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Artur Olczykowski Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Present Perfect

Hi, I'm new here. I have a question. There is a discussion on the forum where I am a member about correctness of the sentence: I have learnt English since 2000. At first I thought it was wrong but later on I found the quote by Martinet in his A Practical English Grammar where he says that the sentence How long have you learnt English = How long have you been learning English which suggest that the sentence I am asking about is correct. What do you think of it?
  

Top answer

How long have you learnt English is wrong. You should stick with the progressive How long have you been learning English which refers to the progress you've made over the years hence the name of the tense the progressive present perfect.

— Anonymous

  • How long have you learnt English is wrong.
  • You should stick with the progressive How long have you been learning English which refers to the progress you've made over the years hence the name of the tense the progressive present perfect.
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5 Answers
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How long have you learnt English is wrong. You should stick with the progressive How long have you been learning English which refers to the progress you've made over the years hence the name of the tense the progressive present perfect.
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I would certainly prefer 'How long have you studied/been studying/ English." It's possible that the use of "learn" here is more common in England, but to me it sounds very odd.
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As I said before that was also my first answer. I just got confused by the quote in this quite reputable grammar book.
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Hello native speaker,

Does what anon said make any sense?

You should stick with the progressive "How long have you been learning English" which refers to the progress you've made over the years hence the name of the tense the progressive present perfect.

Thanks
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I will. I was just not sure taking into account that my mother tongue is Polish and the author of the book I mentioned holds opposite opinion... Thanks a lot.
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