Haven't seen

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jack112

#123569 Wed, 03 Aug 05 09:04 AM

Scenario: I haven't seen this girl for a long time and now I'm here seeing here and she asks, "what are you smiling about?" And I say:

1. Nothing, it is just that I haven't seen you for so long. (I have heard this many times but why can I still use the present perfect when I'm seeing her now?)

2. Nothing, it is just that I hadn't seen you for so long. (Why not use this one? If it is inappropriate, when would I use it then?)

Thanks.

jack112

Joined on Thu, Jul 22 2004

Regular Member (715)

Present Perfect

Mister Micawber

#123578 Wed, 03 Aug 05 10:23 AM

#2 is inappropriate. He is smiling at the time of the utterance. As I have said many and many a time, do not use past perfect unless there are two past events, and there is potential confusion about the order of their occurrence or there is some reason to emphasize their temporal relationship.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (22,612)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

Past Perfect

jack112

#124082 Fri, 05 Aug 05 08:38 AM

Mister Micawber wrote:

#2 is inappropriate. He is smiling at the time of the utterance. As I have said many and many a time, do not use past perfect unless there are two past events, and there is potential confusion about the order of their occurrence or there is some reason to emphasize their temporal relationship.

1. Nothing, it is just that I haven't seen you for so long. (But I'm seeing her now? And present perfect sitll works? Why is that? Wink [;)]

Thanks.

jack112

Mister Micawber

#124099 Fri, 05 Aug 05 10:19 AM

Just as it works in:

I haven't had a peach in six months. (while eating a peach)
I haven't attended an English lesson since January. (while taking a lesson)
I haven't seen Los Angeles for 15 years! (while deplaning at LAX)

Duration from an unspecified past point until now. The precise now point need not be at the instant of utterance, Jack-- it is just a guideline. Present perfect connects the past with the present in sometimes subtle ways.

Mister Micawber

Present Perfect

Globetrotter

#124101 Fri, 05 Aug 05 10:34 AM

hi

I heard or read somehwere that present progressive + to see is NOT possible.
Cant quite remember anymore, but I guess I didn't understad it either.
So, is there any rule according to which the verb to see mustn't be combinated with present progressive?

If not, then I'm mixing something up.

Globetrotter

Joined on Wed, Aug 3 2005

New Member (25)

Present Progressive, Verbs

goldmund

#124164 Fri, 05 Aug 05 02:13 PM

Dear Globetrotter,

It is grammatical to say «I am seeing».

I am seeing double.
He is seeing things.
Are you seeing an error message?
I do not understand some of the things that I am seeing on the screen.
I am seeing your wife tomorrow night.

Kind regards, Smile [:)]

Goldmund

goldmund

Joined on Fri, Jun 10 2005

Regular Member (581)

«Tout homme peut dire véritablement; mais dire ordonnément, prudemment et suffisamment, peu d'hommes le peuvent.» - Michel de Montaigne

Regards

jack112

#129117 Sun, 21 Aug 05 07:00 AM

Mister Micawber wrote:

Just as it works in:

I haven't had a peach in six months. (while eating a peach)
I haven't attended an English lesson since January. (while taking a lesson)
I haven't seen Los Angeles for 15 years! (while deplaning at LAX)

Duration from an unspecified past point until now. The precise now point need not be at the instant of utterance, Jack-- it is just a guideline. Present perfect connects the past with the present in sometimes subtle ways.

What about this:

Scenario: I finally have money to purchase a new car. I'm getting it tomorrow.

1. I have been waiting so long for this. (Does this express that I'm still waiting for a new car?)

2. I had been waiting so long for this. (So this is no good? If so, how do I express that I'm not waiting for it anymore?)

Thanks.

jack112

Present Perfect

xsi

#129127 Sun, 21 Aug 05 08:15 AM

I believe the first one is right because you are getting the car tomorrow; therefore, you are still technically waiting to get the car.

Also I've been instructed to only use past perfect tense when two things occured in the past and you want to let the audience know which event happened first. (Does this sentence make sense??)

If you want to express that you are not waiting for the car anymore, you could say "I had bought the car after I waited for so long." Does this sentence work? It implies that first, you save money and wait, then you buy the car.

Hope this helps (Please check that sentence, it felt funny when I wrote it)

xsi

Joined on Wed, Oct 13 2004

New Member (29)

Tenses, Past Perfect

jack112

#129131 Sun, 21 Aug 05 08:37 AM

What if I just bought the car? What would I use?

1. I had waited so long for this car. (So I have the car now and I'm not waiting anymore. But past perfect is incorrect here? How do I express myself not waiting anymore then?)

2. I have waited so long for this car. (This doesn't necessary mean that I'm still waiting for the car right? I think I'm getting this now.)

And these ones:

What do these ones mean?

1. I just started laughing because it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. (With 'had' here, it shows which event happened first?)

2. I just started laughing because it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. (I think this one is wrong but at the same time I think it is right now. If it is right, why? Or not why? )

Thanks.

jack112

Past Perfect

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