What does it mean by "perfect" tense?
Why is present/past perfect tense called perfect tense? I couldn't relate the meaning of "perfect" to the tense in grammar, can someone tell me how it got its name?
Thanks :)
4 個解答
- ?Lv 61 十年前最愛解答
Its from the Latin verb perficio (finish), the past participle of which is perfectus ('having been finished'). Thus the perfect tense represents an action that has been completed.
- rubikonLv 51 十年前
It refers to completed action (perfected) and used alone to the present perfect: I have seen
- 匿名1 十年前
It's just used to differentiate between the more complicated tenses in English.
By "perfect" it means that it's simple, no complications.
Take for example the "past perfect (more like simple past)": I ate. <---- less complicated, "simple", "perfect"
Now compare it to the "past perfect simple": I had eaten. <---- more complicated, not just "simple" or "perfect"