Which one is right? plz help for goodness' sake!! It's just an easy grammar question!?

Question

"The dishes are clean.I don't know when she...them"

1) washed

2) has washed

I say 1 is correct but my d**n illiterate teacher (!) chose option #2

My reasons:

here after when u need a POINT of time & the main question is "when did she wash them?"

& I do not believe if the question "when HAS SHE WASHED them?" make any sense at all !!!! does it?

Her reason:

here we have the effect "the dishes are clean" so its present perfect, NO MATTER WHAT!!!!! :-0

tomorrow I just wanna put her in place because she doesn't even listen to me so I really need you help to make me feel confident & SECURE!!

thank u soooooooooooooooooooooo much! XOXOXO

P.S. By the way, a week ago I asked this Q here on Y!Answers & EVERYONE did reply: option #1 (washed) is appropriate & right! :)

P.S.2 when I told someone else, who agreed #2 is right, about the replies I got on Y!Answer she said: natives give the common, informal answer & not thr GRAMMATICAL one!! so plz answer me in EVERY SENSE!!! :)

Answer 1

1 is correct to me.     BUT      If #2 was 'had washed' it might  be close,

Answer 2

Both the present perfect tense and simple past tense are used for past actions or states, but the present perfect describes the present state of the subject as a result of a past action or state (i.e., the subject is being talked about in the present), whereas the simple past describes solely a past action or state of the subject (i.e., the subject is being talked about in the past).

Commonly...

Nobody will argue that "The dishes have been cleaned." is in the present perfect tense. The action that has been completed with respect to the present.

However...

If "The dishes are clean." describes the present state of the subject as a result of a past action or state (being cleaned), then "The dishes are clean." can also be said to be in the present perfect tense.

Which has absolutely no bearing on the tense that the next sentence needs to be in, does it?

Maybe it would be better to ask your teacher to help you identify if the subject of the second sentence is the act of you not knowing (I don't know) or the act of her washing them.

Q: "When has she washed them?"

     (ie, when has she ever washed dishes; does she wash dishes)

A: "I don't know when she has (ever) washed them."

Answer 3

has washed. is correct.

Answer 4

washed

Answer 5

1) Washed is grammatically correct. It is not informal. 2) Has washed is grammatically incorrect. You are completely right.

However, putting a teacher "in her place" is never a good idea. Even if you were able to convince her, which is unlikely since you already noticed that she doesn't listen to you, it would not be through answers on YA, which has no authority at all. Furthermore, she will resist admitting she was wrong, since some teachers mistakenly believe that their authority is based on always being right. There is no equality between teachers and students, and she has the upper hand. Just feel confident and secure by knowing that you were right, and don't push it to the confrontation stage. Self-restraint and knowing when to pick your battles are excellent skills to have as you mature into adulthood. Your "d**n illiterate" teacher is still in charge of the class.

Answer 6

1. Is right. #2. sounds really unnatural and like you wouldn't say it in real life. Also, we had questions like this in class, too, before. The right answers are always things like #1.

Answer 7

she has washed them would be a reply to the question has she washed the dishes?.  Number 1 is correct if you are just making a statement.

Answer 8

As an English teacher I would say washed.  However, she is also wrong about present perfect.  Show her this page.

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pres...  

I'm not sure why she thinks are is present perfect.  It is used in the present progressive tense, but the main verb has to end in ing.  It could be a stylistic thing with her.  Maybe she thinks it's right since it sounds right to her.  Also, if she's young, she may not want to admit she's wrong.  

Answer 9

It's "washed". Trust me, if you don't believe me, try grammar check. Teachers are just people and people make mistakes.  

Answer 10

'has washed' just kinda seems right. But i'll ask a friend of mine about it cause she's really good at grammar. And i'll tell you the right answer later.

Answer 11

umm...u care Way to much

Answer 12

1 would be far more normal in English. #2 is just about possible - but would be extremely rare.

Your teacher is confused because the perfect tense ('has washed') refers to past action with a present implication. The dishes are clean now - so at first it looks like a perfect tense is needed here.

BUT the tense of the verb is much more likely to be governed from within its own sentence. So 'the dishes are clean' is not relevant: 'I don't know when ...' determines what verbform to use.

'I don't know when ...' refers to a by-definition-nonspecific point in past time. So the simple past ''washed' is required.

Your teacher has made a very serious mistake in English parsing here. Are you sure that she is competent?

....

[Edit]

If your teacher think that native speakers regularly use defective grammar she is incompetent.

Ask her what she thinks of the tenses in the sentence above; and if she think I have made a grammatical mistake there, invite her to post to that effect on this forum. (At which stage I would be willing to give her a serious lesson in English grammar).

Answer 13

washed

Answer 14

You are correct. It is #1.

I know of no one who would have chosen 'has washed'. It even sounds strange. The past perfect would be 'HAD washed'. 'Has' is present tense, and 'washed' is past tense. They don't even go together, and would create an awkward sentence.

Hope I helped.

God bless you.

Answer 15

It seems that you have already made your choice. Then, what's the point in asking others' opinions? To sympathise with you, and vote against your illiterate teacher?

PS. You have already made your decision. I don't know where you HAVE FOUND this answer.

Answer 16

"Washed" is the correct form, both grammatically and in "common-sense informal" English. That would be the same in both American and British English.

Answer 17

Well, I'm not a grammar teacher but the sentence said "the dishes ARE clean." It didn't say "were" which would have allowed the word "washed" to be used because its past tense.

"When has she washed them?" is a proper question.

Yea, number 2 would SOUND right, but its not. I don't know what grade you are in but after a while, you'll learn that a lot of things don't make sense in the English language lol

Answer 18

The correct grammer is The DISHES ARE CLEAN . I DONT KNOW WHEN SHE  WASHED THEM? please think harder!!!!! your illiterate teacher is DAMM WRONG.   XOXOXOXO maybe the answer (2 sounds right but its not.

(1 is right ...have confidence in yourself..people makes mistakes ALL THE TIME