It's a long time...

1 2 3

Share on Facebook

pieanne

#81203 Mon, 14 Mar 05 06:23 PM

Hello, all!
I'm not too sure about what's right here:
1. "It's been a long time since we met"
2. "It's a long time since we met"
I think both are right, but I don't know why 2. is right. Could someone please explain?
Both can be rewritten as:
3. "We haven't met for a long time", is that right? (long time no see...)

And: can it also work with
4. "It's months since we met"
5. "It's 2 years since we (last?) met"

Thanks in advance.

pieanne

Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005

South of France ...But I'm Belgian!

Veteran Member (7,512)

I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

Suzanne 2

#81236 Mon, 14 Mar 05 09:35 PM

Right and wrong... who can say.

Conversationally, I would probably say "It's been ages.. "
4 sounds OK
5 sounds like it's become a bit of an issue, and youv'e been ticking off the days on the calender.

Suzanne 2

Joined on Sat, Mar 12 2005

New Member (20)

paco2004

#81238 Mon, 14 Mar 05 09:46 PM

Hello Pieanne

I also once queried this issue here. I tried to look for the archive using 'Search in Forum' but in vain. I think it's not so bad to repeat the same discussion with you and moderators.

First of all, I'd like to present you the result of a tentative google survey.
(1) "It is/It's a long time since I have/I've seen you" 199 [UK 46]
(2) "It is/It's a long time since I saw you" 68 [UK 18]
(3) "It has/It's been a long time since I have/I've seen you" 2871 [UK 141]
(4) "It has/It's been a long time since I saw you" 946 [UK 44]
(5) "It was a long time since I saw you" 9
(6) "It was a long time since I had seen you" 1
You can see type #3 is now the most popular usage in AmE as well as in BrE.

Historically, however, #2 seems to be the first appeared and most often used structure. OED indeed gives an explanation only to this structure, though it doesn't say other structures are vulgar.
[1535] It is now five and forty years since Lord spoke this unto Moses.
[1557] There are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem.
[1601] How long is it, Count, since the Physitian at your fathers died?
[1661] It is so long since I learnt it, that I have forgot a part of it.
[1711] Nor is it so very long since Richard the Third set up half the backs of the nation.
[1753] Tis an age since I saw you.
[1780] It is now above four years since I became the wife of a gentleman.
[1825] It is long since the kites have had such a banquet.
[1883] It is just a fortnight since Mr. Gladstone embarked.

1. "It's been a long time since we met"
2. "It's a long time since we met"
I think both are right, but I don't know why 2. is right. Could someone please explain?

The conjunction "since X-event" seems to have two functions. The first one is to make a time adverbial clause meaning "all the time from X-event to now". This was originally expressed as "ever since X-event" (EX: I have been a male ever since I was born. ^_^). The second is to make a noun clause meaning "the duration from X-event to now". The usage in this sense is now rare but the traditional structure of #2 can be interpreted as its remnant. This is my personal opinion.

paco

paco2004

Joined on Wed, Nov 17 2004

Senior Member (4,095)

In Japan today even dogs are learning how to bow-wow in English.

Clauses, Nouns

MrPedantic

#81262 Mon, 14 Mar 05 11:26 PM

Maybe it's works because one end of the 'long time' is pinned to the present.

With 'it's a long time', the speaker holds one end of a piece of string that stretches back to point Z ('when we last met') and looks down the string.

With 'it's been a long time', the speaker stands to one side of the piece of string and views the whole sweep from A to Z.

That may be nonsense...

(I don't find any of those phrases especially congenial: I think I'd say 'I haven't seen you for a long time'.)

MrP

MrPedantic

Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004

Veteran Member (12,142)

...opella forensis / adducit febris...

pieanne

#81360 Tue, 15 Mar 05 11:27 AM

Thanks, Paco and MrP.
I'm aware there are other "lighter" ways of expressing it, but I was wondering about THAT structure.
Funny that

(3) "It has/It's been a long time since I have/I've seen you" 2871 [UK 141]

seems to be the most used; a present perfect after "since" sounds weird to me...
I'll have to practise...

pieanne

Present perfect

paco2004

#81368 Tue, 15 Mar 05 12:15 PM

Pieanne

You are right. I too feel it's somehow odd to use 'since I have seen you'. If 'since' is a word to be used to anchor a past event, I feel it must be 'since I saw you'. As an interpretation for the prevalent use of 'since I have seen you', it would be possible to suppose that people might mean 'I saw you habitually in the days before the last meeting' (=I had seen you a lot before the time). Anyway I'd like to hear from native speakers why they feel this expression to be more natural than 'I saw you'.

paco

paco2004

Expressions

pieanne

#81389 Tue, 15 Mar 05 01:59 PM

Hi, Paco!
Anyway, as "it's been/is a long time since I saw you" is also correct, though less fashionable it seems, I think I'll go on using it!

pieanne

MrPedantic

#81392 Tue, 15 Mar 05 02:08 PM

'since I have seen you'

I'm baffled by that google...It sounds an odd formation to me. I'd say 'since I saw you' every time.

But the websites it brings up aren't particularly distinguished. Native speakers do tend to get their tenses in a twist.

MrP

MrPedantic

Tenses

pieanne

#81395 Tue, 15 Mar 05 02:13 PM

Thanks for your comfort, MrP...
Can you tell me with a "yes" or "no", are both of the following correct?
1. it's a long time since I saw you.
2. it's been a long time since I saw you.

pieanne

1 2 3