date back

[JACEK1]

Hello,

I would like to say that something is as old as I am.

I would like to use 'date back'.

For instance:

A) My primary school dates back to the time / that / I was born.

B) My primary school dates back to the time of my birth / me being brought into the works.

What is your opinion?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It would be more natural to just say, "My primary school is as old as I am."

We usually don't use dates back that way.

 

[JACEK1]

But It (the school) is really my age. I remember my mother saying that the school and I are peers.

 

[jutfrank]

To add to Piscean's point above:

The particle back in date back suggests the idea of a very long time ago. If you simply remove back, it sounds much better.

 

[JACEK1]

Could "come from the time...." be used instead?
A) My primary school comes from the time / that / I was born.

B) My primary school comes from the time of my birth / me being brought into the world.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Right, but 'date back' is usually used for a time that is impressively long. . . .

Yes. It can refer to a practice or a custom or a very old place or thing. It never refers to a person.

- Handshakes date back to a time when people sometimes hid knives up their sleeves.

- The term "cut and paste" dates back to the days of scissors and glue in printing, publishing, and graphic design.

- The castle dates back to the Middle Ages.

- My grandfather is seventy years old. (NOT My grandfather dates back to 1950.)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Could "come from the time...." be used instead?
A) My primary school comes from the time / that / I was born.

B) My primary school comes from the time of my birth / me being brought into the world.

Nope.

- My primary school was built when I was born.

- My primary school is my age.

- My primary school and I are the same age.

- My primary school was built the same year I was born.

- My primary school is as old as I am.

(See #8.)

 

[tedmc]

Could "come from the time...." be used instead?
A) My primary school comes from the time / that / I was born.

B) My primary school comes from the time of my birth / me being brought into the world.

I have not heard of "comes from the time", but I have heard of "belongs to the era".

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Neither seems appropriate here.

Maybe it was a very small era.