I feel slightly offended. Because it's true.
(Alt text: "Do you feel like the answer depends on whether you're currently in the hole, versus when you refer to the events later after you get out? Assuming you get out.")
this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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This sounds traumatically similar to the questions a learner of a foreign language would ask me.
"Which is correct, to say I have gone there or I went there?"
Yeah with english the answer is usually "both are correct but this way sounds better."
Basically how english works... go with what sounds right, and if it isn't right the linguists will eventually declare to be right anyway.
And don't feel bad, I once met an asian woman that said "an Irish guy that works at the restaurant gave me a list of common english expressions, but some of them don't look right and I'm not sure if he was just joking around, can you take a look?"
First thing on the list was:
I'm tired -> "I've been laying around flicking the bean all day."
So I had to explain what "flicking the bean" actually meant to a woman I just met that was just learning English. Thanks, Ireland!
Man, what kind of asshole does that to a lady who is just learning a language?
That's a good one, damn. Flick the bean off, what a great phrase.