Fancy a little chat in English?

[Trivia]

Auxiliary = Hilfswerb

I guess ...

[Gloriaviktoria]

Yes, I know what auxiliary verbs are I thought sleeping sun might have an example for a construction which is difficult for her

[Trivia]

An example might be helpful!

[sleeping sun]

I have problems to use "have" and "do" the right way. Sometimes I can use them like in german, but I think I can´t do this always.
"Have you noticed..." oder "Did you noticed..." such examples. In german it is "Hast du...", is it? But what it is in english?
It´s very difficult to me!

[Gloriaviktoria]

"Did you notice" is past tense and "have you noticed" is past perfect

Trivia

[sleeping sun]

Uh, the tenses! I have to learn them! but both are right? Only different tenses? I´ve thought one of them must be completely wrong! Thank you Gloria!

I go and learn tenses again.

[Nevis]

"Did you notice" is past tense and "have you noticed" is past perfect

Trivia

And what are the german translations? Both times "hast du..?"

[Pacific_Palisades]

I'm not 100% sure but
you use "did you" when you are talking about a specific time period which is only just past like: yesterday, last week, last month, last year. Colloquially, people tend to use "did you" because "have you" makes them sound more stuck up.
"Have you" is used with time periods that are definitely over and also some time ago.

[sanya]

"Did you notice" is past tense and "have you noticed" is past perfect

Trivia

no, "have you noticed" is present perfect, past perfect would be "had you noticed".

In my opinion, "did you notice" is used -as pacific paradise just said- when speaking about a specific time period and "have you noticed" means "hast du schon bemerkt" in German. Present perfect is used with actions which have started in the past but are not over yet or when it has an effect on the present.

[sleeping sun]

I admit, I´m a little bit confused now

english is not as easy as I thought.

[lavee73]

in fact it probably doesn't matter anyway. people will understand what you mean and you could easily use the two synonymously, even though they're not. if it matters to you, that's a different thing. the english speaking are so used to foreigners speaking their language and are very tolerant. many even like foreign accents, especially in the u.s. they find that charming .

[Pepper Anne]

hello ladies!
might if i join your chat?

no, "have you noticed" is present perfect, past perfect would be "had you noticed".

In my opinion, "did you notice" is used -as pacific paradise just said- when speaking about a specific time period and "have you noticed" means "hast du schon bemerkt" in German. Present perfect is used with actions which have started in the past but are not over yet or when it has an effect on the present.

basically that's right

but present perfect is also used for situations that either recently occured or that occurred at some unspecified point in the pre-present.
the present perfect is no past tense but a present one (like the name indicates)
the present perfect musn't be compared with the german tense "Perfekt".
it's quite confusing for germans

[Trivia]

basically that's right

but present perfect is also used for situations that either recently occured or that occurred at some unspecified point in the pre-present.
the present perfect is no past tense but a present one (like the name indicates)
the present perfect musn't be compared with the german tense "Perfekt".
it's quite confusing for germans

Thank you for the very good explanation!

Even though it is still confusing ...

However, I agree with Pacific Palisades that native speakers (especially Americans) tend to use "did you" in the daily conversation.

[Pepper Anne]

Thank you for the very good explanation!

Even though it is still confusing ...

However, I agree with Pacific Palisades that native speakers (especially Americans) tend to use "did you" in the daily conversation.

yeah, i absolutely agree with you. but it though depends on the context. there are some situations where you really have to use the present perfect and where you can't use the past tense.
but even if you talk to a native speaker and you use an incorrect grammatical form, he'll surely understand you.

btw, i'm really impressed how many english speaking beautyjunies here are

[lavee73]

yeah, i absolutely agree with you. but it though depends on the context. there are some situations where you really have to use the present perfect and where you can't use the past tense.
but even if you talk to a native speaker and you use an incorrect grammatical form, he'll surely understand you.

btw, i'm really impressed how many english speaking beautyjunies here are

sorry to be a but it's supposed to be:

it depends on the context, though.
or
but it depends on the context.

but AND though are too much and though is always the last word in a sentence and preceded by a comma...

[Gloriaviktoria]

no, "have you noticed" is present perfect, past perfect would be "had you noticed".

You are right, I'm sorry

For Germans it is really confusing because the present perfect is not as often used as in English ("ich las das Buch/ich habe das Buch gelesen").

[Pepper Anne]

sorry to be a but it's supposed to be:

it depends on the context, though.
or
but it depends on the context.

but AND though are too much and though is always the last word in a sentence and preceded by a comma...

you're absolutely right . i don't know why i did this mistake maybe it was too late last night

[Cactus]

Time for me joining you folks ...

I spent three months in the US (spring 2008, unfortunatelly met a lot of german speakers ...) and practice a lot "passive English" meaning i read most of my books or papers in English. It's a great convinience for understanding almost everything people write or say, e.g. in movies, books or wherever, but it hardly improves my lack of "active" skills, say talking and writing.
I really do like to hear the British talk, but for myself i rather prefer american English since it feels a little less artificial to me

Whoever can spare a little time and is willing to correct my mistakes, feel free

[sleeping sun]

My books have arrived!!!
They look so beautiful! Now i can start reading english (this will be my first books i read in english)

[Pacific_Palisades]

Which titles did you get?

