"I have ever had" x "I ever had"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
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I’m confused about two sentences and their meanings…

If I say “You were the best boss I ever had” could it mean “You were the best boss I ever had until something happened and now you are not my boss anymore”?

And, If I say “You are the best boss I have ever had” could it mean something like “You are my current boss and among all the bosses I have had in my life, you are the best”?

Thanks!

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2

Please take a look at the following sentence:

Until Jane became my boss, you were the best boss I had up to that point.

In this case the person you are referring to is no longer the best boss you have ever had.

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3

I think that both are saying the same thing, except that the first is to a previous boss and the second is to your current boss.

I don’t think that the first necessarily implies that the person you are talking to was #1 on your best boss list but now has slipped to #2 or #3. And as this is mainly a social statement you certainly wouldn’t want to say that.

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4

I’m trying to understand the usage of simple past and present perfect in this context.

Watching a film, one character said to a person who used to be his boss (but not anymore): “Best boss I ever had”. Why it would be wrong said, in this context, “Best boss I have ever had”?

Another example: I ran into my former teacher and would like to say that, among all teachers who pass through my life, he was the best. Should I say “Best teacher I ever had” or “Best teacher I have ever had”?

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5

Torsten,

In the second sentence, why it would be wrong said “In this case the person you are referring to is no longer the best boss you ever had.”?

If I’m asking someone who is the beast boss he/she had in his life, how should I ask?

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6

If you say, “You’re the best boss I’ve ever had” (present perfect), your boss is still your boss, and she or he is still the best boss ever.

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7

The first is just more informal/slangy than the second. They both assume that the listener knows who you are talking about.
You could take it a little more formal and complete and say “She is the best boss that I have ever had.

Let me return to your original second sentence;
“You are the best boss I have ever had”
This could also apply when speaking to a previous boss.

As for your teacher example, I would suggest the more formal form:
“You’re the best teacher that I’ve ever had.” - especially if they’re an English teacher.

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8

Arinker,

Thank you for the explanation. It’s kinda hard to understand this structures since my main language doesn’t have it…

Would you be able to explain to me why the sentence “You are the best boss I have ever had” is grammatically correct? I mean, my confusion it is because it’s a little bit controversial to me to start the sentence with present (you are) to refer to a person who is not my boss anymore. I thought in this case it would only be possible to use the simple past, like “You were the best boss I ever had”.

Again, thank you for your time.

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9

Good question.

Here is a different example.
Usain Bolt won Olympic Gold Medals in 2018.
He is an Olympic Champion.

I worked for John in 2016. He was an excellent manager.
He is the best boss I have ever had.

Their actions in the past earned them a title or quality that they still have.
You could also use the past tense.

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10

“You are the best boss I have ever had” <<<<<<<<It is grammatically correct because although he isn’t your boss anymore…you STILL CONSIDER HIM as the best boss you have ever had.

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11

How would you say this in Portuguese? Is the following sentence correct? És o melhor patrão que alguma vez tive.

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Finally got it! Thank you!

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My Portuguese is from Brazil, so I would say: “Você é o melhor patrão que eu já tive”.

I’m not sure about Portuguese from Portugal, but for PT-BR “És o melhor patrão que alguma vez tive.” could also be considered correct, however, extremely formal/poetic. You would probably find it in an old book.

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14

Very interesting. And how does É o melhor chefe que já tive sound to you?

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15

Sounds the same as “ “Você é o melhor patrão que eu já tive”. Chefe can be used as patrão. I think its regional, I live in the south of Brazil and here you could use both to say “boss”.

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