“I do it last year.” Sound familiar?
“I do it last year,” he said proudly.
And I smiled, because I’ve heard that sentence a thousand times.
It’s the German brain doing gymnastics:
Ich habe das letztes Jahr gemacht → I have done it last year → I do it last year.
Totally logical.
Just not English.
Here’s the simple fix:
👉 Finished time → I did
👉 Ongoing time → I have done
✅ I did it yesterday.
✅ I have done it many times.
That’s all. No grammar book. No guilt.
So if you’ve ever said “I do it last year,” don’t panic.
You’ve just spoken fluent German-English.
And the best part?
Everybody still understands you.
🔥 Try this:
Notice one sentence today where you’d normally say ‘I have done’ – and check if it’s actually finished time.
Dear Christine, as a retired German English teacher I should tell you that even in German Grammar: Ich tue es letztes Jahr(I‘m sure your client knows that), I do it last year , is completely incorrect because you can’t combine simple present with a past adverb in German as well. Sorry to sound like a ’ backseat driver‘ 🫣is that a correct word for Besserwisserin ?😉
Have A great day!
Ele
Thanks, Ele — you’re totally right! No German would say “Ich tue es letztes Jahr.” I just used it to show how the logic travels from “Ich habe es letztes Jahr gemacht” → “I have done it last year.” That little transfer is what makes “I do it last year” pop up so often.
And yes, backseat driver fits perfectly — though know-it-all would also work 😉