put the words in the correct order:

1.your/did/it/How long/finish/to/take/you/homework/-Two/hours.

2.do/need/a/Why/phone card?/you/-I/need/parents/to/phone/Because/my.

3.did/see/last/Who/night?/you/-old/friend,/My/Tom.

4.neighbor/What/give/did/her?/-A/flower/bunch/of.

5.did/return/When/to/they/America/-yesterday.

6.Mr Robinson/What did/buy?/-An/dictionary/English.

7.was/father/Where/last/your/month/-In/Ha/Noi.

1. How long did it take you to finish your homework? - Two hours.

2. Why do you need a phone card? - Because I need to phone my parents.

3. Who did you see last night? - My old friend, Tom.

4. (What did neighbor give her?) - A bunch of flower.

5. When did they return to America? -Yesterday.

6. What did Mr Robinson buy? - An English dictionary.

7. Where was your father last month? - In Ha Noi.

Ex4 : Find the mistake in each of the fllowing sentences anh correct it.

1. We did not spent our summer holiday in dalat last year._____________

2. My brother often has three- weeks summer vacation._______________

3. Does Nam have little stamps than Viet?________________

4. Chi usually spends two hours to do her homework every evening._____________

5. What did you bought at the souvenr store yesterday?_________________

6. When i was saw her, I thought she looked happily.________________

7. Did you not understand what I said to you

1. spent => spend

2. three-weeks => three-week

3. little => fewer

4. to do => doing

5. bought => buy

6. happily => happy

7. Did you not => Didn't you.....?

TICK CHO MK NHÉ BN!!!

Viết câu phủ định, nghi vấn với did, didn't

My father decorated the Christmas tree

She bought a new drees yesterday

They were late for school

Mr.Tam took his children to the museum last Sunday

Hoa made a cushion for her armchair

They painted their house yellow

This dess was fit

I saw her two day ago

=> She did not buy a new drees yesterday.

Did s he buy a new drees yesterday?

=> They were not late for school.

Were they late for school?

=> Mr.Tam did not take his children to the museum last Sunday.

Did Mr.Tam take his children to the museum last Sunday?

=> Hoa did not make a cushion for her armchair.

Did Hoa make a cushion for her armchair?

=> They did not paint their house yellow.

Did they paint their house yellow?

=> This dress was not fit.

Was this dress fit?

=> I did not see her two day ago.

Did you see her two day ago?

Đề bài : Viết lại câu sao cho nghĩa ko đổi 

1. What was Peter's height last year ?

=> How .............................................?

2. I will get to  Hai Phong in two hours by train 

=> It takes ..........................................

3. Did you watch the television last night ?

=> You did not ...................................?

4. It is twenty five to five 

=> It is ................................................

5. My father does not drink tea and neither does my brother

=> Neither my father .........................

=> Both .............................................

6. Maria plays piano badly . Her friends play the same as her

=> Not only ........................................

=> Both ..............................................

7. The exam was easier than we thought 

=> The exam was ..............................

8. Han is a better swimmer than Lan 

=>Lan is .............................................

=> Lan is not ......................................

=> Lan swims .....................................

9. We took a train to Liverpool last saturday

=> We went .......................................

10. The trip to Chicago was cheaper than we expected 

=> The trip to Chicago was not ..........

11. It will not be necessary for you to go to the meeting next week 

=> You will not .....................................

12. They will not be able to come on saturday 

=> It will be impossible ..........................

13. Their father got to London by taxi last monday 

=> Their father .........................................

14. She did not eat that food and they did not eat it , either

=> Neither she nor ....................................

15. It is important for you to finish the work today 

=> You don not .........................................

=> How .......tall was peter last year................?

=> It takes ..........me 2 hours to get to HP by train..................

=> You did not ..............watch the television last night,did you.....................?

=> It is .......thirty five past four.............................

=> Neither my father ......nor my brother drinks tea...................

=> Both .............my father and my brother don't drink tea.............................

=> Not only ........Maria but also her friends play piano badly ................

=> Both ............Maria and her friends play piano badly........

=>Lan is ...........a worse swimmer than Han......................

=> Lan is not ..............as good swimmer as Han........................

=> Lan swims ...............worse than han......................

=> We went .....................to Liverpool by train last saturday..................

=> The trip to Chicago was not ...as expensive as we expected.......

