[Grammar] did not say/have not said

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Isobela

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Hi, can someone please help me understand what tense should be used in the follwoing sentence?

Since you did not say that I was excellent but merely good, I hope I can live up to your recommendation.

Since you have not said that I am excellent but merely good, I hope I can live up to your recommendaiton.


And also, why it should be either the past simple or present perfect tense?

Thank you!
 

bhaisahab

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They are both correct.
 

Isobela

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Thank you, but do they both mean exactly the same - can they be used in the same situation?

At least to me, the second one seems to be correct when I would like to refer to something that has happened just a moment ago, is that right? Whereas the first one refers to something that happened in the past. What confuses me is the fact that it happened in the past (she said that), but I want to talk about the result of it in the present moment (I hope I can live up to your recommendation). That is why I have thought that the present perfect should be used there.
 

Isobela

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What do you mean by that, please?

Well, I am not a native speaker, so I might be wrong, but what I mean is "I hope that can/will be as good as you said I was"... Does it make any sense to you?
 

Matthew Wai

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What do you mean by that, please?
I think the person being addressed recommended the speaker as 'merely good', and the speaker hopes to live up to that recommendation.

Not a teacher.
 
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