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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

When to use had or have

Hi,

I was taught (I'm Hispanic) that I should use "had" when I have not done something in a long time and then I do it so I can say "I had not seen you in a long time." However, my husband (American) heard me saying this the other day and told me that I should have said "I have not seen you in a long time." I thought I would only use this sentence if I still have not seen the person, am I wrong?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

" You were taught wrong or you misunderstood what you were taught. It's "I haven't seen you in a long time" when you speak directly to someone you haven't seen for a long time. Later , if you tell the story of your meeting this person to someone else , you can say, "I bumped into So-and-so last week, which was really surprising because I hadn't seen [ her/him ] in a long time".

— CalifJim

  • " You were taught wrong or you misunderstood what you were taught.
  • It's "I haven't seen you in a long time" when you speak directly to someone you haven't seen for a long time.
  • Later , if you tell the story of your meeting this person to someone else , you can say, "I bumped into So-and-so last week, which was really surprising because I hadn't seen [ her/him ] in a long time".
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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AnonymousI was taught (I'm Hispanic) that I should use "had" when I have not done something in a long time and then I do it so I can say "I had not seen you in a long time."
You were taught wrong or you misunderstood what you were taught.

It's "I haven't seen you in a long time" when you speak directly to someone you haven't seen for a long time.
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