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"I saw you on the bus" is a very simple sentence, but what does it mean exactly?

Does it mean:

1. I saw you while I was on the bus (you might not be on the bus). OR

2. I saw that you were on the bus (I might not be on the bus). OR

3. I saw that you were on the bus while I was on the bus (you and I were both on the bus).

Can someone clarity this for me please? Thanks.
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bubokribuck"I saw you on the bus" is a very simple sentence, but what does it mean exactly?
It might mean any of those things. Nobody knows. You had to be there. Emotion: smile

Language is notorious for its inability to represent reality!

If that one puzzles you, you should try this one:

We saw the man on a hill with a telescope.

How many different things can that one mean? Emotion: smile

CJ
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So that means "I saw you on the bus" can be used for any of the 3 situations?
I would say not.

The first is unlikely, and if it is what was meant then I venture it is incorrectly phrased. I saw you on the bus means you saw that person while he or she was on the bus. You may or may not have been on the bus, but that person was when you saw them.
bubokribuckSo that means "I saw you on the bus" can be used for any of the 3 situations?
Yes, but as stated above, the first is the least likely to be the intended meaning.

CJ
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I was not on the bus