I didn't know [ haven't kwown ] you have an allergy to pollen.

Question

Hello.Can I also say, "I haven't known ( for a long time ) you have an allergy to pollen?"This sentence means "We have known each other for a long time, but I didn't know you have a hey fever."                               Thank you!   kenta

Avangi · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't recommend it. Present perfect brings you arguably up to the time of your announcement. It could conceivably be taken as a statement that you still don't know.
"Know" is a little bit tricky. "I have known about your lies for a long time." (I still know) "I haven't known about your lies for a long time." (What the heck does that mean?)

Presumably, you would have learned the news before you made the announcement, so past perfect is possible. "I hadn't known about your allergy." (before you just told me)

I think the most likely, the most natural, is simple past. "I didn't know about this."

I can imagine someone saying "I haven't known about this," immediately upon hearing the news. But to extend the sentence beyond that point would be very awkward. This formulation would be most appropriate to stress your ongoing ignorance of the fact during the lengthy period when it seems you should have been aware of your friend's suffering. (Simple past might seem to trivialize it.)

A native speaker would probably avoid dealing with the multiple "have's" in your original example. "I haven't know about your pollen allergy."

"I didn't know you had/have a pollen allergy." ("Had" is legal, even though you obviously still have the allergy.)

While we use the indefinite article with "allergy" (there are so many!), we wouldn't use it with a particular allergy, such as "hay fever." (note the spelling)

I didn't know you had/have hay fever.

Kenta · Answer

Hello, Avangi. Your comment is very useful. Thank you very much!

kenta

Anonymous · Answer

I didn't know you had a pollen allergy.

Avangi · Answer

AnonymousI didn't know you had a pollen allergy.

Likewise.

I didn't know [ haven't kwown ] you have an allergy to pollen.

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