=> You will not .......be necessary to go to the meeting next week ...........

=> It will be impossible ......for them to come on saturday ........

=> Their father .........drove a taxi to London last monday ........................

=> Neither she nor .........they eat that food..............

=> You don not ..........need to finish the work today ...............

Matching the answers in column B with the questions in column A  A  1.How was your vacation in Da Lat?  2.Who did you go with for lunch yesterday?  3.What did you see on your trip to Nha Trang?  4. Where were you last night?  5. When did you see Nhung.  6. What time did you go to see the moive?  7. Did you take many photographs?  8. Were you at Hung’s birthday party last  Sunday?  9. Why didn’t you go to Nam’s birthday party  two days ago?  10. How did you get to work last Monday?   

B a. I saw her last week.  b. Because I was tired.  c. I went with my cousin.  d. No, I wasn’t.  e. I saw many different types of  fish.  f. It was wonderful.  g. I walked.  h. Yes, I did.  i. I was at home.  j. I went to see it at 8 pm

1-f                                                                      2-c

3-e                                                                     4-i

5-a                                                                     6-j

7-h                                                                     8-d

9-b                                                                     9-g                                                                 

Yesterday, I (go)______ to the restaurant with a client. 2. We (drive) ______ around the parking lot for 20 mins to find a parking space. 3. When we (arrive) ______ at the restaurant, the place (be) ______ full. 4. The waitress (ask) ______ us if we (have) reservations. 5. I (say), "No, my secretary forgets to make them." 6. The waitress (tell)______ us to come back in two hours. 7. My client and I slowly (walk) ______ back to the car. 8. Then we (see) ______ a small grocery store. 9. We (stop) in the grocery store and (buy) ______ some sandwiches. 10. That (be) ______ better than waiting for two hours. 11. I (not go) ______ to school last Sunday. 12. She (get) ______ married last year? 13. What you (do) ______ last night? - I (do) ______ my homework. 14. I (love) ______ him but no more. 15. Yesterday, I (get) ______ up at 6 and (have) ______ breakfast at 6.30.

1. How was your vacation in Ha Long?

2. Who did you go with for lunch yesterday?

3. What did you see on your trip to Da Lat?

4. Where were you last night?

5. When did you see Jane?

6. What time did you go to see the movie?

7. Did you take many photographs?

8. Were you at Hung’s birthday party last Sunday?

9. Why didn’t you go to Nam’s birthday party two days ago?

10. How did you get to work last Monday?

a. I saw her last week.

b. Because I was tired.

c. I went with my cousin.

d. No, I wasn’t.

e. I saw many different types of fish.

f. It was wonderful.

g. I walked.

h. Yes, I did.

i. I was at home.

j. I went to see it at 8 pm.

1-f, 2-c, 3-e, 4-i, 5-a, 6-j, 7-h, 8-d, 9-b, 10-g

• NL Nguyễn Lê Phước Thịnh 2 GP
• AQ Anh Quang 2 GP
• AA admin ([email protected]) 0 GP
• VT Vũ Thành Nam 0 GP
• CM Cao Minh Tâm 0 GP
• NV Nguyễn Vũ Thu Hương 0 GP
• VD vu duc anh 0 GP
• OT ♑ ঔღ❣ ๖ۣۜThư ღ❣ঔ ♑ 0 GP
• LT lương thị hằng 0 GP
• TT Trần Thị Hồng Giang 0 GP

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• English Only

I spent two hours finishing my homework.

• Thread starter Hixkaryana
• Start date Feb 28, 2015
• Feb 28, 2015

Is "I spent two hours finishing my homework" a correct sentence ? I think it's incorrect to use "spend" to imply how long it take you to finish something or reach a goal, but how long an action lasts. If you say " I spent two hours doing my homework", that means "your doing homework" lasted two hours(and doesn't necessarily imply you finished it)so it's OK. but "I spent two hours finishing my homework" is wrong, because "finishing homework" can't last for two hours. I also think sentences like "It took me how long to do something" are only used for complete actions. so "It took me two hours to do my homework" implies that you finished it although there is no any word about "finish". "It took me two hours to sleep" is incorrect, because sleep is just a state not a complete action and "It took me two hours to get to sleep" is okay, because getting to sleep is a goal you can reach. is anything I say wrong?  

