what do mean these three sentences:
- She has had a baby.
- She has a baby.
- She had had a baby.
thank you
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1What do you think they mean? The answer will be more helpful if the replier knows what exactly confuses you regarding the meaning of the sentences considering that there are many online tutorials on what these aspects and tenses are supposed to mean.– M.A.R.Nov 4, 2015 at 16:59
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1 Answer
She recently gave birth. You may also see
She just had a baby
She has a child that is still young enough to need a lot of attention
She gave birth at some point in the past but close enough in time to affect the rest of the story. E.G.
She had had a baby, which was why she didn't go skiing
You may also see
She had just had a baby
answered Nov 4, 2015 at 17:07
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1You need to clarify what you mean by "recently" for #3, since had had refers to a point in the past from another more recent point in the past. For example, "Why didn't your sister go on the ski trip with you last February? -- Because she had had a baby the week before."– TᴚoɯɐuoNov 4, 2015 at 17:11
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Thanks @TRomano. I've corrected to address 1 & 3 separately. On first (and second and third...) reading my eyes just couldn't resolve the difference between "has had" and "had had". Nov 4, 2015 at 17:40
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I don't think #1 necessarily means she just gave birth. For example, if someone was trying to explain the experience of childbirth to a woman, someone might interrupt to say, "She knows all that. She has had a baby." IMO, it only means that at some point in the past, referred to from our current point of view, she had a baby.– stangdonNov 4, 2015 at 21:27
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I also don't entirely agree with your explanation of #3 - to me, it simply means that, referred to from some point in the past (e.g., the time of the ski trip) she had already completed the baby-having experience.– stangdonNov 4, 2015 at 21:30