We have a problem with your latest delivery - it ARRIVED 3 days late again.
We have a problem with your latest delivery - it HAS ARRIVED 3 days late again.
Which verb tense is correct?
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3Both are correct, but what do you want to imply? What is the context?– CardinalCommented Sep 28, 2021 at 14:22
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This is a sample text to practice customer complaints and my student asked me which tense was correct– LucyCommented Sep 28, 2021 at 14:29
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2Because it's your latest delivery we can assume that the delivery was very recent. That same emphasis on "recency" is also conveyed by it has arrived (where it's very likely that text was written on the actual day of delivery). The Simple Past it arrived 3 days late could be used even if the most recent delivery was days, weeks, or even longer ago. In short, the only difference is that Present Perfect has arrived implies arrived just recently.– FumbleFingersCommented Sep 28, 2021 at 15:00
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Another problem with both candidate sentences is that the deliveries are late again . It's somewhat awkward to say that A delivery was late again. Also, if it's "your delivery" then it didn't passively "arrive." Maybe you want some variation on "you were late again with your latest delivery."– puppetsockCommented Sep 28, 2021 at 18:48
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@puppetsock "Your delivery was late again" is natural for me. It's understood that it's not the same delivery being late twice.– gotube ♦Commented Sep 29, 2021 at 4:26
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