"Ela tem errado a rota."
Translation:She has been taking the wrong route.
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It's hard to find a direct translation for "errar", but "errar a rota" can be fairly translated as "take the wrong route".
Since this tense in Portuguese means a repetition, a good translation is "she has been taking the wrong route".
A good hint to understand this tense is simply mentally adding "lately" to it. It will work perfectly in almost any case: "She has been taking the wrong route (lately)" = "Ela tem errado a rota (ultimamente)"
I easily understand "Ela tem comido doces" = "She has been eating candies" but I hardly understand the progressive meaning of taking the wrong way, as it happens only once and then you are just lost, so you can't really make another mistake. Unless you came back on the right way, erred again, and so on. Rather tricky.
This whole lesson seems to have solutions in the first langauge english in the progressive aspect, but I think this might be incorrect translation of present perfect - perfect implies completed aspect. so eg, "ela tem errado a rota" should mean "she has missed the route" perfect aspect, instead of "she has been missing the route" - imperfect aspect progressive action. Is this correct?
I think in Portuguese, the present perfect isn't "perfect". It's more like our subject - auxiliary verb - been - present participle structured sentences. "Eu tenho comido" = "I have been eating". Can someone confirm that?
Routledge: Portuguese, an Essential Grammar page 76: "In Portuguese only the Preterite expresses a fully completed action in the past. The Present Perfect expresses an action which began in the past, has been developing over a period of time and may or may not continue into the future. Eu encontrei a Teresa na biblioteca. I met Teresa in the library, or I have met Theresa in the library. Eu tenho encontrado a Teresa na biblioteca. I have been meeting Teresa in the library (and I may still continue meeting her in the library)." So you are right, and I have been tearing the rest of my hair out in vain when DL translated preterite with a "have done" construction. You are right, and DL also was right. To assume Portuguese will behave like Spanish is a very risky strategy!
Thanks for that, really useful in trying to distinguish between Present Perfect and Preterite forms. So, how would we say "She HAS missed the route" as a completed action? Would it be Ela tem errou a rota, or would it be without the Ter verb form - Ela errou a rota? And would "She HAD missed the route" be Ela teve errou a rota, or again without the Ter verb form?
Well, I'm only a decrepit old Englishman, but I think: "She has missed..." should be "Ela errou..." and "She had missed ..." requires the Pluperfect "Ela tinha errado..." The Present Perfect (She has been missing...) is "Ela tem errado..."
As I suspected. Once again thanks very much, from a decrepit young Englishman :)
I know that I am several years late, but I would really like to thank you for this explanation.
I answered "She has been taking the wrong route." and was failed. But another question earlier "Ele tem errado o caminho." which is virtually the same sentence, was translated as - yes, you guessed it - "He has been taking the wrong way". No sign of missing in the answer at all. https://www.duolingo.com/comment/2732439
Thanks - is that how you would actually say that in Portuguese or is the sentence "close but not quite"-correct?
It's acceptable. We'd most likely say: "Ela tem errado o caminho". "Rota" is most frequently used by delivery companies and GPS systems :-)
This was marked wrong but I don't know why, 'She's been getting the route wrong'.
I think 'She's been getting the wrong route' sounds closer to what they mean. You might as well give it a try.