I come here for 1 month

[luckylad]

I'm trying to work out why a Chinese student has stated:

I come here for 3 and a half years, (refering to when she came to the Uk at the age of 4). Also when I graduated from elementary school, I come to the UK for 1 month.

I think she's getting the past participles confused so 'come' instead of 'came'. Is this correct? I'm only just learning the grammar and the books have been no help with this one!

Also, she's stated, 'I didn't been there before' instead of 'I haven't been there before'. This one has got me stumped. Any ideas?

Thanks for your help with this!

[RonBee]

I think that Chinese student is a bit confused. "I come here for 3 and a half years" isn't really an English sentence. You can say:

I came here three and a half years ago.

or

I have lived here for three and a half years.

What are you stumped about--how to teach her the right verb to use?

[luckylad]

Cheers for replying

I'm stuck with how to explain to her that she should say, 'I came to the uk for 3 and half years, instead of, 'I come to the uk for 3 and a half years. As mentioned earlier I think she's just got her past participles confused??? Are they past participles???

Also, do you have any idea why she'd write, 'No, I didn't been there before', as opposed to, 'No, I haven't been there before?'

Cheers and thanks again for replying

[RonBee]

I'm stuck with how to explain to her that she should say, 'I came to the uk for 3 and half years, instead of, 'I come to the uk for 3 and a half years.

Neither is right. As I said, it should be:

I came to the UK three and a half years ago.

I wouldn't be able to say what the specific problem is without knowing a great deal more.

(Not a professional ESL teacher.)

[riverkid]

I'm trying to work out why a Chinese student has stated:

I come here for 3 and a half years, (refering to when she came to the Uk at the age of 4). Also when I graduated from elementary school, I come to the UK for 1 month.

I think she's getting the past participles confused so 'come' instead of 'came'. Is this correct? I'm only just learning the grammar and the books have been no help with this one!

Also, she's stated, 'I didn't been there before' instead of 'I haven't been there before'. This one has got me stumped. Any ideas?

Thanks for your help with this!

Hello Luckylad,

I'd say that it's because she's a Chinese student whose first language is not English. There's every reason to expect that she will get some collocations mixed up.

What's her current age, status?

[Anglika]

Perhaps she is trying to say "I came here when I was three and a half" and "When I graduated from elementary school, I came to the UK [for a month] [after a month]".

The confusion of "did" and "have" is not unusual. It needs repetitive work to establish which to use when.