Find English Teachers
绑德sings
Hello native English speakers.
1. I haven't seen you since the war broke out.
2. I have not been seeing you since war broke out.
3. I have not been seeing you since war has broken out.
4. We have seen him since he left.
Question: Which is/are grammatically correct?
Do number 1 →3 have the same meaning?
The question about number 4:
How many times have we seen him?
Have we seen him once or multiple times?
Feb 22, 2025 12:15 PM
Answers · 3
1.) correct ( from time to time )
2.) / 3.) I haven't been seeing you.................... (continuous basis)
4. We've seen him......................
Feb 22, 2025 8:16 PM
All are grammatically correct.
1-3 are close in meaning but not precisely the same. In #3, "since" will be interpreted to mean "because".
In #4, we have seen him one or more times since he left.
#2 can be a useful sentence:
"I have been busy. I still have time to study English and take care of the children. Unfortunately, I have not been seeing you since war broke out."
In this sentence, "since" can mean "since the time" or "because". The precise meaning can only be determined with additional context.
#3:
This is a very good sentence since "since" can have the same meaning as "because". Thus, I would interpret #3 as
"I have not been seeing you because war has broken out."
It is more difficult, but not impossible, to make sense of #3 if you interpret "since" to mean "since the time". It would not be an error, just a bit awkward. If you want the meaning "since the time", #2 is better.
Feb 22, 2025 5:26 PM
Invitee
1 and 4 are correct. The verb -see- is a stative verb , describing state of ' being 'rather than action, though we can sometimes using the verb -see-as a dynamic or active verb eg do you have a girlfriend? Yes, I am seeing someone at the moment (dating).
In your example -see- can not be used in the continuous form. sentence 4 doesn't give us information about how many times, just that we have had the experience of seeing him.
Hope that helps!
Feb 22, 2025 2:45 PM
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
绑德sings
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
Articles You May Also Like

6 Ways italki Can Help You Succeed in Your School Language Classes
4 likes · 0 Comments

The Power of Storytelling in Business Communication
46 likes · 12 Comments

Back-to-School English: 15 Must-Know Phrases for the Classroom
33 likes · 7 Comments
More articles