Meeting Peter

Question

Martin went to his home town during Christmas holidays. One of my friend Peter is living in the same town. A couple of days ago Maritin came back after the holidays.

I asked him the following:

1. Did you meet Peter?

Is the above correct in this scenario?

It may be the following:

2. Have you met Peter?

You might approve both of them. Please tell me

I just want to know from him is whether he met Peter during the holidays.

MrPedantic · Accepted Answer

Hello Andrei

#1 is the one you need.

MrP

Andrei · Answer

Is it correct to say Christmas holidays?

I feel it would be incorrect to say the plural word holidays because it is a single holiday.

What do you think?

Casi · Answer

Christmas holidays is fine, Andrei, because people generally get more than one day off, and if not, well, "Christmas day" is fine, too. If your friends are not religious or do not belong to the Christian faith, then holiday or holidays is fine.

EXAMPLES
What did you do over the holidays?
What did you do on your holiday? (This could mean one day or many days)
Did you see Pat over the holidays?

Andrei · Answer

I thank Casi and Pedantic for the replies.

Let us say Maritn went to his country of oriign during the Chriistmas holidays.

I could ask the following questions on his return to work.

3. Did you meet your parents?
4. Have you met your parents?

Which is the correct one in this context?

Casi · Answer

Well, since Martin's trip is over, the simple past 'Did' is best:

EX: Did you meet your parents over the holidays, Martin?

In that context, the verb 'meet' implies, meet for the first time, so you may want to change it to 'see', which means, visit.

EX: Did you see your parents over the holidays, Martin?

Andrei · Answer

In one of my recent questions I got a different answer. I am sorry that I don't have time to trace that question. It was nearly 3 or 4 weeks ago.

Martin and myself saw Peter last summer. Since summer I haven't seen Peter, I don't know whether Martin has seen him.

Now almost 5 months have gone after the summer 2004.

I could ask one of the following questions from Martin.

1. Did you see Peter recently.

2. Have you seen Peter recently.

Although the summer 2004 is a thing of the past, the second sentence is the appropriate one.

In other words, you would vote for the present perfect tense in this scenario.
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Casi would like to use the simple past tense for an event which took place nearly 14 days ago. There is a contrasting difference between the two answers.

Casi · Answer

First, say, Martin and I saw Peter, not *Martin and myself saw Peter. Second, the assumption is that Peter hasn't been seen SINCE then, so asking "Have you seen Peter?" is correct. Given the holiday example, the assumption changes. Peter DID in fact go home for the holidays, the event took place, so asking, "Did you see your parents (while you were there), Peter? is correct.

EX1: Have you visited your parents recently, Peter?

We don't know if Peter went home for the holidays.

EX2: Did you visit your parents when you went home for the holidays, Peter?

We know Peter went home for the holidays.

Third, I trust you now see the reason for the "contrasting difference in the two answers". Moreover, and with regards to your statement:

"Casi would like to use the simple past tense for an event which took place nearly 14 days ago."

You may want to reword it, because the following examples prove it invalid:

EX: 14 days ago, I washed the car. (simple past; grammatical)
EX: *14 days ago, I have washed the car. (present perfect, ungrammatical)

Andrei · Answer

Thanks Casi. I got your point

How about the following two sentences? I hope they are correct. Please tell me.

Martin and I went to see Peter who was missing.

Peter who was missing was serached by Martin and myself.

Andrei · Answer

I urge one of our experts to look at this and provide me a reply.

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello Andrei

1. 'Martin and I went to see Peter, who was missing' – fine!

2. 'Peter who was missing was searched by Martin and myself' - fine; but it means:

'Peter (the Peter who was missing) was searched by Martin and myself' –

i.e. Martin and I searched his clothes for drugs, stolen chequebooks, etc.

I wonder if you really meant to say:

3. 'Peter, who was missing, was searched for by Martin and myself' – i.e. Martin and I searched for Peter, who was missing.

(You can also say: 'Peter, who was missing, was searched for by me and Martin'.)

MrP

Meeting Peter

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