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I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password, I have asked for it but it has not reach me yet.

I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password, I ask for it but it has not reach me yet.

Please let me know if "ask" should be present perfect as it relates to the loss of my password or present simple. I think present perfect is better. Maybe "realise" should be present perfect too?

Now the same scenario in the past:

I wanted to order something on the internet. I realised that I had lost my password, I asked for it but it had not reached me yet. I wanted to order something on the internet. I realised that I had lost my password, I had asked for it but it had not reached me yet.

Same question for "ask" past simple or past perfect. I think past simple is better.

2 Answers 2

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I am guessing you mean this phrase to be what you might say over the phone or email regarding your lost password. If not more context is needed.

I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password, I have asked for it but it has not reach me yet.

I want to order something on the internet. (OK, a statement of fact. You are in the process of trying to order something.)

I realise that I have lost my password; (Meaning I am aware that I have lost my password;)

I have asked for it but it has not reached me yet. (Assuming you already contacted them for a new password but did not get it yet.

In this scenario is makes sense and is fine as written, except reach changes to reached and add a semi-colon or period after password.

I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password; I have asked for it but it has not reached me yet.

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In answer to your first question

I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password. I have asked for it but i haven't yet received it.

Here 'realise' can not be in present perfect but 'ask' should be.

(I am not sure whether it has reached me is a correct sentence)

Let me just modify this sentence for a better understanding -

Consider you are describing this event to your friend. Then you will say -

I wanted to order something on the internet. I had asked for a new password when i realised that i had lost it. But i haven't yet received the new password.

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  • When I read your sentence "I had asked for a new password when I realised that I had lost" I understand that first I asked for my password then I realised.... but it is not that I want to say . First I realised I had lost my password that is why I asked for a new one ,so that should be "I realised I had lost my password so I asked for a new one
    – Yves Lefol
    Oct 23, 2014 at 12:59
  • seems strange cause when you write "had asked " and "realised" ask should come first because of past perfect how come that "realise" comes first when past simple?!
    – Yves Lefol
    Oct 23, 2014 at 13:28
  • i'm afraid you got the wrong meaning here. I mean, obvisously you will realise it first and then you will ask for a new password, won't you? How can you ask for a new passwrod if you don't know that you have lost it. So if you mean to say - 'First you realised you had lost my password that is why you asked for a new one, so that should be' like this, then my sentece is - 'I had asked for a new password when i realised that i had lost it. But i haven't yet received the new password.' - is a correct answer. You might want to get others opinion here.
    – Leo
    Oct 23, 2014 at 13:29
  • Im pretty sure you are right but could you explain me why "realise" comes first when "ask" is past perfect
    – Yves Lefol
    Oct 23, 2014 at 13:37

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