[sleeping sun]

I got the twilight series. I think they are good to start.
(Didn´t i write it before?)

[Nevis]

My books have arrived!!!
They look so beautiful! Now i can start reading english (this will be my first books i read in english)

Which ones?

At present, i prefer english books for reading as well. For me, its the best way to learn new vocabulary, because in each book or story are typical words in, which are repeated again and again and again, like for example the word "scent" in twilight . thats a good way for practicing

[Nevis]

ooops it took me too long to ask

edit: good choice!

[Pacific_Palisades]

I'm not sure maybe you mentioned it backwards and I forgot it.

Is the twilight series the vampir story? I love vampir stories but I neither read nor watched it yet. Please let me know if it's worthwhile.

[Nevis]

Is the twilight series the vampir story? I love vampir stories but I neither read nor watched it yet. Please let me know if it's worthwhile.

Yes thats the vampire story! And its definitively worth to read it! When i started with twilight i couldnt lay the book aside, its brilliant, so romantic and its easy to understand

[Daffodil]

Which ones?

At present, i prefer english books for reading as well. For me, its the best way to learn new vocabulary, because in each book or story are typical words in, which are repeated again and again and again, like for example the word "scent" in twilight . thats a good way for practicing

well yeah and I guess Stephen King likes "flabbergasted" very much But I knew the word before because my English teacher liked it, too
I nearly finished "It" now and I have no english book left to read. I think it'll be weird reading a german book

[Nevis]

well yeah and I guess Stephen King likes "flabbergasted" very much But I knew the word before because my English teacher liked it, too
I nearly finished "It" now and I have no english book left to read. I think it'll be weird reading a german book

i never heard the word flabbergasted before, but it sounds funny
I can recommend twilight

[Pacific_Palisades]

Yes thats the vampire story! And its definitively worth to read it! When i started with twilight i couldnt lay the book aside, its brilliant, so romantic and its easy to understand

Thank you for letting me know. I hope it's not too romantic - to be honest I don't like love stories very much.

[Nevis]

Thank you for letting me know. I hope it's not too romantic - to be honest I don't like love stories very much.

i didnt read a lovestory before and i thought i never would like a lovestory, but then came twilight and it blew me completely away Its really a good one!

[Pacific_Palisades]

Sounds good maybe I should give Twilight a try.

[Lizzy the Loony]

let me join you for the evening. been watching the new harry potter today. it was surprisingly good. very humorous, rich in action and yet full of relationship-based sub-stories. and, for once, the story has hardly been twisted

[Trivia]

That's good news!

I love all the books and the movies are good as well, but I was a little bit disappointed about the last one. :leiderja:

I'm really looking foward to the Half Blood Prince now.

Thank you Lizzy!

[Lizzy the Loony]

i was gutted when i heard it would be the same director for this movie but it was way better than the last one. i went in the morning so the cinema was nearly empty, which was a bit of a shame as it usually helps when lots of people are laughing around you, too.

loved the books as well, especially the third and sixth.

[Daffodil]

I don't like the Harry Potter movies. Saw the first in the cinema, the second on DVD and the third on TV and because I liked none of them I stopped watching the films. But I almost always don't like the films of good books ( how do you say "verfilmtes Buch" in English?)
But maybe I'll watch Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince when it finally makes it to the TV

[Trivia]

I'm really happy to hear that, Lizzy.

And with regard to the cinema I have to admit that I neither like it empty nor crowded ... I'm hard to please.

However, my favorites are also the third and the sixth!

Moonrise, the books are definitely better!

[Kleenehimbeere]

The thread is a very good idea.
I'am bad in english. Last year i must return the class 11, because i can not english. Maybe mine english become better

[sleeping sun]

Trust me, it will get better, if you always try and never give up!

Oh, you talked about the twilight books! the english ones are so beautiful! i got them in a slipcase and they look so nice! Now i hope that i can read them easily, only the good looking doesn´t help
Maybe i start today.

[Nevis]

Ohh yeah the covers from the twilight saga are so gorgeous . i like them more than the german covers. Right now i use the twilight cover for my handy-desktop

[sleeping sun]

I use a fan-made new moon poster i´m looking forward to next january.

[Siliv]

I hope you don't mind if I join you.

This morning I already finished the first one.

But I still don't know wether I should like it or only should be annoyed.
Of course the book was very gripping, but sometimes I think it was very slow-moving.

So I'm thinking about reading already the third one instead of the second one.

I'm afraid the topic of New Moon is too much... I don't know? Comprehensible?! Full of Bellas (really annoying) terrified thoughts that Edward left her.

I don't know if I can't get through this without throwing the book away.

So is the third book more.... thrilling? Or readable?