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J Lin Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
which is correct?
it's time we talked about this.
it's time we talk about this.
it's time we talk about this.
Top answer
It's time we talked about this. It's time for us to talk about this.
- It's time we talked about this.
- It's time for us to talk about this.
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9 Answers
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It's time we talked about this.
It's time for us to talk about this.
It's time for us to talk about this.
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It's time we talk about this.
It's time we talked about this.
I remember several months ago, a similar question was asked, and the answer was that the first sentence is the AmE version, while the second is the BrE version.
It's time we talked about this.
I remember several months ago, a similar question was asked, and the answer was that the first sentence is the AmE version, while the second is the BrE version.
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Yoong LiatIt's time we talk about this. It's time we talked about this.I remember several months ago, a similar question was asked, and the answer was that the first sentence is the AmE version, while the second is the BrE version.That doesn't surprise me. Many people around here have a tendency to omit the d at the ends of words that should hav
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Blue JayThat doesn't surprise me. Many people around here have a tendency to omit the d at the ends of words that should have one. "I use to work there." COCA lists two matches for It's time we talk and three for It's time we talked.BNC lists none for It's time we talk and two for It's time we talked.
In the thread I
In the thread I
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My opinion is this.
The "ed" or past form of the verb used in this context is subjunctive in nature. In normal usage, the" it is time we + present verb " construction is typical, at least in AmE.. For example: Too many auto accidents are caused by people texting while driving. It is time we do something about it.
The "ed" or past form of the verb used in this context is subjunctive in nature. In normal usage, the" it is time we + present verb " construction is typical, at least in AmE.. For example: Too many auto accidents are caused by people texting while driving. It is time we do something about it.
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I did some more research on this, and found that present tense after it's time we... is much more common in AmE than I realized. I thought it was just the American habit of leaving off "-ed", but it applies on other past tense forms too. It seems that AmE usage is about 60% present tense and 40% past tense, while British usage is almost all past tense.
Thank you for pointi
Thank you for pointi
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Does it mean we could use both? or should I stick with the past tense?
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J Lin It's time we talked about this. It's time we talk about this.I find both completely acceptable. (American)
CJ
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J LinDoes it mean we could use both? or should I stick with the past tense?It seems that in the US and Canada both are equally acceptable. In the UK only the past tense is used. If you expect to be mainly talking to Brits, stick to the past tense; otherwise you can use either.
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