this is the first time

I'm very confused about tenses. I have examples in two different situations here.

Situation 1: I went to lớn Thủ đô New York two months ago and was talking to lớn someone about it.

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A. This is the first time I've been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

B. That was the first time I'd been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

Which is correct in a daily conversation?

Situation 2: I'm going to lớn Thủ đô New York next month and talking to lớn someone.

A. This will be the first time I've been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

B. This is the first time I've been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

C. This will be the first time I go to lớn Thủ đô New York.

Which sentence is appropriate?

According to lớn a grammar article I've read before, I think it says that I can use this sentence in both cases:

This is the first time I've been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

But I'm not sure if this is really ví. So I'd lượt thích to lớn know which tense I should use in each case. Could you explain it?

In situation 1, which version you select (they're both grammatically correct) depends on the tense in which you're telling the story. If you're telling the story in the present tense ("So I'm walking along the street..."), you would use option A to lớn match, while if you're telling it in the past tense ("So I was walking along the street..."), you'd use option B.

In situation 2, you'll generally want either A or C.

The essence of the grammar article was probably that in English, it's possible to lớn discuss either past events or hypothetical future events in the present tense, as if you were placing yourself in the time and narrating from that perspective. In this case, you'd use the present-tense "first time I've been", but it's much more common to lớn narrate this way when relating past events kêu ca when talking about future plans.

answered Oct 3, 2013 at 6:03

Your question is creating confusion here. I would break the cases as required.

Situation 1: You went to lớn Thủ đô New York. (Past)

Case 1: You are talking to lớn somebody about it in present (say to lớn your friend back at home).

The correct tense would be then:-

That was the first time, I had been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

Case 2: You were talking to lớn somebody about it in past (suppose to lớn a friend in New York).

The correct tense would be then:-

That is the first time, I have been to lớn Thủ đô New York.

Situation 2: You are going to lớn Thủ đô New York in the next month.

You are talking to lớn somebody about it in present.

The correct tense would be then:-

This will be the first time, I will be going to lớn Thủ đô New York.

answered Oct 6, 2013 at 6:59

"That was the first time I'd been to lớn New York" in the first situation "This will be the first time I've been to lớn New York" or "This will be the first time I go to lớn New York" but the first sounds better in the second situation.

You can't use "This is the first time I've been to lớn New York" when talking about the future. You can, however use it when talking about the past or present.

answered Oct 3, 2013 at 2:47