Is this phrase correct?
By purchasing this product, you certify that you have read and accepted the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions...
Is it just me or it feels like "read and accepted" should be "read and accept" only, or is it already grammatically valid?
The word have in the phrase suggests that the action has already been taken, ie it is in the past. Therefore, the verbs indicate past tense: you have already read (pronounced 'red') and accepted the conditions.
If the have wasn't there, then that clause in the sentence would be saying that you will (but haven't yet) read (pronounced reed) and accept the conditions.
So, the statement is grammatically correct. It deals with tenses a bit awkwardly, but it is valid.
Indeed, "have" is the key word to understand what's going on here.
"Have" indicates past perfect tense, contrary to a simple past if "have" were omitted.
So, in this sentence, "have" applies both verbs: "have read and have accepted". A programmer would say, "have (read and accepted)" if it were possible with a natural language. :-)
This fact has an important results in some phrases. Consider:
You read, accepted, and did what you've been asked for;
You have read, accepted, and done what you've been asked for;
Most English verbs have equal Past Simple and Past Participle forms ("accepted" vs. "have accepted"), but for some irregular verbs, the difference is significant ("did" vs. "have done").
There is actually a reason to claim that have read and accept may be preferable.
The phrase "have read and accepted the Privacy Policy" is equivalent to "have read and have accepted the Privacy Policy" (the omission of the second "have" is an example of an ellipsis). This is a present perfect construction, and it means that at this point in time, the following facts are established (completed):
Note that the established facts are in the past, but the situation being described is present. This is the reason it is called present perfect, and this is why you can't add any time-indicating adverb like "yesterday" or "earlier".
However, it can be claimed that the facts that need to be established are instead that
If this is the case, then the "accept" part should not be in present perfect, but rather in present simple; the sentence should be "...you certify that you have read and accept the Privacy Policy..." (there is still an ellipsis here - you could expand it to "that you have read and that you accept").
Compare this to another sentence which use the verb "be" in the present simple: "You certify that you have studied and are proficient in English".
I have read and I accept under the terms established
