Chris
Past forms I just did a Cambridge online language test to find out which level in English I have. I reached only 20 of 25 points. There is a specific case I don't understand : They asked me to choose a word out of 4 to put in the blank field. 13. My father ...... his new car for two weeks now. 1.has had 2.has 3.is having 4.had I did choose to put " is having" because it sounded natural to me. But the right answer is "has had". I absolutely can't agree to that because "has had" refers to the point that he don't has the car anymore. But it's saying "two weeks now" which implies that he is still having his car. So for me it would be more natural to say something like " My father is having his car for two weeks now" or something like " My father had his car fro two weeks, but he sold it two days ago" or " I really don't get the grammar and it's freaking me out right now. Why are they using "has had" and do I even have to use "Has had" "Have had" in general? Aren't there any other ways to describe something you did in the past which is still happening? "Like I've been watching TV the whole night" " I've been working for this company since 1994" or something like that. You guys get what I mean, don't you? :)
Aug 5, 2015 10:30 AM
Corrections · 4
1

Rather than correct, I'll just try and answer your question. I believe there is a place to post questions on italki and perhaps this would go better in there. 

 

Anyhow! 

 

Because 'My father' is not I, we or they, it is basically like 'one' we use has. As in 'He has had' or 'she has had'. This is the present perfect tense. It connects what is happening now with the recent past. 

 

My father has had his car for two weeks now. 

 

We use 'has had' because he still has the car and he has only had for a relatively short period of time. 

 

If it was using the pronoun I then we could say, 'I have had my car for two weeks now.' Whenever we use he/she/one with the verb 'to have' it becomes has. The had bit is just because it is in the past. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv343.shtml

 

Hope that makes sense! :)

August 5, 2015

1. When "have" means "possess", it doesn't have present continuous tense.

    It's a status, not an act.

 

2. My father bought a car two weeks ago, and now he still owns it.

   Present perfect tense is used when one act happened in the PAST, and it still lasts till NOW or has influence on the PRESENT.

 

 

August 5, 2015
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