The Homestay Email Tenses
Emma is writing an email to her host family in Aomori before her exchange. She wants to sound natural and accurate. Draft: 'Dear Sato family, I (1) ___ [have learned / learned] Japanese for three years, but I (2) ___ [have few / have a few] chances to speak with native speakers, so I am nervous. Last summer I (3) ___ [have visited / visited] Kyoto with my school. I (4) ___ [have never seen / never saw] snow, so I am excited about winter in Aomori. My plane (5) ___ [arrives / will arrive] at 3:15 p.m., so I (6) ___ [take / will take] the 4:00 bus.' She will stay for one year and is still learning Japanese now. Her host family will meet her at the bus stop. She wants the email to be friendly but not too casual.
1. Choose the correct form for (1), (2), and (4). Explain each choice using time expressions and the situation.
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(1) have learned (or 'have been learning'): 'for three years' describes a period continuing to now, and the email says she is still learning. The past simple 'learned' would suggest she finished. (2) have few: 'few' without 'a' means 'not many,' which matches 'so I am nervous.' 'A few' would mean 'some,' and that would weaken the reason for nervousness. The context word 'but' signals a contrast: she has studied for years, but she has not had many speaking chances. (4) have never seen: 'never' describes experience up to the present, and she is excited about the coming winter. 'Never saw' would need a finished past time frame, such as 'last year.' The time words and the ongoing situation decide the form, not the word 'never' alone.
2. For (5) and (6), choose between the present and future forms. What clue in the email decides it?
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(5) arrives: a plane timetable is a scheduled event, so the present simple is natural: 'My plane arrives at 3:15 p.m.' (6) will take: this is Emma's plan after arrival, not a timetable entry for the bus itself. 'I take the 4:00 bus' could describe a habitual routine, but she is talking about one specific day. The clue is the sequence: arrival at 3:15 → her choice of the 4:00 bus. If the sentence were 'The bus leaves at 4:00,' the present simple would be correct because that is a schedule. The judgement is whether the subject is a timetable or a person's decision.
3. Rewrite sentence (3) if Emma wants to connect Kyoto to her present interest in Aomori. Keep the past simple and add one linking phrase.
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Original: 'Last summer I visited Kyoto with my school.' A present link can be added without changing the past tense: 'Last summer I visited Kyoto with my school, and since then I have wanted to see more of Japan.' The past simple visited stays because 'last summer' is finished time; the new clause uses the present perfect have wanted because the interest continues. This is better than 'Last summer I have visited Kyoto,' which incorrectly puts a finished-time expression with the present perfect. The linking phrase 'since then' makes the connection explicit and shows the examiner that the two tenses are doing different jobs.