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Inchoateknowledge Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

what tense and aspect it is?

0Hello02br
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00Please, tell me what is wrong, if there is anything wrong 05000, with what I am going to write here:02br
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01b01i00They should be waiting for us when we 01font00have got02font00 there.02i02b02br
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00In the sub clause, the verb has past tense (get -got), and perfective aspect, which denotes the completition of the action (or event?)02br
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01b01i00---------------02i02b02br
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01b01i00They should be waiting for us when we 01font00get02font00 there.02i02b02br
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00Here, in the sub, the verb is in present tense and has no aspect, therefore does not denote completiton.02br
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00The completition can be inferred reading the whole sentence.02br
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00When the two sentences are compared, I dare say the in the former sentence there is more emphasis laid on the completition.02br
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00In the second, however, nothing denotes the completition due to the lack of aspect.02br
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00It is only inferable, and not explicitly expressed that the action is completed.02br
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00Deciding which sentence to choose only comes down to the style of the writer.02br
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00Thanks010id1
  

Top answer

02i 02b 02br 02br 01font 00#1 sounds unnatural. 02font 00We get there at 7pm. A moment later, you can say 'we have arrived', meaning 'we are 01i 01b 00in a state of02b 02i 00 having arrived'.

— Clive

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47 Answers
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0Hi,02br
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01b01i00They should be waiting for us when we 01font00have got02font00 there.02i02b02br
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01b01i00They should be waiting for us when we 01font00get02font00 there.02i02b02br
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0Why would they begin waiting for you after you arrive?02br
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01b01i00They should be waiting for us when we 01font00have got02font00 there.02i02b02br
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00Surely they would begin waiting for you before you arrive:02br
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01b01i00They should b
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0What do you see as the problem here?02br
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00?*When we've arrived, they will be waiting for us.02br
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00When we arrive, they will be waiting for us?0-
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1b01i00Thanks Milky and Clive02i02b02br
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01b01i00should be waiting02i02b00 in the sentence denotes the modal aspect of probability, and not obligation.02br
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00The circuimlocution of the situation described by sentence 1 is:02br
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00They should (I think so) be (al
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1b01i00<should be waiting02i02b00 in the sentence denotes the modal aspect of probability, and not obligation>02br
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00Who said it was obligation?02br
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00<I am not sure I see where sentence 1 is bleeding from.>02br
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00It's gushing blood because it is trying to say that after you
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0Timelines:02br
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01i00They should be waiting when/01font01b00at the moment02b02font00 01b00we arrive02b00.02i02br
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00YOU:02br
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00>>>>traveling>>>>traveling>>>>>traveling>>>arrive&l
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0Hello Milky02br
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00IS it necessarily so that the perfective aspect of verb in the sub clause indicates the starting point of the action denoted by: waiting?02br
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00This is really news to me.02br
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00I have never ever looked at it this way.02br
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00When we have arrived = point in time02br
02b
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0Hello Clive02br
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00"We get there at 7pm. A moment later, you can say 'we have arrived', meaning 'we are 01i01b00in a state of02b02i00 having arrived'. 01font00YES02font02br
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00This state goes on for a long time.01font00OK02font0
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0A new pair up for your leisurely discussion05002br
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01i001) They should 01b00already02b00 be waiting for us when we01b00 have got02b00 there.02br
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00 2) They should 01b00already02b00 be waiting for us when we01b00 get02b00 there.02br
02
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0<When we have arrived = point in time>02br
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00Is there only one point in time there, for you? And what's the difference in point-in-time between that and this "When we arrive"?0-
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