I sense/I'm sensing that

[EngLearner]

Suppose I have a language partner who's teaching me English and who's learning Ukrainian. I notice that their Ukrainian has improved and I say the following to them:

[I sense]/[I'm sensing] that there's been an improvement in the way you speak Ukrainian.

I think I've come across both variants (if my memory serves me right). Can I say it either way?

 

[teechar]

I would take out "that there has been".

 

[EngLearner]

Does the sentence sound unnatural with "that there has been"?

 

[teechar]

No, but I prefer the shorter version.

 

[emsr2d2]

Is there a reason that you don't want to use the more likely "Your Ukrainian has improved since I've known you"?

 

[EngLearner]

Is there a reason that you don't want to use the more likely "Your Ukrainian has improved since I've known you"?

No particular reason. I just wanted to see if either tense would work in the structure in post #1.

 

[tedmc]

"Sense/sensing" sounds unnnatural. You could say "I find" or "I feel".

 

[jutfrank]

I don't think 'sense' is a great word choice here. You could use 'notice' instead.

 

[EngLearner]

I don't think 'sense' is a great word choice here. You could use 'notice' instead.

Does the verb "notice" work in my example both in the simple present "I notice that..." and in the present continuous "I'm noticing that..."?

 

[jutfrank]

The present simple works well:

I notice your Ukrainian has improved a lot.

The present continuous is not good.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd probably use "I've noticed that your Ukrainian has ...".