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Present perfect/simple past in since clause

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Marius Hancu  #546028  Thu, 24 Jul 08 10:28 PM
 Optilang:

> It's three years since he has been to France - he hasn't been to France for three years.

No, I'd write that as:

It's three years since he has not been to France - he hasn't been to France for three years.

or even better with your for version.  

  
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optilang  #546030  Thu, 24 Jul 08 10:41 PM
It's already 5 years since he has been in the army. I see this as - he left the army 5 years ago.

It's three years since he has been to France - he hasn't been to France for three years.


It's already 5 years since he joined the army - he joined 5 years ago and is still in the army.

I agree on your 3rd,  but not on the 1st and 2nd.



OK. Could you have a look at these for me MH:

It's three years since I've been to France - meaning (and it's true) I haven't been to France for the last three years.

It's 2 years since I moved to Poland (and I am still here)

BUT, and here comes some confusion for me:

Since four years ago I've been the Managing Director of my company (and I still am)

Can it be something to do with the It's *** years since that's causing the problem?

Thanks.
  
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Mr Wordy  #546032  Thu, 24 Jul 08 10:51 PM

Viceidol, all your suggested interpretations in your original post look correct to me.

You cannot use "since + time period" to indicate that something has been going on for that period of time. For example, you cannot say "He has lived there since six years" or "I have been ill since a long time". Analogously, #1 to #4 cannot mean that he has lived there over the time period described. However, "since + event/state of affairs" does mean that something has been going on over that period of time. This is why #5 and #6 mean what they do.

In #3 you mean "he has lived".

Just casting my eye down the list, #12 seems rather unnatural to me. Although I don't see how it can mean anything other than what you suggest, you would not normally say this. Instead, you would say something like "They have been happy since they moved out of London".

(I am assuming throughout that "since" indicates a duration of time, and does not mean "seeing that".)

  
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Marius Hancu  #546034  Thu, 24 Jul 08 10:59 PM
 >For example, you cannot say "He has lived there since six years" or "I have been ill since a long time"

Glad to hear Mr. Wordy on thatSmile 

  
Mr Wordy  #546035  Thu, 24 Jul 08 11:08 PM

Marius Hancu

> It's three years since he has been to France - he hasn't been to France for three years.

No, I'd write that as:

It's three years since he has not been to France - he hasn't been to France for three years.

To me, "It's three years since he has been to France" is OK and indeed means the same as the mostly likely interpretation of "He hasn't been to France for three years" ("most likely" because that sentence is actually ambiguous).

"It's three years since he has not been to France" is, to me, wrong. I'm not even sure what it ought to mean if it did mean anything.

  
Marius Hancu  #546036  Thu, 24 Jul 08 11:13 PM
Need to wrap  my head around them ... Smile
  
Marius Hancu  #546037  Thu, 24 Jul 08 11:17 PM
 Bottom line: use for, if you want to show duration in years, etc Smile
  
Mr Wordy  #546041  Thu, 24 Jul 08 11:26 PM

Marius Hancu
Bottom line: use for, if you want to show duration

I've been exercising regularly since 1998 / I've been exercising regularly for ten years.

I haven't had a cigarette since 1998 / I haven't had a cigarette for ten years.

It's a long time since I've had a cigarette. / I haven't had a cigarette for a long time (or in a long time).

Etc. etc.

 

  
Marius Hancu  #546045  Thu, 24 Jul 08 11:54 PM
Mr.  Wordy:

Not sure if I got you correctly, you agree with: 

 It's a long time since I've had a cigarette.

but you don't agree with the original post:

1. It's a long time since he has lived there.

?  

  
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