present perfect - when is it actually used?

Question

He comido - I have eaten.

It's easy to use it in this situation. My question is

Are there other situations in spanish that you would use the present perfect when in english you would not?

I'm asking because I have heard it used when I would have used the preterite for example.

Answer 1

I have been told that

"He comido a las cinco" is ok in Spanish.

Of course "I have eaten at 5 o'clock" sounds very odd in English because the present perfect is never used with a specific time / date

and would be said as "I ate at 5 o'clock"

Good example, Ian :) - FELIZ77, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 2

Dew, are you American? If so, you are likely to use the preterite where British and other English speakers would use the present perfect. I find this odd as for those who use the present perfect with frequency, there is a big difference in its use and that of the preterite.

Did you go to the mall? - This carries the expectation that you were going to do the the mall, maybe you'd chatted about the fact that you might go there. You are referring to a specific visit to the mall, it is not a general quesiton.

Have you been to the mall? This is simply asking if you have ever been there, with no expectations.

Did you watch the Superbowl? This would refer to a specific Superbowl, most probably the last one.

Have you (ever) watched the Superbowl? Means just what it asks.

So, if you don't oft use the present perfect, you might find that people are making the same distinction as the above in Spanish...

I'm not American - dewclaw, Mar 17, 2011

Still confused........... - dewclaw, Mar 17, 2011

Hmm, waste of a good type then. Are your hexamples like Sñr Hill's below? - afowen, Mar 17, 2011

Answer 3

Hello Dewdew and welcome again to the SpanishDict forum

I have found this comment written by Paralee in the grammar section under verbs:

''Regional Variances

This form is very widely used in Spain, while in Latin and South America, the preterit is used more often.''

More information is given about when to use it in the verb section under this tense but little else is mentioned about the use of this tense compared to its use in English

You can follow this link to the section about this verb.

link text

Perhaps some fluent/natives speakers here can eloborate on that aspect for you

I hope this helps