Expression or intent?

PreciousJones What's the difference between:

It's been 21 years since I was 5. And

It's been 21 years since I've been 5.

Is there a difference in the expression or intent desired?Please explain.

There is absolutely no reason to use "been" in your sentences. It is 21 years.....

Likewise, "since I've been fiv

canadian45 PreciousJones What's the difference between:It's been 21 years since I was 5. AndIt's been 21 years since I've been 5.Is there a difference in the expression or intent desired?Please explain.There is absolutely no reason to use "been" in your sentences. It is 21 years.....Likewise, "since I've been five" is a very odd thing to say. It's 21 years since I was fiv

PreciousJonesIs there a difference in the expression or intent desired?

There's no difference.

Still, there is at least one place in the U.S. where you will hear such constructions. I've known a few people from New York City who say such things. I don't know if it's specific to New York City or if it's a regionalism but I agree with Canadian45 that in

The problem with your sentence:
It's been 21 years since I've been 5.

'since' refers to a point in time, the starting point that the speaking is measuring from. The Present Perfect tense is used when we are looking back over a period of time.
It may be easier to unde

PreciousJonesThat's not what CaliJim says though... If both of you are native speakers why is there a disagreement here?

I think the verb "to be" might be the problem here because, on its own, it's not very time-specific. It's actually the "5 (years old)" bit that imposes a specific time frame on the verb itself. That said, there is little logic in saying "sin