Just / Recently
Present State of Mind
Relating the past to the present time frame
Past vs. Still in Mind
| PAST TENSE | PRESENT PERFECT |
|---|---|
PAST - The event no longer affects the speaker's present thoughts. The speaker has moved on. The adverb, if one is used, indicates a specific time. |
STILL IN MIND - the event still affects the speaker's present thoughts. The speaker is still "in the moment." The adverb indicates an indefinite time, relative to "now" or sometime within a time period. |
Jason finished his project this morning. Afterwards, he played soccer. |
Jason has just finished his project. He's so happy about it. (relative to his "now") |
Jason finished his thesis. Later, he began to gather his research. |
Jason has recently finished his thesis. He's preparing to defend it. (relative to his "now") |
Jason finished his studies this month. He did very well. |
Jason has finished studies this month. He's considering a job. (sometime within the month) |
Jason graduated this year. Then he traveled for a month. |
Jason has graduated this year. He's quite accomplished. (sometime within the year) |
Jason used to call every week. Then he stopped calling last week. |
Jason hasn't called me lately. He must be busy. (relative to my "now") |
lately - used in questions or negative sentences
Sentence Position - just / recently / lately
| INITIAL | MEDIAL | FINAL |
|---|---|---|
Just or recently is placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. Use a comma after the adverb. Note that just and lately are not used in the initial position. |
Just or recently is commonly placed after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb. Note that lately is not used in the medial position. |
Recently or lately is commonly placed at the end of the sentence when not emphasized. Note just is not used in the final position. |
Just, we have seen Jason. incorrect |
We have just seen Jason. |
We have seen Jason just. (incorrect.) |
Recently, we have seen Jason. |
We have recently seen Jason. |
We have seen Jason recently. |
Lately, we haven't seen Jason. |
We haven't lately seen Jason. incorrect |
We haven't seen Jason lately. |
Lately, have you seen Jason? incorrect |
Have you lately seen Jason? incorrect |
Have you seen Jason lately? |
Adverbs
| RECENT PAST — SPECIFIC | RECENT PAST — RELATIVE |
|---|---|
The adverbs just and recently can be used with past tense with emphasis on "a moment ago." |
More commonly, just and recently are used with the present perfect tense. The adverbs indicate an indefinite, relative time rather than a specific time. In these examples, a recent past activity is relative to a current or future activity. |
They got married recently.
|
They have gotten married recently. is relative to They are buying new home. |
They were just married.
|
They have just gotten married. is relative to They are leaving on their honeymoon tonight.
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—
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They've been shopping for furniture lately. is relative to Their new things are arriving this afternoon.
|
They were married this month (week, year, season, semester) Time which has passed. |
They have both started new jobs this month. is relative to They are getting used to their busy schedules. (this week, year, season, semester) |
Also see Adverbs of Time
Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
Where did you go on your vacation?
|
Where did you go? The question places emphasis on where not duration. (source) Where have you been? The question places emphasis on the duration of a recent activity. |
I have seen them lately.
|
I have seen them recently. Use recently in place of lately in a statement. |
He has arrived lately. We had to wait for him.
|
He arrived late. / He was late. late (adj.) – past the expected time, tardy |
Practice
Office Chit-Chat
- Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.