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Jonathan1 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Present Perfect with Past Perfect/Simple?

Hello, 
which one of the following sentences is more correct?

I have been talking for several months with a friend whom I had met.

I have been talking for several months with a friend whom I met.

In my opinion, the first sentence is the more correct one because firstly I had met the friend and only afterwards I have been talking with him.

Thanks in advance!
  

Top answer

Neither one is more correct. " It is not obligatory to use the past perfect here. Past perfect is used when the speaker desires to emphasize or clarify the time sequence of events.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Neither one is more correct.
  • " It is not obligatory to use the past perfect here.
  • Past perfect is used when the speaker desires to emphasize or clarify the time sequence of events.
  • I have been talking for several months with a friend who I met while on my last holiday.
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3 Answers
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Neither one is more correct.
The second is far more common, and most English speakers would use "who", not "whom."
It is not obligatory to use the past perfect here.
Past perfect is used when the speaker desires to emphasize or clarify the time sequence of events.

I have been talking for several months with a friend who I met while on my last holiday.
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Thank you for your response, but still, is the past perfect acceptable here?
Actually, I quite wanted to emphasize the fact that obviously I had met the friend, and only after the meeting I have been talking with him until today.
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Jonathan1Thank you for your response, but still, is the past perfect acceptable here?
Yes.
It seems a bit odd without a time reference for the meeting though.

I have been talking with a friend who I had met at the conference about a year ago.
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