"this last year"
Hello Everybody,

I am confused by the phrase "this last year, I have experienced so much in life". I don't get when exactly the person experienced so much. It seems even contradictory to me, because "this" would suggest present, but "last year" refers to the past.

Could you also please give me another example? Thanks in advance for your clarifications.

Question

"this last year"
Hello Everybody,

I am confused by the phrase "this last year, I have experienced so much in life". I don't get when exactly the person experienced so much. It seems even contradictory to me, because "this" would suggest present, but "last year" refers to the past.

Could you also please give me another example? Thanks in advance for your clarifications.

Answer

'This last year' or 'This past year' means 'the last twelve months'. This period of time has only just finished. In fact, the clue is in the use of the present perfect form. We use the present perfect for periods of time which have just recently finished and which impact on the present moment.

Compare

'I experienced so much last year.'  (2015)  =  past time / past simple tense

with

'I have experienced so much this last year.' (March 2015 --> today) = period up until now / present perfect

I hope that makes sense.

Answer

este ultimo anio, he tenido muchas experiencias en mi vida
de que estas hablando hasta ahora, asi como dice el comentario de arriba