Present Perfect or Past Perfect
I have been reading the corrections that I got from a notebook entry that I published yesterday.

I got two corrections, but I'm confused since they have a different point of view.

This is the part that I wrote: "It had been a long time since I hadn’t talked to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners."

First correction: (he/she didn't change anything) It had been a long time since I hadn’t talked to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners.

Second correction: It has been a long time since I hadn’t talked to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners.

Which grammar tense did I have to use? This is the notebook's entry link if you want to take a look
https://www.italki.com/notebook/1879781/entry/844375

Thanks in advance.

Question

Present Perfect or Past Perfect
I have been reading the corrections that I got from a notebook entry that I published yesterday.

I got two corrections, but I'm confused since they have a different point of view.

This is the part that I wrote: "It had been a long time since I hadn’t talked to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners."

First correction: (he/she didn't change anything) It had been a long time since I hadn’t talked to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners.

Second correction: It has been a long time since I hadn’t talked to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners.

Which grammar tense did I have to use? This is the notebook's entry link if you want to take a look 
https://www.italki.com/notebook/1879781/entry/844375

Thanks in advance.

Answer

Hi, I am a native speaker. I would have said:

"It had been a long time since I had spoken to someone new. I’ve been talking with the same language partners."

Answer

It is natural to use the present perfect since the next sentence takes place at the same time and is also present perfect.
You would only use past perfect if the action finished in the past before something else happened - I do not see that in the context.

By the way "since I hadn’t talked to someone new" is not natural - this should be stated in the positive "since I had talked to someone new". The way you wrote it means that you always talk to new people. (but it is a strange way to say it).

Answer

I think the confusion may be clarified better with more context - that is, are you actually talking about something in the past or something now!

Answers · 6

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