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Jack112 Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Had
1. The girl that I'm meeting tonight had two boyfriends.
A week later, I tell my friend:
2. The girl that I met last week had two boyfriends.
3. The girl that I met last week had had two boyfriends. (Do I need to use 'had had' to refer back to the time I said it? Do I need to use reported speech here?)
Thanks.
A week later, I tell my friend:
2. The girl that I met last week had two boyfriends.
3. The girl that I met last week had had two boyfriends. (Do I need to use 'had had' to refer back to the time I said it? Do I need to use reported speech here?)
Thanks.
Top answer
As far as I can see, it's better if you don't use the past perfect. Sextus
- As far as I can see, it's better if you don't use the past perfect.
- Sextus
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3 Answers
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As far as I can see, it's better if you don't use the past perfect.
Sextus
Sextus
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Hi,
1. The girl that I'm meeting tonight had two boyfriends. This means that she doesn't have them at the time you are saying this. She had them at a previous time.
A week later, I tell my friend:
2. The girl that I met last week had two boyfriends. This sounds like she h
1. The girl that I'm meeting tonight had two boyfriends. This means that she doesn't have them at the time you are saying this. She had them at a previous time.
A week later, I tell my friend:
2. The girl that I met last week had two boyfriends. This sounds like she h
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Well, it seems that I've made a mistake. The reason is that in Spanish the simple past may be translated by two different tenses. In the case of the example given, if one uses one of these tenses, it means that she was still with the guys last week, but if one employs the other tense, it is clear that she was not. In Spanish we could also use the past perfect, but in this case it would sound stran
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