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Kooyeen Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

Always

0 Hi,02br
02br
01i01b00I always wanted to go to Japan, going there is one of my dreams... I hope one day I'll go there.02b02i02br
02br
00I've heard that I can use the simple past instead of the present perfect with "always", without changing the meaning (like in the above sentence, "wanted" instead of "have wanted").02br
00However it seems to me that that doesn't apply to interrogative sentences, so...02br
02br
01i01b00Did you always want to have your own website? Now you can! Call 1-800-KOOYEEN02b02i00.02br
02br
00...doesn't seem to be possible, and the only possible one would be 01i00"Have you always wanted to have your own website? Now you can! Call..."02br
02i02br
00What do you think of this? Thank you 050010id1
  

Top answer

com for "did you always want"02br 02br 00Clearly pondial. 02br 02br 02font 00 0-

— Marius Hancu

  • com for "did you always want"02br 02br 00Clearly pondial.
  • 02br 02br 02font 00 0-
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10 Answers
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0 Both acceptable, but: 01b02br
02br
00 BrE02b02br
01font00212 from bbc.co.uk for "have you always wanted"02font02br
00 75 from bbc.co.uk for "did you always want"02br
02br
01b00AmE02b02br
00 6 from nytimes.com for "have you always wanted"02br
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0Hi,02br
02br
01font01b01i00I always wanted to go to Japan, going there is one of my dreams... .02br
02br
02i02b00I've heard that I can use the simple past instead of the present perfect with "always", without changing the meaning (like in the above sentence, "wanted" instead of "have wanted").00
0
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0 Thank you.02br
02br
00But...02br
00You said that saying "I always wanted to go to Japan" it sounds like I finally went there. That's true, but sentences like that are always put in a certain context that usually makes things clear.02br
02br
00I thought that "I always wanted" implied that I don't want something any more, so I had to use "I've
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0 So, does anybody have some advice for me please, about the usage of the simple past with "always"?02br
00Thank you again. 050010id1
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0 For some reason, I imagine someone winning a trip to Japan.02br
02br
01i00-- Congratulations! You have been selected! You're going to Japan!02br
00 -- That's wonderful! I always wanted to go to Japan. / I've always wanted to go to Japan.02i02br
02br
00 I see no significant difference in this case, though 01i00I'
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0 01blockquote
01cite10CalifJim12cite10 Out of curiosity, I wonder if you are trying to compare a spontaneously offered, off-handed opinion of one native speaker with a thoroughly thought-out opinion from this forum. You may find that the results differ.12blockquote
10Thank you.02br
00Well, yes, I feel this might we
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Kooyeen12cite10That's true in general, but when we have a context and some particles like "never", "always", "already", etc., it seems to me that that distinction is not so clear anymore. For example:12br
11b10I've already seen that movie / I already saw that movie12b10 - In context, they can be us
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0 I agree with Amy's comments.02br
02br
00True, the conceptual time-wall seems absent in some uses of the simple past. But I claim it's always there somewhere, lurking in the back of our minds. 05002br
02br
01i00[I've already seen / I already saw] that movie.02i02br
01i00[I've never driven / I never drove] a car.02
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0 I am somewhat indifferent to the small differences between simple past and present perfect in your other examples. 01i00I('ve) always [wanted / knew (known) / said] ...02i00 Two of the three are reporting verbs, so that may be a factor in my reactions. 02br
02br
00If you want the more mystical argument 05000 : The conceptual time-wall of t
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0 Thank you so much, Amy and Jim.02br
02br
00I perfectly understand that the usage I'm describing is highly dependent on context. That's why I tried to put my examples in a decent context. I also perfectly understand that often the present perfect is simply better in the examples I posted. 02br
00What I wanted to demonstrate is that in American English sometimes
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