the 30 year-period time stopped over a year ago

Question

Dear Tutors,

I'm still working on the verb tenses. I would to know something on the exercise I'm doing. My neighbour moved to another city. If she moved over a year ago, should I say " We have been neighbours for over thirty years" or "We were neighbours for over thirty years?" It sounds strange to me to use the present perfect tense in this case because the 30 year-period time stopped over a year ago.

Dear Eileen,

Hope things are OK with you. The doctor (1. come ) yesterday. He (2. not like) my cough. I (3. lie) in the bed looking at the ceiling since Tuesday, and I can tell you, I'm fed up with it. I (4. never be) ill like this before - don't know what's happening to me. And the weather's terrible. It (5. rain) all day, and I can't even have a cup of tea to cheer myself up, the milkman (6. not come) this morning. Don't know why - I'm sure 1 (7. pay) his bill.

Alice (8. get) married last week, so now all Mary's kids (9. leave) home. She won't kmow what to do herself, will she?

Lucy Watson (10. move) to Doncaster. Since Fred (11. die) she (12. be) all alone. It (13. be) a heart attack, apparently. I'm sorry she (14. go) -- we (15. be) neighbours (16 since/for) over thirty years, and she (17 always be) friendly and ready to help out.

Answers:
1. came...........................2. didn't like...............3. 've been lying
4. 've never been..............5. 's been raining.......6. didn't come
7. paid/ 've paid................8. got.......................9. have left
10. has moved/ 's moved................................11. died
12. 's been......................13. was...................14. 's gone
15. 've been...................16. for....................17. 's always been

Million thanks,

SFB

Pieanne · Accepted Answer

You're right, the present perfect's out. How about "we had been "?

All the other answers look fine to me.

SpoonfedBaby · Answer

Allo Pieanne,

I think my exercise book gives “have been” for answer because Lucy Watson just moved. I my case, my neighboor moved over a year ago. I’ve forgotten that there is tense called past perfect although I just again worked on it yesterday.

She moved last year. We had been neighbours for over thirty years.

Do you come from the part of Belgium where people speak French? There is en English sentence I don’t understand. May I ask you to translate it for me?

Once again, many thanks.

SFB

Pieanne · Answer

Allo!

"Have been" as an answer implies she left only yesterday, or that she's still your neighbourgh. To me at least.

YES, I'm from the French-speaking part of Belgium! What can I do for you?

SpoonfedBaby · Answer

Allo pieanne,

This is another lucky day for me. I have this question for a while.

I read in my grammar book:

After conjunctions, we often use simple past tenses instead of would.

1. It would be nice if she asked before she borrowed things.
2. He would never do anything that made her unhappy.

What do these sentences mean? I came up with different possibilities.

Cela aurait été sympathique si elle avait demandé la permission avant de prendre les objets.
Cela serait sympathique si elle demandait la permission avant de prendre les objets.

Il n’a jamais fait quelque chose qui l’aurait rendue malheureuse.
Il ne ferait jamais quelque chose qui la rendrait malheureuse.

Thanks in advance...

SFB

Pieanne · Answer

1. It would be nice if she asked before she borrowed things.Ce serait bien/sympathique si elle demandait (la permission) avant d'emprunter quelque chose (des choses)

2. He would never do anything that made her unhappy.Il ne ferait jamais rien (jamais quelque chose) qui la rendrait malheureuse.
After conjunctions, we often use simple past tenses instead of would.Can you be more precise ?

SpoonfedBaby · Answer

PieanneAfter conjunctions, we often use simple past tenses instead of would.Can you be more precise ?

There is no more theory on the elimination of the "would" in my book

The chapter is "Tenses after conjunctions."

If the exact time is shown once in a sentence, this may be enough. So tenses are simplified after many conjunctions.
For example, we often use present tenses instead of will...
This discovery will mean that we spend less on food.
I will be delighted if he wins.

We sometimes use simple tenses instead of perfect or progressive.
I hadn't understood what she said
He's working. But at the same time as he works, he's exercising.

I wrote the beginning of the chapter to give a better idea of what the topic is.
[<:o)] I'm happy to finally know what the two previous sentences mean. [<:o)]

SFB

Pieanne · Answer

SFB, I'm logging off now... See you tomorrow, but then maybe someone will give you the anwsers you need. I'm sure someone will.  <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

the 30 year-period time stopped over a year ago

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