First language can have an influence here too. Laura Collins(2002) investigated the different English verb forms used by French speakers. -The past tense- is most commonly used in spoken French and that is usually a translation of a -simple past- form in English is a form that resembles the -present perfect- in English. Thus, the equivalent of 'Yesterday he ate an apple's is -Hieril a mange une pomme-literrally, 'Yesterday he has eaten an app le', Teachers often comment on French speakers' tendency to overuse the -present perfect.- In Collins study, learners complered passages by filling in blanks with the appropriate form of a verb.