are these two sentences the same ? about ‘had’and 'have had'?
it's been some time since we had a woman eat in our department.
it's been some time since we have had a woman eat in our department .
do these two sentences have the same meaning ? is there any slight difference between them ?
More Questions From This User See All
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Its a bit hard to explain the difference, but 'had' is well and truly in the past, looking back on a memory. But 'have had' is where the memory or experience is still current, even though the event itself is in the past. Its implying that the writer has participated in the event and memories are still alive.
An example could be to say that if someone asked you how was your birthday, if it was yesterday you might say 'I have had a lovely time' (recent past, still being relived) but if it was a long time ago, and let go of, you would say 'I had a lovely time'.
Hope this makes sense.