ChatGPT: I saw the movie already, so I don't want to watch it again.
I wonder if it should be (I have seen the movie already, so I don't want to watch it again).
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Hi, Izzat Hannah,
@Izzat Hannah posted:ChatGPT: I saw the movie already, so I don't want to watch it again.
I wonder if it should be (I have seen the movie already, so I don't want to watch it again).
'Already', as time adjunct, can be used with either the present perfect or the past simple, depending on the speaker’s/writer’s perspective. (See Cambridge Grammar of English). Here, the speaker is thinking of a definite point in the past when saw that movie.
From 'Practical English Usage 3rd edition, page 558:
"Various tenses are possible with all three words. In British English, perfect
tenses are common with already and yet; Americans often prefer past tenses."
Compare:
| - Have you called the garage yet? (HrE) Did you call the garage yet? (AmE) | - She's already left. (BrE) She already left. (ArnE) |
This speaker of American English, given a choice between the present perfect or the simple past with "already," does prefer to use the present perfect. At the same time, I do not deny that I commonly hear the simple past. The robot is speaking natural, if a bit unfortunate, English here, at least in American English.