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Jumanah Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

I hadn't seen...

I visited a few friends and did a little sightseeing. On the evening of the eighteenth, I ate a late dinner with some friends that I hadn't seen in several years.
I really don't why they said "I hadn't seen..."
Why didn't they use "present perfect"
  

Top answer

Because the period of not having seen them extended only up to the past time of that meeting.

— Fivejedjon

  • Because the period of not having seen them extended only up to the past time of that meeting.
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11 Answers
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Because the period of not having seen them extended only up to the past time of that meeting.
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Does it have the same meaning as " some friends I didn't see in several years"
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JumanahDoes it have the same meaning as " some friends I didn't see in several years"
Yes, but in this sentence, you must use the past perfect. The simple past is incorrect.
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Why?
How can I know I should use "Past perfect" in such a sentence?
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The period of not having seen them extended only up to the past time of that meeting.
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Is it correct to use "for" in the sentence I wrote.?
E.g " Some friends I hadn't seen for several years" or for 2 years.
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JumanahHow can I know I should use "Past perfect" in such a sentence?
Because you have two separate "past" times in the sentence.
1. The past time you ate dinner.
2. Another past time that is even earlier. It past relative to the time you ate dinner.

The last time I saw these friends was two years before the dinner.
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JumanahWhy didn't they use "present perfect"?
Because it's a story about something that happened some time ago. Think of "the evening of the eighteenth" as a time in the past.

This evening I'm going to have dinner with some friends I haven't seen in a long time. (I have not seen them until
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As far as I understand, that seeing my friends was before eating a late dinner.
is that what you mean?
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JumanahAs far as I understand, that seeing my friends was before eating a late dinner.
Right—and they both happened in the past.
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