Are there any instances in which the use of "ago" in Present Perfect Simple Tense would be deemed correct? For example:
I've (just) finished reading 5 minutes ago.
From my perspective, the adverbial phrase "five minutes ago" suggests that the action is recent, and, thus, it wouldn't make sense to use past tense simple. What's your opinion on this?
Answer
One of the main rules of tense usage is that the simple past is used for finished actions and especially also with specific expressions of time/in time that point to a specific occasion.
- Five minutes ago
- Ten years ago
- Last week, month, year, yesterday etc.
- Specific dates: October 1st, etc.
For example. There is zero continuity of any kind with the simple past.
Without getting into all the complexity of the present perfect, it is much easier to know, generally speaking, when to use the simple past.
Five minutes ago calls for the simple past. All expressions with ago and time (five months ago, etc.) call for simple past.
Of course, you can also use: I've just finished my work, but not with five minutes ago.
I sincerely hope this simple rule is clear. When I say rule, I am not talking about standard or non-standard. Even uneducated native English speakers would not mix these up.
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