Friday, August 16, 2019

Which is correct? Present perfect or simple past?



Which of these two is correct? Present perfect or simple past? The more I look at it the more I can't decide:




I've fallen in love with seafood around the time I found your channel.





or:




I fell in love with seafood around the time I found your channel.




I also could use when instead of "around the time" but I think that changes the premise of the situation. I'd appreciate a little help!


Answer




Let's replace around the time I found your channel with yesterday, as those phrases are grammatically interchangeable (the "around your time" is just an approximation; it could also be replaced with "in approximately 400BC").




I've fallen in love with seafood yesterday. I've fallen in love with seafood in approximately 400BC.



I fell in love with seafood yesterday. I fell in love with seafood in approximately 400BC.




Don't let the length of the phrase "around the time I found your channel" fool you. It's still a fixed point in time, making your second sentence grammatically correct.




Compare:




I've fallen in love now that I've seen your show.




vs:




I fell in love around the time I saw your show.




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