present perfect+by+present perfect

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ostap77

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"By the time you've hit your late twenties you've dated a few people. It's common courtesy to pretend that you haven't."

I can't figure out why two present perfects have been used in the first sentence. Would it mean action in the future?
 

5jj

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No.

When you have reached an advanced age, as I have, you have read lots of questions like that.
 

ostap77

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Doesn't "When you've reached ..." mean " after you've reached.." here? If it's about a moment in the past, why wasn't it put like this "By the time you hit your late twenties you had dated a few people."?
 

5jj

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Doesn't "When you've reached ..." mean " after you've reached.." here? If it's about a moment in the past, why wasn't it put like this "By the time you hit your late twenties you had dated a few people."?
It's not about a moment in the past. It's a general observation. 'You' here is 'people in general'.
 

ostap77

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I'm confused. Does it refer to the present, the past or the future? If it's a general observation, why isn't it just "By the time you hit your late twenties you've dated a few people."?
 
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5jj

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If it's a general observation, why isn't it just "By the time you hit your late twenties you've dated a few people."?
That's also possible.
 

ostap77

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I'm confused once again. What would be the difference between the following two than?:cry:

1) By the time you hit your late twenties you've dated a few people.

OR

2) By the time you hit your late twenties you will have dated a few people.
 

5jj

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I'm confused once again. What would be the difference between the following two than?:cry:

1) By the time you hit your late twenties you've dated a few people.

OR

2) By the time you hit your late twenties you will have dated a few people.
The same difference as there normally is between utterances with 'will' for certainty and those without.

One of the things that appears to cause you confusion is that you often introduce completely separate issues.

Which one is really puzzling you??

1a. By the time you hit your late twenties, you have dated quite a few people. (general time, fact
1b. By the time you hit your late twenties, you will have dated ... . (general time, certainty)

2a. By the time you hit (present simple) your late twenties, ... .
2b. By the time you've hit (present perfect) your late twenties, ...

3a. By the time you hit (present simple) your late twenties, you will have dated quite a few people. (future time)
3b. By the time you hit (past simple) your late twenties, you had dated quite a few people. (past time)

Before you ask how we tell the tense of the verb in 3a and 3b, or the time of utterances 1b and 3a, the answer is 'context'.
 

ostap77

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"The fog is clearing up!" I mix up 1a with 3a.

So If I were showing the ropes to the rookie on the job and he asked me when he would get a pay raise, could I say "By the time you get a pay raise, you've been working here several moths." to mean a general observation?
 
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