Mixed Tenses in Business English
Grammar Explanation: Choosing the Right Tense
Choosing the correct tense depends entirely on when the action happens and how it relates to the present moment. Instead of guessing, experienced language learners train themselves to look for specific context clues and signal words.
| Tense | Grammar Rule / Usage | Common Signal Words | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Regular schedules, habits, routines, general policies, or permanent truths. | every year, every Monday, usually, regularly, generally, normally | Our company exports goods every year. |
| Simple Past | An action that was completely finished at a specific, defined time in the past. | yesterday, last week, last year, in May, in 2025, this morning | The supplier sent the file yesterday. |
| Present Perfect | An action that happened at an unspecified time, or when the present result is what matters most. | already, yet, ever, never, so far | We have already received the license. |
❌ We have opened a new warehouse in May. (Wrong: "in May" is a finished past time!)
✅ We opened a new warehouse in May.
❌ I didn't find any mistakes so far. (Wrong: "so far" connects past to present!)
✅ I haven't found any mistakes so far.
❌ Our company is exporting machinery every year. (Wrong: "every year" is a routine, not happening right now!)
✅ Our company exports machinery every year.
1. Our company ______ machinery to Canada every year. (This is a regular activity.)
exports
[Unser Unternehmen exportiert jedes Jahr Maschinen nach Kanada.]
2. We ______ any copper yesterday. (This is a finished time in the past.)
didn't import
[Wir haben gestern kein Kupfer importiert.]
3. Have you ______ the warehouse yet? (The exact time is not important.)
visited
[Haben Sie das Lager schon besucht?]
4. The supplier ______ the goods last Friday. (This is a finished past time.)
delivered
[Der Lieferant hat die Waren letzten Freitag geliefert.]
5. We ______ paper invoices anymore. (This is generally true today.)
don't use
[Wir verwenden heutzutage keine Papierrechnungen mehr.]
6. The customer ______ the invoice . - already. (The result is important now.)
has already paid
[Der Kunde hat die Rechnung bereits bezahlt.]
7. Do you ______ with international suppliers? (This is a habit or routine.)
negotiate
[Verhandeln Sie regelmäßig mit internationalen Lieferanten?]
8. We ______ a new warehouse in May. (This is a finished past time.)
opened
[Wir haben im Mai ein neues Lager eröffnet.]
9. Our logistics team ______ every shipment carefully. (This is a regular procedure.)
checks
[Unser Logistikteam überprüft jede Lieferung sorgfältig.]
10. I ______ the documents yet. (The word yet normally takes the Present Perfect.)
haven't received
[Ich habe die Dokumente noch nicht erhalten.]
11. Has the bank ______ the loan yet? (The word yet normally takes the Present Perfect.)
approved
[Hat die Bank den Kredit schon genehmigt?]
12. The company ______ its transport costs last year. (This is a finished past time.)
reduced
[Das Unternehmen hat seine Transportkosten letztes Jahr reduziert.]
13. We ______ raw materials from several countries. (This is a regular business activity.)
buy
[Wir kaufen regelmäßig Rohstoffe aus mehreren Ländern.]
14. The ship ______ yesterday because of bad weather. (This is a finished past time.)
didn't arrive
[Das Schiff ist gestern wegen schlechten Wetters nicht angekommen.]
15. Have they ______ the customs documents yet? (The word yet normally takes the Present Perfect.)
finished
[Haben sie die Zolldokumente schon fertiggestellt?]
16. Our company ______ cash payments. (This is a general company policy.)
doesn't accept
[Unser Unternehmen akzeptiert generell keine Barzahlungen.]
17. The supplier ______ the quotation this morning. (This is a finished past time.)
sent
[Der Lieferant hat das Angebot heute Morgen geschickt.]
18. We ______ a delivery deadline. (The word never normally takes the Present Perfect.)
have never missed
[Wir haben noch nie einen Liefertermin verpasst.]
19. Do your customers ______ by bank transfer? (This is a usual way of paying.)
pay
[Bezahlen Ihre Kunden normalerweise per Banküberweisung?]
20. The manager ______ the meeting yesterday. (This is a finished past time.)
didn't attend
[Der Manager hat gestern nicht an der Besprechung teilgenommen.]
21. We ______ the export licence. (The word already normally takes the Present Perfect because the result is important now.)
have already received
[Wir haben die Exportgenehmigung bereits erhalten.]
22. Does your company ______ digital trade finance? (This is a general business practice.)
use
[Nutzt Ihr Unternehmen generell digitale Handelsfinanzierung?]
23. The engineers ______ the new software last week. (This is a finished past time.)
installed
[Die Ingenieure haben die neue Software letzte Woche installiert.]
24. We ______ any mistakes so far. (The words so far normally take the Present Perfect.)
haven't found
[Wir haben bisher keine Fehler gefunden.]
25. Our suppliers ______ goods every Monday. (This is a regular schedule.)
deliver
[Unsere Lieferanten liefern jeden Montag Waren.]
26. Have you ever ______ an international trade fair? (The word ever normally takes the Present Perfect.)
visited
[Haben Sie schon einmal eine internationale Fachmesse besucht?]
27. The company ______ its prices in 2025. (This is a finished past time.)
didn't increase
[Das Unternehmen hat seine Preise im Jahr 2025 nicht erhöht.]
28. We ______ safety stock in our warehouse. (This is a general company policy.)
keep
[Wir halten grundsätzlich Sicherheitsbestände in unserem Lager.]
29. Has the customer ______ the contract yet? (The word yet normally takes the Present Perfect.)
signed
[Hat der Kunde den Vertrag schon unterschrieben?]
30. I ______ digital trade finance is the future. (This is a general opinion or belief.)
believe
[Ich glaube, dass digitale Handelsfinanzierung die Zukunft ist.]