long time no see

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Originally Posted by e2e4

"It's been a long time since I've seen you."

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I say this. I'm a native English speaker.

The phrase "since I've seen you" has connotations of meeting and discussion, whereas "since I saw you" implies that I merely saw you in the distance and it refers to a specific place.

For example: "It's been a long time since I saw you at the cricket ground".

This sentence infers NO meeting or discussion. The person may have been playing cricket and I saw him on the field.

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Originally Posted by TheParser

NOT A TEACHER

(1) I am not angry. I really do want a teacher to answer your excellent

question. I want to know the answer, too.

(2) I was able to find this in an outstanding grammar book:

It is/has been a long time since I have seen him. = I have not seen him

for a long time.

(3) Here is some more from that grammarian:

It is/has been 4 years since I have studied it. (refers to an action in

the past)

It is/has been 4 years that I have studied it. (the action continues)

It was 4 years ago that he died. (a point in the past)

It is 4 years since he died. (attention to a period of time)

(3) Your question is excellent: Can we say:

It has been a long time since I saw you. I really cannot answer

your question. I hope a teacher will enlighten us.

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Guess your previous examples refer the action that started in the past and have been going on up to the moment of speaking. "Sihce I have studied it" kind of means he began to study and have studied ever since.

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Originally Posted by Koronas

I say this. I'm a native English speaker.

The phrase "since I've seen you" has connotations of meeting and discussion, whereas "since I saw you" implies that I merely saw you in the distance and it refers to a specific place.

For example: "It's been a long time since I saw you at the cricket ground".

This sentence infers NO meeting or discussion. The person may have been playing cricket and I saw him on the field.

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All is permitted to the natives!:crazyeye:
And they always have an explanation why they avoid the grammar rules.
You Koronas should have been a lawyer, not a writer only! ;-):-D
Anyway, thank you for the explanation!
Never have I ever heard it before!!
I asked myself many times why some people speak that way. And I saw it in a book as well.
But the writer of the book didn't give an explanation.

You did.
:cheers:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Koronas

I say this. I'm a native English speaker.

The phrase "since I've seen you" has connotations of meeting and discussion, whereas "since I saw you" implies that I merely saw you in the distance and it refers to a specific place.

For example: "It's been a long time since I saw you at the cricket ground".

This sentence infers NO meeting or discussion. The person may have been playing cricket and I saw him on the field.

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So with "since" we might use both Past Simple and Present Perfet. What would be the rule than?

I stress that I am not a teacher. However, I have been using English for nearly 60 years, so I can think to myself: "when would I say that?" Usually I can answer myself and give an explanation. Occasionally I get it wrong and someone else provides the correct version.

I don't know any rules. I just know what sounds correct. :)

And now I must go to bed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Koronas

I stress that I am not a teacher. However, I have been using English for nearly 60 years, so I can think to myself: "when would I say that?" Usually I can answer myself and give an explanation. Occasionally I get it wrong and someone else provides the correct version.

I don't know any rules. I just know what sounds correct. :)

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When would you say that?

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Originally Posted by ostap77

Guess your previous examples refer the action that started in the past and have been going on up to the moment of speaking. "Sihce I have studied it" kind of means he began to study and have studied ever since.

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NOT A TEACHER

(1) I found this in Mr. Michael Swan's popular book:

Sometimes a present perfect is used to refer to a finished point of time:

It is now a year since we have last discussed your future.

(More normal [says Mr. Swan]: since we last discussed ....)

(2) Kindly remember that Mr. Swan is writing from the point of view

of British English.

(3) Maybe (only "maybe") we can say that American English

favors "It has been a long time since I have seen you," but that "It

has been a long time since I saw you" would be OK, too.

(4) Other posters have already shared their great ideas. Let's

see what others think.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheParser

NOT A TEACHER

(1) I found this in Mr. Michael Swan's popular book:

Sometimes a present perfect is used to refer to a finished point of time:

It is now a year since we have last discussed your future.

(More normal [says Mr. Swan]: since we last discussed ....)

(2) Kindly remember that Mr. Swan is writing from the point of view

of British English.

(3) Maybe (only "maybe") we can say that American English

favors "It has been a long time since I have seen you," but that "It

has been a long time since I saw you" would be OK, too.

(4) Other posters have already shared their great ideas. Let's

see what others think.

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Can you give the name of this book? I would very much like to read ti! Pleeeeease!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ostap77

Guess your previous examples refer the action that started in the past and have been going on up to the moment of speaking. "Sihce I have studied it" kind of means he began to study and have studied ever since.

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NOT A TEACHER

(1) If I understand that grammarian correctly, "It has been 4 years since I have

studied it" = I studied it 4 years ago. In other words, I stopped studying

it in 2006.

(2) If you want to say that you have been studying it from 2006 to today,

you should say:

It has been 4 years that I have studied it. (I am continuing to study it.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheParser

NOT A TEACHER

(1) If I understand that grammarian correctly, "It has been 4 years since I have

studied it" = I studied it 4 years ago. In other words, I stopped studying

it in 2006.

(2) If you want to say that you have been studying it from 2006 to today,

you should say:

It has been 4 years that I have studied it. (I am continuing to study it.)

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I'd like to read that book. What's the full name of it?