1

Is it ever acceptable to use the present simple in a sentence with "since [year/date]"?

For example:

"Since 2012, environmental regulations have to be evaluated every three years."

"Since January 2022, mandatory guidelines require the use of impact assessments for new regulations."

"Since last week it is possible to get a refund online."

In every grammar source I've found, it is written that the temporal "since" is used with the present perfect.

But don't the above sentences sound odd in the present perfect?

"Since 2012, environmental regulations have had to be evaluated every three years."

"Since January 2022, mandatory guidelines have required the use of impact assessments for new regulations."

"Since last week it has been possible to get a refund online."

Thank you for your comments.

Joël G.
  • 11
  • Why do you think that they sound odd with the present perfect? – alphabet Feb 28 '23 at 19:57
  • Probably because I am not a native English speaker. I just feels too convoluted somehow. But it take it from your comment that the present perfect versions sound perfectly fine to native speakers? – Joël G. Feb 28 '23 at 21:58
  • Yeah, it sounds fine to me. The simple present may also be valid, but there's nothing wrong with using the present perfect here. – alphabet Feb 28 '23 at 22:36

1 Answers1

1

From Public Works Appropriations for 1956 (US Congressional Hearings)...

They are producing this material only since last year.

I don't really have a problem with that, no matter how many pedants insist it must/should be They have been producing this material...

Any clause involving since = from then onward [until now] is almost bound to be a suitable context for a Perfect verb form (usually Present Perfect, but sometimes it's Past Perfect). But it would be a bit much to claim that failing to use the Perfect breaks an actual rule of grammar.

FumbleFingers
  • 140,184
  • 45
  • 294
  • 517
  • 1
    Thank you. I was tasked with proofreading some academic texts written by other non-native speakers, and I found a lot of sentences where "since" was used with the Present Simple. I dutifully corrected them all to a Present Perfect until I stumbled upon these cases where it just felt wrong to me to use the Present Perfect. – Joël G. Feb 28 '23 at 21:59
  • 1
    Another example just came to my mind: "Since last week tickets can be purchased online". As there is no present perfect of "can", I guess this is a case where the Present Simple is unavoidable with "since" (bar changing the passive voice of the sentence). – Joël G. Mar 01 '23 at 16:21
  • Good example. Nobody really wants to get bogged down with Since last week tickets have been able to* be purchased online* - but unless I'm much mistaken, that's effectively the Present Perfect of *can*. – FumbleFingers Mar 01 '23 at 17:00