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Sun 19 Jul, 2015 03:55 am
Hi. Let's say that something bad happened to me in the past. Should I say:
1) How could this happen to me?
2) How could this have happened to me?
Can you comment on this, please?
You can say either, depending on the time frame that you want to convey.
Simple present: How could this happen to me? It happened in the immediate past, or is happening in the present (for this you could use "How could this be happening to me?".
Present perfect: How could this have happened to me? It happened some time in the past.
@Tes yeux noirs,
Shouldn't it be the opposite, I wonder?
@Tes yeux noirs,
Beacuse it seems to me that by saying "How could this have happened to me?", I refer to something which is still ongoing or relevant to the present.
If you feel doubtful about my answer, consult an English grammar book for the use of the present and perfect tenses.
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