Where was the photo taken?
Where is the photo taken?
Something happened in the past but is still true. Which one is correct? What is the difference?
Learn English – Past/present tense when something happened in the past but is still the case
tense
tense
Where was the photo taken?
Where is the photo taken?
Something happened in the past but is still true. Which one is correct? What is the difference?
Best Answer
You can't ask, "Where is the photo taken?", because the action of taking the photo happened in the past. You could ask, "Where is the photo stored?", because if the photo still exists, it must be stored somewhere.
If you are asking about a past event, you should use the past tense. "Where was the photo taken?" The photo was taken in the past, the taking of the photo is now complete, so we use the past tense. Likewise, "Who took the photo?" "Why did the photographer use a low shutter speed?" Etc.
If you want to ask about something happening now, you generally use the present continuous. "Where is the photo being taken?" "Where is Bob going?" "Who is driving the car?"
Somewhat paradoxically, I guess, if you use the ordinary present in a question, it is generally understood to mean an ongoing action. "Who is driving the car?" means, who is driving it now? But "Who drives the car?" means, who drives it in general?