A question about tense usage in "since clause"

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Viceidol  #544732  Tue, 22 Jul 08 01:14 AM

Hello, everyone:

It is three years since I have been here. (It means I am still here right now. Am I right?)

It is three years since I was here. (It means I am not here right now. And I think this sentence mean the same as "It is three years since I left here." Am I right?)

We visit my parents every week since we bought a car. (I think this sentence means the same as "We visit my parents every week since we have bought a car." Am I right?)

Please help me with this, thank you!!

  
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Mr Wordy  #544811  Tue, 22 Jul 08 04:03 AM
You might get different opinions on some of these, but here's my take. 

It is three years since I have been here. / It is three years since I was here. -- The use of "here" implies that I'm in that place now, and I understand both these to mean "I'm here now, and I was here three years ago, but I haven't been here at any time during the intervening three years." Some might argue that it's more correct to say: It's (been) three years since I was last here.

It is three years since I left here. -- Here there is more of a sense that I inhabited or frequented this place (say a house, or a town) until three years ago (then I left, and now I've returned again).

We visit my parents every week since we bought a car. -- I think it should be "We have visited my parents...", though I suppose "We visit" is passable in everyday conversation, even if strictly speaking it might be grammatically suspect. This sentence means that we bought a car at some time in the past, and every week since then we've visited my parents. "We visit" implies that this pattern of behaviour will continue into the future, whereas "We have visited" is neutral on that point. (It is also possible to interpret "since" as meaning "seeing as", as explained below, but this interpretation doesn't come very naturally to me here.)

We visit my parents every week since we have bought a car.-- "Since" in the sense of a duration of time doesn't work so well for me with "have bought", so here I tend interpret "since" as meaning "seeing as". In other words, having a car enables us to visit our parents. (If the writer didn't mean that, then why did he not just say "bought"?). This changes the meaning significantly.

  
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Mr Wordy  #544936  Tue, 22 Jul 08 11:47 AM

Mr Wordy
It is three years since I left here. -- Here there is more of a sense that I inhabited or frequented this place (say a house, or a town) until three years ago (then I left, and now I've returned again).

It occurred to me later that this could be interpreted completely differently, to mean that I've been here (say in a prison, on an island, or some other place where one might be confined) constantly for the last three years. Three years ago I left it (presumably relatively briefly), then returned, and since then I haven't left the place once. This interpretation doesn't come very naturally to me though.

  
Marius Hancu  #544940  Tue, 22 Jul 08 12:13 PM
 Mr.  Wordy:

>We visit my parents every week since we have bought a car.-- "Since" in the sense of a duration of time doesn't work so well for me with "have bought", so here I tend interpret "since" as meaning "seeing as"

I agree with the above, but what is  "seeing as" ???

 

 

  
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Mr Wordy  #544951  Tue, 22 Jul 08 12:42 PM

Marius Hancu
I agree with the above, but what is  "seeing as" ???

It's a more informal version of "seeing that", meaning something like "considering that", "in view of the fact that", "taking into account the fact that", sometimes merging into "because". Probably I shouldn't have chosen such a colloquial and idiomatic expression to explain what I meant.

  
Marius Hancu  #544953  Tue, 22 Jul 08 12:46 PM
 >"seeing that", meaning something like "considering that"

This I understand ... I forgot as=that  sometimes. Thanks.

  
Viceidol  #545153  Wed, 23 Jul 08 12:02 AM

Thank you for your extensive explanation.

  
Mr Wordy  #545156  Wed, 23 Jul 08 12:07 AM

Viceidol
Thank you for your extensive explanation.

Wordy by name...

  
Viceidol  #545642  Thu, 24 Jul 08 12:41 AM

Hello, Mr. Wordy, may I ask one more question? 

One of my grammar boooks gives the following interpretation:

It's a long time since he lived there. (It suggests "He does not live there for a long time.")

It's a long time since he has lived there. (It suggests "He lives there for a long time.")

Is that right?  What do you think?

Sorry to bother. Smile

  
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