I have eaten lunch at 1 pm

Question

I have eaten lunch at 1 pm

Is the sentence a correct statement to say in present perfect tense. Since I have learned the rules in present perfect tense that one should not use specific time expressions in present perfect tense. So is it correct to say

I had eaten lunch at 1 pm.

in past perfect tense.

Please do not duplicate posts on different sites https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/523140/i-have-lunch-at-1-pm this is normally called crossposting and it is normally forbidden unless there are exceptional circumstances e.g. a closed question without answers on one site might justify it being asked on a sister site. — Mari-Lou A, Jan 18 '20 at 08:24
ok sorry. as i did not get any satisfying results i posted it here on a suggestion by another user — RAVI VARMA, Jan 18 '20 at 08:27
RELATED: “just went to "place" last September” vs “have just gone to "place" last September” — Mari-Lou A, Feb 17 '20 at 08:06

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 20 '21 at 22:31

Perfect tense is used to emphasize the fact that something has been done, rather than talking about doing it. Because of that, it's generally not appropriate when combined with a specific time. But one can come up with situations where it would be appropriate. For instance, if someone asks "What times have you eaten lunch?", it's appropriate to answer "I have eaten lunch at 1 PM." In most contexts, though, the simple past is appropriate: "I ate lunch at 1 PM."

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 18 '20 at 07:24

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You are right that you should not use present perfect with a specific time, so your first sentence is incorrect.

You use past perfect to position one event before. another event. Your second sentence is incorrect because it refers to something that happened at a specified time. You could make it correct by changing the preposition so that eating lunch occurred before the specified time:

I had eaten lunch by 1pm.

answered Jan 18 '20 at 07:24

JavaLatte

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So we cannot use any specific time expressions with present perfect tense like " at 8 am, 3 am, 4 pm, 6 pm,7 am". Please clarify. And one more question " I have met her last year" is incorrect but "I have met her in the last year" is correct. Can you clarify the reason. – RAVI VARMA Jan 18 '20 at 07:35
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@RAVIVARMA your comment contains a second question, it is unfair to expect a user to answer what is the difference between "last year" and "in the last year". Please do some prior research and if you are still confused formulate a new question including your research and explaining why you are confused. – Mari-Lou A Jan 18 '20 at 08:29
just explain me time expression please in present perfect like "at 1 pm , 2 am, 7 pm" – RAVI VARMA Jan 18 '20 at 08:31
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@RAVIVARMA, as I said in my answer, you cannot use a specific time expression that ties the event at the specified time. You can use a specific time expression that places the event before the specified time. Specific time expressions that use prepositions like before and by are therefore OK. – JavaLatte Jan 19 '20 at 09:18

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 24 '21 at 22:40

I have eaten lunch at 1 pm

could be used to describe ones habits. For example:

Q: Do you eve eat lunch as late as 12:30?
A: I have eaten lunch at 1 pm,

But aside from this somewhat unlikely example, I can't think of a context in which this sentence would be likely. The usual way to indicate when you ate lunch today, or on another specified day, would be to use the simple past. For example:

I ate lunch at 1:00 pm.

On Thursday I ate lunch at 1:00 pm.

A sentence such as

I had eaten lunch at 1 pm.

would normally be used only when a subsequnt action is described. For example:

I had eaten lunch at 1 pm. Just as I was finished, the telephone rang.

Even this would be more likely to be expressed using the simple past:

That day, I ate lunch at 1 pm. Just as I was finished, the telephone rang.

I have eaten lunch at 1 pm

3 Answers3