I am having difficulty with this

Judy B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I am having difficulty with this

I am having difficulty in understanding some of the rules around "depuis que". For example, the sentence "Depuis je te l'ai recontré, je me sense mieux" means in English "Since I have met you, I've been in love with you". Please explain why It isn't "Since I met you". Thanks.

Asked 8 years ago
LauraNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq
Bonjour Judy, "Since I have met you, I've been in love with you" is not correct in English. Can you please give me the link where you see that?
AurélieNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq
Bonjour Judy, Here the issue is with the use of Present Perfect (I have met you). The fact is that in French we don't have an equivalent of that fascinating tense, that seems to be sitting in-between past and present. So instead, you will use either Le Présent when the action is still ongoing now, OR Le Passé Composé when it occurred in the past. In this case, because the action still has an ongoing effect in the Present, the Present Perfect is the "perfect" tense to use in English! Hope that's helpful!
Judy B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thanks. I'm reviewing the use of the Present Perfect in English - that may be the problem I'm having with learning the French component.

I am having difficulty with this

I am having difficulty in understanding some of the rules around "depuis que". For example, the sentence "Depuis je te l'ai recontré, je me sense mieux" means in English "Since I have met you, I've been in love with you". Please explain why It isn't "Since I met you". Thanks.

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Let me take a look at that...