We've known each other...,

[Silverobama]

I met Mike at an English club a few years ago but we didn't talk with each other. Since then, we chatted with each other online in Chinese. Today, I went to his English club and told someone who asked me if I had known Mike, I said "We've known each other for a few years but we never talk to each other". Is the sentence grammatical and natural?

 

[emsr2d2]

I met Mike at an English club a few years ago but we didn't talk with to each other.

How does that work? Did someone introduce you to each other and then you just stood in silence? Weird!

Since then, we have chatted with each other online in Chinese.

Since when?

Today, I went to his English club and told someone who asked me if I had known knew Mike.

See above.

I said "We've known each other for a few years but we never talk to each other".

This has the same problem as the first part. You can't really say you know someone if you've never spoken. Also, saying "we never talk to each other" directly contradicts "we have chatted with each other online in Chinese".

Is the sentence grammatical and natural?

It's grammatical but it makes no sense in the context.

I suspect you're struggling with the use of "talking to". We don't have to be with someone in person to talk to them. We can talk on the phone, by WhatsApp, on Zoom, by text, by swapping emails etc. It doesn't have to mean you're in the same room and actually speaking.

 

[Silverobama]

How does that work? Did someone introduce you to each other and then you just stood in silence? Weird!

Hmm, it just works. There were so many people at that club meeting and we have an online chat group. We know who you are but we never talked to each other in English though we're required to speak only English there.

Since when?

Since I knew who Mike was. (After being in that online chat group for a while. The online group of that English club.)

It's grammatical but it makes no sense in the context.

How can I rephrase the question? Please enlighten me.

 

[dunchee]

"Well, we've known each other online, but we've never interacted in person/in real life."

 

[Skrej]

Today, I went to his English club and told someone who asked me if I had known Mike, I said "We've known each other for a few years but we never talk to each other". Is the sentence grammatical and natural?

There were so many people at that club meeting and we have an online chat group. We know who you are but we never talked to each other in English though we're required to speak only English there.

A common phrase for situations like this is to say "I know of him" This means you're familiar with who he is, but you don't really know him. You recognize the name and maybe the face, but that's about all you know of them.

I have many colleagues whose names I've seen in emails, and maybe even heard them speak at a staff meeting. I could probably even tell you what their position is, but that's about it. If you asked me if I knew one of them, I'd respond with "I know of her. I think she's one of biology teachers."

 

[Silverobama]

"I know of her. I think she's one of biology teachers."

Is it wrong to say "I know of her. I think she's one of the biology teachers"?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is it wrong to say "I know of her. I think she's one of the biology teachers"?

No. That would, in fact, be the correct wording of that sentence. Skrej accidentally omitted the article.

 

[emsr2d2]

Since I knew who Mike was. (After being in that online chat group for a while. The online group of that English club.)

Are you saying that you first became aware of Mike a few years ago by being in the online version of a particular English club? (I'm talking about the time you expressed in sentence 1 of post 1.)

 

[Silverobama]

Are you saying that you first became aware of Mike a few years ago by being in the online version of a particular English club?

Yes. Here's the full context:

A few years ago I joined a club called Koala Coffee English Corner because the venue was in a coffee shop. I knew Mike there but we never talked to each other in person. How I knew him? We had a large chat group and he was in it. He was very talkative and contributed a lot to that chat group (English Only group.) Then he came up in some of the conversations among my friends because his English was perfect. I still hadn't a chance to talk to him in English though we talked to each other in Cantonese very often. Last night, I finally had a chance to talk to him in English in person. A woman who is also in the Cantonese group we belong to asked if I had talked to Mike in English.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes. Here's the full context:

A few years ago I joined a club called Koala Coffee English Corner (it was called that because the venue was in a coffee shop).

You needed to clarify what "because" was attached to. Your version made it sound as if you joined specifically because it was held in a coffee shop.

I knew first saw/met Mike there but we never talked to each other in person in English.

See above. The final two words are very important to your context.

How I knew did I know him?

See above.

We had a large chat group and he was in it. We were both part of a large English-only chat group. He was very talkative and contributed a lot to it. that chat group (English Only group.)

See above.

Then Some time later, he came up in some of the conversations among with my friends because his English was perfect.

See above. If the conversations were simply "among" your friends, they could have taken place without you. You need to make it clear you were part of those conversations.

I still hadn't had a chance to talk to him in English, though we talked to each other in Cantonese very often.

See above.

Last night, I finally had a chance to talk to him in English in person.

Good.

A woman, who is also in the Cantonese group we belong to, asked if I had ever talked to Mike in English.

See above.

Right. I see part of the issue. You didn't make it clear in post #1 that you differentiated between talking to Mike in Cantonese and talking to him in English. You seem to consider these two completely different forms of "talking". They're not.
If you say "We never talk to each other", it doesn't mean "We never talk to each other in English". It means you literally never have a conversation of any kind.

 

[embertmorton200]

“We’ve known each other for years” is the correct form—present perfect works here because the relationship started in the past and continues now. I use grammar like this a lot in client emails, and clarity really matters. Even in marketing tools like [commercial company name removed by mod], clean language improves communication across teams and with leads. Precision pays off everywhere.