- Forum >
- Topic: German >
- "Ich hatte nie die Gelegenhei…
7 Comments
You might hear that, but you should not write that. So if you translate a simple past sentence just use Präteritum. Yet in spoken german many people use the perfekt as a "replacement" for the präteritum. So Präteritum is always OK, and if you just speak with a friend, then you might use Perfekt instead.
This reply on usingenglish.com seems to put it well:
"An opportunity is a circumstance that is favorable for you to achieve a goal or get something you want:
Her retirement party gave her colleagues an opportunity to wish her well.
Looking downfield, the player saw an opportunity to score a goal.
An occasion is a particular event or time:
On the occasion of his birthday, we ate a special meal.
The funeral was a mournful occasion."
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/83954-opportunity-occasion