Which sentence is right? I was asked by my boss to do something creative with their paper bags that we use when packing goods for customers. I keep thinking how should I say this one sentence to my boss when I'll be explaining my idea: - I wanted to paint those bags, but it would take me ages to do so, so I used graffiti spray. OR - I wanted to paint those bags, but it would have taken me ages..... I know I'm talking about the PAST, but I'm not sure if I should use 'would' or 'would have'. I researched the web in order to find some explanation but nothing helpful came up. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Past Pefrect vs. other tenses Can someone please explain it to me in an easiest way possible? I can't seem to understand it fully... Let's say I'm leaving my workplace and I want to say something to my fellow co-workers before I leave. Should I say: - I had not known you for a long time, but I feel like I'm going to miss you! - I have not known you for a long time..... - I didn't know you for a long time... Generally I get very confused about past perfect, present perfect or past simple. No matter how many grammar books I read. Thank you in advance.

Would be OR Would have been...? I always get confused by this. Let's say someone asked me if I wanted some tea. Should I say: - Yes, that would be nice. OR - Yes, that would have been nice. Generally I know that 'would have been...' refers to the past event that didn't happen, but could have happened (am I right??) I sometimes hear it in conversations relating to present or future and that confuses me a lot. Is there a general rule or something that could help me remember? Another confusing example is actually from my work, recently my boss has asked me if I liked that combination of clothes together or some other clothes (I work in a fashion boutique) and I didn't know if I should answer her with 'The second one would be nice together' or 'The second one would have been nice together'. Any help is greatly appreciated :)

Use of tenses - Present Perfect So here I have some sentences and I'm not quite sure which one is correct... or are they both correct to use? Is there any situation in which I cannot use one of them? 1. I always wanted to become an artist OR I have always wanted to become an artist ? (I would use Present Perfect here because that will mean I still want to become an artist, while Past Simple would tell us it is a past wish, which we no longer want to happen?) 2. I live in Ireland for 5 years OR I have lived in Ireland for 5 years ? (This one got me really confused. I still live in Ireland, so how can I say that it is 5 years now since I came here?) So, can someone please explain it to me in a way that is easy to understand? I looked into my English textbooks but they got me even more confused.

FCE Cambridge Exam Hello everyone! I'm considering taking an FCE Cambridge exam. Have any of you taken that exam or are you planning to do it? I'm wondering if it would be something helpful, for example when looking for work. Teachers - would you recommend that exam? I have just bought an online course in order to prepare myself for it :) Thanks :)

E-learning Hello dear italki users, I thought I might share this with you. It is a Polish website, but it can be transferred into English, Spanish or German. Some of the courses are free, just register yourself and try. So far I'm finding it quite helpful :) The main idea is to learn words, phrasal verbs etc. by repeating them. http://www.supermemo.net.pl Just click on the flags on the right side to change language :)