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It took two hours for her to finish her homework

It took her two hours to finish her homework.

It took two hours for her to finish her homework.

Q: I know #1 is correct and I guess #2 is also correct/natural. What is your opinion?

• sentence-structure
• phrasal-verbs
• adverbial-phrases

They're equally correct and natural. The difference between them is the subtle nuance of how much responsibility is attributed to her.

In the first one, "it took her two hours to do X", it sounds as though she's directly responsible for the amount of time that passed.

Here's a way to use that nuance for irony, in a case where the amount of time is your choice:

It took him two days to text me back! I guess my question scared him.

In the second version, "it took two hours for her to do X", you get the opposite nuance, a sense that there were factors beyond her control.

Here's a sentence where you'd use that, because there's clearly no responsibility implied:

It takes two years for a spaceship to travel to Mars. What a massive distance!

Finally, there's also a third version that seems to put the responsibility (or at least the cause) on the other party:

The homework took her two hours to do. I'm going to call her teacher and tell him it's too much.

It's important to note that in practice, people aren't excessively careful about which wording to use, and the focus of responsibility can easily be changed by intonation, emphasis, tone, and so on.

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Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged sentence-structure word-order phrasal-verbs adverbial-phrases ..

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I did my homework vs I did my homework yesterday

Explained by Michele A. Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 10, 2024

I did my homework

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate completion of homework without specifying the time frame.

• I did my homework before dinner.
• She asked if I had done my homework.
• Did you do your homework yet?
• He always does his homework on time.
• Make sure you do your homework every day.
• Dec 3, 2020 ... I did my homework is past tense, a completed action - yesterday, last night, etc. I have done my homework is present perfect - it means you ...
• Oct 1, 2021 ... However, most people would say, “ I did my homework before going/I went to bed.” When we have conjunctions like 'before' and 'after' that make ...
• Dec 16, 2016 ... It SEEMS to fit the form our textbook was teaching (" I did my homework . I was tired." -> "I was tired to do my homework.") and yet I know it's ...
• " I did my homework at 7 o'clock yesterday" strikes me as more plausible than the other way around. If the question is "What were you doing at 7: ...
• I did my homework ”. This is the simple past. It tells us only that the action happened in the past, and it is finished. We don't know (from this) whether it ...
• Jul 5, 2023 ... ... I did my homework , perhaps with finished or completed interchangeable with done/did. Upvote 2. Downvote. Reply. u/Astropee avatar Astropee • 3 ...

Alternatives:

• I have completed my homework.
• I finished my homework.
• I completed my homework.
• I have done my homework.
• I got my homework done.

I did my homework yesterday

This phrase is correct and provides a specific time frame, indicating that the homework was completed on the previous day.

• I did my homework yesterday, so I can relax today.
• She finished her homework yesterday evening.
• Did you do your homework yesterday?
• He told me he did his homework yesterday.
• I remember doing my homework yesterday.
• So, maybe, I can only say, I did my homework yesterday . Is that 100% right? no exception to use perfect tense with accurate time point? Thanks ...
• Translate I did my homework yesterday . See 2 authoritative translations of I did my homework yesterday in Spanish with example sentences and audio ...
• I did my homework yesterday . I have done my homework several times in my life. M · mhp. Senior Member. American English. Apr 3, 2008 · #6.
• I did my homework yesterday . I don't have any to do tonight so I can go out. Even though doing your homework takes time, using that tense ...
• But if you mean you began and completed your homework yesterday, then I suggest “ I did my homework yesterday , between 5 PM and 6 PM.” Or perhaps simply, “ I did  ...
• For example, I did my homework yesterday . If we want to link two actions together, and indicate which action happened first, we use the perfect tense. For ...
• Oct 31, 2017 ... How do you say this in Japanese? I did my homework yesterday . See a translation · 昨日 宿題をしました · 昨日、 宿題をしました。 · In Hiragana
• May 9, 2018 ... Is it Correct if I did my homework yesterday itself and I use present perfect answer the question? Since I can't say yesterday in present ...
• Jul 8, 2008 ... In this case we use the past simple tense: I did my homework yesterday . Using already just and yet with the present perfect. Already, just and ...
• I completed my homework yesterday.
• I finished my homework yesterday.
• Yesterday, I did my homework.
• My homework was done yesterday.
• I got my homework done yesterday.

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