hadn't finished (haven't finished ?)

[Phoebe1200]

Hunter Street, TV series
Context: Anika has just finished tidying up the room but in fact she just stuffed all the things into a closet. And now her brother Daniel wants to get a clean cloth from the closet.

Anika: I wouldn't do that if I were you.
Daniel: Why?
Anika: I just organized it. (Daniel opens it anyway promising that he won't make a mess and when he does everything falls out of the closet and Anika says)
Anika: I hadn't finished organizing it.

I think she used the past perfect. Is it correct?

 

[Keith Bradford]

It is correct. It means that I hadn't finished organising it before I closed the door and told you it was done.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thank you.

before I closed the door and told you it was done.

I also think that the meaning is: I hadn't finished organizing it (before you opened it)

Right?

 

[Keith Bradford]

Yes.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thanks.
Does the present perfect work in the OP?

Anika: I haven't finished organizing it.

 

[dojibear]

Yes, Anika could say that instead. The meaning is very similar, so it would probably be just as funny.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thank you very much.

so it would probably be just as funny.

What exactly is funny?

 

[dojibear]

Daniel opens the closet, assuming everything inside will be neat and tidy, since she says she has "organized" the closet.

Instead a bunch of things fall out. That is surprising and funny.

Clearly, she lied when she said she organized it, but she tries to twist that around into a non-lie by saying "I hadn't finished organizing it." That is also funny.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thanks so much, Dojibear.

Please tell me if I understood it correctly.

With the past perfect "I hadn't finished organizing it" the past reference point is "before you opened the closet" but the use of the present perfect "I haven't finished organizing it" doesn't take into account his opening the closet it just states that she hasn't finished organizing it yet.

 

[dojibear]

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Many thanks.

Anika: I hadn't finished organizing it.

Does the past perfect version have an implicit "yet" in it "I hadn't finished organizing it (yet)."?

 

[dojibear]

"Yet" expresses the same concept as past perfect. The word isn't needed if past present is used, but it is often included in the sentence.

I hadn't finished organizing the closet, when you opened the closet door.
I hadn't finished organizing the closet yet, when you opened the closet door.

Sometimes "yet" is used instead of past perfect:

I was not finished organizing yet, when you opened the closet door.

 

[Phoebe1200]

I'm very much grateful for your kind answers, Dojibear.

And what about the present perfect?

Does it have an implicit "yet" in it "I haven't finished organizing it (yet)."?

 

[dojibear]

Now that I've seen two examples, I think "yet" it relates to the negative verb, not the tense of the verb. So the concept is "not yet".

You can't use "yet" with:

I have finished organizing it.
I finished organizing it.
I have organized it.
I organized it.

You can add "yet" to these sentences. You can also keep each unchanged and add the colloquial sentence "Not yet." after it:

I didn't organize it.
I didn't finish organizing it.
I haven't organized it.
I haven't finished organizing it.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[wandle]

Does the past perfect version have an implicit "yet" in it "I hadn't finished organizing it (yet)."?

'I haven't finished yet' makes good sense. Putting 'yet' does not alter the meaning of the present perfect; it simply emphasises it.

'I hadn't finished yet' is not correct, because the past perfect must refer to a past time separated from the present, while 'yet' must refer to the present.

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thank so much, Wandle.

I hadn't finished organizing the closet yet, when you opened the closet door.

And in this sentence "yet" is also incorrect?

 

[wandle]

Yes. Correct is 'I still hadn't finished ...'

 

[Phoebe1200]

Thanks again.