We hadn't heard from them for ages vs. We hadn't news from them for ages

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

We hadn’t heard from them for ages. Is it correct to say “We hadn’t news from them for ages”?

Thanks in advance. Ciao

2

Hi there,

The sentence We hadn’t heard from them for ages suggests that there is some sort of additional context that would justify the use of the past perfect. For example:

  • We hadn’t heard from them for ages. And then out of the blue, they showed up on our doorstep yesterday.

Your second sentence sounds quite awkward to my American ears. You should use either the present perfect ‘haven’t had’ or the past perfect ‘hadn’t had’ (as long as it’s justified).
If I were to use the simple past tense, it would be ‘didn’t have’.

In addition, it would be natural to add the word ‘any’:

  • We haven’t had any news from them for ages.
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3

Hi Amy (I hope you didn’t forget my name) :slight_smile:

You’re right, my “We hadn’t news from them for ages” sounds quite awkward also to my Italian ears… I’ll be more careful next time. :slight_smile:

Thanks a lot for your precious help.

PS: I’m in touch with some Americans on Busuu.com and they say that my English is no bad at all. I just hope they don’t tease me! :wink: