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PreciousJones Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Past present
Do you have a boyfriend?
I had one but we've broken up. Or
I had one but we broke up.
Which is native and why? Are both grammatically correct? Thanks.
I had one but we've broken up. Or
I had one but we broke up.
Which is native and why? Are both grammatically correct? Thanks.
Top answer
Both are correct and used by native speakers. One use of perfect tenses is to show something has happened recently- so the first sentence implies the relationship ended not long ago; the second makes it sound as if it all happened far in the past.
- Both are correct and used by native speakers.
- One use of perfect tenses is to show something has happened recently- so the first sentence implies the relationship ended not long ago; the second makes it sound as if it all happened far in the past.
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2 Answers
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Both are correct and used by native speakers. One use of perfect tenses is to show something has happened recently- so the first sentence implies the relationship ended not long ago; the second makes it sound as if it all happened far in the past.
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Hello again. PJ. I suppose you know that there is no such thing as 'past present'.
Both of your sentence are correct and native, and choice depends mostly on the recency and present impact of the breakup.
Both of your sentence are correct and native, and choice depends mostly on the recency and present impact of the breakup.
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