Question about present perfect

Question

Hello, from one song there's a sentence "I have never known hate until I met you".  Ive been learning english for  four years, but to me this looks strange. Is this use of present perfect correct? I think, considering "until I met you" it shouldnt be present perfect but it should be just past or past perfect? I would like to use sentence similiar to this - I have never believed in angels until I met you and Im just not sure whether its correct or not. If anyone could answer me I would be very grateful as I mean one girl who is an angel for me.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

AnonymousI have never known hate until I met you". Is this use of present perfect correct?

Yes.

Anonymous considering "until I met you" it shouldnt be present perfect but it should be just past or past perfect?

I suggest that it is present perfect in its function as 'life experience'. I agree that simple past would be the expected.

Anonymous I have never believed in angels until I met you

I think it holds up for the same reason.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousI have never known hate until I met you ... this looks strange.

I find it a bit strange too. It appears that 'meeting you' occurred before the period of 'not knowing' came to its conclusion at the present moment, but that's not really the idea the speaker wished to convey.

...... have never known ..... met you .............present moment
.......[ not known .......................................................]
.......................................... [ .. met ..] ........................

It's trying to say "I've only known hate since I met you", but in a different way.

If I were going to negate "know", I would have said "I never knew hate until I met you". An "until" clause gives a specific time in the past (the moment 'I met you'), and that's not normal with a present perfect in the main clause. (The "since" clause is OK because the time period of 'knowing hate' continues to the present in this case. That is, the event of the meeting does not interrupt the state of knowing hate; it starts it.)

CJ

Radek Kopečný · Answer

Thanks all for your answers I really appreciate it.

CalifJim: So you think I should use "I never believed in angels until I met you"?

Anonymous · Answer

I'd follow CJ's way of expressing it, i.e. "I've only started/begun to believe in angels since I met you."

CalifJim · Answer

Radek KopecnýI never believed in angels until I met you

It sounds fine to me.

CJ

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