Grammar - since and ago together
Hello everybody ;)
On my last lesson we compared Past Simple and Present Perfect tenses. I suggested using something like that:
" I've met you three times since two weeks ago "
My teacher told me it was wrong. I proposed it advisedly as I was sure I had seen that structure many times before. Could anybody please, tell me whether it is correct or not?
It doesn't sound wrong, but maybe try "I've met you three times in the past two weeks." After all, if your teacher said it was wrong, and your teacher is the one grading you, that's the person you need to keep happy. lol
So your teacher told you it was wrong, just like that? No explanation whatsoever?
You might also want to say "met with" to distinguish between "meet" in the sense of "be introduced to" and the sense of "come to the same place".
I don't see anything grammatically wrong there.
The issue is that "since" is a preposition, and it requires a noun as an object, but "two weeks ago" is an adverbial phrase. You can say "I've seen you three times since that event two weeks ago", but "I've seen you three times since two weeks ago" is technically incorrect.
My teacher didn't explain anything, he just said "no, it's incorrect because we never use ago with Present perfect tense". Maybe it's a kind of informal english, I've seen it in many lirycs of different english songs.
@Another Guest
I don't see how that's an issue, it's implied that it's actually "that time two weeks ago", but using it would be a redundancy, don't you think?
@Aver
Hahaha, so that's the problem! Talk about word for word translation.
It is true that you cannot use ago with Present Perfect, but that is if you're referring to a specific time of course, such as "I've done that 3 weeks ago", which would of course be incorrect.
Looks like you have a bad teacher, like 99% of the world, anyway.
I know that sentence like "I've done that 3 weeks ago" is incorrect and propably my teacher thought about this in this way.
Well, I will remember that I might come across senstences like these.
Thanks for help!
I wouldn't say it was wrong as such, but I don't think it sounds particularly native and sounds slightly awkward. I am trying to imagine myself coming out with it and I don't think I would. I think I would say 'I've met you three times in the past two weeks', which if I'm not mistaken conveys exactly the same meaning.
<<I don't see how that's an issue, it's implied that it's actually "that time two weeks ago", but using it would be a redundancy, don't you think? >>
That's why I said "technically". Most native speakers wouldn't view it as glaringly incorrect.
It sounds a little odd to me, too. I might let it slide, but I don't think I would phrase it quite that way.