For/ during
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Message de ccbern posté le 30-04-2016 à 15:46:29 (S | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me please?
in the exercise on "during,for, since and while" there's a sentence that could receive two different answers I think:
Tom and his family lived in England...three years
I answered "for", and it was good, but I think that "during" could have been possible.
Perhaps there's a slight difference between both answers? Can you explain me the difference or tell me if I'm wrong.
English is not my motherlanguage tongue, and it's not always easy to know which what is the best way to say something is.
Thanks for your answers.
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Edited by lucile83 on 30-04-2016 15:54
Message de ccbern posté le 30-04-2016 à 15:46:29 (S | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me please?
in the exercise on "during,for, since and while" there's a sentence that could receive two different answers I think:
Tom and his family lived in England...three years
I answered "for", and it was good, but I think that "during" could have been possible.
Perhaps there's a slight difference between both answers? Can you explain me the difference or tell me if I'm wrong.
English is not my mother
Thanks for your answers.
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Edited by lucile83 on 30-04-2016 15:54
Réponse: For/ during de lucile83, postée le 30-04-2016 à 16:05:32 (S | E)
Hello,
During is used to say when the action happened : I went to London during last summer.
For is used to say how long the action lasted : I went to London for 2 weeks last year.
Hope it is clear
Réponse: For/ during de ccbern, postée le 30-04-2016 à 16:24:14 (S | E)
Thank you Lucile83, sure it's clear enough, but at the end my real question is between:
"Tom and his family lived in England for 3 years" and
"Tom and his family have lived in England for 3 years"
the difference is that in the first sentence the action is finished (they are not living in England any more)
and in the second one the action still lasts, is it correct?
Thanks to clear me up, because as a French man the difference between preterit and present perfect is not always clear above all with the same preposition.
Thanks.
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Edited by lucile83 on 30-04-2016 18:43
Why didn't you ask the right question or the two questions immediately?
I have moved your topic from the English only forum to the Main forum because you are French, and gerondif has given a few answers in French... (naughty boy!)
Réponse: For/ during de gerondif, postée le 30-04-2016 à 17:07:36 (S | E)
Hello,
about for and during:
I was ill for a week during the holidays: J'ai été malade pendant une semaine pendant les vacances.
How to make a difference between for and during: ask the question.Comment différencier les deux pendant? en posant la question.
1) WHEN were you ill ? during the holidays, during the trip,during the film (time complement)
2) HOW LONG were you ill ? for a week, for 7 days, duration
I was ill for two hours during the flight: same thing.
"Tom and his family lived in England for 3 years, from 2005 to 2008 but it is over now." for means "pendant" your verb is in the preterite.
"Tom and his family have lived in England for 3 years (since 2013) and they are still living in England at the moment, which explains why they are so fluent in English" Here, for means "depuis" and have lived is translated into French as a present tense.
Réponse: For/ during de ccbern, postée le 30-04-2016 à 20:34:00 (S | E)
Hello Gerondif,
Thank you very much for your answer; it's very clear for me now. Thank you so much for your explanation.
But I'm very amazed at seeing that my post was moved with authority to the french site, whereas I wished to have a dialogue with natives. It's a very strange behaviour and not at all friendly. There's no information about any ban for French to go to English site and that's the first time I see it on the web.
Réponse: For/ during de lucile83, postée le 30-04-2016 à 20:50:50 (S | E)
Hello ccbern,
Please read what I wrote at the end of your previous message:
Edited by lucile83 on 30-04-2016 18:43
Why didn't you ask the right question or the two questions immediately?
I have moved your topic from the English only forum to the Main forum because you are French, and gerondif has given a few answers in French... (naughty boy!)
The English only forum doesn't allow any French language. The main forum is bilingual. I moved your topic into the main forum because I didn't want to delete gerondif's message with French words, and because I supervise the English forums.
You should know that as you have been on the site for more than a year!
If you want to complain again, please send me a private message. I'll be glad to reply to you.
Regards,
Lucile83
Réponse: For/ during de gerondif, postée le 30-04-2016 à 21:04:32 (S | E)
Hello ccbern,
It would have been much easier for me to use both French and English to explain the difference between the two "pendant" and the difference between for meaning pendant, and for meaning depuis. It is harder to do it only in English and, as I left some French sentences or words in my answer to you on the "English only" forum, Lucile kindly moved your topic on the general forum so that I could use both languages without risking the usual 50 lashes administered to all tresspassers! Please believe me when I say that Lucile is most of the time a kind soul and does what is best for the site without any meanness. Native speakers will answer you on this forum as well, sorry I'm not one of them but you know, just as a foreign teacher teaching French probably knows French grammar better than I do , I find it an advantage to have learnt English as a linguistic tool which I can take apart for your benefit.
Oh, by the way, it's the first time (+ present perfect) I've seen it on the web.
In French, you say: c'est la première fois que je vois ça sur le web, but when you switch to English, just think that "it's the first time" comes between never and already, hence the present perfect.
I have never fought.
I have rarely fought.
It's the first time I have fought.
I have sometimes fought.
I have already fought.
I have often fought.
I have always fought on week-ends.
Réponse: For/ during de lucile83, postée le 30-04-2016 à 21:11:16 (S | E)
Hello gerondif,
50 lashes! oh no...just 15, you know, nowadays we have to save everything
Réponse: For/ during de ccbern, postée le 30-04-2016 à 21:54:50 (S | E)
Hello Lucile 83 and Gerondif,
I didn't know the reason of this move and I ignored that only the main site could accept both languages and that some native English-speaking people could be interested to come to the main site. So, I beg your pardon. I want to improve my English, so I appreciate to go sometimes to the English site.
Gerondif thank you very much again for your kind explanation. It's getting better by the minute for me. Thanks a lot.
Réponse: For/ during de lucile83, postée le 30-04-2016 à 22:11:29 (S | E)
Hello ccbern,
That's ok, let's forget it. When you don't know, please ask before arguing
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