We met before, didn`t we? vs. We`ve met before haven`t we?

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

Hi, Im sooo curious to know, whether i made a mistake when I met a person who Ive met before :slight_smile:

I said.

We met before, didn`t we?

But I know, the British tend to say, weve met before havent we?

I am a little bit confused about it, as the American is likely to use less Present Perfect and more Simple past

Is that version correct that I used when I met this person?

2

Hi TIE,

Even though I’m a speaker of American English, I’d most likely use the present perfect in that sentence. The use of the simple past is perfectly understandable, however.

The wording I’d most likely use would be this:

  • Haven’t we met before?

I think the most likely sort of situation in which I might use your simple past sentence instead would be in a situation where I had a specific idea in mind about exactly when I thought I had met you before (i.e. even though I only say ‘before’, I might actually have a specific time in the past in mind).

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[size=75]“I am a part of all that I have met.” ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson[/size]

3

Could I say “I had met you long ago.” ?

4

That would sound strange, Allifathima, though you might say ‘Did(n’t) we meet a long time ago?’

TIE - I agree with Esl_expert about what I’d say to someone I might have met previously. ‘We met before, didn’t we?’ is in colloquial, informal use in the area, so you have probably picked it up from hearing it, but it is not correct.

5

yes… BS lot of people don`t follow the grammatical roules when they speak.

6
  1. I have/had been here before.
  2. I had been here ago.
  3. I have/had been here sometime before.
    Are all three sentences correct grammatically?
7

Hi Allifathima,

Here are my comments:

1a. I have been here before. OK
1b. I [color=red]had been here before. [color=red]Not acceptable unless there is something in the broader context that would justify the use of the past perfect.

2. [color=red]I had been here ago. [color=red]No

3a. I have been here sometime before. OK
3b. I [color=red]had been here sometime before. [color=red]Not acceptable unless there is something in the broader context that would justify the use of the past perfect.

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[size=75]“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” ~ Ronald Reagan[/size]

8

I prefer the present perfect but I wonder if this could be grammatically OK.

We met once, didn’t we?

Thanks

9

It is grammatically OK, according to me.